Microsoft is breathing some air into Minecraft through a new licensing deal with Montreal-based toyco Playview Brands for a range of inflatable products. 

Playview will design and manufacture both summer and winter Minecraft inflatables for North American retail, starting this fall with a line of snow sleds and large building blocks that kids can use to recreate Minecraft’s settings. 

Playview also plans to make inflatable versions of Minecraft’s iconic characters and monsters, along with branded beach balls and pool floats (pictured) for summer. 

The toyco first blew into the inflatables market in 2020 with its Bunkr range of blow-up crates and barricades. Playview inked a deal with Hasbro the following year to develop a range of NERF-branded products, and that key license was renewed earlier this month. 

Just like Playview’s product offering, the global market for inflatable toys is expanding at a steady pace, according to a report published by Dublin-based Research and Markets last year. This category generated US$1.97 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow by 3.9% year over year to US$2.6 billion by 2028. The report notes that one of the key drivers in the space is high demand from kindergartens and preschools for safe toys that younger kids can play with.