CVS expands into Pokémon, collectibles and seasonal drops

By Nathan Brooks

Pokémon generated $2.5 billion in U.S. sales in 2025, up 87% year over year. According to a Circana report at the start of the year, it was the first brand in the last 20 years to exceed $2 billion in annual sales.

CVS Pharmacy, the retail arm of CVS Health, said in a Friday announcement that it would expand its assortment across toys, beauty, snacks and seasonal products. The company framed the push around collectibles, nostalgia and limited-edition items, citing increased adult interest in collectibles and toys.

The company’s press release said the products would roll out this fall at participating stores and on its website.

A broader fall range

The company said its expanded assortment includes:

• Pokémon trading cards
• Blind-box collectibles, including Nook Nook Series 1 blind boxes
• Joyward Halloween Squishes
• Beauty Creations x Disney’s The Nightmare Before Christmas lip oils and serums
• Dunkin’ pumpkin spice ground coffee
• Limited-time drops and exclusive squishies

CVS described the rollout as an introduction of new brands and an expansion within toys, beauty, snacks and seasonal categories. It is also debuting exclusive squishies as part of the fall range.

Zach Dennett, interim chief merchandising officer at CVS Health, said in a statement: “There’s something exciting about finding a product you weren’t expecting during an everyday shopping trip,” “By regularly introducing new and unexpected finds at their local CVS, we’re creating more moments of discovery and giving customers reasons to explore what’s new every time they shop with us.”

Adults behind the growth

Dive reported that consumers aged 18 and over accounted for 35% of total toy-industry growth—roughly one-third of the category’s expansion. The toy aisle has grown up. So has its buyer base. CVS cited that adult interest in its announcement, making its consumer strategy unusually direct.

A June report by Circana found that squishy toys posted triple-digit growth in both dollars and units sold during the first four months of the year. Dive also noted that squishies have helped push revenue growth at Five Below. CVS Pharmacy’s exclusive squishies put the chain alongside a format with demonstrated demand.

Pokémon supplies a larger center of gravity. Circana’s figures show that the brand generated $2.5 billion in U.S. sales in 2025, an 87% year-over-year increase, and passed the $2 billion annual-sales mark for the first time in 20 years.

The price signal before the holidays

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index showed that toy prices rose 4.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis from August to September. The reading landed before the holiday season. Applied only as an index comparison, $100 in August would equal about $104.20 in September. That makes the collectible push a price test, too.

What does this change for CVS shoppers?

The practical change is a wider fall selection: Pokémon trading cards, blind boxes, limited-time drops, exclusive squishies, themed beauty products and seasonal coffee. The company said shoppers would find the items at participating stores and on its website this fall. At the same time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ data show that the broader toy category had already become 4.2% more expensive from August to September.

For CVS, the opportunity is unusually clear. Dive’s data place adults behind 35% of toy-industry growth, while Circana found triple-digit squishy growth. The retailer is using new brands, nostalgic products and limited editions to create reasons for another visit, as Dennett said.

The next test comes this fall: whether limited drops, exclusive squishies and themed products can turn an everyday pharmacy stop into a collectibles trip. With toy prices already 4.2% higher from August to September, the appeal needs to work against a rising sticker price. The first visit is easy to arrange. The second one is the useful measure.