Salary
Average Salary: $64,180
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $2,679,000
Toy designer salaries vary wildly, because many rely on the popularity of the toys they create and that popularity can change quite a bit over time.
An average toy designer will enter the job market with a salary in the low-$30,000s range, but that number can move up quickly, especially if the toys she creates sell well. The median pay for a toy designer with a design firm is around $61,000 per year, with top toy designers making closer to $100,000 (source).
Independent toy designers have earnings which are totally dependent on the selling power of their creations. Because independent designers are not paid a salary, they risk actually losing money by investing in the design of a toy which never sells or sells poorly.
However, they also usually earn royalties based on the sales of a product, so if they develop a toy that becomes riotously successful, their earnings can skyrocket while the toy continues to sell.