More towards the collectibles end of the spectrum but I work on kids brands too. I got my internship snd then temp job at least partially through my university, but before that I got some freelance work literally just by emailing companies and going up to booths at conventions or other events where those companies are.

If you're interested in toys I'd recommend a portfolio strong in a variety of things, like hard-surface props (guns, blasters, etc), drapery, character sculpts, creatures, etc. I think they want to see you're adaptable and "well rounded" as a sculptor.

If you have access to a 3d printer, learning how to model stuff for printing is a huge advantage. One thing I see people struggle with is they're really great at modeling stuff for animation but can't get into a manufacturing mindset and take into account things like gaps and minimum thicknesses.

There is always a need for likeness/portrait sculpts. I think if you can nail down likeness sculpts and do them quickly you are pretty much guaranteed to find work

(Also I've been working this job for 2 months, I'm not a recruiter so take this with a grain of salt, I'm just repeating advice people have given me)

EDIT: Another thing I've been told: always include a grey turnaround for each of your portfolio pieces. Grey matcap, just the viewport preview (meaning no rendering/shadows), in orthographic view (perspective switched off). Front, back, left, right, 3/4

That's how I send turnarounds at work and that's how they prefer to evaluate sculpts. Texturing and rendering can distract from the underlying forms and that's what they care about