This past holiday season was most notable, not for a "hot" toy, but for the serious concerns about toy safety. This week, as the industry kicks off the New Year with the annual International Toy Fair in New York City, there is a collective hope that this year will be less turbulent.
So, you might ask, what has changed in terms of safety? On the upside there is a great deal of testing going on in the industry. (Since the beginning of the year, 10 new children's products have been recalled due to lead paint issues.) Retailers have increased the testing requirements and most industry insiders will tell you that they are spending a tremendous amount of money assuring that products are complying with the federal standards. That said, the laws remain the same. There is no mandatory government testing of products before they enter the distribution channels. While there is pending legislation that addresses the issues of testing and standards of testing, no new laws have been adopted by Congress. The industry remains self-regulated. So while we may not be hearing about recalls on the news, it's important for parents to sign up for recall alerts at cpsc.gov.
Duality in Play Experiences
Building on the phenomenal success of Webkins, the big marketing trend in toyland is that everything should have an on-line component. So this year you'll have some tried and true basics with the same on-line play experience: Hot Wheels, Barbies, and even Groovy Girls will have features that unlock on line experiences. Time will tell whether these traditional toys can gain a market share of the on-line gamers.
Robotics
Robotic animals are all the rage this year. Every year there is one animal that captures the imagination of toy makers (last year it was the penguin). This year it is clearly the year of the dinosaur. The largest is Kota (Playskool $300), an over-sized (more than 40") Triceratops that features what the company calls animatronics. KOTA is touch and sound sensitive. With eleven different places to activate movement and his "realistic" dino roar. Kids can get on KOTA for a spring-action ride (he does not move forward) or feed KOTA with leafy greens.
Mattel also has dinos for the new year. From our point of view the most interesting is D-REX ($150) that works with what they label "biomorphic robotics". He is an interactive pet that will obey commands and responds to being cared for by his owner. 6 & up.
WowWee, known best for their sleek Robosapien line, is introducing Alive Lion Cub (WowWee $59.99) later this year. Lion Club is one of the new animals in this line of interactive pets that have animatronics. They feature realistic fur, animated faces, and specific animal sounds that are motion and touch sensitive. The Lion we saw demonstrated really can growl! In addition to the Lion, there will be a Panda, Polar Bear and White Tiger. Preschool & up.
How your kids react to these toys will depend on their temperament. For some it will be the ultimate fantasy-for others it may be way over the top! We look forward to testing these with kids when they're ready.
Classics vs. High Tech
The struggle between high tech and classics is what you'll be hearing about a great deal. High Tech twists on classics that have a tremendous number of bells and whistles- appealing to parents that want everything to be cutting edge vs. classic, retro toys that look closer to what we played with as kids. For example, in the miniature play setting category:
Caring Corners Mrs. Goodbee's Interactive Dollhouse (Learning Curve $79.99) - This house can say more than 400 words, offers interactive games, songs and activities built into the experience. If you pull down the shades and cue "nighttime" you'll hear crickets and owls.
Airport (Plan Toys $90) Sleek in design, this airport has an open-air design with a pulley-styled elevator. All wood, no bells and whistles here. The emphasis is on a retro play experiences made of all natural rubber wood and vegetable dyes.
Green and eco friendly toys
The industry is responding with toys that reinforce a green message and others that embrace it through the use of "re-purposed" or greener materials. In addition to the Plan Toys' Airport described above, here are some other notable contenders:
Adventure Series Vehicles (Sprig Toys $12.99-$59.99) A new line of vehicles that are made of a bio-composite material derived from recycled wood and reclaimed plastic. All bells and whistles are generated by friction, no batteries required.
Dynafly and Dynacar (SeeToys $24.99) Much like crank up toys that were popular in the 40s, this new collection of bugs and cars light up and have sound effects that require no batteries.
Barbie Talk to Me Doll ($19.99 doll and t-shirt) Girls will love making a statement with this Barbie wearing a T-shirt that makes a major statement: "Think Pink, Live Green!" Barbie comes with a t-shirt for a girl to wear as well. Also notable, Barbie Bcause ($4.99-$19.99) Accessories made from "repurposed" (left over materials) from Barbie's extensive clothing line.
Planet Earth Puzzles & Monopoly ($3.99-$35.99) Everyone is familiar with the amazing Planet Earth DVD. Here are games and puzzles that give you a more hands on opportunity to engage your kids with these truly "global" issues. The products are appropriately made with a great deal of recycled materials.
High Tech Reading/Art Gadgets
Tag (Leapfrog $49.99 with one book/additional titles $13.99 each) Chikka Chikka Boom Boom, The Little Engine that Could, and Olivia are just some of the wonderful storybooks that you can use with TAG. Designed for kids 4 to 8, Tag "reads" by using a small infrared camera that works as an imaging system to recognize words and pictures printed on special pages. You download the book's audio to the pen via the Internet.
MaggieTales (free) These are books that you can download to a number of devices including your flip phone, iPod, or iPhone. Right now there are 14 titles available at maggietales.com.
KidiArt Studio (VTECH $79.99) Last year we recommended this company's great digital camera, Kidizoom. This new art studio builds on that experience by attaching a digital camera to a special desk. Once your kids have captured an image, they can create, edit and display their work on the TV or PC.
|