From the Javits center today I did two interviews that will air in the coming weeks. One with Businessweek TV (it will air this weekend) — the piece looks at trends in toy land– with a focus on the range of high tech toys offered this year. The other was with NOW (PBS) — looking at the issue of phthlates in toys (will air in March).
Dinosaurs are the “it” creature from toy fair. Everywhere! (Mattel, Hasbro, Lego, Gund, Playmobil–just to name a few!) But here’s our problem with so many of the new play sets….cavemen. We understand the need to have “action figures” – they’re fun to play with but they pose a problem. It goes without saying that they are factually incorrect–the same way that we often find playsets that combine polar bears with penguins (another pet peeve of ours). One of the reasons dinos are so adored by preschoolers and early school aged kids–they know that dinos were never EVER around when man was around. It’s fun to think about these huge creatures roaming the Earth — without the thought of what would have happened if they were around when there were men (and more specifically, little children). You may think this is silly — but the last time this trend came around, this was exactly the reaction we got from small dino-enthusiasts. The kids in the know were offended by the cavemen and they often put them away–preferring to have their dinos battle it out!
Step 2 is continuing their wonderful line of gender free kitchens. To their credit these kitchens also have some sound effects–but not overly intrusive bossy instructions (an unfortunate trend in this category). For the holidays, Step 2 will also have a new Retro Diner, complete with a cooking side and a two person “booth” side. Both boys and girls will love this pretend setting. The retro diner styling (complete with licks of red–our favorite) looks fresh and fun. On the upside, the company is also phthalates free. The company is also working to address the issue with the Infantino toy line– a company they recently purchased.We were also delighted to report that the company took our concern over their small plastic hot dogs and french fries to heart. The hot dog is now in a bun (much larger) and the french fries are being combined so that they are also larger. All good!
One of the brightest booths at toy fair today was our visit to Playmobil. The highlights:1. A new circus. Complete with lights, a ring, a tent, a separate tiger ring (with special tiger cages so that the tigers go straight from their trailer to the circus), acrobats on the high wire and a moving horse set. All very special–we look forward to testing these themed sets with our Playmobil testers.2. Pirates! A really spectacular, extra large pirate ship–with separate flags (depending on whether you are the good guys or the pirates!) Huge sails, lots of special compartments and best of all–this oversized boat is going to float (comes with wheels for floor play as well). If you have a pirate fan in the house, this will be a must have holiday present.3. Under the heading of “they think of everything”…there is a horse/pony setting, complete with an itty bitty mouse near the hay..and the horses really have their own poop piles. Now usually we’re not big on such realistic props–but this one seemed appropriate and will likely delight kids.
This morning we officially begin our adventure through the Javits center looking for this year’s best toys. In the olden days, Javits was dominated by small and mid size companies. Finding the next “big” thing is always part of the fun of our job. Now the big guys are here as well so the dynamic and feel of attending Javits has changed. In the past we would also come with suitcases that we would fill up with press kits–now most companies either hand us a disk or a thumb drive. A good green trend. We’re going to start with Lego (celebrating its 50th year). More later.
We were delighted with today’s news that both TRU and Wal-Mart have raised the bar on safety standards for toys. Not waiting for Congress to act, these two super retailers are moving the industry along in producing safer products.Both retailers are joining California in banning phthalates (a softener added to plastics that has been linked to serious health risks) and reducing the levels of surface coated lead way below the current federal standard of 600 ppm (parts per million) to 90 ppm. What’s left? We will continue to call for the same reduction in embedded lead. Only the state of Illinois regulates the levels of embedded lead (requiring toys sold in the state to have levels below 600 ppm). The CPSC reports that a child died from lead poisoning after ingesting a charm that had excessive levels of embedded lead. This is a real risk that also needs to be addressed in all products for children.We need the government to follow the market–set the standards and require mandatory testing.
One of my favorite toys last year was Jakks Pacific’s EyeClops, a magnifier that you can hook up to your tv and see anything really up close (your skin, the rug, anything that you can reach or bring to the EyeClops). Seeing your skin that blown up is really, really interesting (and delightfully gross). Everyone wanted to play with this product when we tested it.
This year the company is bringing out Eye Clops BioniCam that allows you to move around and capture images at 100x, 200x or 400x magnification. You can record the images and view them on the color LCD screen. Best yet, you can then take them back to your television or computer and look at the images on a larger screen. When hooked up to the computer you can print or email your discoveries. Fun for science projects! (Yes this is another USB opportunity!) The suggested age range is 6 & up–but I think it will be most enjoyed by the 9 & up crowd. Suggested retail is $79.99.
We look forward to testing this one!
Last year everyone was talking about magnets. Everything from toddler toys to construction toys used magnets in some creative way. This year the buzz is all about “USB” capability.
Traditional toys like Hot Wheels, Barbies, Groovy Girls–now all will have an on-line component where play is just a USB cord away. Borrowing from the amazing successful Webkinz model, more and more companies are offering a toy that also “unlocks” a unique play experience on line. From the response of our toy testers, this seems like a smart move. School aged kids love collecting toys (stuff animals, cars, action figures) and this generation is tech savvy — so it’s a perfect combination. We will be testing these new products with kids in the coming weeks.
Leapfrog also offers the USB cord as a way of uploading/downloading info to their new platforms. Sprig Toys, a new line of vehicles will also work with action figures that hook up to a USB plug on board the vehicles. VTech’s new promising art platform, KiddiArt Studio, also uses a USB connection.
Several years back there were toys (mostly dolls) that required parents to “download” information to the toy (your child’s name, birthday, favorite color,etc.) …and we received many complaints that this took too much time and frankly was too complicated for less than tech savvy parents. Two things have changed–the iTunes interface has made the whole “download” thing much less overwhelming for parents. Things have changed: the toy/computer interface works better, parents are younger and more techy themselves, and for slightly older kids, they’ll be doing the plugging in–and let’s face it, they’re really good at it.
I always count on Barbie being at the edge. You could see her wearing this “Think Pink Live Green” t-shirt when she goes to see Al Gore speak. I love it. Comes with a t-shirt for a child–unfortunately none in adult sizes, yet.
Also in keeping with Barbie’s commitment to the environment, a new line of accessories for girls call Barbie Bcause. These are small bags and notebooks that are made from re-purposed (the catch phrase of the season) scraps from Barbie’s extensive wardrobe. I thought originally that the Barbie was going to be wearing “re-purposed” clothing, but that’s going too far. The accessories are for girls to wear — they are attractive–very much like Coach bags in styling and use of piece worked materials.
We also look to see what new occupations Barbie is into each year. This year she’s Celebrity Chef (complete with her own TV camera and studio work top) and Zoo Doctor Barbie.
We got to meet with the folks from Sprig Toys, a new company that is scheduled to launch a line of action vehicles for the 4 & up crowd. The vehicles will be chunky and rugged–nothing ground breaking in that department–but what is a huge departure is the method and technology that they will use. The trucks will be made from re-purposed plastic and wood. Literally made of saw dust–the vehicles have a strong green component, but not one the company feels is the key to their company–just their way of doing business. Cool.
The action figures will plug into the vehicles via a USB port built into the vehicles and from there the vehicles can suggest “adventures” for the child to participate in. From our point of view the directed play mode is not that important since we strongly believe that kids can generate their own adventures. It was clear that the folks from Sprig think so too–and therefore you can turn off the directed play mode.
The lights and sounds are generated by the motion of the vehicle (not batteries). Also clever. The “electronic base” in each vehicle can also be removed for repair and perhaps, most importantly for smart recycling. Much like a toner cartridge, you can take this component out of the vehicle and not just send it to the landfill. All good.
We look forward to testing the vehicles out with kids. The company is producing the products in Canada–no paint, no phthalates, no lead….They’re off to a very good start.