Toy Fair Buzz for Wednesday, February 23
By Maria Weiskott and Brent Felgner -- Gifts and Dec, 2/23/2005 12:10:00 PM
It's almost over, but what a ride!
And here's the "reality check" report…Enthusiasm? Good. Innovation? Better than we've seen in awhile. The mood? (Almost hate to use the term—but, hey, nostalgia is in, right?—so we will) Cautiously optimistic.
On the innovation front: That you don't need to be big to be creative and innovative is being proven. There are plenty of small, first timers, some probably betting their last dollar and a dream on being the next great hit. These start-up innovators are everywhere.Here are but a few:
• Very cool: Deflexion, which bills itself as strategy at the speed of light. It's a chess-like board game that utilizes built in laser and movable Egyptian-themed, game piece mirrors to bounce light around the board to eliminate their opponent's pieces. To play, you're following a bouncing red beam around the board, strategically placing your mirrors to gain the greatest advantage. The company's chairman, CEO and president were demonstrating: they claim they're really a pair of Tulane grad students and their professor and this is really a class project. (Yeah, right….)
• Tsumiki blocks from Japan , offer seemingly unending combinations and shapes that work because of the notches in the pieces.
• A childhood development professional and a pair of kid physical fitness coaches, all sisters, have Gym Time, a board game meant to stimulate healthy play and exercise. Kids have to do the activity, for instance tumbling or jumping, based upon the space they land on.
• The Average Family from Zora Toys is a game designed to teach healthy and nutritional lifestyles to kids. Maybe a line extension would be good for their parents.
• Remarkable. The Piano Wizard, from Allegro Rainbow, offers to take the pain out of practice. It's a three-step software and keyboard product that teaches the piano (really) in a sort of upside down Tetris kind of onscreen game. It moves from "video game" as it turns sideways to have the game icons become musical notes moving through a staff. It's easy to be skeptical until you see a working version.
• And, the Stock Rush, another monopoly-style game, gets them ready for day (or insider) trading young. Maybe they should send some sample to Martha, Ken and some of the others with all that extra time on their hands these days. Maybe they wouldn't make the same mistakes next time.
• Imagination: CleverKits is trying to bring it back. With Under the Sea and Safari Adventure, a Mom-inventor duo is promoting "directive play" with the use of finger puppets and a CD: no pictures, no TV, no computer. Imagine that!
Meanwhile…the innovation doesn't stop with the new-bees:
• On the successful heels of the Blokus game, Educational Insights is introducing Travel Blokus shipping with a $19.99 price point this June. An entire line of Let's Pretend Cookware and small appliances is also debuting.
• Pamela Drake (PDI) is introducing a host of cool new toy colors in its (appropriately named) line of Lemon Meringue Toys—some of which use magnets.
• From Basic Fun—Cubisto—you've got to see it to imagine the possibilities!
• KidKraft is introducing some incredible role-playing items, including a new "fashion doll house," and a Medieval castle.
• Play Along: Remember the Doodle Bear from a decade or so ago? Well, wait'll you see Magic Glow Doodle Bear. A kid can write a message on the bear that will glow in the dark—again and again. The "glow" wears off so the bear can be used again. Oh…and the regular Doodle Bear—the one that can be thrown in the washing machine to remove the "doodles"—is back too.
We could go on and on…
In the "we told you so" department: M-a-g-n-e-t-s. We can just imagine a remake of The Graduate: "Magnets, my boy, magnets."
Besides the new uses in the tween jewelry category by several companies, some of the best innovations we saw came from Wild Republic and Rose Art.
Wild Republic 's Magna Morphs allow kids to create new animals using parts from a variety of animals. We're told there are over 1 billion possibilities. (Yikes!)
Rose Art's new construction series that uses unbelievably cool colors and shapes is amazing, allowing kids to build Up, UP, U-U-UP.
Jammed booths: Only Hearts Club, The Bead Shop (We are told the company is generating $50,000 a week in sales at London 's Harrods), Original Wibbles….
Speaking of booths…It's fascinating to notice that Melissa and Doug have booths on both floors of the show, a bid to leave no floor walker unseen.
Random thoughts…
One of the things we didn't like was constant use of the word "addictive" to describe games and activities. Just doesn't seem appropriate to use kid and addictive in the same breath (OK, call us out-of-step, what-ever).
When talking to an industry vet, we were reminded that the return of 80s favorites, or retro toys, were not really a "return" to today's kids. "They're new toys to them." (Well, duh—why didn't we think of that?!)
And speaking of "retro," some 90s toys are due for a re-run we are told. NINETIES??? "Well, we are in the middle of the first decade of the 2000's."
Sigh…time sure does fly when you're having fun.
ASTRA event at FAO: Play Among the Stars brought a huge crowd
Playthings staffers Maria Weiskott and Garry Grenier join the play
activity with ASTRA president Jamie Kriesman and wife Marion
Cubisto storage cubes from Basic Fun
Brand-building, literally. New additions to XTS train system from Basic Fun
Dub (Chub) City from Jada Toys for the pre-school set
Environment friendly from FunRise-will hit shelves in the fall
Homie Rollerz from Jada Toys due to hit the shelves
3-D sculpted Legendary Casts series from Fun Rise
will hit shelves at specialty in the fall
Display of early games from Pressman Toys
Wibbles — one for you, one for a friend-the booth drew a huge crowd
We would love your feedback!
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