Show Buzz: Fall Toy Preview - Product Highlights
By Cliff Annicelli -- Gifts and Dec, 10/13/2009 2:07:00 PM
DALLAS—Last week’s Fall Toy Preview gave buyers a chance to see what toymakers with a desire for greater business at mass merchants will offer next year. As noted in our Oct. 8 Show Buzz report, exhibitors will offer a bounty of line extensions and/or economized versions of existing favorites for their 2010 assortments. Of the products we saw in Dallas that we can talk about publicly at such an early point in the buying process, here are some of the items we found most memorable.
In addition to its previously discussed Paper Jamz line of Guitar Hero-style guitars that let kids play along to classic and contemporary rock songs from a slew of rock heavyweights, Wowwee/Think Wow (the branding generally depends on how much technology’s in a product) will take hair play to new lengths with a line of 4-inch tall Hot Locks dolls that boast a whopping12 inches of hair, and continues its efforts to offer robotics-enhanced playthings for ever younger audiences with lines like its Alive plush, which continues to grow in huggability.
University Games, which in addition to a game line based on Mo Willem’s Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus children’s book franchise, will move further into the strategy game market with rights for famed designer Reiner Knizia’s Callisto, and expands the Hanayama mind teaser puzzle assortment it picked up from the ashes of defunct competitor Sababa Toys with 16 new SKUs.
Speaking of Sababa cast-offs, Basic Fun will grow its line of reproductions of classic Fisher-Price Toys that it salvaged from Sababa’s breakdown with items like the Change-A-Tune Piano and the Change-A-Record Music Box. The company also adds more accelerometer-style motion sensitive gaming to its core hand-held line.
Rainbow Concepts showed off its AniMagic animatronic plush in dog, cat and pony designs, plus a proprietary interactive, bilingual play doll line dubbed My Rascals.
Sprig will add some Playmobil-style elements to its eco-friendly playsets with fire and police themed sets and its first overtly girl-oriented product in the form of a role-play shopping trolley that converts to other uses.
Pressman featured its first wooden puzzles and a game based on CBS’ revival of Let’s Make A Deal in addition to growing its TV-licensed games with additions based on series such as NCIS and The Vampire Diaries.
Endless Games showed off an upscaled version of its Quackgammon game—it now includes real rubber ducky playing pieces and a larger board—to match retailers’ requests for version with more perceived value. The company also showed off boxed sets of its CollectA dinosaur figurines and a dice game packaged in a bee-shaped container.
Imperial touted its rapidly growing line of Strawberry Shortcake role-play products.
Playmates displayed iCarly vinyl dolls and playset, some due out this month, plus larger fashion dolls based on the property for spring; a WebShow set that lets kids create their own iCarly videos using paper-doll style cut-outs of the series’ lead characters and corresponding backdrops; and an electronic dance mat game.
ThinkFun previewed a travel-oriented twist on its Zingo! game, plus new brain teasers.
Playroom Entertainment will follow up its innovatively packaged Baker’s Dozen game with the similarly sweet Queen of the Cupcakes, plus additions designed to “let people enjoy our games at a lower price point,” according to a company spokesperson.
In a similar strategy, Imagination was showing off Jr. and “Funsize” versions of established games such as Fact or Crap and Urban Myth. Its Flapdoodle game will be renamed Quelf Jr.
Fundex is licensing tattoo parlor reality series LA Ink for a line of puzzles, and is reviving '80s vintage play-while-you-watch football game Armchair Quarterback.
Hooga Loo plans Noah’s Park plush, based on the Christian market book and DVD series. It also has more Freedom Ops Network military action figures and accessories up its sleeve.
Horizon Group USA was excited about its Mon Bijoux line of tween jewelry and fashion crafts that boast a Web tie-in.
Sakar previewed Wii accessories based on licenses like The Biggest Loser and SpongeBob SquarePants.
Silverlit presented its first line of preschool products, including R/C from its acquisition of French toymaker Ouaps; dynamo-powered infant toys; and crank or solar powered Green City playsets. It also plans a construction themed R/C series.
Briarpatch will offer Madeline puzzles featuring images taken directly from the original storybooks and will make a rare foray into the strategy game market.
Daddy-O Productions, a company made up primarily of Seattle-area game vets who refuse to be identified publicly, gave buyers a sneak peek at several game titles featuring clever packaging ideas, such as Road Trip, a game packaged in a tin Airstream-style camper.
SmartLab was prepping additions to its tween-centric Art Lab kits, adds mini kits and its first 3-D puzzles, which are animal themed, plus forays into robotics.
Bandai gets in on the make-your-own food fad with its Petite Treats Cooking Club, kits that make sweets like chocolate fondue or whipped cream with the help of instructional DVDs. Its popular Harumika fashion design line adds corset-based designs, more mannequins (versus the original assortment's dress forms) and a window display playset.
GP Toys showed off Sugee brand kid cosmetics, such as lip gloss and nail polish, in the form of collectible characters, and Time Flys motion activated wrist watch games, among other products.
GoZone Games will expand its dice-based sports games with the addition of a soccer version, plus its first game for girls, Go Shop!
Citibloks let buyers get a look at its construction toy planks in more on-trend colors and modern packaging.
Basic Concepts said it planned a significant expansion of its water toy line following the success of its Splash It! balls. It also displayed additions to its 3-D pop-up games.
Fashion Angels had attendees aflutter over its latest Japanese eraser SKUs. Its Series 2 and 3 designs, due out in time for Christmas and early 2010 respectively, are proprietary and more fashion-based than the initial assortment that’s been making waves among specialty toy retailers. The line will also add a few licensed designs.
Dear Sirs,
If you can add some relevant photos, the reader will feel better than only words.
Best Regards,
Yvonne Ling - 2009-10-14 05:37:00 EDT
If you can add some relevant photos, the reader will feel better than only words.
Best Regards,
-
Let There Be Highlights!
Feb 1, 2010 -
Show Buzz: Toy Fair 2009
Feb 17, 2009 -
The Toy Business 2.0
Feb 1, 2009 -
Next Stop: Toy Fair
Feb 1, 2007
Featured Company
-
FurnitureCore.com
FurnitureCore.com is a dynamic web application aimed at the furniture industry. Retailers and manufacturers alike will find our deep reserve of tools to be exactly what their furniture business needs.www.furniturecore.com... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
