Show Buzz: Toy Fair 2010
By Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 2/15/2010 8:01:00 PM
[This is the first of two reports we'll be posting from the 2010 American International Toy Fair. The second will appear on Feb. 17.]
NEW YORK—Two days down and two to go at the American International Toy Fair finds the US toy industry upbeat about the show and the business’ prospects for the year overall.
We’ve spent the first days of the show at the major manufacturers and we’ve yet to hear any complaints, criticisms or causes of concern from that constituency. Buyers, we’ve been told, are more than willing to buy—or perhaps more accurately already have; for a lot of the major manufacturers it’s more apparent than ever that February’s trade show is more about finalization of recent commitments made elsewhere than it is about finding new business. For those folks, this week’s focus may be more about licensing, partnership planning and media buzz building.
Here’s a rundown of some of the items they’ve been pushing when it comes to new products and perceptions from those who’ve seen them, us included.
At Mattel, it was the electronics-laden playthings that left the largest impression. Barbie Video Girl, an innovation award winner at this month’s Nuremberg show, was a standout at this show, too. The doll features a built-in video camera that provides girls with the ability to record video or still pictures from Barbie’s point of view. We expect it to fuel a lot of YouTube videos in the near future. Puppy Tweets, a dog collar that automatically updates to Twitter about your dog’s activities while you’re not around was cute—although we may have been swayed by the real live puppy demo-ing the device.
At Fisher-Price, iXL, a six-feature hand-held lets kids do pretty much anything they’d want to do on an Apple iTouch or iPad—play music or games, read proprietary ebooks, etc.—although everyone we talked to whose seen it wonders why someone wouldn’t just buy an iTouch instead…guess we’ll have to wait and see. The company’s bids for Elmo-style interactive plush, the telegenic Big Foot The Monster and Dance Star Mickey, should attract attention, but its star interactive character may turn out to be Stinky the Garbage Truck.
Lego’s new Atlantis theme may be most interesting not for the products, which are highly detailed and clever as ever, but for a branded website that’s in 3-D. Also notable was the pending evolution of Bionicle. After nine years, the “constraction” line of buildable action figures will have its swan song sung in 2010 with a farewell assortment and a new version of the idea featuring licenses like Ben 10 and a proprietary Hero Factory theme. Longtime Lego fans will likely be tickled to see that its Prince of Persia sets feature the company’s first ever camels and ostriches. And in a competition alert: The company’s new construction-centric board games likely will be challenged by suspiciously similar building brick-based game concepts by rivals Mega Brands and Hasbro.
As for the aforementioned Hasbro, Lego-style games weren’t the only products from the Pawtucket powerhouse inspiring a double-take. First item in its show space? Furry Frenzies, a line of little motorized plush animals and playsets that owe a lot to a certain Toy of the Year, but at a lower price point. The majority of the rest of its line saw tweaks and twists to its established brands, including the first human character for Little Pet Shop, a doll named Blythe; clever updates to game mainstays like the mat-less Twister Hoopla, electronic Scrabble Flash and a round boarded Monopoly Revolution; the revival of Weebles in their original egg shape; the return of Alphie, the ‘80s era learning toy; and a gargantuan version of the Star Wars AT-AT Walker that fits upwards of 20 figures and that's part of a 30th anniversary campaign around Lucas' The Empire Strikes Back. The company also teased a new Nerf N-Strike blaster that won’t be unveiled until it hits retail shelves on Sept. 9, 2010.
Spin Master continued to be the company most apt to offer the unexpected. Among its line were several impressive products still under embargo, but it was able to show off its must-see Vectron Wave flying toy and tiny R/C motorcycles, as well as Bakugan pieces with electronic elements. Less high tech but equally (if not more) addictive was its patent pending Moon Dough modeling compound.
Silverlit, the company known as the source of Spin Master’s popular R/C helicopter toys, was previewing new toys it hopes will help establish the company as a stand-alone brand in the eyes of consumers. Its line included preschool-oriented hide-and-seek and follow-me R/C plush toys as well as My Green Garage, an earth-friendly preschool vehicle playset that’s entirely powered by alternative energy sources such as solar power and a kid-cranked generator.
Wild Planet extends its techie Spy Gear line with the Spy Video Traker R/C vehicle, another video camera-enabled toy, but that boasts downloadable apps so that kids can customize its abilities. A new Spy Gear Lie Detector also had a lot of potential entertainment in a seemingly simple product.
Low-tech thrills continued from the folks at Crayola. New items include Disney licenses on 3-D sidewalk chalk, a washable sidewalk chalk maker, Glow Explosion glow-in-the-dark markers and paper, along with a new assortment of tween girl targeted craft kits featuring characters dubbed the Pop Art Pixies. It features themed kits based around each character’s interests, like environmental awareness.
MGA Entertainment’s Moxie Girlz dolls will grow up this year with the addition of leggy, glass-eyed, fashion-focused Moxie Teenz. The Zapf baby doll line adds a doll in a dog-drawn sled (seemed like a good idea to us) and in other dog news, unveiled a swimming pooch, Swim To Me Puppy Lifeguard. Little Tikes adds a play table specifically for making mud pies.
Next email, we’ll take a look at some of the specialty companies…stay tuned.
We would love your feedback!
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