Scott Traylor takes a critical look at those “Must Have” toy lists

Scott Trayor of 360Kid offers a very nice piece of analysis of this year’s crop of “Must Have” toy lists. In a blog posting entitled, “Must Have Toy List Mashup,” Scott analyzes the various lists that have come out so far this year from Kmart, Toys R Us, Funfare Magazine and Time to Play.

Here is how Scott puts his findings:

·         A little more than half of the toys are technology-based

·         A little less than a quarter of this list uses well known branded characters

·         Four of the toys cited involve some sort of virtual world along with a tangible toy (Dora’s Explorer Girls, Littlest Pet Shop Adoption Center, Liv Dolls, Nanovor Nanoscope)

·         Only two toys on the list could be considered educational (Color Me a Song, Zippity Learning System)

·         Two toys on the list are video games (Beatles Rock Band, Wii Sports Resort)

Scott went on to say: “I also found that three toys in my mashup list were recommended on three out of the four separate toy lists. Those toys were the ‘Bakugan 7-in-1 Maxus Dragonoid,’ ‘Nerf Strike Raider’ and ‘Zhu Zhu Pets.’ 

Scott notes the lack of electronic learning toys (no Leap Frog or VTech), no robotics (WowWee) and no game platforms (Nintendo). He also noted a paucity of toys with web tie-ins. He has a lot more to say and I suggest you read the full posting.

My analysis of Scott’s analysis is that those preparing the lists may be, in this economically challenged year, more driven by price points than by play value. I hope Scott goes back after Christmas and lets us know which list was most in line with what actually sold.