• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Robotic, Magical, High-End Items Do Tricks for Next Year's Toy Lists

Posted on: Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 15:00 CST

By Sally Kalson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Feb. 14--Just seven weeks after families have cleared away the bubble wrap from last year's holiday blow-out, the toy industry is unveiling its next big things for 2006.

As the American International Toy Fair kicked off its 2006 trade show yesterday in New York City, some 1,500 manufacturers and distributors rolled out what they hope will be next Christmas season's hottest selling toys and entertainment products. While the list includes traditional dolls, stuffed animals, puzzles, action figures and educational offerings, there are also a lot of beefed-up video games and interactive toys with high-tech flourishes.

The fair comes at a time when the industry is struggling to hold on to its traditional customers, as techno-savvy children tire of toys at ever-younger ages. Many companies are seeking to reclaim the peanut gallery by offering playthings with electronic gizmos -- the kind of items that pre-teens increasingly prefer to more traditional toys. Leapfrog's "Fly" pen, which contains a tiny computer, is one example.

The gizmo trend is apparent in this year's showcase. And in some cases it dovetails with another trend toward high-end pricing.

"Price points were always very low in the toy industry, but we're now seeing prices over $100, $200 and even $300, and they're selling very well," said Jim Silver, publisher of Toy Wishes magazine

"Manufacturers are realizing that people want more, even in a toy, and for something special they're willing to pay."

Some examples: Hasbro's Butterscotch My Fur-Real Pony, a plush 40-inch-high toy that not only looks and feels a lot like a real horse, but also has sensors that allow it to act like one. Price tag: $250.

LegoUno Mindstorms NXT kits that allow users to build robotic humanoids, animals and vehicles, then program and train them to follow commands. $250.

Banzai Falls Criss Cross Waterslide, based on the Six Flags Amusement Park attraction, is an inflatable 10-foot vertical-drop water slide feeding into a pool, a sliding surface and another pool. Complete with blower-motor. $350.

Less pricey, but still unusually expensive, is the Amazing Allysen doll from Playmates. Billed as the older companion to last year's Amazing Amanda baby doll, this one talks and shows "real" emotion with facial expressions; it also cries, laughs and gets excited. It sells for $100.

This year's products also continue the marketing trend of film and TV tie-ins.

Mattel's inflatable Superman costume comes with a battery-operated fan that lets kids pump themselves up like the superhero, and coincides with this summer's release of the film "Superman Returns."

Fast Talkin' Lightning McQueen, a car that can be programmed to speak and do tricks, is a spinoff from the upcoming Disney/Pixar film "Cars."

From the animated TV series "Dora the Explorer" comes Fairy Wishes Dora, who can raise her wand, close her eyes and move her lips.

And for fans of Nickelodeon's adventure series "Avatar: The Last Airbender," there's the action figure and vehicle set Air Launch Aang with Appa, complete with Avatar's favorite animal, the giant flying bison.

Some older standards are getting a new twist this year. The card game Uno celebrates its 35th anniversary with a spinning wheel version called Uno Spin. Polly Pocket releases its first DVD game, which lets players visit an amusement park and shopping promenade. And Hot Wheels introduces its Terror-Dactyl Track Set, where kids try to make their cars elude the flying dinosaur.

Toy Fair 2006 runs through Wednesday at the Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center.

Post-Gazette staff writer Karen MacPherson contributed to this report.

-----

To see more of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.post-gazette.com.

Copyright (c) 2006, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

More News in this Category