26 INSIDE TRADER
The future of toys
In the first of a three-part series, ToyNews’ Inside Trader, Steve Reece, explores whether children’s toy choices are changing with technological advancements…
THE WORLD has changed beyond comparison in the last 20 years or so, and the rate of change in terms of media, technology and how we interact with the world around us has increased exponentially. What does that mean to the toy industry? MMOGs, mummy bloggers, social media – these are all fundamentally new innovations. So will the future of the toy industry be very much different than the past? At the time of writing, my daughter’s school has just banned Bumpeez, as schools banned Pokemon cards a decade ago. So has anything really changed? At a recent family get together, I discussed favourite toys with 30- somethings and kids. My nephew’s favourite ‘toy’ is his
Wii console, 30 years ago my favourite ‘toy’ was my ZX Spectrum computer and games. My daughter’s favourite toys are dolls, as were my wife’s back in the ‘80s. My brother- in-law loved his Star Wars and Transformers toys, and I seem to remember seeing both during a recent trip to Toys R Us… So with all this technology available, why are the popular toys from 30 years ago still here today?
NOVEMBER 2011 I would argue (based on significant
experience testing toys with kids) that there are some fundamental generalisations at work which have not and will not change. Firstly, kids like collecting toys and other stuff. Secondly, in gender terms – boys are generally very physical and like racing, fighting, and bashing things. They also like the fantasy of creating characters who combine these aspects. So unsurprisingly action
toys that need to be looked after, such as dolls, small cute animals such as Littlest Pet Shop, etc. And when older, at the next level of nurturing, girls tend to like toys which allow them to accentuate appearance i.e. Barbie etc. I don’t have space here to prove out these generalisations, nor to debate how and why these gender differences come about (nature vs. nurture etc) but they’re true in general terms… and this distinction
There is no doubt technology can enhance play, but it only enhances it. Whizzy technology isn’t fun for kids, but where it improves play patterns, the combination can become powerful.
figures, cars and sports products like football stickers etc, are their preferred toys. An obvious example of this would be the HM Armed Forces range from Character, which delivers exactly what many little boys want. Boys also like the simple scenario of goodies versus baddies and good vs. evil.
Girls, generally speaking, are more nurturing. Hence the preference for
isn’t going to change in a hurry. So it’s little wonder that some of the best selling toys still deliver to these proven differences and this is, and always will be, more fundamentally important than any technological innovations. Clearly though, many
technologically driven products will work. For instance, at the time of writing this, Skylanders: Spyro’s
Adventure has just launched, and seems to be on track for success – this innovative toy/console hybrid allows players to collect multiple characters and to combine toyetic play with video gaming. But, the fundamentals of the experience are based on the same boy centric play patterns and play motivations i.e. fighting and good versus evil. There is no doubt technology can enhance play, but it only enhances it. Whizzy technology alone is not fun for kids, but where it enhances their natural play patterns, the combination can become powerful. As Bumpeez, Silly Bandz etc continue to prove, the reality is technology is not essential. And combining high development costs with high inventory costs is not a formula corporate finance mandarins will approve of. Therefore, the future is unlikely to see such product lines becoming prevalent in the industry, when low tech is so much fun.
Steve Reece is a leading brand marketing and product development consultant in the toy and games industry. Contact him via
steve.reece@
vicientertainment.co.uk, or
www.ViciEntertainment.com
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