Toy Council report: Classic playthings with modern spin popular this season

Jennifer Campbell, Postmedia News 



It’s hard to predict exactly what will make a toy that year’s must-have. Who would have guessed Cabbage Patch Kids, Tickle-Me-Elmo and Pokemon would have created the retail pandemonium they did?

We won’t pretend to know what’s next but we can give you some hints of what the top trends are and where toy manufacturers are putting their bets this year.

“The way the toy market is going, they’re trying their best to be as innovative as possible,” says Liliane Benoit, executive director of the Canadian Toy Council. “We’re seeing a lot of things where apps are involved.”

Otherwise-typical board games, for example, will have a place for an iPad to sit, in the middle of the game. Or you might be asked to use the dice on your iPad to guide you around the board.

“They seem to be trying to meld old with new so they have something new to offer,” Benoit says.

That said, Benoit and her colleague, Carrie Sanders, volunteer chair of the Canadian Toy Council’s evaluation committee, insist computer-assisted board games aren’t replacing the old.

“I’m still seeing companies come out with neat games for dice, paper and boards,” Sanders says. “Kids still want to play like that, families want to play together.”

They’re also seeing games that have educational components. So the puzzle might have the children building the city of Toronto to see how it’s changed between 1973 and today. Or, maybe a game is combined with a craft. “So you’re building something based on the cards you’ve picked. You’re given things you need to draw and you paint,” Sanders says of Briarpatch’s Paint Play game, recommended for ages six and up.

When it comes to interactive play, Sanders recommended a car toy by App Mates for children five and older. The Lightning McQueen toy car, based on the Disney movie Cars, races along tracks on the iPad. “As you turn it, the scenery races by you,” Sanders says. “We’ve had it for the full testing period and my son loves it.”

For infants, the trend is to give the toy longevity and flexibility. An example that stood out for Sanders is the gym by Pop & Play, which is essentially an arch that the baby can lie under. It has several positions so it can be used when the baby grows older and can sit up. The play pieces are also attached by Velcro so they come out and can then be used in the stroller and car seat.

“Manufacturers are trying to have the toy grow with the child,” Benoit says. “They’re trying to help you stretch your dollar a little bit.”

For the two to three-year-old child on your list, the same trend holds with a kitchen table. It comes with dishes and food and the children can sit around the table. When they get bored with that, they can detach a part of the tabletop, which becomes a tray and they can play a different way.

There’s also a trend toward active play, with toys that go outside the home and into the backyard. They recommend a glow-in-the-dark rocket called Stomp Rockets, which are made for a variety of ages. The ones for younger children launch more slowly and therefore don’t go as far. The super high performance one is for 14-year-olds and up.

Similarly, the iBounce is a triangular trampoline that integrates the iPad. As the children jump on the trampoline, they’re watching the iPad, which is counting their jumps. “It also has handlebars so there’s added safety,” Benoit says.

