The 2009 International Toy Fair just ended and I know the first thing everyone wants to know is.... What's hot? Well, the answer is simple.
What's "hot" for one child is not "hot" for another. Age, skills and interests are the most important thing to consider before making a smart toy purchase.
This is the year to focus on toy safety, value, cost and product durability. New toy safety laws will be put into place, retailers demanded lower prices so manufacturers are creating less expensive toys for the consumer and the trend toward green and organic toys is rising.
In a bad economy, basic toys always seem to do well. LEGO has some new sets this year including licensed brands such as Star Wars and Toy Story and even a cell phone (a real one)! There is a new Disney Princess, Tiana, Dora the Explorer has become a middle school-er and and there are more child-themed movies so expect to see tons of licensed toys...in every toy category.
I have seen an increase of toys made with natural and organic materials, more collectibles than ever before (My Little Pony, Batman, Star Wars, Bakugan, Transformers).
There are lots of birthdays and anniversaries (Barbie turns 50, Candy Land is 60, Fisher Price Little People are 50 and PJ Sparkles is back for her 20th Anniversary).
Hosung
My Naturals
$14.99
Sprig
Dunebug's Sand Truck from the Sprig Hollow collection
$13.99
Dragonfly's Heli-Scoopter from the Sprig Hollow collection
$13.99
Green Toys
Jump Rope
$9.99
Zizzle Toys
P.J. Sparkles Large Doll
$19.99
Hasbro
Candy Land 60th Anniversary
$6.99
itoys/Magix Box Int'l
Gogo Crazy Bones
$1.99
Brickadoo House
$19.99
Disney Store
Tinkerbell and Fairies Spring Collection
$10.50
Techno Source
Smily Central Plush
$4.99
Little Kids
Freeze Pop Factory
$19.99
About Marianne M. Szymanski
Founder & President Marianne Szymanski is founder and president of Toy Tips, Inc., an international child development research group that conducts independent on-going academic and scientific research on products from the toy and juvenile product industries. A national author, entrepreneur, speaker, lecturer and media personality, Marianne has led her organization's unbiased tests of over 34,000 products from more than 900 manufacturers. A former retail sales representative for an international toy manufacturer, Marianne saw the opportunity to provide parents with unbiased information they can trust on how to select products that enhance a child's development. This inspired the 1991 formation of The Toy Research Institute, a year-round program of toy evaluation and testing that does not accept revenue from manufacturers. (www.toytips.com)
In 1996, she launched Toy Tips Magazine to provide parents with unbiased information about toy reviews, toy safety, durability, learning value, age appropriateness and enjoyment. To date, seventeen million copies have been distributed through retailers, hospitals, pediatricians and educators. Now renamed, Toy Tips & Parenting Hints, the publication has grown to include research on parenting, child safety and juvenile product reviews. An online version of Toy Tips & Parenting Hints is available free on the company website at toytips.com. In 2002, in order to serve her local community with toy lending, Marianne created the Toy Tips Toy Lending Library in conjunction with the Franklin Public Library in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For the last fourteen years, Marianne's research has been regularly featured on Oprah, CNN, The Today Show, The Discovery Channel, FOX, Lifetime, HGTV, Oxygen, Living It Up with Ali and Jack, The History Channel, the Jane Pauley Show, PAX, CBS THe Early Show and close to 300 local new stations across the country. From 1992-1998, she was the resident toy guest on ABC's Good Morning America, and logged 53 segments. Marianne is the 1996 recipient of the Wisconsin Small Business Association Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and a delegate of the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business in Washington, D.C. She is a past adjunct Associate Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at The USC Marshall School of Business and guest lectures at a number of colleges and universities worldwide. Marianne's work has been published in research journals in the United States and the United Kingdom. She currently hosts her own Toy Tips segment on WITI -TV 6 FOX News in Milwaukee and the "Kid Tips Report with Marianne," a monthly feature segment for a variety of FOX news stations across the U.S.. Marianne sits on the marketing commitee of the Betty Brinn Children's Museum, is a board member of the St. Francis Hospital Foundation and a past auxillary board member of the Boys and Girls Clubs in Milwaukee, WI. She holds a dual degree in psychology and marketing from Marquette University. She is married to Garo Hartounian and is the mother of Maximillian and Mia.
>> Website: www.toytips.com
>> Follow her on twitter.com/toytips
