Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak steps down from power.
Predictions about who will take home the Oscar.
Last week was full of nail-biting news. But the hotspot in the USA last week could arguably have been The 108th Annual International Toy Fair held in New York City. Manufacturers, designers, retailers, buyers, testing Labs and curious consumers crowded the toy fair showroom floor to get a look at (and a feel for) the best new toys of 2011.
Toys have a long and fascinating history. Pick up a toy and you can bet there is a story behind it. Who made it? What inspired them? How did they get it to market? What made it a hit?
Take the old-time favorite Lincoln Logs®, for example. Designed by John Lloyd Wright, son of Frank, and an excellent architect in his own right. This toy’s design was inspired by the foundation of Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel, which John was working on before his dad fired him! Lincoln Logs® quickly became a success in schools and homes, and remains a favorite of kids today.
How about those classic Tinkertoy® sets invented by Charles Pajeau, a simple stone maker who was fascinated by the creative way that young children played with sticks and empty spools of thread. After tinkering in his garage and designing the prototype set of these builders, Charles traveled to the 1914 American Toy Fair to show his toy and find someone willing to fund his idea. Twelve months later, over a million sets had been sold. Today the Tinkertoy® line is sold by Playskool (a Hasbro subsidiary) and can be found in almost every child’s toy box.
Toys continue to spring out of creative minds and clever entrepreneurs. This year’s Toy of the Year Awards program, held at the Lincoln Center, included 11 categories of toys and 70 finalists. Let’s take a look at the toys that made the list for The Best Toys of 2011.
The top honor for TOY OF THE YEAR went to Mattel’s adorable singing sensations, the Sing-a-ma-jigs. With a push on the tummy these cute & cuddly creatures talk, sing and even harmonize! You won't be able to stop at just one.
The year’s best ACTIVITY TOY went to Crayola’s Color Wonder Sound Studio. A fun coloring set that lets you choose from 60 sound effects to place on any of the Color Wonder coloring pages, The result is an endless assortment of sound combinations that play back as you color the picture!
Hasbro took three of the top awards.
GAME OF THE YEAR: This recognition went to a twist on an all-time favorite. Scrabble Flash is an electronic version of the classic game of Scrabble. It’s an interactive, fast and very addictive word-building game for ages 8 years & up.
OUTDOOR TOY OF THE YEAR: Nerf Super Soaker Shot Blast is an air-powered water weapon that shoots a powerful stream of H20 up to 25 feet! The extra large water tank allows the fun to continue longer between fill-ups. Great for ages 6 years & up, but better buy at least two because you KNOW Dad will be using it just as much as the kids.
BOY TOY OF THE YEAR: I thought maybe Barbie's Ken would win this award, but in reality the votes went to the Nerf Strike Stampede ECS Blaster. This one is sure to be on my grandson’s Christmas wish list. The Nerf Baster line has been wildly popular for boys for several years now, but the fully automatic, high dart capacity of this year's model will keep kids strategizing their next move for hours. Nerf Blaster Stampede is most appropriate for the older kids from 8 years & up.
Another multiple winner, Leapfrog took two of the top awards this year.
EDUCATIONAL TOYS OF THE YEAR
Designed for the up and coming computer literate generation, the Leapster Explorer™ was awarded honors for their updated version of this fun, educational learning tool. Young 3-9 year old geeks will appreciate the new Flash and 3D graphics, boasts of some pretty impressive learning games, downloadable apps, a snap-on camera and online performance reports for parents.
INFANT/PRESCHOOL TOY OF THE YEAR
Toddlers aged 2-4 years won't be able to put this colorful "leaptop" down. As two adorable characters guide them through fun learning adventures where letters, numbers, music and animals are all part of the journey. They'll even be have email waiting for them when they sign on! It's no wonder this new creation from Leapfrog got the attention of the judges.
GIRL TOY OF THE YEAR: The adorable world of Squinkies™ took top honors this year with the Squinkies™ Cupcake Surprise! Bake Shop from Blip Toys. This bakery inspired accessory set comes with 9 tiny figures and a few fun accessories for hours of imaginative play! Insert the coins (included), turn the dial and out pops the little plastic vending machine bubble with the figure inside. This set is will capture the heart of every 4- 6 year old little baker-to-be.
PROPERTY OF THE YEAR: Woody, Buzz, Jesse and the entire Toys Story 3 clan claimed their place at the top of the toy box, as Disney Consumer Products’ Toy Story 3 was awarded Property of the Year. These enchanting Toys Story characters seem to be showing up everywhere. They adorn toys, videos, games, books, costumes, clothing, art kits, musical concerts, cartoons and so much more. Kudos to the creators of this trilogy who designed characters we cared about and cheered for over and over again.
SPECIALITY TOY OF THE YEAR: Innovation First International brought us the HEXBUG Nano, a robotic little bug that responds to light and sound and acts just like a real bug. This year the HEXBUG Nano Habitat Set was recognized as an educational toy disguised in a bug’s body. The habitat set lets kids design their bugs’ habitat. Online support adds educational value and information on bug facts.
Toys have come a long way since Lincoln Logs® and Tinkertoy® sets. Each toy, from the simplest to the most complex, deserves its chance to become "a classic." The timeless toys, those who wear the title "a classic" are those that not only win awards, but continue to grab the attention of curious children year after year.
No comments:
Post a Comment