2012 Toy Fair Favourites from the CTA show in Toronto (January 29 to February 1)

With just over 70 exhibitors, the Toronto event is a relatively small, intimate affair, especially compared to the 10,000+ booths in New York city later this month. But it is two weeks in advance of the New York show, which means an exciting sneak preview long before most North Americans have a chance to see and play with the 2012 toys. Here’s a few of our favourites, and keep an eye out for more details in our blog posts over the next few weeks.

Lots of cool ne sets for LEGO/ The biggest news: The Lord of the Rings line set to launch in June 2012, followed by the Hobbit license in December. LEFO, though, is giving the biggest spot light to their new LEGO Friends line, which launched last month in another attempt to attract more girls to the LEGO brand. Thematically, it’s a cross between Paradisa (leisure and vacation) and the more recent Belville (very pink with a fairy tale theme). Other new LEGO theme lines include: DC Universe SuperHeroes, DINOs and Monster Fight.

The VTech InnoTab will be updated next fall to include a built-in camera. But my favourite new VTech toy is the Switch ‘N Go Dino line. With a simple 6-7 step transformation, the toy switches between a dinosaur and a vehicle. What particularly cool is that the toy automatically knows whether it’s a dinosaur or a car: sound switches from dino to car noises and the LCD screen from eyes to a windshield.

There are two particularly notable new lines from The Orb Factory. Create a Collage makes it extra easy for little kids to make a mosaic-style picture. Fortunately they don’t need to stick on the tiny pieces one at a time. All they need do is peel back a section at a time, then sprinkle on the tiny foam crumbs. It’s like doing a sand picture, but not as messy. And switching away from using foam tiles, Plush Craft is like doing a mosaic with fabric pieces that you push into the canvass, to create a very textured look.

And following on the success of the Perplexus toys, PlaSmart/Busy Life introduces TWIST. Recommended for ages 7+, and therefore slightly more challenging than the Original Perplexus, but not quite as challenging as Epic, TWIST features a 7.5” diameter with 30+ transition points.

Founded by creators of Sprig Toys, BeginAgain is a new company specializing in green toys. But instead of being made from Sprigwood (a mix of recycled plastic and industrial sawdust), this new line of toys are made from Terra Tech, a mix of 65% wheat and recycled plastic that’s dishwasher safe. Our favourite toy in the line is Tea Otters. The set includes a pitcher and a sea otter floating on its back with a cup resting on its tummy – perfect for pouring practice in the tub.

Creativity for Kids has a good selection of new kits, including our favorurite Sew a Sock Puppy. The kit includes a colourful pair of socks, with instructions on how to cut and sew the socks into a delightful stuffed puppy friend. And it’s easy to make any other outgrown socks into puppies as well – just like Jillian Jiggs and her pigs.

Finally, Roylco launches two very interesting new products. Supper Toppers is a set of 100 plastic figures in different poses, which you can stack, or set up as an elaborate domino cascade. Newspaper Builders is a new construction toy which you make by rolling newspaper between a pair of end-clips. An advantage of making your own, is that you can make the poles as long or short as you want. But note that while the toy is recommended for ages 4+, kids this age will need their parents to make the poles. Older kids though can both make their own poles as well as build and play with them afterwards.

LEGO Friends – LEGO launches another new theme to attract girls

The way girls are so totally absorbed by mini playsets (think Polly Pocket, Littlest Pet Shop, etc.)  how can there not be a healthy market for girly LEGO sets? All it seems to take are some pick bricks to engage younger girls in construction play. But there has been less success with brick sets designed for older girls, despite that LEGO has certainly tried with lines like Homemaker (1971), Scala (1979), Paradisa (1992), and most recently, Belville (2006 in North America). 

Belville certainly had the longest run (1994-2008), but even these pink fairytale sets weren’t popular enough to be widely available in North America. Perhaps there are already too many other sets that do a better job appealing to this style of play. Then again, maybe girls who are most likely to enjoy LEGO aren’t as interested in quite that much pink or such girly girl princess themes – at least not while they’re playing with bricks. 

There are certainly lots of girls who enjoy playing with LEGO sets, but you so often hear that they love playing with their brother’s LEGO (rather than asking for it themselves). The trick is to find the right themes to appeal to girls who would play more with LEGO, if they weren’t limited to the combative themes their brothers like so much. I remember my daughter’s total awe the first time she played with a Paradisa set.  “It’s like Playmobil, but you get to build it!” And indeed the Paradisa sets with their emphasis on leisure and vacationing were very like the (original) every-day themed sets that made Playmobil a classic toy. 

The new LEGO Friends sets, which were launched in January 2012, seem to fall somewhere between Paradisa and Belville. There are everyday themes like puppies, a house to rearrange and customize, and even a tree house. But there are also lots of pink bricks and a good dose of glam and fashion with sets that feature a beauty shop, design studio and of course, spotlights for a super-star mini figure. It will certainly be interesting to watch the reaction to these new sets and see if they can finally make girls LEGO a successful, evergreen line. 

TOTY Award Winners and Hall of Fame Inductees

The Hall of Fame inductees this year were: Al Verrecchia, chairman of the board of directors, Hasbro, Inc. and the late Donald Duncan, founder of Duncan Toys Company. 

And here are the 11^th annual TOTY awards (which were announced on the eve of Toy Fair again this year).

2011 Toy of the Year

2011 Preschool Toy of the Year

2011 Innovative Toy of the Year
The Sing-a-ma-jigs!, by Mattel, Inc.,

2011 Activity Toy of the Year

 Crayola Color Wonder Sound Studio, by Crayola, LLC.

2011 Boy Toy of the Year

Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS Blaster, by Hasbro, Inc.

2011 Educational Toy of the Year

Leapster Explorer Learning Experience, by LeapFrog.

2011 Game of the Year

Scrabble Flash, by Hasbro, Inc.

2011 Girl Toy of the Year

Squinkies Cupcake Surprize! Bake Shop, by Blip Toys.

2011 Infant/Toddler Toy of the Year

My Own Leaptop, by LeapFrog.

2011 Outdoor Toy of the Year

Nerf Super Soaker Shot Blast, by Hasbro, Inc.

2011 Property of the Year

Toy Story 3, by Disney Consumer Products.

2011 Specialty Toy of the Year  

Hexbug Nano Habitat Set, by Innovation First Labs, Inc.

Annual Toy Safety Update by CPSC Commissioner Robert Adler at the New York Toy Fair on Feb. 15th 2011

The commissioner began his talk by assuring everyone that toy safety is improving. Compared to 172 toy recalls in 2008, there were only 50 toy recalls in 2099, and only 44 in 2010. And unlike the rash of lead-related recalls in 2008 that prompted legislators to draft and pass the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, only 3 of the 44 recalls in 2010 were the result of unacceptable levels of lead. The current plan is to reduce the allowable lead levels even further: from 300 ppm down to 100ppm. This reduction in lead content in children's toys will go ahead, UNLESS it is determined that it is not technologically feasible to do this.  

With lead gone, manufacturers are looking for substitutes, which is why there have been so many Cadmium related recalls recently (particularly in children’s jewelry). As a result, the CPSC is starting to take a closer look at all toxins, and the commissioner urged the industry to bear this in mind.

Most of the remaining infractions were the result of design flaws. Choking hazards are still the most common – and dangerous - infraction, and the commissioner followed with a few comments on the recent controversies surrounding the small parts regulations. There have been a few cases where children have choked on components that actually passed - albeit barely - the curent safety tests. So parents of young children should know that the existing regulations for small parts in infant and toddler toys are NOT fool proof. Always keep a close eye when young children play with smallish components.

The next issue Commissioner Adler touched on was the deadline congress imposed on the Testing and Certification Rule. The challenge is to provide safe toys in a way that is economically feasible. The commissioner assured industry reps that the CPSC will, to the greatest extent it can under the law, provide as much flexibility as possible to manufacturers to meet these rules, while keeping costs down.

The final thing Mr. Adler addressed is the upcoming March 11 launch of saferproducts.com, which effectively gives public access to all Reports of Harm submitted to the CPSC that meet the minimum requirements for publication. Understandably there are a few concerns about such broad unfiltered access. There will be a disclaimer indicating that the government has not verified the accuracy of the claims, and manufacturers will have the opportunity to comment on the claims, but there is certainly the risk of disseminating inaccurate or unfounded information. Nevertheless, if it succeeds and the information can be shared in a responsible way, then it will certainly provide a new point of accountability. 

New 2011 Puzzles & Brain Teasers

There are of course oodles of new images for the traditional jigsaw puzzle lines. But, there are a few unique new offerings, as well.

I don’t know much about Sepia colours, and the little I do know has nothing to do with what’s happening in Ji Ga Zo, so the idea that you could make an unlimited number of different images from the exact same 300 shaded pieces is a little mind-blowing for me. I came home with a Ji Ga Zo sample, and I still can’t figure how it works.  I thought maybe there’d be a pack of one shade, and another pack of another shade, etc. Instead, it looks like each of the 300 pieces is unique. So how is it that each picture uses exactly 300 different shade – and doesn’t need at least one duplicate? What about pictures that have more light tones than dark tones?  However it works, there were certainly enough examples at Toy Fair to demonstrate the effect.

You start building a Cityscape 4D Puzzle by assembling the land base using traditional interlocking jigsaw pieces - that's what the original terrain looked like before there were any buildings. The next step is placing the 3D buildings to build the city. The twist is that you do this according to WHEN the actual buildings were built. What's totally cool about these puzzles is that you get a visual of what the skyline looked like as it evolved over time - thus, the 4th dimension: time. No wonder the manufacturer claims it's educational! Launched last October (2010) with the New York version, there are already quite a few different city puzzles in the line - including Toronto.

Building a puzzle blind (i.e. with no image to follow) is a challenge – one you’ll face making a WASGIJ? Puzzle because you’re not making the picture you see on the box. Instead, you’ll make the same scene from the vantage point of one of the characters in the picture. The idea is to find out what’s causing the commotion. A fun little twist on classic puzzle-making, and available in a number of different subject themes.

Based on the K-Dron shape, K-Dron Universe - a transformable world/constellation map – is a very intriguing little device that inverts the globe so that it’s more like the inside surface of a bowl than the outside of a ball.  What we like about it is that because there’s empty space instead of a solid globe, you can get a better 3D reference than a traditional globe because you can see the whole hemisphere at the same time.

Highly popular in the 1960s, the Instant Insanity puzzle is back – and it has a new cousin. The manufacturer’s description for the new one-piece, twisty-turny Instant Insanity II suggests that it has the same appeal and game-play as the original. But in the few minutes of playtime I had in New York, it felt more like a Rubik’s cube than the 4 cube puzzle I remember. 

And finally, good news! The classic version Triazzle - which challenges puzzlers to match all three sides of each piece – is also back. And there’s a new simplified version for 2011: Triazzle Kids requires only a single, one-sided match to either the frame, or one other piece, making it suitable for the youngest of puzzlers (2+).

There are far too many other new puzzles to highlight here, but we are profiling them, so be sure to check them out. 

2011 Toys Incorporate Apple Technology

Walking through Toy Fair this year I was struck by how many manufacturers are incorporating Apple products – especially the iPad - into their new toys. From infant to big kid toys, there are all sorts of new uses for these parent-owned gadgets. 

Even something as basic as crayons and paper, has found a new electronic canvass. Crayola ColorStudio™HD and the new iMarker truly enhance the colouring experience, providing animation, sounds and complete flexibility. You can even still print and display the little masterpieces on your fridge – or e-mail then to friends and family. 

Board games really come alive, too, with the iPad Living Game Board – very cool to play! There’s an initial cost of $80 for the console and two games (Smurfs and Wildlife), but additional games cost less than $10. 

But probably the coolest application we saw was Parrot AR.Drone. It’s $300 mind, but it has just so many cool features. First of all, it’s literally an R/C flying video game – and it’s controlled by your Apple device (iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad). Not only are you part of a WiFi connected flying community, you can download games to use as a backdrop to your R/C flight. Plus, it’s designed to be open source, which pretty much guarantees a strong community of young adult users. 

There were also accessories, the most noteable of which was the Laugh & Learn™ Baby iCan Play Case, which completely encloses mom or dad's iPhone or iPod Touch, protecting it from baby's dribbles and drools. Fisher-Price even provides baby-appropriate apps to download free from the iTunes store.  

 All in all, Apple had a pretty good showing at the 2011 Toy Fair, and this is likely just a taste of what’s to come. In fact, I’m thinking I might just have to buy myself an iPad!

New computer controlled "LIVE" versions of classic games from Hasbro

It's still Monopoly, and the gamefboard looks much the same, with all the classic properties around the edge. But there's a 10" tower sitting smack in the middle of the board. It's purpose: to make your Monopoly life a little easier - no more calculating rent and counting out paper bills, or even reading the instructions. And unlike the Electronic Banking device in the Monopoly Here & Now editions  - which slowed the game so much it was almost annoying - the 10" Tower-like console controlling the LIVE games, is quick and quite sophisticated. Using a wash of infrared light and a camera that "sees" little reflectors in each game piece (don't loose these!) and can monitor the game in progress.  And by managing financial transactions, dice rolls, rent calculations, etc, it speeds up the game (something today's generation increasingly demands from their games), keeps track of your bank balance and even intervenes with random evets to make sure the game stays lively. Afterall, there's nothing like a typhoon on the high seas to shake up a game of Battleship!

Being a fan of house rules, I'm not often impressed with computer controlled bard games - they're just too restricting for my tastes. But after playing a couple of rounds at Toy Fair, I am excited about the new Monopoly Live (and even more excited about Battleship LIVE), because these versions do actually change the game dynamics of these classic games in a way no other adaption has - with the exception perhaps of Monopoly City (which did so without electronics). 

Redakai - a new collectible card game from Spin Master

UPDATE: Check out our Redakai page for the lastest information

The Spin Master booth was responsible for a constant traffic jam of people in the 2200 aisle at Toy Fair last week. The buzz? Redakai – a new collectible card game to be launched later this spring.

Redakai has three parts to it: the collectible card game at its core, as well as action figure toys and a TV show launching late this summer.  The game developers clearly know the RPG (role playing game) market, and from game design to marketing, a lot of thought and planning have gone into creating Redakai.

The Redakai cards are incredible! Even the most basic, common Redakai card outshines the rareset and most highly embellished traditional printed card stock games. Every Redakai card features holographic 3D images, and the images on them are often animated. We’ve all seen traditional animated still pictures that have a single shift from one view to another as you tilt the picture back and forth. To accomplish that requires 2-3 frames embedded into the picture. By contrast, Redakai cards use 9-14 frames to generate a smooth more continuous flow to the shift. Take for example a monster swinging its tail.  Instead of seeing just a jerky shift from before the swing to after the swing to suggest movement, on Redakai cards the swinging tail looks much more like a full continuous swing. It’s a far more convincing animation, for sure.

Another important feature of Redakai cards is that the background is see-through, so that the characters along with important game data appear to be floating on an otherwise blank card. The purpose of the see-through design is so that the cards get layered with information as you play one card onto another. Besides the cool graphic representations of what’s happening in the game (eg. seeing the character actually trapped inside an attacking green vortex), the game data is also displayed in an easy to grasp way. So you no longer need to calculate the effects of each move, you can see it displayed on the layered cards. That means that instead of just admiring the cards, younger players can actually play the game.

But we’re told the game itself is far from an easy, dumbed down RPG. The success of this game depends on capturing the interest of older core gamers, too. And so the developers brought in RPG guru, Justin Gary, as a consultant to make certain Redakai has the needed depth of play to ensure players will keep playing it for years to come. We spoke to Justin at Toy Fair, and he’s clearly pumped about the project, explaining that he’s never had access to the technology used for Redakai when designing other games.

Supporting Redakai are the toys and TV show. The toys and show can entertain kids in the classic traditional way, but they are also interconnected with card game: the cards interact with the figures via an embedded micro chip, and the TV show gives background story information that gives you clues about the best choices to make when playing the game.  Combined, the three aspects of Redakai allow kids to interact with the story line in whatever way they most enjoy.  

Toy Trends for 2011

The press room at the New York Toy Fair was packed to overflowing last Monday, but not because it was break time. The journalists were there to listen to Reyne Rice outline what Toy Industry Association (TIA) experts have identified as the big 2011 toy trends. Here are the four main trends she identified:

Simply Social: Social Networks, Social Face-to-Face, and Socially Aware - Engaging with playmates either through e-connected toys, cooperative game rules and enthralling pro-social play products. There are lots of apps based on classic toys, but increasingly 'physical' toys are being introduced that orginated with - or will work with apps - including virtual worlds and toys that have an online component. Board games are seeing a trend to 'all-play' games that reduce the ;wait time' (while other players take their turn) and engage competitors throughout the game experience. And a steadily increasing number of toys are teaching kids about the world around them and how to be a good citizen. 

Cent-Sational - Parents have begun loosening their purse strings abit following the recession, but affordability and the "Pennies-per-Play" model are still a big priority for parents. In response, the toy industry is expanding affordable collectible items, offering mini toys (smaller versions of existing products) ate mini price points. and broadening product lines to include toys for every wallet size. 

Performance Play - Thre is a mounting desire among parents, heathcare officials and government initiatives to counteract childhood obesity by getting kids up and moving. The toy industry is repsponding with more toys that promote active play and brain-challenging toys that exercise both body and mind. 

Desgn, Discover, and Learn: Camouflage Learning, Geek Chic, and Constructibles - The idea is to offer toys that make learning buth fun, and cooler than ever. There is a particular focus on toys and games that challenge kids to think spacially, eg. a ost of new construction sets and an increasing number of 3D game play options. 

Other Trends include toys celebrating significant anniversaries; classic toys and games that remain popular year in and year out; entertainment properties taht span blockbuster movies or brands; and tech toys that incorporate online worlds and social networking. 

Canada Gets the Lead Out

Canada’s Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced new regulations today that further limit lead content in toys, and give the government power to block import and sale of products that don’t meet the new criterion. Toys targeted to children under three years of age will be allowed a lead content of no more than 90 mg/kg (or 0.009%). The new allowable limits will also apply to other products that come in contact with the mouth, including soothers, baby bottle nipples, drinking straws and mouth pieces for musical instruments and sports equipment. The new limit, down from 600 mg/kg, will be among the toughest in the world. By comparison, the U.S. has a limit of 300 mg/kg, which will be further reduced to 100mg/kg next August.

Unfortunately, the new regulations did not include limits on cadmium content, which has been used as a lead-substitute, especially in the production of children’s jewelry. In its Industry Notice earlier this year, Health Canada says, “our risk assessment had concluded that children’s jewelry containing high levels of cadmium may pose a health hazard to children who ingest the substance through sucking or swallowing the product.” Despite that cadmium may be even more toxic than lead, cadmium remains as a voluntary ban (since 19 Oct 2010) while Health Canada works to identify appropriate measures to manage the risk.

Governments have been skirting around the allowable limits for years. Ideally, children’s products should be as totally safe and wholesome as we can make them, right? So why not just completely ban all toxic substances? The answer is nowhere near simple. There are certainly toys available that are toxin-free. But unfortunately they do tend to cost a little more - enough to make some parents cringe, especially when their children don’t play with them any more than they play with a dollar store version.

There’s no question lead is bad, but it’s not an immediate threat. Toys with small parts that could pose a choking hazard are far more dangerous, and yet despite warnings, parents of toddlers frequently allow their child to play with 3+ toys. And for all the excitement about lead content in toys, remember that kids are exposed to lead in all sorts of places. Even walking on a country road is likely to result in more lead exposure than a childhood of playing with toys, because every breath you take potentially ingests lead dust deposited there before gasoline was lead-free.

The problem with lead, like so many other toxins, is that exposure is cumulative. And the threat to children is greater, because their bodies are so much smaller, AND, still growing. So for sure you want to minimize exposure every way you can – and since toys are something they play with every day, lead toxins should be carefully monitored. But there is no need to panic. The ill effects from lead are the result of long term exposure to ingested lead – either from contact with saliva when the child mouths the toy, or if a piece gets swallowed.

So, if everything in sight finds its way to your child’s mouth, you will want to pay close attention to the content of lead and other toxins in the toys your child plays with. But if it would never occur to your child to put anything but food in her mouth, those premium dollars might be better spent somewhere else. There should certainly be a minimum acceptable level to ensure that all children have some degree of protection. But when it comes to haggling over the residual acceptable percentage levels, I’d prefer to see manufacturers required to list the content levels for various toxins and let consumers decide what’s necessary for their child – much like fats and carb listings for food items.

Health Canada Lead Information Package

Health Canada Summary of the Lead Risk Reduction Strategy for Consumer Products