The nominations for best
toy for 2006 are already out and what a mixed bunch they are. That is one of the
advantages of having the Toy Fair at the beginning of the year. I think the
nominations are all to do with advertising more than anything else. The most
heavily advertised have more chance of being nominated. That could be because
they are probably better known.
I look at toys
slightly differently. I like toys where the kids are doing something or making
something like Dora's
Talking Kitchen
.
This one is a classic, it was in the top 10 last year and is still going strong.
What do you expect? The girls have plenty to do and they can keep coming back
and making new things. That is what I call a useful toy, one that will be used a
lot before being discarded.
There weren’t too many nominations in that category.
One toy that is quite popular but does not seem to live up to what is shown in
the advertisement is the Air
Hogs Zero Gravity
line of remote controlled cars. In the ad they are driving all over the walls.
In reality they do not seem to be that good unless you have perfectly smooth,
dust free walls.
Only time will tell with this one. I look at it and I think “How long will
that keep my kid interested?” I think the novelty will wear off quite quickly
especially if it falls off the walls.
One I did like was the Plasmacar.
This looked really neat but is only good on smooth flat surfaces so probably not
the best for outside. It could keep the young ones going for a while and you
don’t have to push.
This year there are a number of R/C toys like Tyco's
Shell Shocker.
A cross between a something and a transformer. This is an awesome sort of toy
that has taken the transformer model into something that moves over nearly
everything, the garden, the pavement and the puddles to name a few. Another R/C
that flies is the Air
Hogs R/C Dominator.
This one comes already assembled, which is a pity as the kids could get more out
of it, if they could put it together.
One toy I can’t work out is Star
Wars Darth Vader Mask.
I had a look at one and thought, “What can you do with this? Where would you
wear it.” I think the novelty would wear off pretty quick. But then again
there are all the accessories to buy to go with the mask, like the clothes and
boots. The money is in the accessories these days.
######################################################################################
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There are a number of unusual toys out this year and the Moon Shoes 2000
are one of them. When I saw them I thought about Walt
Disney’s ‘Absent Minded Professor’movie,
from many years ago, where everybody is bouncing all over the place. These shoes
are not really that good but similar, where you bounce around the place with
mini trampolines on your feet. I think they actually add an extra dimension to
the tried and trusted idiom “Break a leg.”
Another one on the more practical side is the Radio
Flyer Fold 2 Go XL Trike with
its telescoping push handle. This comes in handy when the kid runs out of
energy. This is something the kid could like with its colors and style, which
could be a little problem as you will have to do the pushing.
One of the new generation toys, the virtual toy is the Pixel
Chixfrom
Mattel. I’m still wondering if these will catch on. They are up against
the Amazing
Amanda
doll and Bratz
Babyz
which I call the modern day version of Barbie.
My daughter is already walking around in a pair of Bratz Babyz shoes, so
accessories are king.
These are real dolls
dolls
you have to play with, and I think that is what dolls
and toys are all about. Something to play with. Not something to show off to
your friends, or buy just because everybody else is buying them.
Article
by © Peter Legrove 200
7
at www.animalsdinosaursandbugs.com
