Have Toys, Will Travel: Playthings You Can Pack Up and Take

As we wrap up Toy Fair 2010, I wanted to send you off with a little something for the road ahead. Which is precisely why I’ve selected four fabulous fold-‘n’-go toys that’ll keep those kids—be they tykes or teens—busy in the backseat during your next road trip. So without further ado, I bring you my top travel toys of 2010:

1. Crayola Dry Erase Travel Activity Center. First of all, dry-erase kit racks up major cool points for its ease of portability—but aside from that, it’s also a marvelous educational tool. Interchangeable templates help children write, draw, count or just play different games—whether that’s at the kitchen table or in the car.

2. Zingo Travel Game. Think Fun brings you a way to keep between two and eight kids occupied with this game that’s reminiscent of Bingo: Your kids will have race each other to be the first to fill their cards with a set of matching picture tiles.

3. Animal Soup Card Game. Why not distract your little ones with a quick card game in the back of the SUV? Enter Briarpatch's Animal Soup, which challenges children ages 5 and up to match up the crazy critters they spot on the cards!

4. Travel Around the World Teddy Bear. What better way to gallop the globe than with a plush and portable teddy? Aurora has just the one, and he even comes with in a carrying case the size of a lunch box and with a map so your kid can discover where his or her travelmate is from.

That’s all, peeps! Farewell from the floor of Toy Fair 2010—and thanks for sharing a cyber-conversation that we will certainly continue throughout the year. Happy toy trails!

America Loves TOTY 2010: Congrats to the Winners!

The votes are all counted for the first-ever American Loves TOTY Sweepstakes—and if you’re just now joining us for the party, let me fill you in.

Leading up to this month’s Toy of the Year awards—the Oscars of the toy biz in which industry leaders select the finest playthings in all of the land—the Toy Industry Association (TIA) asked Americans to tell us their faves. Ballots were cast both online and via snail mail, and in total—please hold your applause, ladies and gentlemen—exactly 9,162 of you made your voices heard!

Here’s the best part: All those who voted had the chance to become part of a drawing, for a chance to win every toy in any one of the eleven prize categories of their choosing. So the TIA has finally carried out its (random!) drawing and, ta-dah, these are eleven grand-prize winners:

Activity Toy of the Year
 • Jason C.—submitted online

Boy Toy of the Year
 • Anna S., Cleveland, OH

Educational Toy of the Year
 • Katherine M.—submitted online

Electronic Entertainment Toy of the Year
 • Gina S.—submitted online

Game of the Year • 
Janette V., West Jefferson, OH

Girl Toy of the Year
 • Linda C., Westbrook, ME

Infant Toy of the Year
 • Sylvia H., Lacey, WA

Most Innovative Toy of the Year • Kindra R.—submitted online

Outdoor Toy of the Year
 • Thomas S., Norwich, CT

Preschool Toy of the Year • Dianne C., Blackstone, MA

Specialty Toy of the Year
 • Rita Jean M., Fountain Hills, AZ

Let me be among the first to raise a glass to our winners—and to thank you all for talkin’ ‘bout toys with TIA!

A $10,000 Bear Stirs Up Quite a Buzz

You could call it one very expensive squeeze: a limited edition Gund Snuffles bear made of white alpaca fur, black Tahitian pearls as eyes, and sporting a 10-carat diamond attached to a white-gold chain made his debut at Toy Fair 2010. Why so iced down? Because the bear is celebrating its 30th birthday this year—and just to be sure that ogglers don’t spoil the party, a security guard is standing by Mr. Snuffles’ enclosed case, which is even behind a velvet rope.

The one-of-a-kind plush bear is valued at an astounding $10,000—not exactly the kind of pocket change one might usually carry around at a trade show fair. But this special bear is decked out for a good cause: The bear will be put up for an auction sometime in 2010, and all proceeds—which will surely exceed the ten grand the bear is estimated to be worth—will be donated to charity.

But for now, the display of the diamond-clad Snuffles is just a clever way to build some show buzz—which is apparently working since I actually had to elbow my way up to the bear’s case at the Gund booth (733). After eyeballing Gund’s other offerings (check them out on www.gund.com), I even left with a proud reminder of my visit—a sticker that reads “I Hugged Snuffles.” I would’ve preferred to leave with a sticker that said this: “I borrowed Snuffles’ necklace.” Oh, well—maybe next year.

Toys After Tears: Toy Industry Foundation Restores Smiles to the Children of Haiti

At 4pm today as the 2010 Toy Fair exhibitors tear down their booths, you’ll suddenly spot a sea of fluorescent orange: Dozens of volunteers from the Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) are collecting toys for charity—but not just any charity. This year, the children of Haiti who endured a 7.0 magnitude earthquake on January 12, 2010 will be the recipients of the toy industry's random act of kindness. I asked Foundation Manager Amanda McDorman to give me the latest on how TIF is restoring hope, and perhaps even a little happiness, to the little ones of Haiti—one free toy at a time.

Michelle Burford: How is the Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) helping out with the Haitian relief effort this year?

Amanda McDorman: At the end of the show today, the Toy Industry Foundation—which is the philanthropic arm of the North American Toy Industry Association (TIA)—is collecting toys for Haitian children, as well as for the Toy Bank, a year-round product donation program. Today’s toy collection at the fair is the largest in-person collection event. About 85 volunteers will hit the floor to collect the toys from exhibitors’ booths, starting at 4:01pm!

MB: How many toys does TIF typically collect?

AM: Each year, we end up with between $250,000 and $300,000 in fair market value worth of toys. We usually give them to various charities, but with the recent devastation in Haiti, we decided that we wanted to be part of that relief effort this year. Our charity partner is Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S), and they’ve helped us recruit the volunteers and handle logistics on the ground. Even before the quake, K.I.D.S. was already doing work in Haiti, like donating blankets and children’s clothing—but not toys necessarily. Obviously, everyone’s first priority is to make sure that the Haitian people can get food and clothing. So in March—once the first round of necessities has been addressed--we will send a portion of the toys that are collected today to Haiti.

MB: Why is it important to for kids to have toys to play with amid such a crisis?

AM: Many of these kids lost their parents in the earthquake, and I think that play is going to be particularly important in providing these children with comfort and sense of normalcy. A toy can become a trusted friend, a safety blanket, and after a trauma, toys can bring back the everyday joy. In some of the news footage I’ve viewed about Haiti, I’ve noticed that the kids are the ones who are still running around or dancing in the streets. It’s a reminder that, even though they’re handling this tragedy, they’re still kids—and we want to make sure that these kids have toys.

MB: Won't the volunteer collectors be wearing some insane shade of orange?

AM: Yes! They’ll be wearing these ridiculously orange shirts so that you can’t miss them on the floor! We’ve recently re-designed our shirt to celebrate a milestone we hit in late 2009: 50 million dollars worth of toys have been donated to the Toy Bank since its inception. We’re excited to share that with everyone, because it says a lot about what the toy community does for kids in need.

Let the Games Begin: Four Decent Reasons to Haul Out That Board

As high-tech gadgets have claimed so much of the media spotlight in recent times, one decidedly low-tech option suddenly sounds like a great escape from our stimuli-a-minute e-world: The board game. I know, I know: for some of you, board gaming sounds like a snore—the kind of activity that blue-haired senior citizens sit playing after they’ve pulled on their nightcaps. But this year’s crop of board games isn’t just for Granny. In fact, there are oodles of products that will bring the entire family together for giggles and good times. Here are four family games that I recommend:

1. Nab It: Family Game of Stolen Words. Manufacturing giant Hasbro (www.hasbro.com) returns to Toy Fair with a game created by the makers of Scrabble. With this game, up to four people can turn any surface into their board for creating words with colored tiles. Tiles can be fashioned into a crossword and even staked to make new words.

2. Quelf. Imagination Games brings us a product that does double duty: it’s great for pulling together families as well as making your next party a laugh-out-loud hit. As players move around the game board as one of eight characters, things suddenly get a bit wacky—thanks to the fact that you’ve gotta answer trivia questions, perform stunts, and obey silly rules (like wrapping your face in toilet paper). It might sound ludicrous at first, but 30 minutes into it, you realize you haven’t cracked up so much since...well, never. Learn more about this game at www.imaginationgames.com

3. Sort It Out! Which is faster: a cheetah or a helicopter? That’s exactly the kind of puzzle you’ll have to piece together in a speed-round of this game (University Games). To win this game, you’ll need to keep your wits about you—and pull out the little knowledge you likely have on a vast array of topics. PS: Sort It Out was hailed as Game of the Year at the 2010 Toy of the Year (TOTY) awards.

4. The Office Monopoly Collectors’ Edition. This game is a twist on the classic Monopoly game, from USAopoloy (www.usaopoloy.com). Based on the NBC sitcom “The Office,” the game includes characters from the popular series, as well as most of the same components that first made the basic Monopoly set to popular when it was released (drumroll, please…) 75 years ago. Talk about staying power.

Here is what’s so amazing about games: Once you buy one of them, it can provide you with a new experience every time you play, making it one of the most cost-effective ways to use your funds during a cash shortage. And besides: It glues together moms, dads, tots, teens—and yes, even grannies—for more face time…and less Facebook time.

Wheel Power: Bright Lights Save Lives

Richard Barnes would like us all to lighten up—especially if we’re in the habit of bike riding after dusk. When MIT braniac Dave Hock first approached Barnes about marketing Hokey Spokes—a bike lighting system designed to make post-dark pedaling less potentially treacherous—Barnes immediately spotted the brilliance in the inventor’s product. So Barnes eventually bought Hokey Spokes from Barnes, and after some impressive sales both here and abroad (each light sells for $29.99), Barnes is unveiling Hokey Spokes right here at Toy Fair 2010. That makes Barnes a bona fide TF newbie—which gave me enough of a reason to swing by his booth to chitchat about how his award-winning product is saving lives.

Michelle Burford: So tell me, Richard—what’s so great about Hokey Spokes?

Richard Barnes: Hokey Spokes was conceived and built as a bicycle safety light---to provide protection to the rider from the right and the left. It has 16 LED lights, and it is pre-programmed to display changing graphic patterns every 10 seconds. We manufactured the first bunch of Hokey Spokes in 2001. The product relies on the persistence of vision: It has a strobe-light effect.

MB: What prompted the idea for the product?

RB: Dave Hock, an MIT graduate and a very bright may, originally came up with the idea. He’s an avid cyclist, and he was aware of the safety issues that come up when you ride at night.

MB: What size wheel does Hokey Spokes fit on?

RB: The wheels must be at least 24-inch wheels or larger.

MB: What is your bestselling light color?

RB: They come in seven colors, and 35 percent of our sales are for the rainbow lights. We think that’s because people can’t make up their minds about which color to choose! You can use school colors. We sell a lot of red, white, and blues to military bases.

MB: Can Hokey Spokes be mounted on other products, aside from bikes?

RB: Yes—we also put them on wheelchairs. Again, it provides safety when someone is crossing the street. One woman put Hokey Spokes on the wheelchair of her 7-year-old son, and she told us that kids were coming up and talking to him! Hokey Spokes became a conversation starter: “Those are neat lights. Where’d you get them?” A lot of times, people in wheelchairs are invisible. Other don’t talk to them, they’re not at eye level. So Hokey Spokes brings them some attention.

MB: Have any lives actually been saved as a result of Hokey Spokes?

RB: One woman reported that she had a close encounter while she was biking: She was almost nailed by an SUV. She says that Hokey Spokes saved her from an accident.

MB: Has your product sold well?

RB: Yes—and 40 percent of our sales are overseas, with a heavy concentration in Europe. We have dealers on every continent now. We even recently got a call from the Togo Islands!

MB: Anything else interesting you can tell me about Hokey Spokes?

RB: It came in second place at the World Exhibit of Innovation Research and New Technologies in Brussels. The first place spot was claimed by a robot that disarmed bombs, so we thought second place was a pretty good finish!

MB: Hokey Spokes isn’t really a toy. So why are you exhibiting at the Toy Fair?

RB: Because the product is fun! Customers constantly report to us that when others spot them with Hokey Spokes, they stop them and ask, “What are those called and where do you get ‘em?” Cars will even stop and pull them over! So when we send out an order for Hokey Spokes, we also include our business cards for our customers to pass out. We’ve had several customers contact us and say, “I’ve run out! Send me more!” When my wife and I rode our bikes through a resort area in Missouri, some kids left a basketball court to chase us down the street. They were yelling, “Come back here! What are those! We want them!” All you have to do is put Hokey Spokes on your bike and ride down the road—you’ll start hearing comments from those passing on the sidewalk. It’s just a good, sound product.

For more information on Hokey Spokes, go to Booth 5154 or visit www.hokeyspokes.com

How Does a Hamster Get to Be So Hot?

Long before Zhu Zhu pet hamsters swept the 2010 Toy of the Year (TOTY) awards last Saturday night, these interactive, battery-operated critters were scurrying off shelves at a dizzying pace. During the most recent holiday season, the Zhu Zhu craze hit such a zenith that some retailers had to actually limit the number of pets to one per family—and this happened during our nation’s worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

Now, here’s the latest from the rapidly expanding Zhu-niverse: On Tuesday morning at Toy Fair 2010, Cepia President Russ Hornsby announced that his company will soon cause quite a stir among its followers with the new “Kung-Zhu” battle hamster series. And yet here’s what I’m curious about: How could it be that a hamster is apparently more desirable than, say, the throngs of chronically unhitched singles who’d do just about anything to ensnare the attention of a would-be sweetheart?

First of all, let me remind everyone that the hamster we’re all crooning about is fake—and, granted, though that means it doesn’t poop or stink, it should also mean that it ranks lower than a human being on the babe-o-meter. Second (and this is the part that really confounds me) we’ve somehow made a cultural cutie-pie out of a rodent that’s a first cousin to the rat—a disgustingly filthy creature that breeds on unfinished candy bars in the subway gutter. In a word, ick. Lastly, the nocturnal hamster can hold half its weight in food inside of its cheek pouches. That’s not exactly what I’d call attractive.

And yet even with all the hamster trash-talking I’ve indulged in lately, I can’t deny that I was fascinated the first time I actually held my very first Zhu Zhu pet. How can anyone resist a toy that's cool enough to drive around in its own little car, swoosh up ramps, and gallop on its hamster wheel? And then there are the grin-inducing sounds it delivers—from the toilet-flushing to the tooth-brushing. For a paltry eight bucks, that ain’t bad entertainment on a lonely Friday night. Maybe our world’s not-quite-hot singles can actually learn something from their little Zhu Zhu counterparts: To garner any real sustained attention, you’ve gotta shake your backside and boogie.

Toys for Tots: Top Picks for the Pint-Sized Set

I call them ‘the mobile years’—that passageway when that utterly dependent bundle of poop you schlepped home with from the hospital suddenly sprouts into a roaming, grunting, recalcitrant toddler who has an insatiable curiosity, plus the legs and willpower to go with it. During this stage, developmental psychologist believe that tots—and by that, I mean 1- to 3-year-olds—develop insolent behavior (as in belting out “No!” at your every command, and then conveniently sprawling their bodies into a grocery store aisle) and the ability to imitate others’ behavior and speech (which any mom who has whispered an obscenity has uncomfortably discovered when her 2-year-old later puts that very word on loudspeaker).

Buck up, parents: This is no time to back away from one of the biggest tests of child rearing. In fact, I’m sending you into battle with a few toy reinforcements that will tame and entertain—or, at the very least, distract—that preschooler’s brain. Like the vibrantly multi-colored Build ‘n’ Discover Stacker from MegaBloks (www.megabloks.com). With this playset, toddlers can experiment with balance and gravity as they build (and probably later topple) 11 blocks on a special rocking container. It’s a great choice for keeping your little one’s hands busy just long enough for you to squeeze in a tea break.

Might your little one prefer baby dolls to blocks? Then introduce her to Fancy Nancy (Jakks Pacific, www.jakkspacific.com), the doll first conceived as a children’s book character: Fancy Nancy by Jakks Pacific. Her cute-ola accessories—necklace, ballet slippers, and hair ribbons—are enough to capture (and, much to a mother’s delight, keep) the attention of a 3-year old. Not bad for a cuddly, 18-inch doll that your girl will enjoy dressing and undressing for hours on end.

I’ve never quite understood children’s obsession with treehouses—but when it comes to keeping kids engaged why question what clearly works? Long before your toddler is enough of a big boy to build his real-life treehouse, he can get his fix by building a Calafant Cardboard Treehouse (www.calafantusa.com). Not only is it a snap to put together (even for a 3-year-old), but your child can dream up the best color scheme and decorate the treehouse with watercolor. While the latter will likely require some supervision from you, the final result is a product that can sit proudly on your child’s dresser top for passersby to gawk at and admire.

In addition to this hodgepodge of toys designed to restore caretakers’ emotional equilibrium, I leave you with a wise word from the late American comedian and television host Sam Levinson: “Insanity is hereditary: You can get it from your children.” If you’ve recently joined the ranks of unsuspecting inheritors, may this list of playthings be your first step back toward lucidity.

Playing Well While Giving Back: Toys That Teach Children to Do Some Good

If raising just about any child in today’s materially-focused, celeb-geeked world is a Herculean challenge, then it may seem downright impossible to rear a kid who actually gives a rip—about his or her family, about the community, and about the world around us all. That’s why, when I ran across a handful of toy companies that are encouraging our kids to care, I wanted to grant them a little press.

Take, for example, Disney’s Club Penguin (www.clubpenguin.com)—the plush-toy company that encourages kids to donate the time and coins they earn playing in the virtual world to make a difference in the real world (more than 2.9 million players have donated 4 billion coins). Kids choose their favorite cause, then they get to direct how a $1 million cash donation is divided among projects and organizations that are serving our world.

Think that’s cool? Then give this a gander: Uberstix (www.uberstix.com), which is a construction toy engineered from recycled materials such as straws, papers clips, and water bottles, donates 5 percent of its profits to underprivileged schools within the United States. The company provides these kids educational programs that teach physics and technology—so when your kids plunk down their cash to buy this product, they can feel great about the difference they’re making in their neighbors’ lives.

And this year at Toy Fair, the company with a marvelous reputation for generosity returns: Karito Kids (by KidsGive at www.kidsgive.com) continues to teach children about charity through its six signature dolls and books, which represent different cultures from around the globe. Whether you pick up Lulu from Nairobi, Kenya, Piper from Sydney, Australia, Wan Ling from Shanghai China, or Piper from New York City—you’ll be making a charitable contribution to a child with your purchase.

To round out this list of do-gooders, I’ll give the final spot to the Drip Drops (www.thedripdrops.com), a company dedicated to helping children explore the world of color with the help of an adorable set of characters first featured in a children’s book series. President and CEO Tony Lawlor created the Drip Drops, then decided to dedicate part of his company’s earnings to the children of Grossman Burn Center. It’s a cause close to Lawlor’s heart: Lawlor is himself a burn survivor who once had to cope with the financial, medical and emotional traumas that a burn injury brings on. So even if moms, dads, and kids dig the color-saturated Drip Drops purely for their entertainment value—and the little critters certainly are addictively lovable—they can rest assured that their money has been put to good use. And that kind of generosity, we all hope, will inspire children to pay it forward for many decades to come.

Conversation With an Olympic Champion: Two-Time Gold Medalist Gigi Fernandez Takes a Swing at the Toy Biz

When international tennis legend Gigi Fernandez was contemplating ways to introduce her twin babies to sports, she stumbled across an idea: Why not substitute her children’s passive TV time with a DVD that would encourage them to be active over a lifetime? The result of her brainstorm is Baby Goes Pro, an animated series she co-founded and unveiled at Toy Fair 2010 (available at www.BabyGoesPro.com for $14.95). I dropped by booth 3234 for a quick chat with Gigi, who is the only Puerto Rican to ever win a gold medal and claimed 17 Grand Slam titles (she was first introduced to tennis when her parents gave her tennis lessons as a gift for her seventh birthday). Gigi told me all about her new product, her experience as an Olympian and a mom, and why she decided to do her part to fight our nation’s childhood obesity crisis. In fact, Baby Goes Pro is battling the bulge on two fronts: Ten percent of Baby Goes Pro profits have already been earmarked for donation to charitable organizations that promote active lifestyles for youth.

Michelle Burford: What exactly is Baby Goes Pro and how did you become involved?

Gigi Fernandez: I’m the co-founder of Baby Goes Pro, which introduces young children to sports. I’m a two-Olympic gold medalist in tennis—1992 in Barcelona and 1996 in Atlanta. I now have 10-month old twins (a girl and a boy, Madison and Karson), and when they started watching videos, I thought it was good because it gave me 25 minutes of peace and quiet! But I wanted them to watch something that would help them somehow—a product that would introduce them to sports—and there was nothing in the market, so we produced it. In our DVD series, we have an animated character, a coach named EMKEI—which stands for equipment, movement, know-how, externals, and instruction. Those are the building blocks of sports. The DVD introduces children to five sports: baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, and soccer.

MB: Are you hoping to steer your children toward a professional career in tennis?

GF: If they wanted to play tennis, I would encourage them—but I don’t necessarily want my kids to be tennis stars or pros. I just want them to follow whatever their calling is. And I want them to be active. The slogan of our company is “Inspiring a generation to move.” In this country, we have a childhood obesity problem, which First Lady Michelle Obama has been talking about. There’s too much inactivity in this country. We’re trying to do our part to change that by introducing young kids to sports, so that when they grow up, they’ll want to continue in sports. In our DVD, the monkey’s cool, it’s very colorful, and there are sing-a-along songs.

MB: How have your twins responded to the DVD?

GF: My kids love it! The boy is fixated on it—he will watch for 25 minutes without moving his eyes. The girl watches it, but she comes back to it when the monkey, EMKEI, comes back every 20 seconds to do a high-five or spin around! She loves the animated parts. My neighbor, who is 2, watched it for a couple days, and when she played soccer, she received the boll and stopped it just like the girl in the DVD! And she’s just 2! In making the DVD. We consulted a sports psychologist and a developmental psychologist, and they both said that when kids are little, they have an accelerated rate of learning. Kids are sponges! Philosophically, as a parent, you have to decide whether you’re going to let your kids watch TV. But it’s 2010, and my 10-month-old kids already like my iPhone! It’s a different world, so I figure that if I’m going to show them something on TV, I might as well let them watch something that’s instructional and educational.

MB: Let’s talk about your tennis career for a sec. When you were an up-and-coming tennis player, which tennis greats did you admire?

GF: Martina Navratilova was the number one in the world when I was a girl! I wanted to be like Martina back then.

MB: You officially retired from tennis in 1997. Looking back over a career marked by so many highlights, what was your greatest moment?

GF: Winning the two Olympic gold medals. When I won the first one, it was an unbelievable feeling! You’ve probably heard people say that it’s not about winning the gold medals, but it’s about participating in the Olympics. That’s actually true. Even though winning the gold medal was amazing, just walking into the Olympic stadium was the thrill of a lifetime. With the Olympics going on this week, it brings back so memories for me.

It was particularly thrilling to be in Atlanta in 1996, because we were playing at home here in the U.S. While we were in the tunnel waiting to go into the arena, the whole U.S.A delegation started chanting “U.S.A.! U.S.A! U.S.A.!” The tunnel was reverberating! I still get goose bumps when I think about it. I’ll never forget that feeling.