Testers loved high-tech toys and more traditional types
FamilyFun magazine
Inside the guide
By Sam Miller
McClatchy Newspapers
FamilyFun magazine’s annual list of top toys has been early to identify such past hits as Bratz dolls and Tickle-Me-Elmo. We spoke with Ellen Wall, senior features editor for FamilyFun, to get the scoop on this year’s bunch.
Q: These toys are way cool, no doubt about it. But are there any potential classics here? The next Etch-a-Sketch or Super Soaker?
A: Over the years in the toy wars, the kids (who help select winners) have definitely been a bellwether of that. They’ve helped pick out some of those trends. This year, that’s a good question.
I think our No. 1 toy, the Air Hogs Zero Gravity Micro, is something that kids have dreamed about for a long time. The fact that it can climb walls, and climb across a ceiling. Every kid has dreamed about this. My kids would just lie on the bunk bed and race them across the ceiling. Part of the game was to get it to fall on top of their big brother, who was lying on the floor — to time it just right.
It’s got the whole package, and it’s got the cool factor.
Q: Some of these toys really seem like throwbacks, like the play diner, which I could see being sold when I was growing up. Then there are others that are thoroughly modern, like the Disney Digital Camera. So which way are toys going, modern or classic?
A: It’s really a mixture of both. One of the things that’s happened over the last couple years, as electronics become more a part of everybody’s world, the kids want the electronic toys that mom and dad have. You’re getting versions — real, working, good quality versions — for kids. And durable. The Disney Digital Camera works. It has good quality photos. But it’s durable. Kids were dropping it, and it didn’t break.
The other thing we saw in electronics was the Speaking Spelling Bee. The kids can put their own spelling words in, and their own words become part of the game. What a great way to get them to participate. We saw a number of products that did, and I hope that personalization of these toys continues.
Q: Speaking of the spelling bee toy: When I was a kid we could see the “educational” toy coming a mile away and wanted nothing to do with it. Do this year’s educational toys do a better job of avoiding that appearance?
A: They are. Like everything, there are hits and misses, but the spelling bee is one of those hits. It has that slick, cool look. It looks like a handheld video game, or like you’ve got a cool Blackberry. And it’s an exciting game. It makes you feel like you’re in there and you’re part of it, like you’re at the National Spelling Bee. And there’s a nice wide variety of skill levels.
Q: Are parents going to be impressed by this year’s toys, or does every generation think their toys were the greatest ever, whether it’s Barbie or the Hula Hoop or Beanie Babies?
A: Parents are part of our testing process, so I think they’re going to think some of these toys are pretty darn cool. We had parents who were racing the Micro after the kids went to bed. That’s when you know it’s a cool toy.
— Sam Miller, McClatchy Newspapers
