Development Trends of the Toy Industry
"What will the next wave of new toys be?" Someone raised this question on a vertical Q&A website focusing on children. "In a recent issue of *XX* that I bought, the integration of the physical dimension and the digital world is getting more and more seamless. Now, those story prototypes or game cards that people find interesting in reality are equally important in the virtual world," replied an internet development and marketing professional. *XX*, adapted from the best-selling children's game social networking site "Moshi Monsters", is a top-selling children's magazine in the UK.
On the other hand, traditional children's toys remain enduringly popular. Last week, a reporter from *XX Daily* saw several niche German craft (toy) brands at the "German Handmade Design and Art Exhibition", which exhibited exquisite human-shaped dolls, bendable cloth dolls, human-scene music boxes and so on. "But to be honest, they are more suitable for adult enthusiasts, bought back for collection." It was the low-key wooden components in the corner that attracted a lot of attention. "They are natural, durable, and the texture of logs makes people feel close. There are not so many restrictions, and children can actually play with them," said an audience member.
Whether it is Lego bricks and Barbie dolls that have been best-selling for many years, or smart toys that have emerged in recent years, all toy manufacturers are emphasizing the cultivation of children's hands-on ability and imagination. They are "adding more features" to toys, designing open-ended gameplay, emphasizing the fun of DIY, creating more attractiveness, hoping to compete with tablet computers, smartphones and televisions.
At this year's North American International Toy Fair, open-ended gameplay has become a highly notable theme. For example, Wise Alec was carefully designed by a school teacher. In this board game, both teenagers and preschool children can find personalized ways to play. Auxiliary learning toys such as Create－a－Maze have also developed single-player and multi-player modes. This type of toys or games does not set fixed rules of play. Children can explore suitable gameplay according to their own abilities and interests, so as to improve their creativity, strategy application and problem-solving abilities.
Durable and flexible building block toys are also a major theme of the comeback this year. The popular Brackitz at this exhibition is a stacking and building toy. Lego, the originator of pixel bricks, has recently partnered with American artist Nathan Sawaya to hold the "Art of the Brick" exhibition in Paris. More than 1 million pieces of Lego bricks have been used to create 100 sculptures and portrait works, to commemorate the upcoming Children's Day.
When talking about the dexterity and easy-to-play attributes of brick toys, the artist recalled, "The greatness of Lego is that it is a toy that transcends regions. In Africa, I met some aboriginal people who had never played with Lego, they had never even heard of these bricks. But amazingly, when I took out some bricks for them to try, they actually figured out how to assemble them immediately without any guidance. I think this is a good medium, it makes art accessible."
Not only has the way of playing toys undergone a qualitative change, but the way of selling toys has also changed. Pley, a toy rental e-commerce platform, encourages users to upload their own Lego designs, which are voted on by Pley users. Works with more than 5,000 votes will be launched as new Lego toy packs on Pley, which generally only takes a two-week review period. Users pay between 10 and 300 US dollars per month, and they can rent the toys for free to assemble, and someone will pick them up at the door when the rental period expires.
Experience shows that successful toys often have rich layers and help children grow and learn new skills. However, experts from XX University reached a conclusion after studying 6,000 different toy character images: in recent years, children's toys have become very close to life, especially the negative aspects of life. Such toys do not have a good impact on the development of children's personal qualities and mental health.
As early as 2012, the second year after Apple released the iPad, popular gifts for children quietly changed: it was no longer dolls or puzzle assembly toys, but a tablet computer. This change caused great concern in public opinion. On the one hand, the development of the Internet has broken through many bottlenecks of traditional toys and brought more imaginative designs. A new WiFi-connected Barbie doll can not only have two-way conversations with children, but also can store up to 10,000 different phrases. On the other hand, entering a high-tech childhood too quickly also has many hidden dangers for young children who need multi-stage learning.
As a result, some voices opposing over-reliance on technology have been raised again, such as "embrace the process of growth" and "learn to create fun by yourself". Some toy manufacturers encourage preschool children to start with simple chemistry experiments; professional skateboarder XX and robot toy company XX have launched a series of physical circuit skateboards inspired by snowboards; and for girls, a Girl Scout cookie oven allows them to make cookies in all kinds of creative ways.