Best Toy Nominations For 2006 Are Already Out
but will they still be popular at Christmas time
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.
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
Chix from 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.