In This Issue See brief article summaries for this summer's August issue of TDmonthly Magazine...
8/1/2010
Top-10 Most-Wanted Electronic Toys TDmonthly Magazine recently interviewed 40 specialty retailers across the country regarding their sales of electronic and battery-operated toys...
8/1/2010
Hear Musical Instruments Perform on Video Want to create a beautiful, orchestral arrangement? It's all in your hands with The Beamz, a laser-beam "instrument" for error-free music making...
6/1/2010
Innovations of 2010 What's coming down the pipe that's really going to "wow" your customers? In TDmonthly Magazine's January issue, catch a glimpse of new year innovations...
12/1/2009
Hello, Zhu Zhu Pets, Goodbye Webkinz I was widely derided when I wrote in August 2008 that: “I must conclude that the growth of the virtual playground concept has, at least in the United States, slowed in terms of traffic and interest.”...
12/1/2009
How the iPod is Changing Kids' Lives Will Apple's iPod come to rule the world — even for kids? With an increasing number of books, music and games for children created as iPhone apps, and parents who aren't afraid to hand over their "toy"...
11/1/2009
LeapFrog Stumbles and V.Smile Frowns There are mounting signs that the Electronic Learning Products toy category is undergoing a structural change — and not for the better...
6/1/2009
Holiday Preview - Electronics Travel-friendly cameras, glowing alarm clocks, and a creative way for baby to snack are heating up the electronics department for Christmas 2009. See some of them below...
5/1/2009
New Toys for Santa's Sleigh This year, kids can ditch the traditional coloring book for some 3-D fun with biodegradable and cardboard structures that can be decorated to their hearts’ content...
Retailers Predict Top Mass-Market Holiday Toys I recently asked my retailer panel friends — seven mass-market and three specialty stores — to tell me which toys are likely to do the best this Christmas. Here are their rankings...
10/1/2008
Lurking Danger for Video Games Video games and the companies associated with them — console makers, game publishers and retailers — are on a roll...
5/1/2008
Toys to Watch in 2008 The American International Toy Fair, an annual event that takes over New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Center each February, is the primary launching ground for the toys, games, dolls and various innovations that will shape the nature of the toy industry...
4/1/2008
Rubik’s and Trains Keep Electronics on Track Wings don’t guarantee that a toy will fly off the shelves, but it’s a good place to start. Of the 17 retailers TDmonthly Magazine surveyed, 10 mentioned strong sales for RC aircraft...
12/1/2007
Toys That Feel Your Pain Imagine a toy that you control simply by concentrating ... Or one that can read your feelings and respond: a doll that knows you’re happy and invites you to play a game, or a robot that hears your angry voice and apologizes...
7/1/2007
Kids Get Buzzed for Christmas What kid doesn't want to be grown up ... yesterday? These new electronics let them call friends, form a rock band, groove to tunes ... and still play like little kids...
6/1/2007
Baby Gets a Boom Box Dan Lemay believes he has something that nobody else has in the toy, music or even educational industry...
Kidults Grow Younger Mimoco founder and CEO Evan Blaustein didn’t anticipate that mimobots would appeal to 5-year-olds...
12/1/2006
Electronics of Choice Create and Educate Science kits, models and educational items take precedence in the electronics category, specialty toy retailers told TDmonthly Magazine...
12/1/2006
What a Tween Girl Wants.... According to CBS News, tween girls form the most powerful consumer group since the Baby Boom...
11/1/2006
LeapFrog Leaps Into Cinema The nice thing about being in Hollywood is that everyone — and I mean everyone — knows someone in the entertainment world, and the buzz never stops...
10/1/2006
Look, Ma! Electrons! What makes a good electronic toy more than just a couple of wires and a silicon chip? TDmonthly Magazine talked with manufacturers to find out what would be “electrifying” this holiday season and why...
Grown-up Kid Stuff Kids want their very own electronic gizmos that really work...
2/1/2006
It’s Chat Time for Children According to research commissioned by Firefly Mobile, 90 percent of kids ages 8 to 12 do not yet have their own cell phones. Can you spell “opportunity?”...
1/1/2006
Pretend Play Caters to Kidult Crowd Now that Mom uses her Blackberry, Dad has a portable DVD player and everyone’s walking around while talking on the phone, kids want their very own electronic gizmos that really work...
12/1/2005
LeapFrog Enterprises: Self-Investment Pays Off In 1994, Mike Wood left his successful law practice to invent the prototype for what has become a multimillion dollar product: the LeapPad Learning System...
Digital Dimensions Computes With Kids As parents and teachers emphasize computer skills among preschoolers, the retail market is changing to accommodate the special needs of toddlers. Adult models are difficult, if not impossible, for a small child to use. One company has branched out and formed a special division to meet this growing demand...
High Tech Gadgets for Hip Kids As iPods, VAIOs, Blackberries and Treos become mainstays of modern adult life, children and teenagers have often lamented the lack of trendy electronic products targeted towards their age group. Finally, the toy industry has heard their cries...
3/1/2005
RFID Technology Creeps Into the Toy Box Radio Frequency Identification, otherwise known as RFID, is a nearly 30-year old technology beginning to pop its head into practical use. Toy retailers have begun to use the technology’s similarity to the bar code to track products, while manufacturers are utilizing the technology to create a new generation of interactive toys...
Grown Up Fun: New Adult Licensed Products Article Synopsis Toy manufacturers reach out to adults with nostalgic products like Star Wars branded game controllers, Archie Comics Entertainment...
1/1/2005
Play to Meet Profit at Toy Fair 2005 As retailers begin stocking shelves for 2005, the big question remains, what will be a hot sell in the new year? Of the many resources available, one good place to commence research on toy trends is at the Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center this February 20-23rd, where once again the Toy Industry Association, Inc. returns with its annual American International Toy Fair...
1/1/2005
RobotiKits for the Robot Generation OWI, Inc. is famous for their consumer and educational products. Known for durability and reliability, the company would seem a natural for producing robots...
12/1/2004
TDmonthly´s Top 10 Most Wanted Casino Games For the home player and casino game enthusiast, one of the most desirable formats is the portable, stand-alone hand-held game, which combines the thrill of the tables with faster-than-life action...
11/1/2004
TDmonthly's Top 10 Most Wanted Interactive Games The future of toys is now, as today's interactive playthings incorporate components like invisible data streams, voice activation and color recognition technology...
11/1/2004
TDmonthly´s Top 10 Most Wanted Plug and Play Games Many 30-year olds have a fond memory of their eighties childhood, when Tang was the rage, leg warmers were in style and Atari was arguably the hottest system on the market. "Old school" or retro games are popular with this demographic and now, Gen-X parents are introducing their kids to the classics. “There is a nostalgia factor for mom, but they are new for kids today,” says Genna Goldberg, vice president of Corporate Communications for JAKKS Pacific...
10/1/2004
Oregon Scientific: Children´s Learning Devices Steve Jackson, executive vice president of Oregon Scientific has been involved in the toy industry most of his life. "The greatest influence on my success has been an insatiable drive to provide a fun and valuable play experience for kids...
9/1/2004
Electronic Learning for Kids: Working Hard or Hardly Working? Electronic learning toys currently account for nearly 10% of annual sales in the $21 billion toy industry. Overall, educational toys are the fastest growing segment in the toy industry. Current trends within the electronic learning toy segment include:...
Adventureville: Interactive DVD of the Future U-Pic Entertainment and Psychic Bunny Productions teamed to create Adventureville, a new interactive DVD that encourages children to make decisions as they watch...
9/1/2004
Educational Insights, Inc. is a Leader in Interactive Educational Toys Educational Insights, Inc., a leader in the interactive/educational toy market, has been in the business since 1962 when founder Burt Cutler, an electronic engineer, and his wife, Diana, decided to develop a phonics course for their own children...
9/1/2004
Fun 4 Everyone: Toys for Girls AND Boys According to the National Toy Council, boys and girls play differently and usually prefer different toys. It has been said that if you give footballs to a group of girls and dolls to a group of boys, the girls would be nursing the footballs and the boys would be kicking the dolls within an hour...
Game Systems 101 With last year´s release of the Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft´s Xbox entering a market that Sony has dominated since 2000, it can be confusing sorting out the difference between game systems...
MULTIMEDIA TV Games JAKKS Pacific introduces additions to its award-winning TV Games line based on top brands and licenses. New releases include: Ms. Pac-Man TV Games, featuring miltiple classic games including Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Pole Position, Xevious and Mappy; the Atari Paddle TV Games, which look like the...
3/1/2004
Top Ten Toys for March 2004 Here are the Top Ten Toys for March 2004, arranged in no particular order: 1) The PlayStation 2 ($179.99) by Sony is equipped with a 128-bit Emotion Engine processor that enables lightning-fast gameplay and impressive graphics power. The console builds on its home entertainment value by doubling as a DVD...
1/1/2004
Featured Products in TDmonthly Magazine: Electronics
The Learning Journey International is an international manufacturer and distributor of an exclusive line of award-winning children’s interactive educational products. Our products encourage learning and confidence building as they enhance a child’s potential. All products build on the skills necessary for children to be ready for school as they prepare to become our leaders of tomorrow. To learn more about The Learning Journey, please visit them online at www.thelearningjourney.com or contact them toll free at 877-839-3969... More information on THE LEARNING JOURNEY INTERNATIONAL products.
