The development trend of toys
On a vertical Q&A website focused on children, someone asked, 'What will be the next wave of toy new wave?'. "On a copy of XXX I recently bought, the integration of the real dimension and the digital world is becoming more and more in place. Nowadays, story prototypes or game cards that are interesting in reality are also important in the virtual world." An Internet development and marketing person replied. 《 XXX 》 is adapted from the popular children's game social media website "XXX Monster" and is a top selling children's magazine in the UK.
On the other hand, traditional children's toys continue to thrive. Last week, a reporter from a certain daily newspaper saw several niche German craft (toy) brands at the "German Handmade Design Art Exhibition", showcasing exquisite humanoid dolls, bendable fabric dolls, puppet scene music boxes, etc. "But to be honest, they are more suitable for adults to buy and collect". On the contrary, the low-key wooden components in the corner have attracted a lot of attention. Natural and durable, the texture of natural wood also makes people feel close, there are not so many constraints, and it can be played with by children in a real way, "said an audience member.
Regardless of the best-selling LEGO bricks, Barbie dolls, or the recent rise of smart toys, all toy manufacturers are emphasizing the cultivation of children's hands-on ability and imagination. They add bricks and tiles to toys, design open-ended gameplay, emphasize the fun of DIY, and create more appeal, hoping to cope with the competition of tablets, smartphones, and televisions.
At this year's North American Toy Fair, open-ended endings became a highly anticipated theme. For example, "WiseAlec" was carefully designed by a school teacher, and in this tabletop game, both teenagers and preschool children can find personalized gameplay. Assistive learning toys like "Create a Maze" have also developed single and multiplayer modes. These types of toys or games do not have limited gameplay, and children can explore suitable gameplay based on their abilities and interests, thereby enhancing their creativity, strategic application, and problem-solving abilities.
Durable and flexible building block toys are also a major theme of this year's resurgence, and Brackett, which was popular at this exhibition, belongs to the category of building block toys. The pioneer of pixel building blocks, LEGO, recently teamed up with American artist Nathan Sawaya to hold the "Art of Building Blocks" exhibition in Paris. Over one million LEGO blocks will be transformed into 100 sculptures and portraits to commemorate the upcoming Children's Day.
When it comes to the dexterity and playability of building block toys, the artist recalled, "The greatness of LEGO is that it is a toy that knows no region. In Africa, I met some indigenous people who had never played LEGO before, and they had never even heard of this type of building block. But surprisingly, when I tried to take out some building blocks, they immediately learned how to assemble them without a teacher. I think this is a good medium that makes art accessible
Not only has the gameplay of toys undergone a qualitative change, but the way toys are sold has also changed. Toy rental e-commerce platform Pley encourages users to upload their LEGO designs, which will be voted on by Pley's users. Works with over 5000 votes will be launched as new LEGO toy packs on Pley, usually with a two-week review period. And users can rent and assemble for free by paying between $10 and $300 per month, and there will also be a dedicated person to pick up the package when it expires.
From experience, successful toys often have rich layers and help children grow and learn new skills. However, experts from a certain university have come to a conclusion through studying 6000 different toy character images: in recent years, children's toys have become very close to life, especially in the negative aspects of life. Such toys will not have a positive impact on children's personal qualities and mental health development.
As early as 2012, the second year after Apple released the iPad, the popular gift for children quietly changed its position: no longer dolls or puzzle toys, but a tablet computer. This change has caused great concern among the public opinion. On the one hand, the development of the Internet has broken through many bottlenecks of traditional toys, bringing more imaginative design. A new Barbie doll connected to WiFi can not only have two-way conversations with children, but also store up to 10000 phrases. On the other hand, entering a high-tech childhood too quickly also poses many hidden dangers for young children who need multi-stage learning.
So, some people have reintroduced voices that oppose excessive gains, such as "embracing the process of growth" and "learning to enjoy creating on your own". Toy manufacturers encourage preschool children to start with simple chemistry experiments; A professional skateboarder named XXX and a robot toy company named XXX have launched a series of physical circuit skateboards inspired by skis; For girls, a GirlScout cookie oven allows them to flip and make cookies.
