In my last few posts, I took a look at what new learning and technology toys you’ll be hearing about throughout 2007. But February isn’t just a time for new toys, its also a time when new reports come out about kids, and its a time when this industry looks to The NPD Group for the latest and greatest. While NPD reports on marketing and consumer trends across many different and varied industries, many stats and financial news that make headlines in the toy or video game industry come from this one organization.

One industry expert from NPD to watch for is Anita Frazier. Most quotes in the press about video game sales or the noteworthy toy trends come from her and her colleagues. One recent report by NPD, called the Kids’ Leisure Time II (a follow up to a similar report released in 2006), was presented by Ms. Frazier recently. While this presentation was very data rich, a number of noteworthy points about kids and their leisure time rose to the surface. These broader findings include:

• On average, kids ages 5 – 12 have about 58 hours of leisure time a week, with almost difference in time noted between genders. As kids get older within this demographic the amount of free time available tends to increase slightly.
• Kids ages 5 – 12 have about 14 hours of leisure time a day on weekends as opposed to about 6 hours of leisure time a day during the week.
• Of all the leisure time activities that kids participate in, kids generally spend more time doing those activities on the weekends than during the week, in all activities except for reading. The amount of time kids spend reading remains roughly the same through weekdays and the weekend.
• The number one leisure activity for kids 5 – 12 is watching TV or movies, followed by doing homework, then playing with toys and games, household chores, and finally using a computer for non-homework related purposes.
• Kids in the 2 – 4 age range have the greatest amount of free time, that being a little more than 94 hours a week.
• The number one leisure activity for kids 2 – 4 is playing with toys, followed by watching TV or movies.
• In terms of the kinds of activities kids participate in during leisure time, gender differences appear with kids 5 – 12, whereas these differences typically so not appear with kids 2 – 4.

The amount of information presented in this short overview was pretty extensive, and I know it was just the tip of the iceberg when compared to the full report. These few points alone hint to the rapidly changing nature of the toy industry. Kids have a growing interest in technology and consumer electronics as playthings. And as this report describes TV viewing as the number one leisure time activities kids engage in, its no wonder why we see more and more products for kids that hook up to a TV, have their own screen, or work in some combination with a DVD player, plug and play device or computer.

In my next post, I’ll take a look at the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative spearheaded by MIT and technology evangelist Nicholas Negroponte. Make no bones about it, this initiative is picking up speed quickly. The $100 laptops will be rolling off of the assembly line shortly in very large numbers, to be distributed to children in early adopter countries around the globe!

As a nation we are gaining a greater awareness to the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating choices. The CDC reports that approximately 30% of kids ages 6 – 11 are overweight. Because my company is involved with the development of learning products for kids I’m noticing more businesses and schools paying closer attention to what they can do to be a cause for better eating choices and physical activity in a child’s daily life. I’m seeing makers of children’s television programs find ways to reach out to kids about the benefits of exercise. (Take a look at the show Lazy Town on Nick Jr. or have you noticed how Cookie Monster has changed his eating habits to be more balanced?). Great success is also occurring in the video game sector to get people off the couch and moving, with platforms like Nintendo’s Wii, dance pad products like Dance Dance Revolution and other products like Sony’s EyeToy and Hasbro’s iOn.

Soon you will see more toy companies offering technology products to get kids moving and active. Here are a few noteworthy items I saw at Toy Fair:

Smart Cycle by Fisher-Price
There was much buzz at Toy Fair with the announcement of this toy and rightly so. The Smart Cycle is a TV-based plug-and-play, cartridge-based platform that looks a like a cross between an exercycle for preschoolers and a Big Wheels, but it’s also a video game. Once the Smart Cycle is hooked up to your television, children begin peddling and can steer the handlebars to select objects displayed on the screen. Biking quests can include finding letters of the alphabet, shapes, and exploration of other early learning concepts. This product is destined to be a multi-award winner and influencer on the next generation of motion-based products. Children, ages 3 – 6, will love this product. Sadly adults will be challenged to fit into this bicycle seat!

Play TV MLB Baseball and Play TV Football 2 by Radica
Here are two new plug-and-play products to come out of Radica, a cool tech toy company now owned by Mattel. The first, Play TV MLB Baseball comes with a bat you can swing and a ball to throw. Each item has motion sensitive electronics inside which feeds information back to your TV set. Play TV Football 2 (not to be confused with last year’s release, Play TV Football) has the same tech in a football. Your teammate runs on a small pressure sensitive mat to control characters on screen to catch the pass. Both products appear to be targeting a tween audience.

Hyper Dash by Wild Planet Entertainment
Hyper Dash is a technology toy that could be used indoors or out and does not require a television or computer to use. To start the game, 5 colored electronic targets are placed around the house or yard. Then, holding a talking electronic “tagger”, spoken instructions are given to the child, like find the blue target, then the red, etc. There are different game settings that focus on math skills, team work, and timed-based searches. As a child successfully finds the requested target, the music, pace, and complexity of each new request increases. This toy is recommended for children ages 5 – 8.

Motion-based Music and Games by TikTokTech
The company TikTokTech was showing two different stand alone TV plug-and-play devices. A small camera unit is placed on top of your television to play either music games or a combination of music and art games, depending on which device you purchase. While motion-based products have really only been around for a short while, these are the only titles available that provide a freeform artistic or musical experience for kids. For those that follow motion-based games, I strongly recommend checking out the user testing videos posted at the IF Media Lab website. IF Media Lab appears to be the technology and research arm for TikTokTech. These two titles are recommended for kids ages 3 – 8.

In my next post, I’ll share with you a handful of surprises that caught my eye at Toy Fair. These finds may not make big headlines, but they have enough magic in ‘em to make them stand out in a crowd.

As I mentioned in my previous post, there were fewer plug-n-play toys at Toy Fair this year than last. But of the ones that made an appearance, there seemed to be a more thoughtful approach as to what would make good use of plug-and-play technology. Here are a handful of new technology toys that have learning in mind and a couple of non-learning specific toys that are worth taking a look at:

ClickStart – My First Computer by LeapFrog
The ClickStart plug-and-play toy provides young children the experience computing in a fun and safe way, without tieing-up mom or dad’s home computer. This product includes a child-friendly keyboard and mouse, which can be set up to accommodate left or right handed users. The on-screen learning is guided by a friendly puppy named Scout. Children collect food treats for Scout as they complete games using numbers, letters, shapes and colors. This toy is a cartridge-based platform which means you can expect to see a number of different titles available to use with the base unit later this year. ClickStart is intended for children ages 3 – 6.

Easy Link Internet Launchpad by Fisher-Price
The Easy Link Internet Launchpad acts like a mom-approved dashboard to preschool-safe content on the web. Say a child would like to visit their favorite Sesame Street online game. All a child needs to do is pick up one of the many miniature figurines, in this case Elmo ( or Barney, Clifford, the Wiggles, Thomas the Train, Bob the Builder, and others) and place the figurine in its designated spot… a little like placing the round peg in the correct hole. Once inserted, the device automatically will link its user to the games section of sesamestreet.com. No typing is necessary and all content locations are child-safe with no external links to undesirable content. This product works best with children ages 3 – 6.

Digital Arts & Crafts Studio by Fisher-Price
This digital art station plugs right into the USB port of your computer. The device has a drawing tablet and a stylus for kids to draw. Drawings made on the tablet will appear on the computer monitor. A number of different creative templates are available to get kids started, like custom-designed birthday cards, party materials, and other holiday and artistic treats as well. Completed artwork can be printed out on your own color printer. Parents will be happy to know the number of printed items coming from this toy can be limited so expensive color printer ink can be used sparingly if desired.

Whiz Kid Learning System by VTech
This learning platform is unique in that it can be used with or without a computer, though it is a USB plug-and-play device. It has the ability to go where the child goes, untethered to some video monitor if desired. Up to 40 different activity pages can slide into this device for use with a stylus to make interactive selections on the tablet. Each page includes three different interactive learning activities. This product is also considered a platform, which means additional titles can be purchased to extend the learning and play experience through the base unit. (Additional titles for this product are referred to as “Wizware.”) Titles provide reading-based content as well as math, phonics, logic and creativity learning activities. Children ages 3 – 6 are intended audience for thsi product.

EyeClops by Jakks Pacific
This toy is not being released as a learning product, but I think it has huge learning potential. EyeClops plugs right into your TV and acts like a 200X microscope. Wherever your child points the camera lens the result is in a giant magnified visual on your TV screen. What does the surface of your skin look like close-up? What about that bug? What exactly is in that rug of yours? Exploration and discovery is the name of the game with this toy. The target audience is described as 8 – 12, but I think this toy has the ability to expand into other ages as well.

NetJet by Hasbro
NetJet is a clever USB connected handheld device created by Tiger Electronics, a division of Hasbro. NetJet consists of a handheld game controller and a game key. Each game key inserted into the controller allows its user to access different casual game content online. Popular games using familiar characters and brands are available through this device, but not to those without the controller and keys. The NetJet environment is also free of advertising. No banner of pop-up ads here. Kids are also kicked offline once the NetJet device is removed from the USB port. By this coming fall season, 40 different casual game titles will be available for purchase. This product will appeal to casual gamers, both young and old, but Tiger is best know for their success with the tween market. This is not a learning product, but NetJet is an excellent use of plug-and-play technology.

Digi Makeover by Radica
This TV plug-and-play device first appeared at last year’s Toy Fair. It has a built in camera which allows it’s user to take a picture of oneself, then, through the controls on the tablet, modify hairstyles, add jewelry, and apply makeup. (Note: This product has brought about much discussion in our office about female stereo-typing and the kinds of messages it sends out to young girls. In our own testing of the product, we find that kids enjoyed the product greatly when we referred to it as a “stuffed animal makeover” toy. Kids couldn’t stop laughing when they gave a giant stuffed Pikachu and other fuzzy friends a new hairdo and pearls!) What’s new here is Radica has hinted it will be releasing an newer version of the device later this year but no formal announcement has been made.

In my next blog article, I’ll take a look at more technology toys that are intended to get kids moving and active!