While it’s all well and good for kids to feel like they’re the master of their own miniature kitchen tools, the maker of the Girl Scouts Cookie Oven says it will change its advertising to clearly show that parents have to be around to supervise when youngsters are using the toy. [More]
toys
Children’s Ad Group Wants To Make Sure Kids Don’t Use Girl Scouts Cookie Oven Without An Adult
By 2.17.16
Toy Electric Cars Let Kids Zoom Around While Parents Take Control From Afar
By 2.17.16
There are a few reasons why parents might choose not to buy their kids a go-kart, thus dashing the child’s dreams of roaming the neighborhood at high speed, unfettered by the wishes of pesky adults: it’s a pricey toy, and parents don’t necessarily want to give their kids something they could potentially drive into traffic or somewhere else unsafe. A few things have changed since I last wished for my own set of wheels, as I saw at the North American International Toy Fair in New York City this week, while others have remained pretty much the same. [More]
Ohio Company Sells Etch A Sketch Rights To Canadian Toymaker
By 2.12.16
The company behind the toy that has been teaching children about the impermanence of the human condition for more than 50 years has decided to shake things up and sell the rights to make Etch A Sketch to a Canadian toymaker. [More]
Target Launches Gender-Neutral Home Decor For Kids
By 2.8.16
Target’s gender-neutral approach to children’s toys is seeping into other aspects of the retailer’s business. Over the weekend the big box store unveiled a new brand of kids’ home decor that comes without boy or girl designations. [More]
Security Flaw In Fisher Price “Smart Toys” Could Have Left Info For Children, Parents Vulnerable
By 2.2.16
Once upon a time, teddy bears were simple, cute, cuddly friends for youngsters. Today, the seemingly benign toys can talk, hold a conversation, and give away your personal information. Or at least that’s what security experts are saying about the Smart Toy stuffed bear from Fisher Price.
[More]
Barbie Dolls Finally Getting More Realistic Curves
By 1.28.16
For decades, Mattel’s famous line of Barbie dolls has been heavily criticized for perpetuating an unrealistic and unobtainable image of the female figure. And for some reason, the dolls’ feet were perma-slanted so that Barbie had to wear heels all the time. But today Mattel has announced that Barbie will come in a variety of sizes and skin tones. [More]
Toys “R” Us & Babies “R” Us Offering Discounts For Return Of Potentially Dangerous Products
By 1.27.16
Each year manufacturers and federal safety regulators initiate safety recalls for a number of baby- and child-focused products. One major retailer wants to ensure you’ve rid your home of these potentially dangerous items by offering discounts if you trade in the goods for new ones. [More]
LEGO Will No Longer Ask You Why You’re Buying An Actual Ton Of Bricks
By 1.13.16
If you’ve got a plan to build a life-sized statue of Aaron Rodgers or Jeff Goldblum in your backyard, you’ll no longer have to explain to LEGO why you’re buying so many bricks. The company says it’s reversing its policy on bulk purchases, and won’t ask customers what their intentions are when they buy a bunch of LEGO pieces at once. [More]
Dreams Really Do Come True: You Can Now Make A LEGO Head In Your Own Image
By 1.7.16
Playing with LEGO when I was a kid was great, because my friends and I could build the houses — nay! castles! — of our dreams and fill them with all the things kids want in a dream home (huge pool, ice cream parlor, cat ranch, etc.). There was only one problem: none of the little barrel-headed figurines I had to act out those childhood fantasies looked remotely like me. That is no longer an obstacle to fun times. [More]
30 Online Retailers Agree To Stop Selling Toy Guns That Look Like The Real Thing To New York Residents
By 12.15.15
After an investigation by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a long list of online retailers that sold authentic-looking toy guns through Amazon.com have now agreed to stop peddling the toys to state residents. [More]
Toys ‘R’ Us Tries Bold Experiment In Actually Stocking Toys
By 12.15.15
Shoppers visit a store called Toys ‘R’ Us because they’re looking for toys, and because they want those toys immediately. Otherwise, wouldn’t they shop online? Yet for the last few years, Toys ‘R’ Us has considered an item “in stock” if they have only three on the shelf, losing out on sales when they didn’t have items that shoppers wanted. [More]
Toys ‘R’ Us Closing 110,000-Square-Foot NYC Flagship Store At End Of The Year
By 12.2.15
This will be the last holiday shopping season for the Toys ‘R’ Us flagship location in Manhattan, as the retailer plans to leave its 110,000-square-foot mega-store at the end of the month. [More]
If You Buy Your Kids “Bunchems” For Christmas, Maybe Get Them A Shower Cap Too
By 11.24.15
An in-demand toy for this holiday season has really got into kids’ heads — or rather, onto their heads, where they can remain for quite some time as parents struggle to free them from youngsters’ hair. [More]
Eavesdropping Barbie, Books About Famous Brands, Bratz Selfie Sticks Lead List Of Year’s Crassest Toys
By 11.23.15
Not all toys are equal; just ask those ungrateful children who will throw a tantrum on Christmas morning for getting a GoBot instead of a Transformer (wait — that was me). But some kid-targeted products cross the line from being blah to being truly terrifying. [More]
Hasbro’s Latest Venture Brings Toy Cats To Life To Be Companions To The Elderly
By 11.19.15
If you’re still searching for the purr-fect gift for your grandparents (or other elderly loved ones) and think they might enjoy a little four-legged company, without the hassle of scooping kitty litter, then you might be the perfect candidate for Hasbro’s new line of “companion pets.” [More]
Toy Companies Slowly Letting Go Of Strict Gender Categories
By 10.27.15
A few months ago, Target got a lot of publicity when they decided to remove gender labels from their toys, bedding, and electronics sections. In practical terms, this didn’t change very much: toy marketing didn’t instantly change, so you can tell who each display was “for” even without a sign. However, the rest of the toy industry is slowly changing, realizing that kids don’t like being stuffed in boxes and told what to play with. [More]
IKEA Creates Stuffed Animals Based On Kids’ Drawings Because What Do Adults Know About Toys, Anyway?
By 10.27.15
While we’re sure there are a lot of very experienced, bright and imaginative adults out there designing toys, who knows what a kid wants better than a kid (see: Big)? That’s why IKEA is straying from the traditional, realistic stuffed animal and instead, offering plush toys straight out of the imaginations of a few lucky children. [More]
