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CNN Live Saturday

Newest Toys Highlight Creativity, Interaction

Aired February 21, 2004 - 18:45   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


RENAY SAN MIGUEL, ANCHOR: There was one more phrase that was bantered about at the toy fair, the betweens. They are kids between 8 and 12 years old.
The tweens are important to toy makers, because they have so much influence over what their parents buy.

Julie Livingston is a spokeswoman for the Toy Industry Association. And she's joining us now from New York with a few samples of the high tech toys.

Julie, thanks for being here today.

JULIE LIVINGSTON, SPOKESWOMAN, TOY INDUSTRY ASSOC.: Great to be here with you.

SAN MIGUEL: Before we talk about some of the samples that you have for us let's talk about the tweens.

I would think that would be kind of a nightmare night category. They're too old for the baby type toys, but you know, the parents may not think they're ready for some toys for older kids.

But this is a very lucrative niche for the toy makers.

LIVINGSTON: It sure is. And you know, as kids get older they're getting older faster, actually. And so toy makers have responded by coming up with great, innovative new toys that appeal to a wider range of ids as they get older.

SAN MIGUEL: And did I hear right, that these tweens actually have discretionary income of their own?

LIVINGSTON: They do. How many "tweenage" kids you know that do baby-sitting, or they do household chores or neighborhood chores, where they actually get their own income and also allowance?

SAN MIGUEL: Well, we'll find out if that's enough to buy some of these toys that are on the market these days.

Starting with a couple you showed us during the break here, the Spider-Man gloves. Now, we've got the "Spider-Man 2" movie, the sequel after the hit movie, coming out this summer.

What you are you talking about here with these Spider-Man gloves?

LIVINGSTON: Well, you know, there are a lot of toys that are licensed products tied in to big movie openings like "Shrek 2," "Harry Potter," and, of course, "Spider-Man 2," which is going to be really big with kids this year.

And so kids can get ready and do some role-playing of their own with these Spider-Man web gloves and mask. And when you put the gloves on and you punch, they actually say "Ah!"

So you really can practice being a superhero.

SAN MIGUEL: OK. Let's hope nobody practices on each other on that, that they're just, like, pretend punches and that kind of thing.

We move on to the Giggle Wings by a company called RC2. This sells for $9.99, ages 4 and up.

LIVINGSTON: These are a great new soft doll that help kids express their feelings through laughter.

You press the belly and it giggles, and it's sort of contagious. And they're lots of fun. And they're collectible, too. There are a lot of different personalities in this collection.

SAN MIGUEL: I would think those would be popular in children's hospitals, as well. Maybe they ought to look into that.

Now a big -- When I was covering the toy fair there in New York a couple of years ago, technology was such a big story. Microchips were going into all of these toys.

And it seems to me that the one that you've got there, something called Robosapians would be a good example of that.

LIVINGSTON: This is by Wowie Toys. And this is one of my favorite new toys on the market.

It's a robot and can do a lot of things. It can help you out around the house or in the office. It can pick things up.

And it has microchip technology so that it actually responds to your voice. And it can do a lot of different things. It's really fun for kids and for grownups.

SAN MIGUEL: I've got to ask you, though. This is priced at $99. And I'm wondering, is there a sweet spot for -- in terms of the pricing that you need to see for a toy to really become a hit?

I mean, are some of these toys pricing themselves out of the range of the average family in this country?

LIVINGSTON: Well, with microchip technology there are toys at every price range, because the technology has been improved over the years. You can find something that has a tech component to it for $2 and up.

This is more on the higher end, maybe it's for an older child or for an adult. SAN MIGUEL: All right. Better not play with the box that came in, better play with that toy if you're going to spend 99 bucks for it.

We move on now to the Hoberman Sphere. This is for ages 5 and up, and this sells for $14.99.

LIVINGSTON: This is a great -- this is a switch kick ball. You can see how it actually changes color when I throw it.

And this is going to be on the market later this spring and summer. And I love this, because it's unisex. It's great for boys and girls. And it's a sport ball, but it has an extra play component with the color changing.

SAN MIGUEL: And it can stand up to the kicking and the throwing and all of the damage that kids can, you know, put their toys through these days, you think?

LIVINGSTON: It's actually quite sturdy, and that's what's so incredible about the design.

SAN MIGUEL: That's the one thing that parents are going to be asking. You know that. They want to make sure that those toys can hold up to the stress that kids can put them through.

Next we move on to something called Fuzzy Wuzzy Slippers (ph), this by Curiosity Kids, ages 6 and up, $14.99 the price here.

LIVINGSTON: This is a great, you know, for tweenage girls or even younger girls who want to put their own mark on a great fashion accessory. This will give you that sort of retro feeling. Everybody remembers these fluffy slippers from when they were a kid.

And this kit comes with all of these different parts to it so that you can make either a mouse or a little bunny. Very sweet.

SAN MIGUEL: You know, I thought for a second there that you had actually broken that toy and we were going to have to, you know, charge you for it. But that's actually designed, you can actually play with the features on that toy, I guess.

LIVINGSTON: You can, and that's what -- that's why girls love to make it their own thing. And they can play with the different parts of it.

SAN MIGUEL: You mentioned the "R" word, retro. I mean, I had heard that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were making a comeback. That some of the toys that maybe previous generations had played with are still -- I mean, Monopoly, I would assume, is still a big seller.

Some of these toys from other generations still selling more?

LIVINGSTON: It's really true. And you know, toy makers are bringing them back bigger and better than ever. There are a lot of new components. There's Shrek Operation. Remember Operation?

SAN MIGUEL: Oh, my.

LIVINGSTON: Well, it's really a hilarious new version.

Monopoly is being done by lots of different licensees. USAopoly has a lot of new versions of Monopoly that make it really, really fun, tying into some of the big movies, again. So you'll see a lot of that.

SAN MIGUEL: And that gets back to the licensing factor that you talked about earlier.

Finally, we only have about 45 seconds left here. K-Nex Alive -- am I saying that right? K-Nex -- K-N-E-X Alive, ages 7 and up, $19.99 for this one.

LIVINGSTON: You are -- This is great. This is a building toy, but it's sort of like a hand puppet. And kids -- This is a prototype. But you cam see how it lungs forward.

And kids can build it. And it's got this two-foot wingspan.

SAN MIGUEL: Wow.

LIVINGSTON: And it actually moves with -- with just a flip of the wrist with this handgrip here.

SAN MIGUEL: Looks like that could be this year's bionical (ph) type of a toy there.

LIVINGSTON: It's dynamite. It's very dramatic, and it really gives kids a lot of fun to role-play with.

SAN MIGUEL: All right. It's been fun visiting with you today, Julie Livingston, a spokeswoman for the Toy Industry Association. Thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it.

LIVINGSTON: Great. Thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired February 21, 2004 - 18:45   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, ANCHOR: There was one more phrase that was bantered about at the toy fair, the betweens. They are kids between 8 and 12 years old.
The tweens are important to toy makers, because they have so much influence over what their parents buy.

Julie Livingston is a spokeswoman for the Toy Industry Association. And she's joining us now from New York with a few samples of the high tech toys.

Julie, thanks for being here today.

JULIE LIVINGSTON, SPOKESWOMAN, TOY INDUSTRY ASSOC.: Great to be here with you.

SAN MIGUEL: Before we talk about some of the samples that you have for us let's talk about the tweens.

I would think that would be kind of a nightmare night category. They're too old for the baby type toys, but you know, the parents may not think they're ready for some toys for older kids.

But this is a very lucrative niche for the toy makers.

LIVINGSTON: It sure is. And you know, as kids get older they're getting older faster, actually. And so toy makers have responded by coming up with great, innovative new toys that appeal to a wider range of ids as they get older.

SAN MIGUEL: And did I hear right, that these tweens actually have discretionary income of their own?

LIVINGSTON: They do. How many "tweenage" kids you know that do baby-sitting, or they do household chores or neighborhood chores, where they actually get their own income and also allowance?

SAN MIGUEL: Well, we'll find out if that's enough to buy some of these toys that are on the market these days.

Starting with a couple you showed us during the break here, the Spider-Man gloves. Now, we've got the "Spider-Man 2" movie, the sequel after the hit movie, coming out this summer.

What you are you talking about here with these Spider-Man gloves?

LIVINGSTON: Well, you know, there are a lot of toys that are licensed products tied in to big movie openings like "Shrek 2," "Harry Potter," and, of course, "Spider-Man 2," which is going to be really big with kids this year.

And so kids can get ready and do some role-playing of their own with these Spider-Man web gloves and mask. And when you put the gloves on and you punch, they actually say "Ah!"

So you really can practice being a superhero.

SAN MIGUEL: OK. Let's hope nobody practices on each other on that, that they're just, like, pretend punches and that kind of thing.

We move on to the Giggle Wings by a company called RC2. This sells for $9.99, ages 4 and up.

LIVINGSTON: These are a great new soft doll that help kids express their feelings through laughter.

You press the belly and it giggles, and it's sort of contagious. And they're lots of fun. And they're collectible, too. There are a lot of different personalities in this collection.

SAN MIGUEL: I would think those would be popular in children's hospitals, as well. Maybe they ought to look into that.

Now a big -- When I was covering the toy fair there in New York a couple of years ago, technology was such a big story. Microchips were going into all of these toys.

And it seems to me that the one that you've got there, something called Robosapians would be a good example of that.

LIVINGSTON: This is by Wowie Toys. And this is one of my favorite new toys on the market.

It's a robot and can do a lot of things. It can help you out around the house or in the office. It can pick things up.

And it has microchip technology so that it actually responds to your voice. And it can do a lot of different things. It's really fun for kids and for grownups.

SAN MIGUEL: I've got to ask you, though. This is priced at $99. And I'm wondering, is there a sweet spot for -- in terms of the pricing that you need to see for a toy to really become a hit?

I mean, are some of these toys pricing themselves out of the range of the average family in this country?

LIVINGSTON: Well, with microchip technology there are toys at every price range, because the technology has been improved over the years. You can find something that has a tech component to it for $2 and up.

This is more on the higher end, maybe it's for an older child or for an adult. SAN MIGUEL: All right. Better not play with the box that came in, better play with that toy if you're going to spend 99 bucks for it.

We move on now to the Hoberman Sphere. This is for ages 5 and up, and this sells for $14.99.

LIVINGSTON: This is a great -- this is a switch kick ball. You can see how it actually changes color when I throw it.

And this is going to be on the market later this spring and summer. And I love this, because it's unisex. It's great for boys and girls. And it's a sport ball, but it has an extra play component with the color changing.

SAN MIGUEL: And it can stand up to the kicking and the throwing and all of the damage that kids can, you know, put their toys through these days, you think?

LIVINGSTON: It's actually quite sturdy, and that's what's so incredible about the design.

SAN MIGUEL: That's the one thing that parents are going to be asking. You know that. They want to make sure that those toys can hold up to the stress that kids can put them through.

Next we move on to something called Fuzzy Wuzzy Slippers (ph), this by Curiosity Kids, ages 6 and up, $14.99 the price here.

LIVINGSTON: This is a great, you know, for tweenage girls or even younger girls who want to put their own mark on a great fashion accessory. This will give you that sort of retro feeling. Everybody remembers these fluffy slippers from when they were a kid.

And this kit comes with all of these different parts to it so that you can make either a mouse or a little bunny. Very sweet.

SAN MIGUEL: You know, I thought for a second there that you had actually broken that toy and we were going to have to, you know, charge you for it. But that's actually designed, you can actually play with the features on that toy, I guess.

LIVINGSTON: You can, and that's what -- that's why girls love to make it their own thing. And they can play with the different parts of it.

SAN MIGUEL: You mentioned the "R" word, retro. I mean, I had heard that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were making a comeback. That some of the toys that maybe previous generations had played with are still -- I mean, Monopoly, I would assume, is still a big seller.

Some of these toys from other generations still selling more?

LIVINGSTON: It's really true. And you know, toy makers are bringing them back bigger and better than ever. There are a lot of new components. There's Shrek Operation. Remember Operation?

SAN MIGUEL: Oh, my.

LIVINGSTON: Well, it's really a hilarious new version.

Monopoly is being done by lots of different licensees. USAopoly has a lot of new versions of Monopoly that make it really, really fun, tying into some of the big movies, again. So you'll see a lot of that.

SAN MIGUEL: And that gets back to the licensing factor that you talked about earlier.

Finally, we only have about 45 seconds left here. K-Nex Alive -- am I saying that right? K-Nex -- K-N-E-X Alive, ages 7 and up, $19.99 for this one.

LIVINGSTON: You are -- This is great. This is a building toy, but it's sort of like a hand puppet. And kids -- This is a prototype. But you cam see how it lungs forward.

And kids can build it. And it's got this two-foot wingspan.

SAN MIGUEL: Wow.

LIVINGSTON: And it actually moves with -- with just a flip of the wrist with this handgrip here.

SAN MIGUEL: Looks like that could be this year's bionical (ph) type of a toy there.

LIVINGSTON: It's dynamite. It's very dramatic, and it really gives kids a lot of fun to role-play with.

SAN MIGUEL: All right. It's been fun visiting with you today, Julie Livingston, a spokeswoman for the Toy Industry Association. Thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it.

LIVINGSTON: Great. Thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com