Tech Toys & Gadgets - a look at the latest innovations

Tech takes its place

Tech toys and gadgets are a part of daily life for us grown-ups, so it’s no surprise that they are becoming popular with an ever-younger age group. TnP fi nds out what’s hot and what’s next in this sector

Leap into adventures

LEAPFROG

01235 555545 | www.leapfrog.co.uk

New for A/W21 is LeapLand Adventures, the plugand-play games console from LeapFrog! This video game for children aged from three takes kids on a quest to fi nd four keys to unlock the Clever Castle while exploring letters, shapes, numbers and colours. No internet connection, downloads or account setup is required. You simply insert the plug-and-play HDMI game stick and USB power cable into the television to start playing the video game immediately using the wireless controller. Children can choose between two characters and explore four different characters and explore four different lands along the learning adventure. In Letterland, children learn about letter sounds and words that begin with each letter. Numberville helps them learn numbers while having fun by counting along with the characters. Shapetown allows kids to discover different shapes that are found in everyday life. Colour Springs shows youngsters a variety of different objects and helps to teach children about their colours.

Run and jump through progressive, replayable game levels to collect gems, cleverberries and treasure chest rewards. Play the game again and again, collecting additional gems, fl ags and banners to decorate the castle and celebrate at the Gem Festival. Players can also explore more than 150 learning items at their own pace, by playing the educational content directly in the Learning Centre.

Technology surrounds us all now, from the internet and smartphones, to smartwatches and smart speakers. So it’s no surprise that children - who love to copy older kids and adults - are showing a greater interest in anything techbased from an earlier age.

A report from research specialist Childwise shows that almost half of fi ve- to 10-year-olds have their own mobile phone, and for children from the age of 11, ownership is at around 90% - so younger kids are bound to want their roleplaying activities to include tech toys and gadgets.

As Nick Richardson, founder and CEO of marketing intelligence

company The Insights Family, wrote Tech and gadget toys will continue to rise in popularity with the focus of “ recently in TnP: “Consumers today are looking for products that are personalised for the individual and answerable to the rising interests of kids in technology. Kids depend a lot on the digital world as they spend large amounts of time with end-users being technology, and brands need to be on products that following this trend.’’ don’t just let And for those who fear that the rise children sit on electronic in tech toys and gadgets might stifl e play value and development, Georgina Durrant, who is the author of ‘100 devices, but Ways Your Child Can Learn Through also offer an educational value “ Play’ (and a former science teacher), has some comforting words. She says that tech toys can be useful in helping children to develop a number Julia Loeser, of useful skills, including scientifi c Thames & Kosmos literacy, critical thinking, and creativity. “When children try things out when playing, there’s no pressure if it doesn’t work. They learn that they can just try again,’’ she explains. “For instance, imagine a child is playing with a coding robot toy with a friend. They have to work out how to instruct the robot on how to move, and how to avoid touching objects in its way. A parent looking on might think they are just pressing buttons and disagreeing with one another about who’s pressing which key, but in actual fact they are learning some very valuable lessons.

“For a start, they are discovering that making mistakes is okay - a really valuable lesson to learn. They are learning resilience, as they try over and over again to work out how to stop the robot knocking over the obstacles. They are using critical thinking to deduce why it isn’t working, and they are being creative when they come up with different ideas to try. And trying those ideas is experimenting.’’

And that’s not all! Just this one play session with the robot toy will also

help them to develop social skills, Georgina claims. “It’s helping them to learn the importance of listening to other people’s ideas, discovering how they can convey their own ideas, and learning about teamwork. These are all vital skills needed during their school years and later when they go into the workplace.’’

So there’s some valuable developmental opportunities to be found in tech toys, and the trend seems to be spreading down the age range, as Thames & Kosmos science kits sales, marketing & PR manager Julia Loeser observes.“STEM Toys are - aside from educational board games - our bread and butter, and we have continued to strengthen our portfolio, with 2021 being our strongest offering yet,” she says.

“Early sales results for Q1 indicate that we have hit the mark, whether it’s through our award-winning Kids First Range, which allows parents to introduce scientific topics and hands-on empirical learning for children from the age of three, or our recently bolstered FEAK range, which is aimed at children aged eight-plus and introduces STEM subjects with a focus on fun activities. Recent arrivals the mighty Gravity Bugs and zany inflatable Aero Dancer have already proven hugely popular among customers.’’

Hape has also targeted the younger age group, with STEM and Tech toys starting from three-plus, says Toynamics managing director David Allan. “We recently launched a Hape remote control train aimed at this age group, that can be controlled from an app on a mobile phone. This is the youngest tech toy we currently have and it provides added learning and play value to a traditional toy,” he says.

“We can also see this with our Hape Junior Inventor Collection: a range of STEAM toys aimed at age fourplus. It has an app that takes the kids through different building options, extending the learning and providing an opportunity for children to save photos of their creations and connect and send to friends.’’ David believes that we will see more traditional toys supported by technology in order to “extend the play and learning value’’. Julia, meanwhile, confirms that the educational value of these products will help maintain sales momentum.“Tech and gadget toys will continue to rise in popularity, with the focus of end-users being on products that don’t just let children sit on electronic devices but also offer an educational value,” she says.

“We are bolstering our Robotics range in 2021 with the introduction of a new range, ReBotz, which is due to arrive in the UK in September. ReBotz is a series of four motorised robot pals that spring into action from a heap of scrapyard parts. Children from the age of six can collect all four models and the different robot parts are all interchangeable, which will keep inquisitive engineering minds engaged!’’

We will see more traditional toys supported by “

technology in

“order to extend the play and learning value

David Allan, MD, Toynamics UK & Ireland

Animal magic

CHARACTER OPTIONS

0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com

Character Options proves that it’s a whole different animal when it comes to the world of tech toys and interactive pets, with micro pigs, turtles and cute dinosaurs joining its zoo of interactive toys just ahead of the Christmas gifting period.

Following the success of Squeakee The Balloon Dog, which was one of the hottest Christmas toys of 2020, Character Options is following its animal instinct and introducing a real Christmas cracker for the second half: Squeakee the Balloon Dino.

This cute guy may look like your ordinary balloon animal dinosaur, but B-Rex is part balloon, part Dino and inflated with personality! Kids are going to squeal with delight when they learn that their new pal B-Rex will play games with them, such as Tug of War and Chicken. Then, they will be bursting with pride when he performs his tricks.

B-Rex features more than 70 sounds and movements: he’ll walk, stomp, chomp and even dance to music when his headphones are on. This entertaining Dino is going to blow kids away as they watch him deflate, pop, reinflate… and trump at the tug of a tail!

Meanwhile, from the world of Little Live Pets, comes the outrageous electronic pet Gotta’ Go Turdle. Hot on the heels of Gotta Go Flamingo and his enormous TikTok success, this interactive Turtle may just look like a pretty rainbow shell, but underneath it all, he’s a singing, eating, pooping machine. Get ready to laugh as he wiggles and jiggles his neck and repeats what you say. After feeding him, he’ll let you know that he’s just ‘Gotta’ Go’ and do a ‘poop’ into the loo. Just feed him some more and he’ll go again and again; all while singing his hilarious ‘Gotta’ Go’ song!

Finally, also strutting onto the tech toy scene later in the year is another sure-fire hit from Little Live Pets Piggly - My Pet Pig. This electronic micro pig wiggles his nose and makes more than 25 adorable piggy noises and reactions. He moves, acts and sounds just like a real pig! Kids can take their new pet Piggly for a walk on his lead, feed him with the bottle - and he will even dance to music. The Little Live Pets brand benefits from full support, including TV and digital activity including YouTube, TikTok, microsites, filmstrips and pre-roll.

B-Rex features more than 70 sounds and movements

Get with the programme For junior inventors MOOKIE TOYS

TOYNAMICS

0116 478 5230 sales@toynamics.co.uk

The urge to invent and experiment with the physical world comes very early to children, and the Hape Junior Inventor series of toys gives little ones as young as four the chance to interact with mechanical phenomena and more. Get kids started on the road to becoming a scientist with the Discovery Scientific Work Bench, which contains more than 10 different experiments. As children aged four and over complete each experiment, they will produce a fun new machine to teach them about science. Meanwhile, the Hape Remote Control Train is a modern-looking train for all railway adventures! Use a mobile phone to drive this clever little train forward, back or bring to a stop. It comes with a free Bluetooth phone app that also lets you play five cool sounds, and includes a charging cable. This little train will have a big impact on kids, by helping to develop hand-eye coordination, encourage imaginative play and expand creativity.

01525 722769 www.mookie.co.uk

Mookie Toys distributes for robotics expert Silverlit throughout the UK. Silverlit is always thinking of new and innovative ways to maximise the fun in playtime, while making sure its toys are easy to use.

Programme a Bot X has been extremely popular since its launch, featuring pre-programmed features so younger children can play with ease, while older children can programme it themselves.

Rebooted robotic creations

THAMES & KOSMOS

01580 713000 www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk

In keeping with its reputation for high-quality STEM ranges, Thames & Kosmos is bolstering its tech toys and gadgets offering for 2021 by introducing a new range of high-quality, low-cost robots called ReBotz!

This range builds on the growing demand by parents for goodquality and challenging gadget toys, which let children learn and deepen their knowledge of robotics and technology.

Due to arrive in the UK in September, ReBotz! consists of a series of four motorised robot pals which spring into action from a heap of scrapyard parts. Children from the age of six can collect all four models and mix up the interchangeable parts to make their own rebooted robotic creations.

These lovable robot pals will keep inquisitive engineering minds engaged - while challenging their understanding of robotics and preparing them for more advanced kits.

Flair glows up

FLAIR

sales@fl airplc.co.uk www.fl airgp.co.uk

Flair’s portfolio is bursting with technological fun, with a host of new concepts to add to its offering including the all-new Let’s Glow Studio.

A/W21 will see an exciting arrival in Flair’s tech toy portfolio: the Let’s Glow Studio. This content-crafting kit lets kids glow-up their selfi e videos, with no app required. With glow stick dances and challenges trending on TikTok and the sharing of dancing/ fashion content a craze that’s here to stay, Let’s Glow Studio is bang on trend. This refl ective crafting kit uses patent-pending retro-refl ective technology, which was previously only available with expensive LED suits.

The Let’s Glow Studio Star Light Studio comes with refl ective stickers, hair clips, shutter shades, stick-on nails and more. Once the glow-up accessories have been created, kids can hit the lights and shoot selfi e videos, using the included StarLight Clip. This Clip lets the user glow-up their accessories in 16 different colours and access four colour-change modes with speed control, giving kids full control over their content. Also launching for A/W21 are three top-up packs, so kids can carry on creating.

Let’s Glow Studio launches with full marketing support, including TikTok and YouTube infl uencer content.

Boom, boom, shake the room! Guess what…

BASIC FUN!

Bitty Boomers Tim.Ives@basicfun.com come in characters www.BasicFun.com including Spider-Man, There’s plenty of tech toy fun to enjoy with Basic Fun! this year, as the company introduces an all-new concept that blends Darth Vader, The Child and Venom youth electronics with licensed collectables.

For a tech toy range that gives collectables a new purpose, there’s Bitty Boomers. Available from September, Bitty Boomers is a whole new collectable concept, which aims to change the way kids hear music through pop culture. These miniature, ultra-portable, wireless Bluetooth speakers are small in size but big in sound quality. Licensed and shaped like kids’ and collectors’ favourite characters including Spider-Man, Venom, Darth Vader and The Child, these fun, 2in tall speakers can be synced for extra boom - they can even be used as a selfi e remote. Plus, once collected, kids can take their speakers wherever they go, thanks to the backpack clip and strap included with each pack. Already hugely successful in the US, Basic Fun! will launch the range with the top six best sellers.

Bandai launches Tamagotchi pix

BANDAI

0208 324 6160 www.bandai.co.uk For its 25th anniversary, Tamagotchi allows users to enter the Tamagotchi world with the release of the Tamagotchi Pix. The device features a built-in camera that lets children aged six-plus take pictures with their virtual pet and interact with their characters.

The biggest Tamagotchi news since the 1990s, Tamagotchi Pix brings core Tamagotchi play (nurturing and caring for your Tamagotchi character) and further immerses users into the Tamagotchi universe with exciting new features. Bringing the original virtual pets to a new generation of children, this new inception will also appeal to Millennials and Gen Xers, further driving the current retro toy revival and the kidult appetite for buying toys for themselves.

Available in two shell colourways, Tamagotchi Pix brings extended immersion into the original alien world, and touch buttons allow users to interact with their Tamagotchis in a much more intricate and engaging way. Children can now cook for their Tamagotchi character, have food delivered, explore the real world to meet Tamagotchi friends, and add pictures of their adventures with a built-in social feed. How children raise their Tamagotchi character will affect gameplay. There are new personal rooms and interactions that dictate each Tamagotchi character’s future profession when they go back to Tamagotchi Planet.

No internet connection is required to connect with the virtual pet, allowing ‘owners’ to nurture their Tamagotchi while on-the-go, making for a blended experience that brings together the real world with the world of Tamagotchi. Children can earn Gotchi points by making their character happy and can then spend the points on treats such as a baby-sitter or dining out. They can also connect with friends’ Tamagotchis which allows them to play together and gift items to one another and their pets.

Driving to succeed

SIMBA SMOBY TOYS UK

01620 674 778 | uk.simba-dickie-group.com/en/home/

Simba Smoby Toys UK is racing ahead in the tech toy aisle with Jada Toys’ action-packed line-up of RC vehicles that will have movie buffs in a spin!

Zooming off the big screen and onto the toy shelf is the company’s RC range from Jada Toys. Film fans young and old can recreate the onscreen action from Toy Story with the Toy Story RC collection. There’s everyone’s favourite disposable friend - RC Forky! Drive him backwards and forwards to see his arms wobble! Another must-see is RC Buggy Buzz Lightyear. Kids can help Buzz get to where he needs to go by taking control of his buggy ride – just like in Toy Story 4. They can also collect RC Buggy Woody for the ultimate battle of the buggies. Or, add some smash, crash action with the Crash Buggy Buzz Lightyear: kids will love watching the Buzz fi gure and buggy spoiler topple backwards when it collides with something in its path! Another awesome bit of technology comes in the form of the Disney Cars RC collection. RC Turbo Racer Lightning McQueen comes with full drive action and a Turbo Speed feature.

Toys to blow kids away! FUNRISE

SalesUK@Funrise.com | www.funrise.com

For a tech toy collection that trumps all others, look no further than Funrise UK’s hilarious Fart Ninjas range. These cheeky chappies are motion sensor activated farting fi gures that produce realistic fart sounds for unsuspecting passers-by! Available at pocket money prices, Fart Ninja Figures come in a regularly refreshed assortment of characters and poses. buggies. Or, add some smash, Fart Ninjas XL Figures Fart Ninjas XL Figures come with a remote control that allows kids to control that allows kids to ‘fart on demand’, as well ‘fart on demand’, as well as a record and play back as a record and play back function for kids to capture function for kids to capture their own fart noises. Plus, their own fart noises. Plus, there’s more fun to be there’s more fun to be had with the free had with the free downloadable downloadable Fart Ninjas app. Fart Ninjas app.