Toys to take advantage of kids’ interest in iPads and iPods by crafting toys that interact with the Apple devices.
Having found this holiday season that they cannot beat iPad, iPhoneand iPod, toymakers have decided to join them, lining up a host of playthings that come to life when hooked up to the devices, gadgets that kids love to play with.
Industry insiders call them “AppCessories,” and expect a wide array of these items to be on display at the American Toy Fair, which officially kicked off in New York on Feb. 12.
“The manufacturers have realized this is a hot area, and they are all jumping on it,” said TimetoPlayMag.com Editor-in-Chief Jim Silver. “It is an opportunity to extend the ages you are selling to.”
The trend comes as companies, scarred by a holiday season when toy sales fell 3 percent in the United States, look beyond traditional toys to woo tech-savvy kids, many of whom have grown up playing on their parents’ smartphones or their own gaming consoles.
