Guest Guru: Laurie Schacht the Toy Insider Mom

February 17, 2012    |    By +
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Toy Guru Laurie Schacht gave us her sage prediction about the toys of 2012 from the floor of the Toy Industry Association’s 2012 Toy Fair in New York City!

Laurie is co-Publisher of The Toy Insider and CTO (chief toy officer) for The Toy Book and The Licensing Book, as well as the contributing toy editor for Woman’s day magazine, and Founder of The Big Toy Book.

Laurie has been quoted in major media outlets such as USA Today and has been a guest on national morning shows including The Today Show. Laurie recently started contributing to a wide number of parenting blogs.

Laurie, take it away…..

 

I love toys. When asked if I feel like Tom Hanks in BIG; the answer is yes. I can be wowed by the simplest move of an action figure but, what I am seeing everywhere is a new breed of tech toys….and wow are they cool!

Chances are many of you are reading this on your tablet, or your smart phone. Well, this year, toy companies are bringing your device into the game in a big way. But, unlike other toy categories where everything looks and feels so similar ….here, I see so much diversity.

So far, the factors they all have in common are that:

• you purchase the toy/accessory and the apps are free.

• (with the exception of some R/C cars) these items are very affordable.

WowWee has Appgear which uses augmented reality. With their Foam Fighters game you use your device as the remote. Attach the “arm” to the small foam plane and head off into WW2 battle. You see the plane fly around the room you’re in, but also take off into the clouds for game play on your device.

Game night will have new meaning too with a line of games from Pressman Toy called iPieces. Here your iPad 1 or 2 becomes the game like: air hockey, go fish, and other entertaining games for the whole family.

Hasbro makes your tablet the centerpiece of the game board & game play; complete with spinner and videos. And, a company called Physical Apps puts your smart phone in the middle of a foam ball for tech versions of games like bowling and hot potato.

Silverlit (video below) turns your device into a control for R/C vehicles. If the car is a Porsche 911, then the dashboard on your device shows exactly that. Tilt your device for full control, and adjust the sensitivity while you learn to drive. Want to fly? Use your device to fly Interactive Toy Concepts helicopter with ease.

 

We are watching the beginning of a brand new category in toys. Some will be amazing…some will be just OK…but all will become part of the fabric of how our kids play…and they will love it!



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Dana H.
Dana is Editor in Chief at Gifts.com. She loves helping make every occasion stand out with her unique gift ideas, handy tips & special touches. She has over a decade of experience with matching fabulous products with fabulous people.

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As the Men’s Gift Editor, Dan is fortunate to be able to blend his work week with off-hour hobbies. Dan’s marketing background goes back over a decade, but he's always been passionate about the “guy” things like sports, electronics and grilling.

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