Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
News
February 12, 2016 01:00 AM

At this year's Toy Fair, it's all about coding and community

Adrianne Pasquarelli
Advertising Age
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Mattel Inc.
    The Code-A-Pillar from Mattel Inc.'s Fischer-Price brand is designed to help toddlers learn to code by swapping different segments of the brightly-colored plastic toy.

    A town made out of Play-Doh, a pen that draws 3-D in plastic and a coding caterpillar, oh my! They are just some of the must-see products at this year's Toy Fair, the 113th trade show taking place Feb. 13 to 16 in New York City.

    While giant brands Mattel Inc. and Hasbro Inc. will have a large showing at the event, smaller companies such as Wonder Workshop and GoldieBlox will also be in attendance. In fact, more than 300 of the 1,237 exhibiting brands will be newcomers, up from just under 200 last year. The uptick is no coincidence; event organizers are making a concerted effort to secure space for first-time exhibitors in order to showcase the widest spectrum of innovative toys, said a spokeswoman. Since the event has reached capacity at the Jacob Javits Center, space for existing exhibitors was frozen.

    Retailers can expect to see a mix of classic play toys — Hasbro will showcase five new products from its popular Play-Doh line, now in its 60th year, as well as new collections from Nerf — and pioneering ones — Zing Toys is exhibiting StikBot, a stop-motion animation studio that includes a green screen. RedwoodVentures Ltd., a Bella Vista, Ark.-based company, created AtmosFlare. A pen that draws dimensionally in a photopolymer material that hardens into smooth sculptures, it's one of the first of its kind targeted to teens.

    A lot of brands are focusing on the marketing word du jour: coding. Mattel's new Fischer-Price Think & Learn Code-A-Pillar, which encourages sequencing and critical thinking skills among preschoolers, has been getting a lot of buzz since it was shown at January's Consumer Electronics Show.

    While Mattel has not said much publicly yet, reports from CES said the Code-A-Pillar — with individual, brightly colored plastic body components — allow children to separate and reconnect the various parts, each of which provides a different command to the overall toy, such as which way to turn. By putting the individual parts in a different order, the child can make the toy do something different.

    Seeing a toddler play with it may not seem like coding, but interactive toys come equipped with some degree of coding whether companies market it or not, experts say.

    "Coding is something parents like to hear, but kids putting together a Lego set have the rudiments of coding," said Chris Byrne, a toy industry consultant and content director for TTPM (Toys, Tots, Pets & More). "The best toys that are being marketed as coding are toys that are really immersive and fun for kids to play with — after an hour of homework, who wants to do more homework?"

    He noted a standout from Wonder Workshop, which sells robotics-based toys that are fun, yet teach as well.

    El Segundo, Calif.-based Mattel is also banking on new offerings from its Barbie franchise, which now include more diverse ethnicities and body types. The manufacturer is also rolling out a line of DC Super Hero Girls, based on the comic book characters.

    Byrne also stressed that successful marketers will create toys around which kids can build a community, in this hyper-social age. Even 2014's Rainbow Loom, a low-tech item molded from ABS which kids use to create bracelets and other items from rubber bands, was wildly popular because children continually shared their projects on YouTube.

    "Looking at ways to leverage social media in a wholesome and interactive way that also engages kids in classic play — that's the next generation of all this technology," Byrne said.

    The Toy Industry Association Inc., which hosts the Toy Fair, will also debut Play Fair, presented by Lego and Nickelodeon, for the first time this year on Feb. 13 and 14 at the Javits Center. The event, which is open to the public, will display a number of new and existing toys for families, and include a Paw Patrol slide and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle tunnels.

    "We're focusing on ways to connect with consumers," explained the Toy Industry spokeswoman.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Illinois AG sues 14 firms over PFAS contamination
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Berry CEO Salmon retiring
    2
    Slowing demand for thermoformed PET leads to Genpak plant closure
    3
    Prices on the rise for PP, PVC
    4
    SK Battery America invests $19M in Georgia IT center
    5
    Singing the praises of family ownership
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified