Toymakers STEAM ahead at Hong Kong fair

Hong Kong — Educational toys are growing in popularity, as parents seek a way to give children a leg-up in a highly competitive world. That push could be even more visible in China.

Toys under the trendy acronyms STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and STEAM (STEM, plus art) got their own space at the recently completed Hong Kong Toy and Games Fair, held Jan. 8-11.

"Chinese parents want their children to master problem-solving skills. These are more adaptable to the real world," said Alex Wong, sales manager at Shantou-based Wange Educational Material Sci-Tech Co. Ltd., which sells STEM toys under the Wange, Dr. Luck and Dubie brands.

In a country where elementary-school teachers regularly assign hours of homework every night and middle-class parents pony up for extra tutoring on weekends, STEM and STEAM toys offer an opportunity to learn even in down time.

"Young Chinese parents are more educated than ever. They travel overseas and see the educational toys that are popular in Europe and America. They want the same toys for their children," said Mandy Hoh, a sales rep at Hong Kong's Amazing Toys Ltd.

Like many toymakers at the fair, Amazing Toys has its corporate headquarters in Hong Kong but manufactures in the beating heart of China's toy industry: Chenghai, in eastern Guangdong province. Chenghai produced $5.5 billion in toys in 2014, according to fair organizers.

One way to stand out is simply to get bigger. While the traditional Rubik's cube is a 3x3 configuration, Yuxin Science and Educational Toys Co. Ltd. has churned out ever-bigger varieties of what it calls its puzzle cube or magic cube: 7-by-7, 11-by-11 and its latest, a 17-by-17 behemoth that takes at least five hours to solve, said Linda Wang, the company's vice general manager.

The biggest cube "is especially popular in America," Wang said. Yuxin, has had booths at the fair, which bills itself as Asia's largest toy show, for 10 years. The company produces its puzzles with 38 injection molding machines at its Chenghai factory.

Hong Kong-based STEM specialist Eastcolight Ltd. was founded in 1991 by a former teacher.

Eastcolight's flagship products are its telescope and microscopes, but it also makes a wide variety of science kits that are marketed through science and museum shops. Its anatomically correct eye and dental kits were made under the consultation of scientists, said Director Johnny Sze.

Educational toymakers have to make practical adjustments to the reality of the Chinese market.

Stargazing is practically impossible in China's polluted big cities, so Eastcolight makes an app that displays on a phone the stars the firm's telescopes could view in a clear sky. The app is linked to a phone's GPS and clock for easy adjustment when the telescope is taken to clearer climes.

Eastcolight has an OEM deal with Toys R Us but at present only about 10 percent of its sales comes from the world's top toy market, the United States.

"I think Americans are more price sensitive," Sze said.

Changes in Chinese pedagogy are also spurring a demand for in-school educational toys.

"More Chinese educators are using project-based, team-based learning," said Rachel Tsai, sales manager at Wange. That opens up a market for Wange's line of electric construction kits, marketed under the Dr. Luck brand.

Namyangju, South Korea-based Math Time makes sturdy construction sets of ABS rods and ABS-covered magnetic balls designed to teach diminutive scholars about the Pythagorean theorem, hexahedrons, polyhedrons and other complex geometries.

"We market all our products to Korean elementary schools," said Esther Kim, a sales representative. "We're here to try to expand to more countries."

It's safe to say not many exhibitors at the Hong Kong fair reference Sierpinksi triangles in their promotional materials, but such highbrow marketing certainly works in a country where students dedicate 12 years to preparing for the grueling Suneung, or college scholastic ability test.

To maintain quality control, the 4-year-old company manufactures its pricey offerings in Korea, but is already getting feelers from China's commodity-oriented toy industry.

"A Chinese buyer said, 'Why don't you start a Chinese factory to make them cheaper?' " said Kim.

In this highly competitive space, design details can help a manufacturer stand out. United Kingdom-based Thinkplay Ltd.'s makes Morphun construction kits for young children. Thinkplay uses sturdy ABS for its cranks but low-friction polypropylene for interlocking blocks, chains and gears.

"PP is also quiet," said Managing Director Colin Simonds, dropping a brightly colored Morphun block onto a table along with a rival's ABS block. The Morphun block makes much less of a racket. "That makes a big difference when you have a classroom of little children," he said.

STEM is a trend that's here to stay, said Sales Manager Gauss Choi of Hong Kong's Imagine Nation, which sells electronics kits. "In Hong Kong, education has traditionally focused on memorization. STEM toys foster creativity and lateral thinking."

"Feedback has been excellent. We collected 100 [business] cards on the first day of the show," Choi said.

Still, one longtime toy executive pointed out a potential downside to the hype. Unlike video games, dolls and plush toys, STEM and STEAM toys often require parental involvement, a fact that may limit their breakout appeal.

"Many parents just want their kids distracted so they [the parents] can play with their phones," said one executive, smiling wryly.