What We Saw At Toy Fair: Toys Reflecting Trends

Here are a few of the most interesting items we saw while strolling the many, many, many aisles at Toy Fair this week. These toys caught our eye in particular because they’re each tied to larger trends we’re seeing in youth culture…

Hipster Hello Kitty (Ty): Okay, she’s really called “Fashionista Hello Kitty,” but we were thrilled when we spotted new iterations of Hello Kitty that reflect current youth culture looks. “Hipster Hello Kitty” rocks a pink leopard print dress and bow, along with cat-eye glasses. “Nerd Hello Kitty” has gone geek chic with thick-framed black glasses to go with her pink outfit. In both cases, she’d be right at home in Brooklyn, the epicenter of the hipster scene. And while most teens and collegians may not readily call themselves hipsters, there is still a fascination with hipsters.

So So Happy: We saw a few toy brands that promoted the message of anti-bullying and respect for others’ differences. The So So Happy clan of monsters are each very different, but also completely adorable. The monsters all have their challenges, from “reverse Tourette’s” (shouting out random compliments) to persistent stomach ailments, but also their special gifts, from making killer mix tapes to flashing an infectious smile. We can see why this lifestyle brand attracts kids of all ages who can find a monster to relate to.

Go! Go! Sports Girls: We’ve noticed toy companies paying special attention to tween girls, for when they’re too grown up for baby dolls but not yet ready for the sexier, midriff-baring dolls marketed to older girls. The Go! Go! Sports Girls are one doll line filling the gap. Each plush doll plays a different sport, from soccer to tennis to volleyball, and has a “secret” inspirational message stitched on to her stomach (we love volleyball girl’s “Dream Big — Dig It!” message). The dolls are modeled to be a little older, about age 9 or 10, and therefore still aspirational to younger girls aged 6 to 8.

Online Meets Offline, And Vice Versa: We expected to see heavy technology integrations at Toy Fair, and we weren’t disappointed — from apps to QR codes to augmented reality, the show had it all. For example, Jay@Play’s MushABellies toys are back, this time with six new characters and an app to play an augmented reality game that lets users launch their MushABellies at targets, earning points and increasing the difficulty along the way. Adding to its line of Seventeen magazine-branded DIY jewelry kits, Colorbök debuted clothing kits that were so cool, we have to admit, we want to make a fringed t-shirt and studded bag too! Each kit is tagged with a snap code that takes users to an assortment of ideas for how to style their new items. And then there were the Angry Birds, which we saw everywhere in the form of plush toys, bird toss games, card games and more. Even online apps need to find their way offline. While kids think technology is cool, their parents are paying attention to how much time they spend online and encourage them to play offline as well. But even when they’re offline, kids want to be able to interact with their favorite characters from apps…and vice versa.