Census sense

Selina Yoon started a toy catalogue in 1995 because she couldn't find toys that addressed her specific needs as an Asian-American parent. "I thought my kids should be able to explain their heritage in an intelligent manner." It turns out she was not alone. Though Asian households are a difficult bunch to reach, Yoon mailed more than a million Asia For Kids catalogues last year.

These days she still finds resistance from retailers who say the products in her catalogue "will never sell," but many more are changing their tune. Since the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Yoon says retailers approach her at trade events and say: "We have a need for this."

An increasing interest and enthusiasm for all things Asian seems to be gaining momentum, in part because the Asian population is growing like gangbusters. The surge in the population of Asian-Americans over the last decade is coming from an influx of myriad immigrants—Vietnamese, Korean, Laotian, Japanese, Chinese and Filipino among others.

The most recent U.S. Census Bureau count of the U.S Asian and Pacific Islander population is 10.2 million, or 2.5 million households. Growth in Asian population of 48.3 percent between 1990 and 2000 is second only to the increase in the Hispanic population. Some 3.4 percent of children in the United States today are Asian in ethnicity, while three in 10 people in the nation—about 39.1 percent of children—are minorities. Nearly 7 million people consider themselves multiracial.

Some toy makers have already acknowledged the changing face of American youth with toys that address different backgrounds and traditions, and many have caught on to the universal appeal of Asian influenced toys. But for the most part, companies are just starting to tap into the huge market potential.

Japanese influence in toys is particularly strong in the United States. In the video game world, Japan serves as a testing ground for new games. "There are no hard and fast rules about which types of games we pick up from Japan…the variety of genres is wide," says Charlotte Panther, spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment America. The point is, whether it be role-playing or racecar driving simulation, well-designed games appeal to everyone.

Nakamura Hisashi, owner of Mikado, a toy store in San Francisco, is on the watch for the "next Pokémon boom." In his trips back to Japan, he's finding that anime is still hot and is hitting a fever pitch among his customers in the United States. That particular style of animation, which has its roots in Japan, has risen from the status of underground avant-garde to mainstream in the United States. Hit anime shows in Japan like Dragon Ball Z and Pokémon have been met with fanatic interest from American kids.

On the toy front, Japan's Bandai is in the eye of the storm. The maker of action figures for popular anime series like Gundam Wing and Digimon also makes Power Rangers toys. The company recently unveiled a line of seven action figures tied to Sony Pictures Entertainment's Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, a film applauded for its realistic animation.

Colleen Sherfey, director of marketing for Bandai America, says the company has just scratched the surface with its most recent hit Gundam Wing, which was introduced in the United States in 1999. The 20-year history of the program in Japan has given birth to hundreds of characters and model kits. In just its second year in the United States, sales have tripled and the company will debut more products this fall. To promote Gundam, Bandai has set up a program in which kids are rewarded with medals for buying particular toys. An interactive Gundam Invasion tour is currently hitting cities across the country.

"Bandai's role in anime is huge." Meanwhile, the cool factor doesn't hurt. "Everything coming out of Japan is very popular, very trendy right now," Sherfey tells PLAYTHINGS. The popularity of martial arts action stars like Jet Li and Jackie Chan, from the Chinese kung fu tradition, is also a major force in the growing interest in Asian culture. "We knew it was just a matter of time (for Asian-influenced products) to see mass appeal," says Carlos Espada, a spokesman at Art Asylum, the company that is making action figures from the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. "Right now we're on an Asian wave. Last year we saw a Hispanic wave with help from the popularity of Ricky Martin," he tells PLAYTHINGS.

The company's line of action figures from the movie will be in stores this fall. A separate set of Bruce Lee figures represents the kung fu icon in '70s garb and yellow jump suit among other outfits. The line is set for a Christmas release.

The Asian influence is also apparent in other categories of children's playthings.

In the doll realm, for instance, Manhattan Toys' Groovy Girls line includes Asian dolls among its multiracial cast. The line has proven to be one of the biggest sellers at Top Ten Toys in Seattle. Owner Allen Rickert says he tries to have an educational and politically correct offering of toys, but he has a hard time finding Asian dolls that look Asian. "Many toy makers give the doll a tan and call it Asian. It's hard to find the facial features that are done right."

Among the Asian dolls on his shelves are Amanda the Architect by Smartees and a wooden dollhouse made by Small World. Rickert also carries multicultural puppets from Learning Resources. "Parents and teachers search this stuff out," he says.

Zapf Creations makes several dolls that are designed to interest kids from different backgrounds including Chou Chou Ethnic and Baby Born Ethnic, among others. "It's important that parents and children have dolls that reflect them in color," says Bridget Gallaway, marketing manager at Zapf Creations.

Joanne Farrugia, owner of jaZams toy store in Princeton, N.J., carries Asian dolls made by French doll maker Corolle, noting that interest in Asian dolls often comes from parents who have adopted Asian children.

At Tinker Toys in Honolulu, Daren Hashimoto says that while much of the store's clientele is Asian, children of Asian descent are not necessarily interested in any particular type of toys. Parents do, on occasion, ask for toys that have an Asian element. The store sells a Japanese language doll made by Language Littles as well as the Small World dollhouse and a bilingual baby video by Small Fry that teaches Japanese.

Mattel, which was highly criticized last year for not including an Asian Barbie in its "Barbie for President" promotion (African-American, Hispanic and Caucasian Barbies were featured), does nevertheless produce an Asian version of Barbie as well as an Asian friend, named Kyra. However, Kyra will be phased out and replaced with a new Asian friend, named Lea, in November. An Asian celebrity has also been signed on to promote the new doll. Lea will have a new facial sculpt and paint that looks more Asian, says Lia Brandligt, product manager for Barbie marketing.

Also, Imagiix is producing the John Adams Feng Shui kit, based on the Chinese teachings of using color, sound, crystals and wind chimes to bring harmony to a room. The kit includes nine crystals, a pendant, wind chimes and incense sticks, among other things, and the product is targeted for tween and adult consumers.

Meanwhile, the market for books that deal with Asian heritage, language and social issues is getting bigger as the Census numbers would suggest. "More recent immigrants need to learn English. And then there are second- and third-generation Asian-Americans who want to learn about their heritage and young parents who have a mindset to have their kids learn," says Yoon of Asia For Kids, which is also available on the Web at AsiaForKids.com.

Sheng Chiu, publisher of Pan Asian Publications, has been issuing multilingual language books for 10 years now. Folk stories from China are available in a combination of English and one other foreign language: Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese. In the past, Chiu published versions written in Hmong, Khmer, Korean, Taglog, Thai and Lao, but found there was not enough demand for them. The Ballad of Mulan is especially popular, Chiu says. Houghton-Mifflin has licensed the rights to the Mulan story to include in its third grade textbook.

"These books serve two purposes. English readers can read the English and foreign readers can read the story in the foreign language." Interest in the books has increased over the years, "especially with public libraries, because of new immigrants requesting more books for them."

Many books deal with the hardships of children born in Asia adjusting to life in the United States. Pleasant Company published The Secret Voice of Gina Zhang by Dori Jones Yang last fall as part of its American Girl series, which focuses on issues concerning girls age 10 and up. In the book, Jinna Zhang, a recent immigrant to the country, triumphs in her quest to learn English and understand American culture.

Sesame Workshop will begin airing Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat in September. The show is adapted from Asian-American author Amy Tan's children's book. In each episode, Sagwa will deal with elements of cultures other than their own. Product launches for Sagwa are expected in 2002.

Among Fisher-Price's Little People line, Sonya Lee, an Asian-looking girl in a pink dress, has been a fixture for some years. Recently the company introduced a Growing Smart Vet Sonya Lee. "I thought this was great because it placed a young Asian-American woman in a non-stereotypical profession," says Loren Javier, who runs a Web site that tracks Asian-American toys, lorenjavier.com.

For its Loving Family Doll House, Fisher-Price makes an Asian family comprised of two parents and two children. "We want to develop toys that reflect a child's world, which is much broader than just Caucasian," says Laurie Oravec, a spokesperson for Fisher-Price.

Collecting is something all kids do, but collecting Sanrio's Hello Kitty is a modern-day Asian tradition. The Japanese superstar turns 25 this year and her worldwide popularity seems to be at an all-time high, says Sanrio's marketing director, western hemisphere Bill Hensley. "Girls who grew up with her are now mothers," and are introducing Hello Kitty to their daughters. At Character Corner, a toyshop in Seattle, employee Antonia Majors notes that the store has a "big collection of Hello Kitty and it mainly appeals to Asian kids."

"For us, we're not cashing in on a trend. We're part of the buzz around Asian stuff," Hensley says, adding the well-known white cat with the pink hair bow is "very universal in appeal."

Retailers like Ambassador Toys in San Francisco have the right idea. In an effort to meet the needs of a multiracial clientele, "we set up whole sections for different worlds," says John Laforgia. The approach, he adds, helps kids to learn about their own culture as well as others.