Outside the brick walls

Even with more and more toys now penetrating different kinds of brick-and-mortar stores, suppliers must also keep a watchful eye on venues outside the physical toy store. This month, PLAYTHINGS takes a closer look at which items are making an impact in two other non-traditional retail venues: Web sites and catalogues.

As the calendar turned to spring and the weather slowly warmed, online shoppers were showing an interest in gardening toys, as well as Easter plush. "We have experienced a significant increase in plush sales," Bob Reed, senior vice president, toyopia.com, tells PLAYTHINGS. "Our top sellers are bunnies and rabbits as we head into spring, but overall, plush animals and dolls from Erica Grace do extremely well for us."

And speaking of selling in space (as in cyberspace), it appears that NASA's Mars Rover has made quite an impression on toy sales. "Space product, such as posters, space planetariums and telescopes, have seen an increased popularity, which is likely due to the news on Mars," Paul Baker, president of Storeforknowledge.com, tells PLAYTHINGS. He also notes such standouts as Astronaut Space posters from Safari and space-themed party favors from Toysmith.

Barbara Christie, alltherightstuff.com, concurs. "Space stuff has done well for us ever since Mars made the news." Baker advises online retailers to "think like a kid." He believes it is important for these people to "keep up with the trends by utilizing the Internet and attending various trade shows."

Toyopia.com's Reed notes a significant increase in video games and game systems—in particular, Xbox from Microsoft. "Games and consoles have been among the top sellers since holiday 2003," he says. He attributes this increase in sales to many of the new games being adventure-style as opposed to violent.

Greg Ahearn, vice president of toysrus.com, has seen a recent trend in kids' electronics in general. Other top sellers at toysrus.com were Leapster from LeapFrog, Color Pixter from Fisher-Price, My Little Pony from Hasbro and Geotrax, Fisher-Price's railroad system.

Ahearn adds that March marked a celebration of baby on the company's site, causing infant and preschool toys to gain sales momentum. An assortment of infant playthings from Fisher-Price and baby gyms from Tiny Love and Kids II (under the Carter's brand) were rising to the top of the list. "Customers want value and use online shopping to find what they want quickly," he tells PLAYTHINGS. "We offer special online deals to help motivate the customer to make a purchase."

The newest release at onlytoys.com is Aqueduct Waterway from Brio. Stephen Arnold, general manager, indicates this toy as a hot seller, along with Playmobil's Eggstras, Brio/Plan Toys' Classic Doll House Ensemble set and Summit Toys' ATM Savings Bank.

Carol Daly, owner of daddystoyshop.com and sunsationalkids.com, was pleasantly surprised with the sales of some of her sites' larger playthings, "considering the state of the economy.

"Teepees from T-N-T International, as well as My Own House from Pharm Tech, have sold very well," she tells PLAYTHINGS. In terms of smaller items, Daly names Jr. Shave 'n' Play kit from Small World Toys and Little Pretender play hats from Elope as consistent sellers.

Her key to running a successful online toy retail business? "Sell what you love," she offers. "I stick to the things that I feel good about and when I talk to a customer, I can be truly passionate about the product in question. I go with the toy that benefits the child in ways that I personally would like to see. This gives them [the necessary] outlets for their creativity and talents."

Reed of Toyopia.com concludes, "While there is no must-have toy at the moment, trends change with the seasons and we will be keeping a watchful eye on the teen and preteen markets."

Over on the catalog side of the business, some retailers prefer to keep their best selling toys close to the vest (several did not reply to PLAYTHINGS' request for information). Of those companies that were forthcoming, several admitted that when it comes to buying toys, it is the parents and grandparents who hold the purchasing power and make the choices for their children. "Parents are seeking to spark the imagination in new ways," says David Hochberg, a vice president at Lillian Vernon.

"Parents and grandparents are looking to share the joys of their childhood with their own children and grandchildren by giving new life to toys they played with when they were young," explains Tom Ronzi, a spokesperson for Betty's Attic, a catalog specializing in nostalgic and limited edition merchandise.

"In general, we find nostalgia merchandise to be a strong category due to [the fact that] so many people are dealing with discomfort in their stress-filled lives," he says. "Our customers are able to rediscover the comfort they once knew through toys from the past that brought them great joy."

Speaking of favorite pastimes, who doesn't love a good game of Monopoly? Ford Mustang Monopoly and Major League Baseball Monopoly from USAopoly are current big sellers for Betty's Attic. Celebrity Dolls from Mattel are also popular, as are reproductions of dolls from the 50's and 60's like Chatty Cathy and Patty Play Pal. "Customers want them even if they keep them in the box and don't play with them because they represent a simpler time in their lives. They find comfort just having them around," Ronzi tells PLAYTHINGS.

A diverse range of other toys also sell well at Betty's Attic, including Funko Bobble Heads ("Collectors love them and others can't resist owning them because they are a favorite movie star, cartoon character, sports figure or TV personality") and trading card games and handheld games like Canasta and Rubik's Cube from Winning Moves Games. Of the latter, Ronzi says, "It is an option to get kids away from the TV and bring the family back to the kitchen table for some one-on-one interaction."

Lastly, classic television shows on DVD or VHS are also popular at Betty's Attic, namely old sitcoms and Johnny Carson episodes. "I call it 'remembered laughter,' " quips Ronzi. "Oftentimes when you go back and watch these old flicks, you wonder what you ever thought was so funny about them. But still you enjoy them because they are like old friends and we can be so forgiving with our old friends."

Also in the video/DVD realm, Tamara Carlisle, president, Big Kids Productions—a catalog specializing in educational videos, DVDs and CDs—believes many parents are on a quest for a better choice of music for their children. She tells PLAYTHINGS, "There is no reason why young kids have to listen to pop stars when there are other wonderful choices in music for kids that parents love."

Among Big Kids Productions' most requested items are audio CDs from Sara Hickman, the I Dig Dirt video from Dreams Come True, Thinkeroo's I Can Go Potty video and the Rock 'N Learn video and DVD series from the company by the same name. She also listed Dan Zanes from New York, Laurie Berkner from New York, Justin Roberts from Chicago and Joe McDermot from Austin, Texas, as wonderful children's recording artists. "I am very passionate about music and the appropriateness of music for small kids," says Carlisle. "I feel like parents are really putting an effort into loading up the CD players with great children's music."

Moving from music to another artistic medium, the FLAX art & design catalog continues to see consistent growth in crafts for kids, according to a company spokesperson. Arts and crafts activity kits that perform well include: Rain and Sun Umbrella from Creativity for Kids, Scratch Magic Delux Kit from Scratch Magic, Made by Hands' Make Your Own Cards and Make Your Own Flip Flops from Noodle Head.