A Kid's-Eye View
Positive shift in kids' desires where toys are concerned
By Nancy Zwiers -- Playthings, 11/1/2005
What do today's kids really want? That's the million dollar question. And the KidzEyes/Funosophy 2005 Holiday Wish List Survey has several answers. More than 2,000 boys and girls ages 6-17 provide feedback on everything from their favorite gift and toy categories to feelings on gift cards and their own spending habits in this annual survey. The following are highlights from this year's responses in the 6-11 age range.
Toys are topsMore than 1,000 boys and girls ages 6-11 rated their very favorite types of gifts to receive during the holiday season, and it's good news for the toy industry. Toys are particularly popular with younger kids (ages 6-8), while money and electronics rank higher with older boys and girls (ages 9-11). Overall, toys take the cake with this age group.
TREND ALERT! This year's results mark a positive shift in kids' desires as far as the toy industry is concerned. When compared with the results of the same survey conducted last year, toys have gained more than seven points and the gap has widened between toys and electronics, which tied as the most desired gifts to receive last year.
Boys will be boysBoard games, trading cards and handheld electronics games top boys' lists in terms of the types of toys they hope to receive this holiday season. True to form, more than 50 percent of boys also selected sports equipment and toy vehicles as the types of toys they want most.
And girls will be girlsNearly 70 percent of girls indicated that they'd like to receive arts and crafts kits and materials as gifts, an indication that the category can look forward to a hot holiday season. More than 50 percent of girls surveyed were also interested in board games (see below for details on games) and dolls/doll accessories.
Games people playAs expected, electronic handheld games top kids' lists when it comes to the types of games they'd like to receive this year. Perhaps more unexpected, though, is the ranking of family board games—tied for top placement overall and highest rankings among girls and younger kids.
Hot wiredVideo gaming remains as popular as ever, with video games and video game systems voted the two electronic items most kids would like to receive this holiday season. Interestingly, desire for cell phones continues to reach younger and younger kids, placing third overall in this age group.
Increasingly tech-savvy girls rank cell phones, digital cameras, and MP3 players highest, with video games and video game systems trailing behind.
TREND ALERT! Speaking of MP3 players, the latest craze in portable music jumped nearly 15 points with this age group since last holiday season.
Personal propertiesTop kid's licenses were also measured in this survey, split evenly between girls' and boys' properties. Star Wars remains top of mind for boys, who ranked the property number one. The toy industry's very own Bratz beat out established movie- and TV-based properties as the licensed toy girls thought kids in their age group would like best this holiday season.
The 411Kids 6-11 years of age look to the television as their top resource for gift ideas—more than 85 percent of kids rely on TV commercials to get ideas for their holiday wish lists. Seventy-five percent of kids get ideas in-store and 66 percent rely on friends for ideas. Of note is that only 5 percent of kids in this age group look to celebrities for gift ideas.
TREND ALERT! In-store experiences, family, and word-of-mouth (friends) have increased as a means to get holiday gift ideas. Although still a significant resource, toy catalogs have decreased in both points and rankings in comparison to last year's study.
Shop 'til you dropAn overwhelming percentage of kids selected mass market retailers like Target, Wal-Mart and Kmart as the best place for holiday shopping. Less than half as many selected Toys “R” Us as their favorite place to shop, followed by other toy stores and electronics stores like Best Buy and Circuit City. Also interesting is the low rating of the Internet as a holiday shopping resource—although kids in this age group are surfing the net, they're not shopping there, yet.
Ride the revenue streamMore than 40 percent of kids will be spending any gift cards or cash they receive as a holiday gift within one week after the holidays and another 40 percent expect to shop in January! This is a good reason for retailers to remain stocked up and ready for continued holiday shopping after December 25.
The complete KidzEyes/Funosophy 2005 Holiday Wish List Survey, including age and gender breakdowns, trend analyses, industry expert insights, and opportunity assessments is available for purchase from Funosophy, Inc. For details or to place your order, visit www.funosophy.com or call 562.436.5251.
KidzEyes, a specialty research service of C&R Research, conducted the online 2005 KidzEyes/Funosophy Holiday Wish List Survey between August 9-16, 2005. The information is based on a national sampling of 2,208 boys and girls between the ages of 6-17 who are members of the KidzEyes online panel. The margin of error is +/- 2.1 percent.
Based in Chicago, C&R Research is a market research firm.
Funosophy was founded in 1999 by toy industry veteran Nancy Zwiers.
| % of Total Kids Ages 6-11 | |
| Toys | 43% |
| Money | 26% |
| Electronics | 25% |
| Clothes | 7% |
| % of Total Kids Ages 6-11 | |
| Electronic Handheld Games | 74% |
| Family Board Games | 74% |
| Plug N Play TV Games | 54% |
| Trading Card Games | 41% |
| Another Type of Game | 32% |
| % of Total Kids Ages 6-11 | |
| Board Games, Trading Cards, Handheld Electronic Games | 60% |
| Sports Equipment/Outdoor Toys | 54% |
| Toy Vehicles | 54% |
| Action Figures and Accessories | 46% |
| Building/Construction Toys | 40% |
| Model Kits or Hobby Materials | 26% |
| Arts & Crafts Kits and Materials | 23% |
| Stuffed Animals | 12% |
| None of These | 8% |
| Dolls and Accessories | 1% |
| % of Total Kids Ages 6-11 | |
| Arts & Crafts Kits and Materials | 69% |
| Board Games, Trading Cards, Handheld Electronic Games | 59% |
| Dolls and Accessories | 55% |
| Stuffed Animals | 45% |
| Sports Equipment/Outdoor Toys | 26% |
| Model Kits or Hobby Materials | 19% |
| Building/Construction Toys | 10% |
| None of These | 9% |
| Toy Vehicles | 9% |
| Action Figures and Accessories | 8% |
| % of Total Kids Ages 6-11 | |
| Video Games | 67% |
| Video Game System | 58% |
| Cell Phone | 42% |
| Computer | 39% |
| CD Player | 37% |
| Digital Camera | 34% |
| DVD Player | 32% |
| MP3 Player | 32% |
| TV | 31% |
| % of Total Kids Ages 6-11 | |
| TV Commercials | 85% |
| In-Store | 75% |
| Friends | 66% |
| Toy Catalogs | 64% |
| Family | 42% |
| Magazines | 40% |
| Internet | 28% |
| Newspaper | 13% |
| Famous Person | 5% |
| % of Total Kids Ages 6-11 | |
| General Merchandise Stores | 57% |
| Toys “R” Us | 24% |
| Electronics Stores | 6% |
| Other Toy Stores | 6% |
| Internet | 4% |
| Bookstores | 3% |
