What kids want

Wondering what’s going to be hot with kids next year? Need some insight into the next big thing? Funosophy’s 2006/2007 State of the Industry Report, conducted online with more than 2,000 kids ages 6-17 nationwide, sheds some light on the most-wanted toy categories according to kids themselves.

This article, exclusive to Playthings, covers the report’s highlights among boys and girls ages 6-11.

With no break-out product or brand-new category to shake things up this year, boys’ desire for and ranking of existing toy categories in 2006 is almost identical to last year’s survey.

For the second year in a row, games—including board games, trading card games and electronic games, but excluding video games—continue to be hot with boys, ranking first in terms of the kinds of toys boys ages 6-11 hope to get in the next several months. In all, 60 percent of boys said they looked forward to getting new games in the coming months.

Just one point behind games, sports equipment and other outdoor toys come in a close second on boys’ popularity list. Refuting the notion that kids don’t play outside anymore, nearly 60 percent of boys hope to get sports equipment or outdoor toys in the next few months, including bikes, scooters, play equipment, skateboards, winter sports gear and roller blades/skates, as well as traditional sporting equipment like baseball gloves, footballs and golf clubs. Compared to last year’s results, boys’ interest in these kinds of products have grown in 2006.

Toy vehicles, including radio-controlled vehicles, die-cast cars, track sets and train sets, is the third most popular category with this age group for the second year running, although the category as a whole is down a few points from 2005. More popular with younger boys, the category still managed to capture the desire of nearly half of all boys surveyed, perhaps due to new play patterns, such as multi-terrain capabilities, that are helping rev up interest in these types of toys.

Similarly, action figures are also particularly popular with boys ages 6-8; in fact, more than half of all boys surveyed in that age range hope to receive action figures in the next several months. It’s a limited sales window, though, for figure producers because the category’s appeal drops sharply among boys ages 9-11, with only a third of those surveyed still desirous of figure play during the tween years.

The role play category—new to this survey for 2006—should not be overlooked for boys; in fact, a full 20 percent of boys ages 6-11 said they were interested in “acting out.”

As with the boys, girls’ preferences have remained fairly consistent in comparison to last year’s survey, although there were a few shake ups when it came to the age appeal of certain traditional categories as well as surges for toy types typically not thought of as popular for girls.

Arts and crafts continues to rank highest with girls, chosen first by more than two thirds of respondents in terms of the kind of toys girls ages 6-11 hope to get in the next several months. Dolls and doll accessories rank second in popularity, edging out the games category by a scant 1 percent of those surveyed.

The doll category managed to move up to second place overall this year, with more than half of all girls ages 6-11 hoping to receive a new doll in the next several months. It’s clear that younger girls are driving the category: nearly twice as many girls ages 6-8 hope to receive a new doll than do their older counterparts, who are at an age (9-11) when less than four out of every 10 of them are still interested in nurturing baby dolls or dressing fashion divas.

The biggest gainer among girls was sports equipment, which rose nearly 10 points among girls 6-11 this year. In fact, more than a third of all girls surveyed hope to receive some type of sporting goods or outdoor play equipment in the short term.

Interestingly, stuffed animals seem to be making a comeback and, according to this report’s sub-category data, plush pets are particularly hot. The category gained six points with girls this year.

Traditional toy categories still appeal to kids, according to the survey, but children, especially tweens, are looking beyond the toys traditionally assigned to them by gender or age when looking for entertainment. Increasingly, that will mean offering products such as sporting goods and outdoor playthings that tap into the achievement-oriented lifestyles of today’s kids; for younger boys it could mean greater interest in the imaginative possibilities of role play products.

The message to toy makers and sellers is that surprising kids with innovative play patterns or finding a new twist on an old favorite may just be the way to a winning holiday season and beyond.

The 2006/2007 State of the Industry Report is based on the KidzEyes Holiday Wish List and Habits Survey, conducted annually by KidzEyes, a specialized youth market research division of C&R Research, in partnership with Funosophy Inc. This year’s Holiday Wish List Survey was compiled between August 10-17, 2006. The information is based on a national sampling of 2,023 boys and girls between the ages of 6-17 who are members of the KidzEyes online panel. The survey’s margin of error is +/- 2.2 percent.

For the complete report, including age and gender breakdowns of top toy categories, sub-categories, toy SKUs and licenses, as well as trend data, expert insight and opportunity assessments, visit www.funosophy.com or call 562.436.5251.