The Top Fifteen
The toys kids say they want most this holiday season
By Nancy Zwiers -- Playthings, 12/1/2006
As we head into the peak holiday gift-buying season, we know kids are choosing which gifts they want most. But what everyone in the toy business wants to know specifically is which toys they want most! In order to give marketers a glimpse of what kids are looking for this year, we surveyed more than 2,000 kids, ages 6-17, nation-wide about their preference. This article specifically covers the preferences of kids ages 6-11. Funosophy's 2006/2007 State of the Industry Report includes a wider range of responses.
Toys top cashKids in this age group still want toys more than any other kind of present, our research found. When asked which kind of gift is the best to receive, 36 percent of kids said it was toys. Money was a close second, with 32 percent of kids calling it their preferred gift, although we would expect many if not most of these kids to then go out and buy toys with their moolah. Versus last year, money is more popular than ever, suggesting that toy seasonality has the potential to be extended well past December 24.
Determining desireIn order to find out which toys interested children most, both boys and girls were exposed to a list of gender-neutral toys, followed by lists of “girls' toys” and “boys' toys “ shown to either girls or boys, after which we asked about awareness and desire.
The Top 5 most-wanted gender-neutral toys included two electric scooters, a DVD game, a digital camera, and Fly Pentop Computer Flyware.
The top five boys toys represent a range of play patterns. Some of the types of toys seen last year appear on this year's list, suggesting these manufacturers have struck a nerve. Last year's list included Roboraptor, Bionicles and several plug-and-play TV games.
Hasbro, long known for its boys' toys, dominates the most-wanted girls list with three of the top five items, all line extensions of popular stable brands.
Best Gender-Neutral Toys- Razor E300 Electronic Scooter
- Pirates Of The Caribbean DVD Treasure Hunt Game
- Schwinn S-500 Electric Seated Scooter
- Disney Pix Click Digital Camera
- Fly Pentop Computer Flyware
- Razor Dirt Rocket MX 350 Electric Motocross Bike
- Bionicle Inika
- Robo-Reptile
- Star Wars Lightsaber Battle Plug-N-Play TV Game
- Hot Wheels Radar Gun
- Twister Dance DVD Game
- Biggest Littlest Pet Shop Playset
- Bratz Forever Diamondz Fashion Show-On-The Go Runway Playset
- Razor Pocket Mod Electric Scooter
- Littlest Pet Shop Virtual Digital Pet
The 2006/2007 State of the Industry Report, from which the data on this page originates, is based on the 2006 KidzEyes/Funosophy 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., Long Beach, Calif.
The survey was conducted in two waves: A first wave in August 2006 and a second wave fielded between October 10-16, 2006, that included the questions about specific toys. 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 margin of error is +/- 2.2 percent.
The complete 2006/2007 State of the Industry Report, including age and gender breakdowns of top toy categories, sub-categories, toy SKUs, and licenses, as well as trend data and age/gender skew information, is available for purchase from Funosophy Inc. For details or to place your order, call 562.436.5251 or visit www.funosophy.com.
Author Nancy Zwiers is CEO of Funosophy Inc.
