Male Monkeys prefer boy toys!

I know what you're thinking, this is just another Boy George post, but no! It's actual monkeys and toys for boys.

According to a new study by New Scientist Magazine. According to their article on their web page, Kim Wallen, a psychologist at Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta, Georgia "looked at 11 male and 23 female rhesus monkeys. In general the males preferred to play with wheeled toys, such as dumper trucks, over plush dolls, while female monkeys played with both kinds of toys."

It's interesting, because the general thought is that boys preferences for trucks, toy soldiers and toys like that is learned, not innate. It's also interesting that while male monkeys preferred boy toys, the female monkeys did not show any preference. So, it proves that males are wired differently, or maybe it doesn't. It's just a bunch of monkeys.

Check out the video here

Wham-O turns sixty

Wham-O, the company that brought you mega fads like the slingshot, the Hula-Hoop and the Frisbee, turns
sixty this year. According to the Wham-O Wikipedia page, the WAMO slingshot was invented to hurl meat in the air for the training of pet falcons and hawks. (WAMO supposedly being the sound of the target being hit).
The company was founded in 1948 by Arthur "Spud" Melin and Richard Knerr (who just died this past January and was the subject of this blog entry). Read more about this history of Wham-O on the history page of the Wham-O website.

It's a what?

One of the joys of YouTube is the vast plethora of videos posted there. Search for anything, chances are there's a video of it. Including old toy commercials.

Check the video below for a commercial for the "Swing Wing," by Transagram (where the fun comes from). The commercial is hippie-tastic!

Seriously:

A - With toy safety in the headlines, would a lightning rod worn on the head really be a good idea?

B - People who make commercials have come a long way.

Webkinz - Yea or Nay?

For years, people have argued whether Webkinz are a good thing for kids or not. For a while last year, no one could get any and we fielded 30-50 calls a day from people looking for the little plush toys with an online code on them. All of the sudden, we got a ton of them in - just like everyone else and they sat on the shelves. They certainly sold OK, but not at the rate they did when they were scarce.

Anyhoo, the argument basically runs from the pro-Webkinz (they offer educational games online, computer skills, time away from the TV) to the anti-Webkinz (you call those educational games?, I don't want my kid online, how hard can it be for a kid to learn to mouse?). I've been in the middle. Many of them are cute enough, and they're not ludicrously expensive and while the online don't seem too educational to me, they're innocent and fun enough.

Check out this article in Slate (perhaps the best website in history) about Webkinz.

Washington state lowers the boom

Washington state Governor Chris Gregoire signed into law a measure that requires that toys sold in Washington state be free of toxins like lead. While doing so, she also opened the door to significant changes to the law before it's implemented in July of 2009.

The measure states that any product made for children that contains more than .009 percent of lead, .004 percent of cadmium and .10 percent of phthalates cannot be made, sold or distributed in Washington state beginning in July 2009.

Ouch.

I've been all for laws the set the current federal standards much lower all along. What I've been afraid of is individual laws for each state that would make it nearly impossible for toy manufacturers to hit a moving target. Washington clearly wasn't going to wait for a new Federal law to stop them from taking matters into their own hands.

I think this could be a crushing blow to little independent toy stores in Washington state, as if independently owned stores weren't already at a severe disadvantage against big box retailers like Walmart and Toys R Us.

Read the story from the Seattle Times here.

Let's go surfing now, everybody's learning how...

...come on and safari with me

With apologies to the Beach Boys, the surfing I mean is web surfing. The Toy Industry of American announced the results of a survey of online activity amongst kids. According to their press release, "gaming is the primary activity driving the online experiences of all kids ages 2 to 14, with 76 percent of all kids on the Internet drawn to social and gaming sites, and education sites rivaling the attention of Tweens (9-12) and Young Teens (13-14)."

"More than one-quarter (28%) of kids who use social gaming/entertainment (SGE) sites have purchased either a physical item or digital content from these sites."

According to the release, "Moms are clearly instrumental in guiding their child’s online experience, and moms are the gatekeeper even for older kids, illustrating the importance of earning mom’s trust. The report cites examples of the site attributes that are trusted by moms and well as key values, with educational topping the list. "

What does this have to do with stores like ours that sell physical toys? Well, the success of toys like Webkinz that offer a physical toy along with online content - and the plethora of knock-offs aimed at that same market suggest that toys with some kind of access to web content could become more popular.

I dunno, I can't imagine kids getting all excited during Holiday gift-giving unwrapping an exclusive web code that allows a virtual toy ability to get some kind of virtual gift. Plus, IMHO, things like Webkinz limit the ability of a child to play creatively - they are somewhat forced into playing how the online game says they can play. Toys like Lego's are wonderful because they allow the child to build exactly according to the instructions or totally ignore the instructions and build whatever they want. Is this the future of the toy industry? I hope not.

You can check out the press release here. The entire report is available to purchase from the TIA people.

Hilarious piece on FAO Schwartz in 'This American Life'

I'm a big fan of 'This American Life,' a NPR show that airs each week. It's a show (now spunoff into a TV Series on Showtime) that focus' on one theme each week and presents 3-5 'acts' (stories) that are variations of the themes.

On the way down to Disney World, my wife and I listened to some of the podcasts of past shows that had backed up on my Ipod. Show number 347, 'Matchmakers' featured a often hilarious retelling of the experiences of selling ultra high-end Middleton Dolls at FAO Schwartz, in New York City. The storyteller is Elna Baker, an actress in NYC who took a job in the FAO 'Nursery' selling....er....adopting these babies to rich New York kids. When the dolls are portrayed on a TV show, the demand for the babies skyrocket. Listen to the podcast as the Ms. Baker relates what happens when rich white mommies are faced with a racial dilemma. You can listen to the show by clicking the link above and streaming it, or buy it for 95 cents. Fast forward the show to about 41 minutes - Act three.