perspectives
Toy Industry Association
Trend-Spotting:
Customization Trend Sweeps the Toy Industry by Kristin Morency Goldman, communications specialist, Toy Industry Association
T
he “Custom Built” trend—which includes toys that encourage kids to personalize and create new ways to play—was identified as one of the hottest trends of the year at American International Toy Fair this year. Over the past few months, the Toy Industry Association (TIA) has tracked a number of new technologies and manufacturing methods that have a tremendous impact on this fast-evolving trend. The following is a glimpse of what TIA observed while following both consumer and business developments related to customization:
3-D Printing 3-D printing, an additive process in which a specialized printer lays down thin layers of material to create a 3-D object, is beginning to impact both toy manufacturers and consumers. Companies that are already using the technology say 3-D printing is a quick and inexpensive way to create prototypes of a consumer product before producing large batches via traditional manufacturing methods. “Instead of sending your models off to another company and waiting for [them] to come back, or going four months with a mold to China and coming back … You can iterate on your desk,” says Todd Blatt, vice president of Tinkerine, a company that makes 3-D printers in the $999 to $1,249 price range. 3-D printing also lowers the barrier to entry for startups by allowing inventors and entrepreneurs to design something today and start manufacturing it tomorrow, rather than waiting weeks or months to get to that point. From a consumer standpoint, 3-D printing has the potential to take the customization trend to a whole new level. Sev-
24 • THE TOY BOOK
eral toy companies are already embracing 3-D printing to allow kids to custom-design and order unique playthings, from dolls to action figures and beyond. Hasbro recently launched a new website—superfanart.com—that Makerbot Replicator Z18 3-D printer showcases unique My Little Pony models designed by independent artists, which fans can pay to have 3-D printed via Shapeways. Over time, additional Hasbro brands, such as Transformers, will be added to the site. “We are seeing a growing trend of kids personalizing their playthings to reflect their tastes and imaginations, and 3-D printing offers the potential to amplify those creative possibilities,” says Adrienne Appell, TIA trend specialist. “As 3-D printing continues to become more affordable and user-friendly, we anticipate that toymakers—and kids—will widely embrace it.”
User-Generated Content Recognizing that empowering kids to build worlds and create characters and storylines engages them more in play, some toy companies encourage consumers to submit their own ideas and designs for toys—be it virtual game worlds or phys-
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014