e your furniture to decorate Marvel characters help you mov ’d like in the new Disney Inyou your Avengers tower the way finity 2.0 Toy Boxes.
ical products—that can be downloaded or purchased by others worldwide. For example, kids who visit mymakie.com can design their very own, one-of-a-kind doll. Manufactured in London, these creations are then shipped worldwide to the young designers. Similarly, the Make My Own Monster Design Kit from North American Bear Co. lets kids sketch their own custom plush creature, which is then handmade in the company’s New York design studio. Another opportunity for creation comes from University Games, which is currently holding a National Young Game Inventors Contest (through October 15). The company seeks submissions of original board game ideas, and the winner gets the opportunity to have his or her game manufactured and included in the company’s product line next year. In the digital arena, Disney Infinity 2.0 (set for launch this fall) will include enhancements to its user-generated Toy Box mode, which allow players to search for worlds specifically designed for certain characters and vote on their favorite Boxes. Lego also entered into the digital game space, thanks to the recent launch of Lego Fusion, a game app that prompts kids to build structures out of physical bricks, which they then scan and import into their virtual towns. Kids can then share their customized worlds and interact with others’ via the Lego MyFriend system. “By empowering kids to come up with their own creations, and to have those creations brought to life or shared with others, toymakers are giving kids a tremendous amount of confidence in their ideas and abilities,” says Appell.
Behind the Scenes: Smart Tech for Toy Companies Toy manufacturers and retailers can get in on the “cus-
SEPTEMEBR/OCTOBER 2014
tomization fun” and streamline their business operations using shoptoyfair365.com (STF365), TIA’s free and innovative e-commerce tool that allows toymakers to easily custom-build virtual showrooms for retail buyers to peruse at any time of day or night, every day of the year. The platform also enables buyers to personalize their own digital “playbooks” of products they are interested in sourcing and place purchase orders online. Buying and selling using STF365 is completely free; however, in order to access the site a company must be registered as an exhibitor or qualified buyer to attend one of TIA’s marketplace events (Toy Fair or Fall Toy Preview). “STF365 reflects contemporary commerce behavior by supporting the needs of play trade professionals—not just leading up to and during Toy Fair, but all day, every day,” says Marian Bossard, TIA vice president of meetings and events. “Buyers who use the tool are never without access to new product options for their shelves, so their inventory is always fresh. The technology also enhances the management of existing relationships and provides easy opportunities to develop new ones. This e-commerce tool is a definite game-changer for our industry.” ■ For more overall industry trends, visit www.toyassociation.org/trends. To learn about STF365, visit www.shoptoyfair365.com.
**Turn to page 124 for a fall 2014 update on TIA’s Toy Industry Foundation.
THE TOY BOOK •
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