Taking Steps to I NNOVATE and Integrate NEW TECHNOLOGY
viewpoint
Editor’s
I
f you glanced at the cover of this issue you may have noticed that we are taking 3-D printing seriously. We are always talking about how the toy industry is a fashion industry. The trends change from year to year, or sometimes even season to season, but this is different. As you’ll read in Associate Editor Ali Mierzejewski’s indepth feature (beginning on page 13), 3-D printing isn’t new. However, with prices falling into the affordable range, the technology is much more easily accessible to the average manufacturer, and even to the average consumer. For manufacturers, it’s a great solution to the need for more rapid turnaround in creating prototype samples. For consumers, the applications will be endless. We are not (even remotely) suggesting that consumers will stop visiting toy stores and start printing all their own toys. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. What we are suggesting is that this technology is something to pay attention to, and possibly even invest in. For retailers, having a 3-D printer in store would drive traffic and excitement, as consumers would be able to design a small toy, or perhaps a customized part for a toy they’ve already purchased, and print it at the store. This technology also allows inventors and entrepreneurs to take their pie-in-the-sky ideas and make them a reality. Accordingly, we expect to see innovation and customization leap ahead at a faster rate in the near future. This is not a threat to the industry, but rather a boon that has the power to reignite excitement in ways we haven’t even considered. Also in this issue, we take a look at the R/C and plush categories. R/C is taking a turn in a different direction this year, after receiving a lackluster consumer response to the app-controller trend. This trend petered out and manufacturers are finding new ways to innovate that will excite both retailers and consumers. Technology and innovation are
6 • THE TOY BOOK
Jackie Breyer editor in chief
being expressed in new ways, with some companies already out of the gate with R/Cs that are sure to garner attention this holiday season. Our coverage begins on page 18. In the plush category, which was up 10 percent last year according to The NPD Group, the classics are always well-received, but innovation and technology can be found there as well. Check out our plush coverage, beginning on page 28, and don’t miss our specialty plush section, which starts on page S4 in the Specialty Toys & Gifts section. ■
MARCH/APRIL 2014