Word: toying
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...toy companies may be playing a losing game, and for high stakes. In the past year, many have watched their business stagnate, as past hit toys lost their novelty but few new ones seemed to capture shoppers' imaginations. Sales this year are expected to grow a meager 3.4%, compared with an average of nearly 6% over the past three years. The price of some toy stocks tumbled more than 40% in October, further than the shares of any other industry. Such leading firms as Mattel, Coleco and Worlds of Wonder all posted larger losses than usual in the normally slow...
...Worlds of Wonder, in particular, the next four weeks may determine whether the company survives. The fledgling firm, founded in 1985 in Fremont, Calif., became an industry legend on the strength of two blockbuster toys: Teddy Ruxpin, the personable talking bear that debuted in 1985, and last year's Lazer Tag ray-gun game. The company, soon known aptly enough as WOW, chalked up earnings of $18.6 million on sales of $327 million during its past fiscal year, making it one of the fastest-growing new manufacturing concerns in history. But in the view of industry analysts, the company expanded...
...company's hopes for a turnaround rest on its latest round of talking toys, including the Mickey Mouse doll and Mother Goose (each $60), as well as dancing Disney figures called Little Boppers ($20). WOW is especially proud of Julie (up to $125), which it claims is the "most sophisticated toy ever to be introduced in America . . . and still a little girl's best friend." A voice- recognition system allows Julie to "understand" questions. If a child asks, "Are you hungry?" the doll is programmed to respond with a bright "I'm hungry. Let's eat!" The doll can also...
...remember to brush your teeth?" and "Is the light turned out?" As it asks about the child's day, the questions are punctuated with suggestive yawns. To spare the batteries, a microprocessor tells the doll to turn itself off once the child falls asleep and stops squeezing the toy. The bedtime companion comes in two forms -- a baby bear or a baby human -- each with bright eyes that double as a night- light and little electric lips that flicker as it speaks...
...electronic advances and marketing hype, industry watchers still wonder whether the pricey toys will sell. Even as their numbers multiply, the novelty wanes. When Teddy Ruxpin first appeared, it captured the fancy of parents and children alike. But its phenomenal success ensured relentless imitation, so that this Christmas the talking-toy market is saturated. Of all the new dolls, only the Cabbage Patch Kids have made it, so far, onto Toy & Hobby World's latest list of the Top 20 toys. The Kids -- both talking and nontalking together -- rank sixth...