If there was a trend I picked up during my brief visit to Toy Fair New York 2013 on Sunday, I’d have to say it was snot. Snot, farts, and toilets. These motifs showed up in backpacks, in science kits, and in many other playthings.
I get that they’re boy toys (although one early press release suggested that gender-neutral toys might be among this year’s new directions). I’m just wondering how toymakers figure on getting moms to buy them that stuff.
That said, here’s a quick peek at three boy-friendly products I saw at Toy Fair that I thought were pretty cool — no bodily functions involved:
This rubber-tipped bow and arrow from Zing was easy to use (after a few false starts). Instead of a string, you hook the arrow into two bungee cord loops on the plastic bow. According to the company’s press release, this year the bestselling bow and arrow combo will also come in a sparkly pink-and-purple version for aspiring Katniss Everdeens. No answer from the rep on how much it hurts when one of your kids shoots it at another.
An inflatable remote-controlled R2D2 from Bladez Toyz (which GeekDad Nathan spotted at Toy Fair London last year) is one of those toys that serves no earthly purpose. And yet I desperately want one. The inflatable body is interchangeable with other designs, such as the minivan and the Android phone robot mascot.
Besides its nightmare-inducing size and walk, the Wow! Stuff Combat Creatures features interchangeable add-ons, including Bionicle-type heads, a dart shooter, and a disc thrower. Armor on the Combat Creatures‘ body and legs can be knocked off in bot-on-bot combat.
Stay tuned for more Toy Fair reports from the rest of the GeekDad/GeekMom team!
