Can toys and apps play nicely together?
September 4, 2014
...It's a question toymakers have been trying to answer for years and the question of this week's Wall Street Journal article, Traditional Toys Add Digital Apps for Children Who Learned to Play on Tablets. In case you didn't get to read the full article, we pulled together the main points for you here:
Examples of toys that successfully mix digital and tangible play
"Toy industry analysts say the best combinations focus on what companies call "play pattern," whether it's creative design or imaginary combat. Both toy and app have equal importance."
Mattel's Barbie Fashion Design Maker
Ages 6+
Retails $50
Girls use a computer or tablet to design fashions and print them out on sticker-backed fabric
Girls then mold the fabric to Barbie
Nerf's N-Strike Elite Nerf Cam ECS-12 Blaster
Ages 8+
Retails $80
Kids can record their best shot and then upload the videos to Youtube or send to each other's phones
Lego's Fusion
Ages 7+
Retail $35
Kids build on the "capture plate" and a corresponding app imports an image of the physical creation into the digital game
An early lesson from a failed attempt
"It is hard to get the toy-tech formula right. Focus too much on the digital, and the toy feels like an afterthought. Focus too much on the toy, and the app feels like a distraction."
Barbie's Digital Makeover Mirror
Girls slip their iPad into a vanity frame and look into the 'mirror' to apply makeup to their own reflections
Retailed $70
Only lasted one Holiday season
"What we learned was, it was just a really good app," says Mattel's Dr. Shore. "Did it really need to be married to a physical object? Probably not."
The pros and cons of adding digital elements to tangible play
Pros
New levels of customized play for kids
Less 'zombie gaze' screen time for kids
Informative analytics on play behavior
Additional/diversified revenue sources
Cons
Expensive devices/products
Increasing age compression
So, what do you think?
Do you know of any other toys that combine digital play and a tangible toy in an awesome way? Do you remember any toys that totally failed at it? Where are toys headed next?
Talk to us @crazyinventors.