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TODAY'S FEATURES

Nascar Wins Over Kids and Retailers

Streamlined licensing, blockbuster films and Danica Patrick lead to big toy sales for Nascar. » Taking the Prize
Designing and Submitting Toy Inventions

A toy inventor explains selling the right invention at the right time. » Three steps
Good Customer Service is Like Billiards

TD�s guest expert shares retailing tips analogous to a game of Billiards. » Build and retain customers
Get Rapid Turnover for Quick Profits

Toy retailers and experts tell how inventory control and speedy turnover make for faster rewards. » Find out more

TWEEN MARKET

The Boys´ Share of the Tween Market

In the toy and hobby world, the tween market has become a hot commodity for retailers. Reyne Rice, toy trend specialist for the Toy Industry Association, explains that the industry focus for the last few years has been to retain that particular age group in toy products...READ MORE

Keen on Tweens: Boys’ Purchasing Power“Age compression” or KGOY (kids getting older younger): In response to this shift in interest, marketers are increasingly targeting boy tweens in response to their love of the video and gaming industry. Tween boys want products that have an electronic, Internet, video or sports component; and there’s a premium for portable toys and electronics because most tweens spend time traveling to after-school activities....

All that Glitters: Tween Fashion AccessoriesWhen it comes to Tween fashion, all that glitters is gold. Girls in this age group are starting to love shoes more than toys, while retailers and manufacturers have devised some sparkling solutions for this increasingly influential market segment....

The Tween Spending Scene: What do they Buy?It�s official: Tweens are keen on technology, especially products like Nintendo�s Gameboy SP Advance, which retails for $99.00. Once a Tween owns the SP, games, accessories (such as lights, magnifiers, vibrating buttons, speakers, headphones and carrying cases) and software-related licensed merchandise are ongoing purchase options at a variety of price points. Sometimes, it only take one key product to break open a broad segment of the elusive Tween market....

Tween Market 101The “tween” market, popularly identified as kids 8-12, began to emerge in the late 1980s. By 1998, Bruce Friend, vice president of worldwide research and planning for Nickelodeon, could say, “The 12- to 14-year-olds of yesterday are the ten to 12´s of today.”...

CHILDRENS MEDIA

Children´s Video Games Win Fans, Spur Spin-offs

12-and-under gamers continue to split their video time between sports games and educational / adventure games. For the most successful companies and developers, understanding this bifurcation is the key to the crowded, but lucrative, children´s gaming market....READ MORE

Children´s Media: Taking the Movies HomeToday’s movies remain in audiences´ minds long after the final credits roll, thanks to hundreds of film-related licensed products available. According to Michael Redman, who tracks toy and video game trends for NPD Funworld, 25-30% of total toy sales are licensed product sales. The Licensing Letter puts the profit that film studios realize from licensing at $7.6 billion per year. Of course, this revenue is realized across hundreds of different products and categories. How do children choose which licensed products they want?...

Anime: Another World on EarthThe 2003 Academy Award for Best Animated Film went to “Spirited Away,” the Hayao Miyazaki feature about a young girl’s adventures in a fantasy world. The win bolstered the popularity of a phenomenon already embraced in the United States. Enthusiasm for anime and all things related isn´t going to subside anytime soon....

MUSICAL TOYS

Bells and Whistles: Musical Toys for Infants and Toddlers

Music comes in many shapes and forms, and thank goodness it does! From plush toys that play traditional music to interactive DVDs, the musical toys on the market with have infants and toddlers singing and dancing with delight!...READ MORE

Making Mozarts: Musical Learning DevicesInteractive playthings that teach sounds and composition skills bring the classics into the 21st century and old favorites are made even better with kid-friendly features and engaging designs...

Music is Still Important in HouseholdsExperts also point to the additional benefits of music referred to as the "Mozart Effect." Findings from a study at UC Irvine in 1993 found that music improved spatial and sequential memory and communication skills, and since then, parents have been rushing to the toy shelves to provide the boost to their child´s development through all types of musical toys and musical instruments...

Music and a Child´s Intellectual DevelopmentWhile funding for school music programs have been slashed from many public school budgets nationwide during the past decade, organizations such as The National Association for Music Education (MENC), VH1 Save the Music, Music Friends.org, and many others are working to promote the study of music by children....

New Musical Toys for BabiesClick on the link to read the full article...

TDMONTHLY TOY BUZZ

Poker Has Breakout Year in 2004

Without a doubt, Poker has emerged as the hottest game of the year and the trend is directly reflected in this season´s new products. For the 50 million-plus poker players in the US and another 100 million around the world (according to About.com), No Limit Texas Hold ´Em appears to be the most popular version of the game; meanwhile, many manufacturers are drawing their licenses from popular cable shows and even the actual games deployed on the casino floor...READ MORE

Jax Ltd. Inc: Bringing Home Fun Games for All Ages

From the new How Tall Am I? game for young kids to the latest poker deck Dealing Shoe for all you Texas Hold Em sharks, JAX, Ltd. Inc has hot- wired the non-electronic games world with original fun for everyone from pre-schoolers through adults....

b. dazzle inc. Introduces a New Exciting PuzzleClick on the link to read the full article...

EDUCATIONAL

Musical Training Can Start with Toys

Toy Symphony products, were developed by Tod Machover, a composer and professor of music and media, and his research team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The project is co-sponsored by MIT Media Consortia Fund, Yamaha, Sega, Fisher-Price, and Mattel...READ MORE

RETAILING TIPS

Safe Budgeting: The Dangers of High Overhead

Tamara Carlisle, president of Big Kids Productions in Austin, defines "overhead" as their staff and their inventory...READ MORE

TDMONTHLY COOL COMPANY

Schoenhut Toy Pianos: History in Music

Founded in 1872 by Albert Schoenhut, the award-winning Schoenhut Toy Piano Company has moved into the twenty-first century with finesse. Emphasizing an individualized rather than an assembly line approach to manufacturing, this historic toy company is a timeless contributor to early childhood music education...READ MORE

RETAILER SPOTLIGHT

Groth Music Company: Selling Children´s Instruments

"The biggest factor in our success has been the wonderful talented employees that I have surrounded myself with. In the past five to ten years we have relocated to a much larger building, upgraded our use of technology, and have increased our market area to include the entire United States through advertising on the Internet"...READ MORE

TDMONTHLY MOM�S PERSPECTIVE

Wooing the Parents of Tweens

My son now falls into that demographic Limbo known as "tween"--a new market segment crammed into the space between "kid" and "teen."...READ MORE

TDMONTHLY TOP-10 MOST-WANTED LISTS

TDmonthly Top 10 Most Wanted Lists

The TDmonthly Top 10 lists are mostly used by specialty retailers to better anticipate market demands and trends. These lists are based on thorough research and interviews....READ MORE

TDmonthly's Top 10 Most Wanted Casino Games

For the home player and casino game enthusiast, one of the most desirable formats is the portable, stand-alone hand-held game, which combines the thrill of the tables with faster-than-life action....