Mind games? If there's one game toy makers probably won't be playing this Christmas it's scruples. As every parent knows they go to extreme and sometimes dubious lengths to win the hearts and minds of children. (Sector Analysis: Toys and Gaming)

Precision Marketing, December, 2002 by Charlie McKelvey

MOST PARENTS OF 12-YEAR-OLDS still carry the scars of Christmas 1996; the year when the UK went Buzz Lightyear crazy. The festive rush took on a decidedly unseasonal look as fights broke out among shoppers desperate to get hold of the 12-inch chunks of plastic. One of the most sought after toys in history was fetching more than [pounds sterling]100 on the black market - not bad for a product which cost [pounds sterling]25.

For the company behind the Toy Story character, Walt Disney, the shortage was even more painful, costing it an estimated [pounds sterling]300m in lost sales. But despite the fact that this year's must-haves' - Barbie Rapunzel and Beyblades - are again in short supply, the marketing of toys and games has become far more sophisticated.

This...