Basic toys, war themes battle for attention - International Toy Fair - Hard Lines

Discount Store News, March 18, 1991

Basic Toys, War Themes Battle for Attention

NEW YORK -- 1991 may well be the year of the basic toy, toys children really play with: dolls, plush, board games, play sets, action figures and race cars.

Many manufacturers are forecasting a big comeback in basic toys as sales of video games fall off the brisk sales pace of the past few years.

George Ditomassi, chairman of the Toy Manufacturers Association, estimated at last month's International Toy Fair that video game sales could drop as much as 30% this year. As a result, toy sales could rise as much as 5% in 1991.

Clearly, 1990 was a disappointing year for toy sales, and especially so for a number of toy manufacturers and retailers, Ditomassi noted, citing Child World, Hills and Best Products as examples.

The TMA reported that 1990 toy sales rose just three-tenths of 1%, excluding video, to $13.4 billion.

Toy leaders, based on 1990 unit sales, included Barbie and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, plus Go Go Pups, Monopoly Jr., Quints, World Wrestling figures, Magic Nursery dolls, Koosh Balls, New Kids on the Block dolls, and Scattergories, Ditomassi said.

Identifying this year's winners is nearly impossible until retail orders are evaluated, several TMA board members noted. They declined to name any hot prospects.

This year, approximately 6,000 new toys were on display by 1,360 exhibitors offering a total of 156,000 toys.

Popular themes this year in toys included radio-ontrolled cars and trucks, World Wrestling, travel-sized games and playsets, action figures and toys based on movies such as "Robin Hood", "My Little Mermaid" and "Batman".

In addition, a number of manufacturers offered toys, games, puzzles and accessories relating to the Persian Gulf War and popular environmental themes.

For example, TSR Inc. created a board game called A Line In The Sand; Nasta International offered Desert Brigade communications surveillance equipment; and recently, TOPS and Pro Set introduced Desert Storm trading cards.

Hasbro, with its perennial children's favorite, GI Joe, did not introduce any Desert Storm products. However, GI Joe has been updated and given many new modern weapons.

Other new war-type toys included Electronic Survivor Shot by Hasbro, with a head set and gun that make players "feel" as if they are "shot" and Galoob's Lazer Pro 9000.

The environment was an important issue for many manufacturers this year. Some new products included:

* Ecology Science Lab by Tyco, under its Chemcraft label. This set permits children to test for radon, pollen count and air quality. * Zwibble Dibbles by Gund, a plush dinosaur and a story about the dead planet of their birth. The story instructs children they can make a difference with earth's environment; * Toxic Crusaders by Playmates, hideously deformed figures in the spirit of the Turtles, featuring leader Toxi; * General message plush toys by Dakin featuring such items as a bear with a Save the Forests button; * Swamp Thing by Kenner, a mutilated scientist who proclaims himself "Guardian of the Earth;" * Care Bears by Kenner, a reintroduction of the popular plush toy of the 1980s but this time with a social conscience. Each doll is in a different color and communicates a specific message, such as Cheer Bear, in peach/pink with a message about water, and Friend Bear, in raspberry, with a message on trees and flowers.

For the second straight year, dolls appear to be a winning category. While the number of introductions paled in comparison to 1990, makers showed many new dolls, including scaled-down versions and miniatures, capitalizing on the popularity of Tyco's Quints. Two such introductions were Hasbro's Bubbins, which blow bubbles, and Tonka's Cupcake, a transformer-type doll with party themes.

Unlike last year when dolls that messed their diapers dominated the new introductions, 1991 models focus more on dolls that talk, cry and crawl. Some dolls even emphasize a romantic theme of castles and princes. There is even a Miss America doll by Kenner.

Among the new doll introductions this year were:

* Baby Wanna Walk, with legs that bend and crawl; Yo Yo, My Walking Kitty, the next generation of Go Go My Walking Pup; My Own Baby, a Cabbage Patch doll that "knows" its mother thanks to a charm necklace, all by Hasbro; * Tyco's The Little Mermaid doll featuring a talking Ariel, and Big Bird Story Magic, a huggable Big Bird that plays story cassettes. * Various new Barbie dolls including one featuring clothing from Italian designer Benetton; an M.C. Hammer doll modeled after the rap artist; First Surprise Babies, in the spirit of Magic Nursery, dolls that later reveal gender as well as baby firsts such as first tooth, hair-cut or treat, by Mattel; * Baby Face by Galoob, dolls with 10 different expressions and hair and eye color to match those of a little girl; * Michelle, a talking doll by Meritus, modeled after the popular TV character from "Full House". The doll makes six statements, including her popular, "You Got It Dude"; * Water Babies by Playmates, water-filled soft dolls;