Just the other day, as I was cooking dinner, I happened to look out the window and I saw the neighbor’s four year old little girl toting a brightly colored doll of some sort. But after taking a double take, it wasn’t a doll; in fact, it was a cuddly toy that encased an iPad. Yup. A little girl was walking down the street toting an iPad.
This scenario reminded me of that baby from YouTube who went viral after she got upset that a magazine didn’t swipe like an iPad. As a former print journalist, it was unsettling seeing a young baby was already familiar with a touchscreen, yet didn’t know what a magazine was. It’s the sign of the times…or is it?
In some homes, electronic devices are replacing classic toys, so much so, the landscape of the toy aisle is changing to include new sections geared to these app-centric toys. Electronic toys, app-enabled products and interactive games/toys continue to be in demand as smart phones and tablets win over kids (and their parents.) Educational or purely pleasure, whatever the devices’ intention, toys are shifting paradigms and toy manufacturers are targeting even the littlest toy fans, babies.
As this generation of parents is decidedly a tech-happy set, it’s no wonder even babies are ihappy.
I wrote a little commentary about this very topic over on the Time to Play Parent Panel, but I thought I’d compile just a few notable toys for tech happy tots.
1. HappiTaps is a collaboration between Infantino and TipiTap, and is a plush hybrid appcessory that brings a hand held stuffed animal to life. Babies and kids, 18 months and up, can nurture, listen and sing along to HappiTaps, which comes in either a bear, puppy, kitty or lion character. HappiTaps combines a plush toy and free downloadable app to merge classic play with interactive screen time. In the 19.99 pricerange, HappiTaps is compatible with iPhone 4S, 4 and 3GS and iPod Touch.
2. Woogie 2 from Griffin is another plush toy that encloses an iphone or ipod touch. The original Woogie caught my eye awhile back, but this one features a new app that brings Woogie to life with 10 fun faces. It’s activated by a variety of actions, such as laughter when the Woogie is tickled, dizziness when the Woogie is shaken, the ability to repeat words and phrases spoken to it, and the tendency to fall asleep when left alone. I’m cracking up that there’s even a Quiet Game when the talk-back feature is disabled. This character, geared to tots 3 and up, retails for $19.99 and the app is free.
3. TeeGee landed on my radar as I was researching this roundup. These characters are interactive plush animals, but unlike the other toys, the iphone or ipod are hooked up and hidden in the back. Geared to toddlers and up, TeeGee can play games, tell stories, sing and teach developmentally appropriate educational concepts in conjunction with their age-graded apps. Dubbed the smartest stuffed animal in the Universe, TeeGee was unveiled earlier this year at Toy Fair, but isn’t on shelves yet. TeeGee LLC creates the next generation of toys and was started with a grant from the Darden Business Incubator by a team of UVA engineers and business school students. From what I’m reading, TeeGee just might have the grounds to be the next big thing if everything aligns just right. Color me curious on this one. There’s no concrete information on price and release, but will dig more to find out about TeeGee.
4. Fisher Price’s Laugh and Learn Apptivity Monkey is another plush toy that interacts with baby via a corresponding free app. The case on the monkey’s belly encloses an iPhone or iTouch, as opposed to its face/head. This toy, which is geared to babies as young as 6 months old, is prompted by squeezing the hands and feet. I briefly saw this fun guy at the Time to Play Holiday Showcase. Though I’m apprehensive about too much screen time for babies, the Apptivity Monkey certainly sounds like an innovative toy for the apphappy tots. The Apptivity Monkey is in the $25-30 price range
