Highlights From the Toy Fair

Photo by Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com “Play Happens” is the motto you see splattered on signs as you walk around the American International Toy Fair at the Jacob K. Javitz Center in New York, and indeed it does. That might be why the mood remained upbeat at the 2012 Toy Fair, despite coming off another year of weak sales. U.S. retail sales of toys generated $21.18 billion in 2011, a 2 percent decline from the $21.68 billion in toy sales rung up in 2010, according to market researcher NPD Group. Of course the decline was not even; sales of licensed toys bucked the trend, rising 2 percent in dollar sales; and there were some brands such as Mattel’s Barbie and Crayola that continued to turn in a strong performance. Classic toys such as building sets and dolls saw the most significant sales gains, 23 percent and 7 percent, respectively. But to stay relevant, toymakers are looking to new products to excite shoppers and get them to buy, and that’s what Toy Fair is all about. Click ahead to see some of the coolest toys from Toy Fair 2012. By Christina Cheddar-Berk, Posted 15 February 2012

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Manufacturer: Hasbro (HAS)Ages: 6 years and up Suggested Price: $19.99 Available: August 2012 At Toy Fair, there was a big trend toward glow-in-the-dark and light-up toys for outdoor play at night. One example is the Nerf Firevision Sports Football. When players wear Nerf’s Firevision Sports Frames, the ball will glow so you can see it at night. Another fun element is players can see the ball glow red or green to correspond to their team’s colors. The football comes with two pairs of frames, but players can buy additional pairs separately so that no one has to be left out of the action. Don’t like football? Not to worry. There also will be other sports, including basketball and the Hyper Bounce Ball, coming to market this year.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Manufacturer: Mattel (MAT)Ages: 6 years and up Suggested Price: $39.99 Available: June 2012 In the wake of the popularity of shows such as “Project Runway,” toymakers have been churning out lots of toys that allow children to play the role of the fashion designer, but none of them has been quite like this. Mattel is applying the designer concept to its Monster High brand, which was the No. 2 fashion-doll brand last year in terms of dollars sold, based on NPD data. In the lab, kids can build their own unique monster creations, picking the torso, limbs and head they want and customizing the doll’s “skin” with various tattoos to get the right effect. Throughout the year, Mattel will be supporting the brand with special content such as animated “webisodes” that will be released on the 13th of each month on its website www.freakyfab13.com. Once there, fans will learn about new products and activities tied to the Monster High brand.

Source: Rockboard | Insert: Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Manufacturer: Rockboard Ages: 8 years and up Suggested Price: $120.00 Available: Spring 2012 Fresh off of winning the Toy Industry Association’s Toy of the Year award for best outdoor for its Mini Scooter, Rockboard is out with another innovative entry into the category — the Descender. Ever imagine what you’d get if you combined a tank with a skateboard? The answer is the Descender. This product isn’t for skaters who need speed, but it’s great for fans of winter sports who long to go snowboarding when the slopes are covered in grass. The Descender, which can hold riders that weigh as much as 200 pounds, has four treads positioned around triple sets of wheels, which help turn mountains into halfpipes, and tackle a wide range of surfaces from grass to snow or even rocks and mud.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Suggested Price: $14.95Sometimes it’s the simplest ideas that resonate with people the most. MyOwnPet Balloons certainly fits that bill. The concept is very basic on its surface: a helium balloon shaped like an animal, with little feet and a leash string attached. Everywhere you looked at Toy Fair, people were walking with dogs, elephants, giraffes and other critters trailing behind them. Their creator, Treb Heining, has long been a pioneer in balloon displays. He got his start at 15 years old when he took a job as a balloon-seller at Disneyland. That part-time job turned into a career that has put Heining in charge of balloon drops and displays at high-profile events such as the Olympics and the Super Bowl.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Get ready to feel old. The 1980s pop culture icons, the Care Bears, are getting ready to celebrate their 30th anniversary this year. To do it up in style, there will be a new TV series and a new line of toys on the way.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Manufacturer: Spin Master Ages: 8 years and up Suggested Price: $99.99 Available: Fall 2012 Last holiday season, toymakers realized parents were willing to start splurging on toys that offered a good value for the money. So at Toy Fair this year there were more toys priced at $100 and up. Among them was Air Hogs Battle Tracker, which offers three different modes of play. Players can stage a ground-to-air battle with a disk-firing helicopter and a missile-firing automated robot turret, choose to have the robot turret track and attack the helicopter automatically or take manual control of the turret and launch missiles via remote control.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Manufacturer: Crayola Ages: 6 years and older Suggested Price: $49.99 Available: September 2012 In a crowded pack of light-based products, Crayola’s Electro-Draw stands out because there are several ways to play with it. Kids can use a digital light stylus to create images and animate them or apply other special effects such as spinning, melting or mixing up the picture. The best part: Kids can save their favorite creations to replay whenever they want. There also are several preloaded games such as mazes, car racing and a puppet mode.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Manufacturer: Playmate Toys Ages: 4 years old and up Suggested Price: $99.99 Available: August 2012 Neon clothes are on the racks, Madonna performed at the Super Bowl, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back! Clearly, the 1980s are gone but not forgotten. Considered to be one of the most popular kids’ entertainment brands in 1980s, the Turtles will be returning to TV in the fall in a CG-animated series being produced by Viacom’s Nickelodeon Animation Studio. With the new series comes a new line of action figures, playsets, vehicles and role-play toys from Playmate Toys, which has worked on Turtles toys since the brand’s launch in the 1980s. There will be several lines of action figures, ranging from a basic line that will be priced at about $7.99 to a deluxe line of action figures that shout phrases and make other sound effects for about $12.99 each. A slightly pricier version reflects the original design and is aimed more at Turtles collectors. One of the more impressive pieces in the line is the Secret Sewer Lair playset. It's 42-inches tall and has a number of features, including a rope swing and swing-down ladders. There also are lines that can be connected to objects that will allow the Turtles to rappel into battle.

Source: Jakks Pacific Manufacturer: Jakks Pacific Ages: 6 years to 11 years Suggested Price: Varies, $2.99 to $24.99 Available: March 2012 Toy Fair was teeming with collectible toys, many targeted to the boys market. However, one of the more comprehensive offerings was Monsuno from Jakks Pacific. Kids will get their first taste of the Monsuno brand in late February when Nicktoons begins airing the animated series. The toy line, which includes accessories, combat sets, collectibles and electronics, will hit stores in March. At the heart of the brand are metal die-cast “cores,” which are based on the battling monster creatures from the Monsuno series. These cores can spin into action and then pop open to transform into characters that are hidden inside when they hit their opponent in battle. There are several different ways to play with the game, including a version that incorporates trading cards. Although collectibles are really popular right now because they are affordable for families with tight budgets and appeal to kids who like to collect, it’s a competitive segment. Monsuno will be going head to head with established battle-and-collect toys such as Pokemon, Bakegun and Beyblades.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Licensed toys tend to cost 57 percent more than nonlicensed toys, but parents are willing to pay a little bit more to give their children the characters they love, according to NPD Group. Licensed products were a bright spot for the industry, growing 2 percent in dollar sales and gaining 1.2 dollar share points. Licensed toys represented 26 percent of total industry sales in 2011. While several manufacturers make products under the Power Rangers brand, Bandai is the company that makes Power Ranger action figures. At Toy Fair, Bandai showcased its new line.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Lego has a number of licensing partners, ranging from Star Wars to Harry Potter. But this year, there will be a lot of attention paid to its super-hero partners. The company has deals with both Marvel and DC, and with the Avengers movie coming out later this year there will be a lot of focus on Marvel’s characters including Iron Man, The Hulk (pictured here), Captain America and others. The company also will be focused on some of its own themes, including a major launch of Lego Friends, a brand that is aimed at bringing more girls into the construction category. Building sets is a key category for the toy industry, and last year it grew 23 percent in dollar sales, according to NPD.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Manufacturer: PlaymobilAges: 4 years to 10 years old Suggested Price: $129.99 Available: August 2012 Playmobil has been making figures for decades in a wide range of themes, including pirates. However, Pirate Adventure Island sets itself apart from these by including a game element. Kids have to find the five magic coins and use them to unlock a secret cave stocked with treasure. When the cave is opened, sound and light effects are activated. The island also has hidden stairs and falling rocks.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Manufacturer: Mega BrandsAges: 7 and up Retail Price: $14.99 and up Available: Fall 2012 As a market leader in the puzzle category, Mega Brands is looking to shake things up in order to coax new people into the realm. Late last year, the company introduced 3D Breakthrough, a new line of 3D puzzles, but distribution was limited. This fall, the company will be expanding the effort with a broader range designs. Some combine a flat puzzle with a 3D-pop-up effort, while others are completely three dimensional or can be used to decorate the wall of a room.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Manufacturer: HasbroAges: 2-5 years old Retail Price: $29.99 Available: Fall 2012It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Super Grover! This motion-activated doll comes to life when kids pick him up and “fly” him around the room. His arms rise as if he’s flying and he will let children know whether he’s “going up” or “going down.” Grover also sings songs and says silly phrases.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Manufacturer: Fisher-Price Ages: 3 to 8 years old Suggested Price: $59.99 Available: June 2012 There also are plenty of new play sets for younger children. This castle from Fisher-Price’s Imaginext brand offers plenty of opportunities for open-ended play for younger kids. The castle can expand from 20 inches out to 42 inches and can be reconfigured in different ways, depending on the story the kids are acting out. There are doors that move, an eagle that pops out, a disk launcher and sound effects. The basic castle set includes several figures, catapults, cannon, shields, helmets and more. But there also is an ogre and a dragon that can interact with the castle. For example, when you squeeze the ogre’s handle, it sends a signal to the castle to warn the knights he is approaching.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Manufacturer: VTechAges: 3 to 8 years old Suggested Price: $15.99 to $49.99 Available: Fall 2012 Until now many of the transforming vehicle toys on the market have been targeted to older boys, not preschoolers, and usually those cars turned into monsters or robot-like characters. VTech is looking to change this with its Switch & Go Dino line. Switch & Go Dinos transform from a car into a dinosaur and back again. Their chunky construction will make it easier for little hands to manipulate. Because the line is from VTech, a company known for its educational electronics toys, the toys have an LCD screen that animates the character, sound from the toys provides not only different effects such as a motor sound or a growl, as well as educational facts about dinosaurs.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Manufacturer: Ohio Art Ages: 3 years old and up Retail Price: $2.99 to $19.99 Available: 2012 Sandzini is a modeling compound with a sand-like texture, but no matter how much you manipulate it, the grains of sand don’t flake off and make a mess. Kids can cut it, mold it or use it to cover figures to make their own sculptures. The compound, which is available in seven colors, dries within 24 hours.

Photo By Adam Jeffery for CNBC.com Manufacturer: TyLife-sized Monstaz at the American International Toy Fair were out in force to promote the brand from Ty, the maker of the Beanie Baby. Monster toys were another big trend at the show, but there were few that were as cute as these guys.

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