Big companies know that not all ideas come from one pool or one source of people, so they’re always looking for outsiders to come up with opportunities they may not have thought of. It’s a...

They can grow market share. They’re trying to build social interaction. It’s kind of a multi-generation category that brings people together.

A lot of people are strapped for time, and they don’t want to pull out a game if they know it’s going to be an hour or more.

This is a big leap. A 3-year-old with a digital camera is unusual.

Kids want to play with products that relate to real life. They’ve been raised in a digital world. It’s a natural progression for kids to want to use the cool tools they see ‘¦others using.

Celebrity dolls have always been a pop icon trend. Whenever a product ties to a licensed character or celebrity, it takes on a life of its own.

Kids want to have the latest in technology, just like adults. Kids have grown up with computers. They are not afraid of technology, they embrace it.

When kids are that little, parents are one of their favorite playthings, so having their parents’ time and interacting with their parents is great.

Toy retailers and manufacturers are trying a different strategy so that they don’t keep coming back to the same places. In some instances, it’s a strategic decision. Toymakers need to expand their options in order...

We find that parents are starting to migrate to more of a balance in the toy box.

We’ll still see price wars once we move further into the season. The difference is that they may not be across-the-board but only on the highly promoted items.

The cool thing about that is that kids are role-playing what they see around them, and they see their siblings using digital cameras and using digital phones. They see their parents using those, and so...

The toy industry has really been flat for the past three years, … The tough part for the manufacturers has been the weak economy. Toymakers have struggled with declining profit margins as more and more...