Here's a look behind the appeal of toy marketing

Have you noticed that the Barney soft toy has been quietly buried in the bottom of the ironing basket?

Or that the Bob the Builder CDs are gathering dust on the rack?

Face it, the little ones have lost interest. Despite the hundreds of dollars you have invested in satisfying your preschooler's once-insatiable appetites for more of these characters, the appeal has died. And it was probably a quick death too – almost within the week of that main squeeze's disappearance from the TV listings or the big screen ad pages.

Get real if you are one of those parents who think kids in the four-to-six age bracket are little more than hyperactive creatures driven by irrational desires and short-term impulses. There is some method to their apparently frivolous retail habits: With their exposure to all forms of media messages, they are more adept at picking their own way around the sophisticated toy landscape than you realise.

And the toy merchandisers and marketers know it. And sad to say, it's often the parents who are slightly out of the loop.

Fantasy formula
In case you're not clued in just yet, the higher-ups of the toy industry employ at least two main marketing strategies:

1. Fantasy equals success.
Kids in the four-to-six range revel in make-believe. They love pretending and role-playing, and see their toys as magical props that can make their daydreams feel just a little more enjoyable.

The industry complies. Millions are poured into the cauldron that brews that spell-binding imaginary world called "child's play": Cuddling a SpongeBob Squarepants cushion could take your 4-year-old deep into the Pacific Ocean to a city called Bikini Bottom, where he shares his pineapple home with a pet snail named Gary. Doodling with a Madagascar pencil could set your six-year-old off in a dangerous jungle inhabited by lemurs who love to dance.

These larger-than-life worlds are toy marketers' key to reeling kids in over the long run. For as long as they are able to continue spinning the exciting stories, they can extend the product range to include everything from CD-ROMs to ring tones.

Nowadays, even toys that used to be positioned in a generic manner – Lego blocks come to mind – have been re-branded through special theme sets based on popular movies (Star Wars) or trends (Bionicle-building), so as to leverage on a broader story premise. 

Get it?

Aside from pretty graphics, toy packages often carry a set of recommendations and warnings. For starters, the bigger toy manufacturers generally reflect the age grading guidelines of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. These are based on a child’s developmental needs, as well as ability to physically manipulate the toy, understand how the toy works, and play safely with it. Instead of listing all the considerations exhaustively, though, in many cases a general prescription is offered, such as "For four to six years", or "Not recommended for children under three". Warning messages, on the other hand, are often more detailed, and should be inspected carefully before purchasing, or even taking the toy out of the box. These may or may not be accompanied by illustrations or icons to draw your attention. The more common cautions are against: 1. Choking, if the toy has small parts 2. Burns, if the toy has a heating element 3. Poisoning, if the package contains or might leak toxic chemicals 4. Cuts, if there are sharp edges or breakable pieces 5. Drowning, in the case of inflatable toys that should not be used as life-saving devices 6. A combination of all the above, especially if the package requires an adult's assistance to assemble. Since kids develop at vastly different rates, the comments and guidelines only serve as a general reference. Ultimately, sound parental judgment is always the most crucial factor.

2. Peer status.
Children at this age are just beginning to appreciate the politics of peer approval, and sometimes find themselves attracted to toys which let them feel they can gain peer admiration in some implied way – even if only by toting their snack-time biscuits in a Barbie lunch box, or its equivalent.

"One of my sons was really into Thomas the Tank Engine when he was about five," says A P Choo, 39, a father of three. "He would make sure his mother packed his cereal in a Thomas box and filled his Thomas water bottle to the brim, even though he had about another three other bottles to choose from.

"We had Thomas books, Thomas trains, Thomas everything, all over the place."

So, whether it's a memory card game or miniature manicure set, marketers seek to engage kids on these two levels – by, firstly, depicting some slightly older kids (aka role models) having fun with the toy, and secondly, by associating the toy with 'cool' factors.

Parental push
What's also worth noting, though, is that the most insidious toy marketing strategies aren't just directed at kids.

Instead, they are aimed at establishing a subtle but powerful influence over the very gatekeepers of the toy cabinet, the mothers and fathers. For, there are few parents today who do not subscribe to the reasoning summed up by authors Marianne M Szymanaski and Ellen Beuborne in the foreword of their book, Toy Tips:

"Learning is not just an activity of the classroom. In fact, some of the most important learning takes place far from the halls of traditional education. Learning begins at home and during play…

"So it stands to reason that the type of play, and the toys involved, will matter a great deal."

Fact is, everything in this world counts as a potentially educational toy. Skipping ropes, marbles, skateboards, mini-synthesisers, footballs: In the right hands, they can all be used to teach and to learn many important skills and values.

With a few strategic tweaks, savvy product developers are able to take any old toy and remodel it to take on a quasi-educational aura. Often, it's as simple a ploy as compiling a list of developmental attributes related to the age group, and creatively amending a toy's features or packaging to reflect these factors.

So, the next time you find yourself nodding in hearty approval at the mention of a certain toy or toy brand, take a step back and reflect more critically:
• Exactly how sure can you be that any particular toy might indeed translate into an educational experience for your child?
• Are you truly aware of the toy's intrinsic value, or are you merely buying into the marketing message?

Sure, our kids might not know any better when it comes to understanding toy marketing. But as parents, we, too, are really not above being marketed at, or toyed with, ourselves.

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