Posts Tagged "Toys"

A new client is a wonderful thing, and we’d like to welcome three of them to the Child’s Play Team:

Music Together is an internationally recognized early childhood music program for children from birth through age 7 and the adults who love them. The company pioneered the concept of a research-based, developmentally appropriate early childhood music curriculum that strongly emphasizes and facilitates adult involvement. Based in Princeton, NJ, Music Together has locations in more than 2000 communities around the globe. Child’s Play Communications will position Music Together as a thought leader in music education and create further awareness of the value of its brand, through an extensive traditional media and social media campaign.

 Fairy Tales Hair Care is the U.S. leader in all-natural lice prevention products for children.  Headquartered in Passaic, NJ, the company produces a best-selling line of organic Rosemary Repel hair care products, and a wide range of natural products for bed bugs and mosquitoes.  The brand is available in over 7,000 salons, specialty stores and pharmacies across the U.S. Child’s Play will be responsible for launching the company’s new products and expanding awareness of its existing lines, through traditional and social media outreach.

My Twinn is the leading creator of one-of-a-kind personalized dolls since 1993.  Designed to look like children ages 3-12, handcrafted My Twinn dolls are cuddly companions today and cherished keepsakes in the years to come.  My Twinn is headquartered in Chatham, VA. Child’s Play will spread word about the brand and introduce new products, through both traditional and social media programs.

We are delighted to announce the launch of the first Mega Bloks Mom contest, sponsored by our client,  MEGA Brands, a trusted family of leading global brands in construction toys, games and puzzles, arts & crafts and stationary.

MEGA Brands is looking for five – count em’ five – Mega Bloks Mom personalities to contribute to the Mega Bloks Family Club, a brand new MEGA Brands blog and online community.

If selected, each Mega Bloks Mom blogger will receive compensation, along with free MEGA Brands products.

Not a bad combo, if I do say so myself…

For requirements and application, please visit here. The deadline: March 1!

And don’t forget to sign up here for the new Mega Bloks Family Club , while you’re at it (whether you enter the contest or not). Why? The free membership includes:

·        A printable coupon for $5 off any $30 or more Mega Bloks purchase

·        Other exclusive offers, contests, sweepstakes and promotions on Mega Bloks toys

·        Information on new Mega Bloks toys for kids ages 1 to 6

·        An educational and informative blog by the winners of the Mega Bloks Mom search, with product reviews, photos and more

·        A free email newsletter with great new building ideas, toys for children ages 1 and up, and other information helpful to moms.

Hope to see you in the Mega Bloks Family Club — and as a Mega Bloks Mom!

It’s not quite Disneyland, but the annual Toy Fair – starting today — in New York City generates its own high-pitched version of child-like fun and excitement. For the past 20 years or so, I’ve joined the crowd cramming the aisles of this much anticipated event which introduces the toys that will land on moms’ must-have lists come the holiday shopping season. It’s here at Toy Fair that companies launch their latest to retailers, traditional press, and in recent years, social media alike. We invite you to stop by the Summit Toy booth, #1973, where we’ll be demonstrating  the popular Backyard Safari Outfitters and Zillionz toy lines. I’ll also be walking the aisles with my colleagues, Julie Livingston, former head of public relations for Toy Fair and now Director of New Business Development at Child’s Play, and Marie Baker, who heads our social media program. We’ve  got dozens of meetings booked with companies who are leaders in the toy industry, to discuss how our combination of traditional public relations, social media and word-of-mouth expertise can help them reach moms.

So whether you’re a toy manufacturer looking for more awareness among moms or a mom blogger interested in reviewing toys, we hope to meet you at Toy Fair! Connect with us at childsplay@childsplaypr.com.

See you there!

The Journal of Adolescent Health reported this month that girls who play video games with parents had better mental health than girls who played them alone or with friends.   The study, entitled “Game On… Girls:  Associations Between Co-Playing Video Games and Adolescent Behavioral and Family Outcomes,” not only found that playing games with mom or dad helped girls feel more connected to their families, but that the same girls were better behaved overall.

“It’s tough for many parents to connect with their teenagers, who sometimes view the other as an alien life form.  Maybe bonding over video games, at least for teen girls, is the way to go,” wrote Rachel Silverman in The Wall Street Journal’s popular blog, “The Juggle.”  It’s the face-to-face interaction – the quality time spent on an activity that adolescents enjoy – that makes the experience so impactful, she said.

The study, which focused on children ages 11 to 16, found that the games needed to be age-appropriate to make an impact.  When games were too mature, the research showed that parents and daughters bonded less.  The reason: intense games interfered with conversation and interaction.

While the results sound logical enough, some parents may find comfort in having a scientific study back up their pricey e-game purchase.  (The study found that boys, surprisingly, did not show a measurable benefit when playing video games with parents.)    

Moms: do you play video games with your tweens and teens?  Will this study influence your decision to purchase certain types of video games?

Marketers: Do you make any games that would be perfect for moms and their daughters to play together?

As moms across the country know, iPads and smart phones have quickly become must-have toys for children, including toddlers.  Savvy companies are jumping on the trend by kid-branding many electronic devices that, until now, were formerly reserved for adult use only. 

“We know that kids love to mimic their parents, whether they are role playing with dolls or pretending to go off to work,” notes Reyne Rice, trend expert for the Toy Industry Association.  In recent months, she says, toy companies have released a host of great products that are essentially kid versions of adult tech toys.

Products such as USB drives and iPod docks now carry the familiar faces kids love.   The latest crop of tech toys for tots range from adorable Sesame Street Video USB Drives and Hello Kitty Mouse and Mouse Pad Sets to sturdy iPod docks from Barbie and Lego Digital Cameras.  Even Pottery Barn Kids has launched its own signature collection of electronics, including DVD players, headphones and earbuds.

So, what does this mean for our kids?  Is all this screen time really a good thing?  In a recent New York Times article on the need for parents and children to embrace unstructured playtime, Hillary Stout writes, “most of the social and intellectual skills one needs to succeed in life and work are first developed through childhood play.”   The writer argues for less structured time for children and calls for a return to the “culture of play.”

The February issue of Parents magazine points out that 2/3 of kids ages 4-7 have already used an iPhone or an iPod Touch, and observes that “Whether this is good or bad is a moot point now — the real challenge is figuring out how to help our children benefit from high-tech tools while still making sure they are playing and learning in the tried and true way.”

Like most things in life, I think, balance is the key.  Encouraging creative and imaginative play is important for kids.  But a little tech time can be a good thing too, especially in this day and age.  To what degree do you let your kids play with tech toys?  How do you find a good balance between play time and screen time in your family?