Toy makers hope to recapture children’s interest with augmented reality apps
Unable to resist the “Try me!” sign, 8-year-old Julian Rivas held up a box containing the Star Wars Death Star Lego set in front of a yellow kiosk and was blown away. On the kiosk’s TV screen, Rivas could see not only himself holding the box but also a 3-D image of the Death Star as it would look had he built it himself. Better yet, when Rivas rotated the box, the Death Star moved with it, revealing miniature guards sparring with light sabers and laser guns firing into space.
“It was amazing,” Rivas said as he put the box back down at the Glendale, California, Lego store. “I could see the little Lego people walking around. And I heard R2-D2.”
Toys in the tech realm
The kiosk was equipped with a small camera and one of the latest technologies to hit the toy market: augmented reality.
The technology, which superimposes digital images, video or animation over a user’s live surroundings, has been around for several years. [During the] holiday season, it made its way into retail stores in a big way as toy makers sought new ways to sell more products.
In an age when even toddlers use tablets and smartphones, capturing children’s interest and imagination is harder than ever, toy analysts and toy makers said.
“Kids are moving very quickly past their physical toy and into the tech realm,” said Jason Moser, a toy analyst with Motley Fool, a financial information website. Children as young as 5 are outgrowing physical toys. “They want the touch-screen stuff,” said [Karla Gomez, a stay-at-home mom].
Mobile apps, many of which are free, can keep kids entertained for hours and often have an educational focus, Moser said. These are all big wins for parents but may represent big losses for traditional toy makers.
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