Toys ‘R’ Us announces holiday toy trends | Key4Communications | News

Toys ‘R’ Us announced four top trends that could influence toy sales in the coming months, and particularly in the holiday season. The company chose them after analysing information from trade shows, online videos and product testing.

App-cessories. Kids are using parents (or their own) gadgets, and toy makers are looking into the possibilities of the interaction of toys and the touch-sensitive screen of tablets such as the Ipad. Disney-Pixar Cars 2 Appmates, from Spin Master, allows to use the Ipad as a race track, for example, and kids can even draw with electronic tools like the Imarker, from Griffin.

Quirky stuffed characters. Today's toy market is filled with plush characters that are far from traditional: birds that ignite with sounds and stuffed creatures featuring ugly looks.

Reverse tech. Characters from shows, movies and games are also being made into toys and games, sometimes even trying to create similar experiences through other mediums, like the Mattel construction (and destruction) game based on Angry Birds.

Gross is Good. Children enjoy messy and even garbaged-themes toys, such as the Trash Pack characters of Moose Toys, or the Incredible Edibles Fright Factory, from JAKKS, that allows to create gummy body parts, among other treats.