New Media in Toys



A toy is anything that can be used for play. A toy is typically a model replica of something such as a cartoon character or any object. Toys are generally played by children or pets. Toys can vary from the simplest to the most complex things. A toy can be from the rock selected by a child and imagined to be a car to sophisticated and complex devices. They are very useful and can be used to learn about the world. Toys can help children discover their identity, learn about their body and practice skills for adulthood. As our world moves ever closer towards a digital explosion, toy manufacturers are struggling to adapt to the new trends; launching innovations that would have seemed unthinkable.

Ancient Egyptian Toys
The earliest toys were made out of materials that were found in nature. Many wooden and clay mechanical string toys have been found in the tombs of Ancient Egypt. Children of Ancient Egypt, played with many toys such as, dolls, balls and spinning tops. Balls could also be made from strings and linen rags. Archaeologists have discovered toys such as a cat and a crocodile with moving mouths, as well as a mouse whose tail moves up and down when the string is pulled. Moreover, they have discovered horses with wheels, although these seem to date mainly to Roman Egypt. These toys would have been more expensive and only rich families would have been able to afford them. Paddle doll is a toy that was used in Ancient Egypt. The Paddle Doll is made out of wood and has been discovered in tombs. The Paddle doll's hair constructed of string and sun-dried clay beads. Anthropologists believe that some toys were placed in tombs to protect people in their after lives.

Ancient Roman Toys
Ancient Roman toys were based on real-life activities and situation that they would find themselves in one day. The ancient Romans played with hoops, with pieces of metal on them, like bells, to jingle and warn people in their way. The toys that are available depend on the child’s own social rank in the Roman society. Poorer children used their imaginations to create their toys. The boys usually played with wooden swords and sticks as they pretended to be soldiers. The girls typically played with dolls made from wax, rags, or wood. Both boys and girls played with a wooden hoops. The wooden hoops would have bells on it and the children would roll them along the streets and playgrounds. Other popular toys at the time were balls, board games, hobby horses, kites, and wooden replicas of people and animals. The common toys were wooden, wax or terracotta dolls. A child's first toys were toys that were in the form of flowers, swords, axes and other tools. Then came rag dolls and dolls of clay or wax, some with jointed arms and legs.

Ancient Chinese Toys
Among the relics discovered from the ruins of Banpo Village in Xi'an were some small clay and stone balls dating back to the Yangshao Culture of the Neolithic Period (4800-4300 BC). Archeologists believe them to be ancient children's toys. The diameter of these balls varies from 1.1 cm to 3 cm. Some of the clay balls have scratches and prints on them. Moreover, small pottery and glazed porcelain balls from a later period (4400-3300 BC) have been discovered from the ruins of Wushan Mountain. Numerous centimeter-long toys in the shapes of animals such as dragons and lions have been discovered in ruins. These toys were enjoyed by both children and adults.

New Media Impact on Toys


Hot Wheels Apptivity by Mattel You can now use Apptivity Hot wheels car on the iPad screen and race. Children can place the Apptivity Hot Wheels vehicle on the iPad screen for the app to detect its presence, special contacts points located on the bottom of the hot wheel car allow the app to identify the car that is being used. Then the app can enable custom features that is unique to that car.

Apptivity WWE Rumblers Toy meets tablets with the Apptivity WWE Rumblers Simply, open the app and place the base of your Apptivity WWE Rumblers figure on your tablet. Contact points on the bottom of each figure's base allow the app to identify your Rumbler figure and enable his signature moves. In the digital world you can make explosive entrances to your superstar's theme music. You can jump from the ropes and turnbuckles, while unleashing your wrestler's signature moves. You can battle in TLC Matches and use tabbles, ladders and chairs as weapons. In addition, in the digital world you can collect foreign objects to do more damage. You can upgrade your wrestler's abilitiez and earn many game center achievements.

Furby Boom by Hasbro Furby Boom you can download a free app with the purchase of a Furby. The Furby app is an optional feature and it works with the iPod touch, ipad and iphone with iOS 5.0 or later. On the app you can collect and hatch virtual furblings to fill your virtual city. Morevover you can try to get teh golden Furblings egg in the app. You can hatch and raise virtual Furblings and play games with multiple people using the Furby Boom app. You can use the app to virtually feed and groom your Furby Boom. '''AR. Drone Parrot 2.0 by Parrot Inc''' AR. Drone Parrot 2.0 can be controlled by the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android Devices. Drone Parrot 2.0 receives 720p High definition live video streaming to smartphone or tablet while flying. You can see a clean, sharp image just as if you were in the pilot seat. AR.FreeFlight is the application that is used to fly and pilot the AR.Drone. Pilot with or without the accelerometer and switch from the frontal camera to the vertical camera. Record pictures, navigation data and videos and upload them instantly right from the application. Xbox Live Xbox Live is an online service that operates under its online virtual market, the Xbox Live Marketplace, which allows users to purchase and download of games and other types of media. The service was first offered worldwide in November of 2002 and is still growing and active to this date, with over 40 million users across the globe. The Xbox Live service is a perfect example of how new media has effected game technology. One feature of the service is the ability to watch movies and TV shows from Netflix through the Xbox 360. Users are also able to watch movies and shows with up to 8 friends online. Another feature is the option to create Avatars. Players can customize avatars to look like themselves by changing body shape, facial features, hair and clothes. Most importantly, the Xbox platforms allows players to interact with one another online. Players are not only able to view friends and chat, but can also look at their friend's collection of games. Teksta Robot Dog by Teksta The Teksta Robot Dog, has an app,"Tekno/ Teksta app" is free for Apple and android tablets and has extra bonus features and programs for Teskta. You can connect to Teksta via a wireless device and use the facetime option and watch as Teksta mimics and communicates with his cyber friends. With the app, you can train Teksta to play with his friends. In addition, you can program how often the puppy will bark and control Teksta’s dance moves to your own music library. You can also program the robot dog's eye patterns. When you use the app to pair the device with the puppy you can control the robotic dog’s actions by choosing the commands on the screen.

iRemoco iRemoco is a helicopter that uses the iPhone's accelerometer to navigate. With the app, users can control the helicopter with 3-D touch screen joysticks. An iPhone can steer up to three helicopters at one time. If set to the same channel, all three can be thrown in synchronization. The helicopters have a range of about 30 feet (10 meters) from the iPhone that's flying them.

Technology Impact on Toy Manufacturers
Many toy manufacturers are struggling to adapt to the constant technology changes and are launching innovations that may have seemed unthinkable in the past. Many toy manufacturers are losing their sales to video game makers and online gaming. Due to this change, toy makers are entering the field of internet and electronic gaming. Many toy manufacturers are inventing toys based on the popularity of computers, cell phones and tablets. Current changes in the toys are toys that can function with mobile devices, tablets and computers. There are toys that can be charged directly from your computer via the included USB cable.

Traditional to Online Shopping for Toys
There are many ways to purchase toys. In the past, the typical way to purchase a toy was from a retail store. However, today there are numerous ways to purchase them. One way is to purchase it on the internet. Websites such as ToysRUS, KBtoys, Walmart, Target, FAO and many others sell toys. It is more convenient to purchase and compare the prices of toys without waiting in a retail store. People can also purchase or sell new, pre-owned, antique or rare toys online on websites such as Ebay or Amazon.Moreover, people can purchase and search for toys on apps. On the app, "Toys R US Shopping", people can search for the newest toys and make purchases from your device. You can also find store hours and directions. The app also has a built-in barcode scanner makes it easy to find information and videos and reviews from a product's barcode. In addition, toy purchasers can share feedback, thanks to the convenient links for Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.