ToyFair2017
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Dance moves turn into music with BeatMoovz
There are plenty of gadgets out there for making music on your mobile device, but they're relatively sedentary affairs. BeatMoovz turns things arounds with a music tool that gets you up and dancing: instead of moving with the music, you dance and create a soundtrack using your steps, spins and sashays.
VTech's new Android tablet has its own kid-friendly messaging system
VTech's tablets and other kids' gadgets have always focused on creating a child-safe walled garden, but it's fallen far short of having an ecosystem like what children can get on an iPad or Amazon Fire Kids Edition. Its new Android tablet for children four and older opens things up a bit by allowing app downloads from outside the VTech ecosystem, as well as messaging with iOS and Android devices -- all with a parent's supervision.
The Etch A Sketch gets an LCD makeover but retains its magic
We've all labored over an Etch A Sketch at some point in our lives, painstakingly turning the two knobs to create a single-line black drawing on the gray screen. It's a classic toy that hasn't changed much over its sixty years of existence, because it hasn't needed to. Regardless, Spin Master's decided to mix things up a bit, replacing the aluminum powder mechanism with a black LCD screen. Now, you can use a handheld stylus to create drawings in rainbow colors. But at least you still erase it the same way.
The Simon Optix headset gave me a headache
The classic game of Simon is a test of memory and reflexes. How long a sequence can you remember, and how fast can you repeat it? The new Optix headset turns it into a test of stamina as well: How long can you stand having flashing lights directly in front of your face?
Teddy Ruxpin's LCD makeover is occasionally charming
Teddy Ruxpin may be one of the iconic toys of the eighties but, let's face it, he was in need of a little update. After all, kids are used to looking at screens and a lot of them don't even know what a cassette tape is. Wicked Cool's new Teddy gets a bit of a 21st century makeover by baking LCDs right into his adorable furry face. He still reads stories to your kid, but now his eyes can say a lot more.
'Hot Wheels Track Builder' is an AR den for your creations
Hot Wheels is best known for its extensive line of die-cast model cars, as well as some racing video games for younger kids. However, at this year's Toy Fair the brand is aiming to combine the best of both in its new Tango augmented reality game. Track Builder gives you a virtual play area to construct custom tracks for your cars. The only limit is what you can imagine, and not the amount of physical space in your home.
Spin Master's BB-8 is still cute and you can get one this year
The cute spherical BB-8 was one of the many highlights of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Spin Master's near life-size replica of him was one of our favorite things about last year's Toy Fair. Unfortunately, 2016 came and went without seeing the adorable robotic companion on the silver screen -- or this particular toy on store shelves. That looks to change later this year with the announced release of the $230 Hero Droid BB-8, just in time for the bot's appearance in the next episode of the Star Wars saga.
Barbie Hello Hologram is a tiny virtual friend for girls
Smart home speakers like the Echo and Google Home can tell you the weather, play music and look up stuff for you. However, they stop short of attaching a face to those actions, and certainly don't have any sense of sartorial style. Mattel's latest creation, the Barbie Hello Hologram, rectifies that by placing the iconic doll into her own tiny holographic world and letting children talk to her directly. She can chat about the weather, crack corny jokes and even dance. Barbie can dab with the best of them.
Batmobile toy uses augmented reality to show the driver's view
Batman's got plenty of wonderful toys bearing his name, from his trusty Batarangs to his super Batcomputer. However, none are more famous than the Batmobile. And, while diehard fans might be a little down on the design of the latest version as seen in Batman v Superman and Justice League, they certainly won't be disappointed by the sheer amount of cool tricks packed into Mattel's new radio-controlled model. With its own built-in dash cam, augmented reality features and the ability to spew real exhaust, this new ride is exactly the kind of thing Bruce Wayne would have built if he went into toy design instead of crimefighting.
Bop It! Maker edition will get your creative juices flowing
Bop It! 2016's got nothing on this year's iteration of the '90s musical toy. Hasbro has just launched a Bop It! Maker edition, and if that name isn't obvious enough, it promises the most personalized game you've ever played. The latest version allows you create your own moves by naming them, performing them and recording a sound for them. You can store up to 10 custom moves your friends can try to imitate later, so go crazy and make up some awkward and complex commands for maximum laughs. Bop It! Maker will cost you $20, just like last year's version. It will be available at retailers and on the HasbroToyShop website in the fall, but the company will showcase it at Toy Fair 2017 in New York.
Hasbro's cute new robo-dog teaches coding on the sly
Toy makers are coming up with more and more ways to encourage children to learn STEM skills, and Hasbro is trying to do that in a somewhat futuristic way. The company is releasing a $120 robotic dog toy called Proto Max as part of its FurReal Friends line of animatronic pets that children can customize via an app. To be clear, you'll be tweaking this robo-dog's behavior and character, not the colors of its eyes or fur or the shape of its nose or face. That initially sounded a bit too much like pet Westworld to me, but after a brief demonstration, I was persuaded to quiet my internal ethics police.
3Doodler's new kits help kids craft their own robots
It used to be that if you gave a 3Doodler Start to a child, you'd have to throw them some stencils or otherwise pray they were creative enough to make something neat. Not so anymore. Eager to empower a new generation of Boston Dynamics engineers, 3Doodler is releasing a new robotics kit that lets kids — what else? — create their own moving machines out of melted plastic and sheer moxie.
New Simon memory game looks like a cheap VR headset
Last year, Hasbro revealed an updated version of its classic Simon game that didn't require you to press multi-color buttons. With Simon Air, you just put your hand close to the color and it device would detect your motion. For this year's New York Toy Fair, the company is taking hands-free play a step further with Simon Optix. This new model is a wearable headset that looks something like HoloLens or some other AR/VR headset but it doesn't do any of that.
