Toy makers follow kids onto the web

Toy makersshowing off new wares atthe annual American International Toy Fair in New York this week are looking to internet-related products to attract the attention of web-savvy children.

From Power Rangers helmets whichdownload secret missions found online so kids can act them out to devices that takechildren to secure websitessafe frompredators,"toy companies are looking at where kids are playing and targeting product against it," said New York-based toy consultant Chris Byrne.

The games and activities have to be compelling enough for parents to pay for them, or they'll resort to free online game sites,said Stephanie Oppenheim, publisher of the independent guide Oppenheim Toy Portfolio.

Securityis also a key issue,she noted. Parents want to feel safe that children can't get around the game system and venture elsewhere.

Children as young as three are using the computer, said Julia Fitzgerald, vice-president of marketing at Vetch Holdings Ltd., which just launched the Whiz Kid Learning System, a learning pad that comes with an USB drive to connect to the computer.

It has 40 different pages of content with 120 activities, but users can access far more material online."We have become a download nation," said Fitzgerald.

Online user numbers up

According to Nielsen/Net Ratings Inc., an internet research company, the number of online users in the two-to-11 age hit15.1 million in December 2006.

Even traditional stuffed animals are going electronic.MGA Entertainment unveiled its Web-Pups,plush dogs with registration codes that children input onto a website to access games and activities.

Mattel's Fisher-Price brand is showcasing Easy-Link Internet Launchpad, where parents can plug a character figure like Elmo and be taken directly to the game section of the character's website like sesamestreet.com.

Hasbro Inc.'s Tiger Games division is selling Net Jet, a game system that offers preteens 40 online games with titles such as "Super Soaker" and "Mission Paintball."Children plug a controller into a computer's USB port and unlock by inserting game keys that instantly launch them into the online game they pick.

Hasbro spokeswoman Gail Carvelli said that one of the big benefits in offering these online games is thatthe companycan enhance and update the games without asking parents to buy new ones.