Toys Around the World: What´s Selling

What are kids plunking in Peru? What’s hot in Hawaii and cool in Denmark? TDmonthly Magazine asked its foreign correspondents to find out what kids are doing outside the mainland.

“Sadly, our toys are almost completely driven by marketing,” said U.K.-born Toby Evetts, Web designer and co-owner of 8edge.com in Los Angeles. “Still we get the odd craze now and then.”

Toys “R” Us in the United Kingdom calls Scoubidou by Scoubiloop Ltd. (ToyShow) “the latest craze to hit the playground!” and rates it #1 on its “What’s Hot” page. A lanyard-type craft kit that kids can use to make bracelets, key chains and animal figures, it’s available Stateside as “Scoubiloop.”

The lightweight Street Gliders by Hy-Pro International Ltd. are a genuine U.K. hot item and sell well at Hamley’s department store in London. These skates strap on the heels and allow wearers to walk or glide down city streets without the bother of heavy boot-type skates. Built-in lights give them night visibility, too.

Over in Germany, engineering has turned its attention from the autobahn to the “water-bahn” with Wasserlandschaft by Simba Toys. A motorized boat rides up and down water-filled channels that are controlled with a pump and locks. This gigantic water landscape is making a big splash with kids at quelle.de.

France , famous for its arts, literature and cuisine, holds its own in toy design, too. Colorful wooden Fantasy Blocks by the French company Djeco have made their way to Oompa Toys in Los Angeles, where they’re a popular item.

Low-tech is still popular in Denmark, the land of LEGOs and Hans Christian Andersen. “They have something that kids really like in Denmark,” said Frederikke Aspock, mother of a 1-year-old. “We call them Pixi books. They are these little books that cost a dollar.”

In Italy, "Little babies play with Chicco," according to Michele Gagliardo of Padua. Chicco Toys has a U.S. branch for retailers looking to stock items for bambini.

Though girls from Spain were among the first to pledge allegiance to Barbie’s fiercest competitor, BRATZ, they maintain tradition by taking Flamenco lessons in school. Kids such as 9-year-old Alexandra Flores Sormaz and her 5-year-old sister Claudia, of Madrid, also love to play “dress-up” with their frilly frocks. Retailer Zebra Hall is betting that American girls will feel the same, and is offering a Flamenco costume as part of their dress-up line.

Tradition is also the name of the game for those born and bred off the mainland. According to Kahili Dumayas of Maui, ukuleles and book and plush sets about native animals are some of the toys that “locals get for their kids, when they no longer live in Hawaii.”

Kids in Peru and Zimbabwe make their own music with beautiful handcrafted instruments. American kids can try them out, too, in specialty retail stores across the nation.

Even high-tech Japan is going low-tech with an old craze that’s found its way into new hands. Rubik’s Cube — a ubiquitous puzzle in the 1980s — has made a comeback, according to the September 3 issue of “Japan Today.”

Japan’s not losing its technological edge, however. It’s just released a 3-foot high robot that can recognize 10,000 words. The ‘bot can act as a house sitter while the family’s away … shopping for more toys.

Here´s a glimpse into worldwide play patterns: