The Toy Box preview: Playout, Pillow Fight Pals, Flexxball, Hovercraft, more
So, what are the toys this time around? You’ve got Playout, Pillow Fight Pals, Mind Games, Flexxball, TechnoChic, Hovercraft, and Fidget Flow Toy all in the episode. One of them will get a chance to advance to the finale, and in turn that one has a chance to be made by Mattel someday.
Without further ado now, let’s get to sharing a few thoughts on some of these toy concepts!
Playout – a multiplayer exercise card game that turns fitness into an interactive, competitive game
Inventor: Eddie from Atlanta, Georgia
Here’s the tricky challenge that Playout comes into — the ol’ bait-and-switch. It needs to find a way to make this game fun without making kids think about any sort of health benefit in the process.
Pillow Fight Pals – fun-shaped plush pillows that turn your pillow fights up a notch by glowing in the dark and making fun sounds when you squeeze them
Inventor: Kyla from Phoenix, Arizona
Here, you just need to make this still feel like a traditional pillow fight! Part of the challenge here comes in keeping some of that risk factor — we feel at times like part of what makes pillow fights fun for kids is that they’re technically not supposed to do them.
Mind Games – a multiplayer game where you must step on a given number of toy domes and avoid stepping on the dome that sounds off the alarm
Inventor: Marvin from Los Angeles, California
This sounds fun on paper, mostly because any game that leads to an alarm tends to be fun in our book.
Flexxball – a portable and space-saving version of table tennis that challenges players’ hand-eye coordination
Inventors: Sanel and Priyam from Chicago, Illinois
We don’t love the name (we don’t love excess letters being thrown in there for no reason); this is one that has to be seen to be believed.
TechnoChic – DIY tech-craft kits that come with basic craft and electronic components to create and design wearable light-up creations
Inventor: Natasha from Jersey City, New Jersey
You can basically say the same thing here as with Flexxball, but we like the idea of anything that is meant to foster some creativity.
Hovercraft – a build-it-yourself, remote-controlled water hovercraft that offers both a learning experience and a fun toy
Inventor: Bob from Cordova, Illinois
Who doesn’t love hovercrafts? We’re mostly curious at the moment as to what this “learning experience” will be.
Fidget Flow Toy – a life-size fidget toy that can be changed into all different shapes and sizes
Inventor: Jennifer from Saranac, Michigan
There were almost no fidget products on the show last week. However, it feels like we’re getting them now every week. This should give you a good sense of where the market is at present with this stuff.
Which one of these toys interests you the most?
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