The world of toys is an exciting one, not only for kids but also for adults who love to take a break from the real world. Every year, toy manufacturers come up with some amazing and innovative ideas where they bring the best of fun, learning and technology together to deliver an awesome product.
Considered as the Oscar award for toys, the big Toy Fair at NY 2019 also known as NYTF is about to take place this year where every brand will showcase what they have to offer. Obviously, we are super excited about the event where nearly 123 toys will be reviewed under different categories and awarded for their excellence.
The Innovative Toy of the Year 2019 is a fascinating award which encourages designers and companies to come up with more such ideas. Let’s take a look at the six finalists that have made their way to the final list and let’s explore them all to see what makes them so good in the first place.
Botley™ the Coding Robot Activity Set
The purpose of this toy is easy to understand as its right there in the name! The entire world is moving toward complex coding and people with coding skills will definitely make a great career out of this in the next twenty years or more. Botley helps young children who are five years and above understand how coding works.
While some parents may feel that it is too early to start, kids can definitely do a lot when they understand the basics early in childhood. The best part about this toy is that there are no displays that could affect your child’s vision. We are incredibly impressed by how the manufacturer imparts coding knowledge without using any display of sort but just with mechanical parts.
With Botley, young kids can make use of the coding cards, double-sided tiles and obstacles to building pieces. They are free to get creative and program the robot to make it avoid obstacles when it moves, detect objects every time something comes in the path and go around it besides teaching the robot how to follow the black lines to reach a specific point. It can also be programmed to do the same command in a loop. Everything is done on coding boards and there is no need to use a smartphone or tablet in order to learn to code or operate the robot.
- EARLY STEM SKILLS: Botley helps your child learn early STEM skills while playing and having fun. He...
Harry Potter™ Wizard Training Wand
Kids love the wizarding world of Harry Potter because it is always filled with school going children who fight against insanely difficult obstacles and enemies, only to taste success. If you have young kids at home above 8, this is definitely a must-have toy that they will love for sure. The majority of children spend hours playing Harry Potter games on their gaming consoles but when you convince them that using wands in real life is possible, they are sure to give it a shot.
We loved the fact that the designers have made use of lights, sounds and motion sensors which encourage children to cast magic spells by specifically following the instructions. They may have already got many of the popular spells from the Harry Potter universe like ExpectoPatronum and Accio but doing it in real life is a whole lot of fun. And, the Wizard Training wand can actually be paired with multiple wands so that a group of young kids can play together. Pair it up with some wizarding robes and it could be a realistic fantasy world brought to life.
The wand allows kids to cast 11 different spells and you can also choose between 5 modes of gameplay. The wand makes a sound, the lights change accordingly as you would have seen in the movies and there’s a dedicated spell guide to learn everything you need to learn about the game. Some of the game modes are designed for multiplayer while some can be handled by kids on their own. It is powered using 3 AAA batteries and looks like the future of toys that helped it make it to the Innovative Toy of the Year list.
- Get ready for Wizard training with the best Harry Potter gifts for kids – train like a Wizard with...
K’NEX Thrill Rides Bionic Blast™ Roller Coaster Building Set
Why wouldn’t kids love to build their own roller coaster and operate it? It can be a very interesting and challenging task which they can enjoy immensely while building and have the satisfaction that they have successfully pulled it off. The K’Nex roller coaster building set is an interesting toy that will encourage kids to play with over 809 parts which when properly set up will lead to a full-blown roller-coaster ride. Kids will be able to create tracks of different shapes and sizes by making use of the guide provided but they may need adult help at times.
The toy made its way to the innovation award because the designers have integrated the plastic parts with a virtual reality app. You can build the coaster, let the coast car run and be able to view the entire thing from a first-person perspective. The concept is similar to the videogame Roller Coaster Tycoon but being able to view the same from a real-world toy is very innovative.
The bundle includes a cardboard viewer so that you don’t have to own a virtual reality headset. Just use the smartphone app, place your phone within the cardboard and you will be able to view it. The designers of the toy also assure that they will be able to replace any broken or missing parts if required. Considering how big the roller coaster set is, it wouldn’t be surprising if you easily lose a part while building the massive set which has over 800 pieces to be connected to achieve the final result.
- CLASSIC THRILL RIDES EXPERIENCE – Build it! using the 809 K'NEX parts and pieces, plus MOTOR, to...
Legend Kit
The Legend Kit is the ultimate dream come true for young kids because it is huge and allows kids to build the best vehicle that they like to drive on their own. Most children would love to drive, especially if they have an interest in the automobile world. As a parent, when you help assist your child in building these vehicles, you can explore their desire while allowing them to understand how automobile parts work.
If you are planning to buy this one, you should know the fact that it will cost a whopping $1,000 but the investment is worth it. You can help your kid build their dream vehicle and it also comes with a motor system that you can use to drive it. The system includes ePulse System Electric motor and there are over hundreds of parts using which you can build up to 32 rides. The manufacturer also sells the parts individually and offers additional customization options. It will cost more but can help build a strong hobby for young kids.
The newest additions have even introduced LED lights that can be mounted onto the underside of the vehicle so that they illuminate the path wherever they go. You can help the kids choose a different tire so that they can even go outdoors or on snowy terrain if the particular ride has been built in such a way. The manufacturer calls it a family event and it truly is as it engages everyone into building the ultimate vehicle.
Marvel Legend Series Infinity Gauntlet Articulated Electronic Fist
Avengers Infinity War was one of the most successful movies from the Marvel Universe and it was no wonder Hasbro jumped into it, to make a real-life version of the Infinity Gauntlet. It was won by Thanos, the menacing villain (and misunderstood according to some) in the movie and older kids will be able to recreate the scene by making use of the lights, sounds and other features found in this toy.
While It may not win the most innovative toy of the year award because the features are limited and there isn’t a learning aspect into using it, but it is definitely interesting and provides ways to play games. The size of the product is big enough that it can even fit the hand of a fully grown adult but will be much smaller when a younger kid wears it. Some of the exclusive features that Hasbro has incorporated into the toy includes sounds inspired by the movie, articulated fingers which also has a fist lock mode and authentic design with all infinity stones on top of it.
The colors are accurate so that they resemble how Thanos used it in the movie and the lights on the stone pulsate so as to depict them to be as real as possible even though you won’t be able to snap the world clean when you wear this one. It’s definitely a great job in terms of attention to detail and can be a collector’s edition for adults while grown-up kids can use it in their role playing games.
Sensors Alive: Bring Physics to Life!
This is an inventive and innovative product which teaches kids the technology used in sensors in the majority of the mobile devices and products they see in daily life. A group of kids can actually play using this expensive toy which costs nearly $150 and teaches how to tame three different creatures in a science lab.
There are three sensor pods which also produce heat, light and sound. The toy offers lots of different things to play with and can be used as a way to enter the world of science.
No products found.
The Innovative Toy of the Year 2019 award will be granted only to the best and it looks like the NY Toy Fair for this year will face heated competition from some of these best toys. There is something for everyone combined with great learning and fun factor to keep kids of all age groups entertained.