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(Reuters) - Having found this holiday season that they cannot beat iPad, iPhone and iPod, toymakers have decided to join them, lining up a host of playthings that come to life when hooked up to the devices, gadgets that kids love to play with.
Industry insiders call them "AppCessories," and expect a wide array of these items to be on display at the American Toy Fair, which officially kicks off in New York on Sunday.
"The manufacturers have realized this is a hot area, and they are all jumping on it," said TimetoPlayMag.com Editor-in-Chief Jim Silver. "It is an opportunity to extend the ages you are selling to."
The trend comes as companies, scarred by a holiday season when toy sales fell 3 percent in the United States, look beyond traditional toys to woo tech-savvy kids, many of whom have grown up playing on their parents' smartphones or their own gaming consoles.
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"Today's gamer is looking for experiences in games that include the marriage of digital and analog, face-to-face, and off the board gaming," Hasbro Chief Executive Brian Goldner said.
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For a graphic on 2011 toy industry sales, see: link.reuters.com/rer56s
Hasbro, the maker of G.I. Joe toys and the Monopoly board game plans, to jump on the "AppCessory" bandwagon through its "zAPPed" gaming platform.
When you play with Hasbro's "The Game of Life zAPPed," you will still move your car from space to space and select your path to retirement on a game board, but now you spin, get paid, sue other players and make important decisions on your iPad, after downloading a free app. The game will cost about $25.
But Hasbro is not alone in this arena.
Canada's Spin Master is betting big on an array of iPhone/iPod Touch and Android accessories under the "Appfinity" label.
"When you talk about the holy grail of toys, manufacturers have been trying to find a way to marry the tech and the toy world," Spin Master spokesman Harold Chizick said, adding that appCessories might just be what they were looking for.
Spin Master hopes its "AppDrive" will appeal to racing enthusiasts by allowing them to use a steering wheel that can hold an iPhone, and play racing games using an app on the iPhone, while "Appfishing" will enhance "virtual fishing" using a rod that can hold an iPhone. Priced at $20 each, they will hit stores in the fall.
Industry goliath Mattel Inc will try to broaden the appeal of its classic brands such as Fisher-Price and Barbie as well as "Monster High" through its "Apptivity" line.
One product in this line is Fisher Price's Laugh and Learn Apptivity Case, which is basically a $20 sturdy case that will protect parents' iPhones from "dribbles, drool, and unwanted call-making." The item, which features beads, a mirror and free learning apps, will help babies practice hand-eye coordination, Mattel says.
