幻光飞轮

    公司名称：i-Star娱乐公司

    所在地：纽约大颈区

    价格：9.99美元

    适用年龄：8岁及以上

    乔尔•罗森茨韦格的儿子去年13岁了，正是行犹太成人礼的年纪，他想亲手给儿子制作一个非常特别的礼物。这个礼物是一款新玩具，当然，这也没什么好奇怪的。罗森茨韦格已经在玩具制造业干了20年了，他是i-Star娱乐公司的老板，公司有8名员工。在离儿子的成人礼只剩几周的时候，他开始动手制作这个玩具的原型。

    把两块塑料粘在一起，再配上一些小灯，一根细绳，一个FyrFlyz就这样诞生了。玩法也很简单，只需要用手抓住细绳的两端，然后让这个玩具快速旋转，直到绳子绷紧。每次旋转，灯光都会显示出不同的图案。

    罗森茨韦格用手工制作了140个这样的玩具，然后在成人礼上分发给了孩子们。“孩子们玩了起来，然后很快就上手了。”他说：“我马上意识到，这个玩具有市场。”两天后，罗森茨韦格就踏上了前往香港的飞机，寻找一家生产FyrFlyz的制造商。

    量产版的FyrFlyz从上个月开始在美国上市，在各大玩具店和药店中均有售。它看起来和原版有点区别。它使用电池，有一个简单的、滴漏状的塑料外壳，两端都装有LED灯。罗森茨韦格称：“在目前的经济环境下，10美元的售价也很关键。”

    FyrFlyz已经登上了今年的热门玩具排行榜，而且还获得了三个著名的奖项，包括《游戏时间》（Time to Play）杂志评选的“2011年15个最想要的节日玩具”奖。

    罗森茨韦格并没有被胜利冲昏头脑，他已经开始着手扩展公司的产品线。他说，明年春天，FyrFlyz将推出三种不同颜色的版本，也许还会附带音乐功能。

FyrFlyz

    Company: i-Star Entertainment

    Location: Great Neck, N.Y.

    Price: $9.99

    Age: 8 and up

    Joel Rosenzweig wanted to do something extra special for his son's Bar Mitzvah last year. The something special turned out to be a new toy, which isn't much of a surprise. Rosenzweig is a 20-year veteran of the toy industry and heads i-Star Entertainment, a toy maker with eight employees. With just a few weeks to go before the family event, he got cracking on a prototype.

    Taking two pieces of plastic tied together, tiny lights and string he created what would become FyrFlyz. The idea is to grab the ends of the string and spin the toy quickly until it becomes taut. The lights made different patterns with each spin.

    Rosenzweig handmade 140 and gave them out at the Bar Mitzvah. "The kids started playing with them and immediately knew how to use them," he said. "I knew I had something." Two days later, he was on a plane to Hong Kong to find a manufacturer to make FyrFlyz.

    FyrFlyz, which looks a little bit different than the prototype, launched last month in the United States in toy stores and drug stores nationwide. It's a simple, battery-operated hour glass-shaped plastic shell with LED lights on both ends. "The $10 price is also key in this economy," said Rosenzweig.

    FyrFlyz has already made it on to several hottest toys lists for 2011 and won three prestigious awards, included Time to Play's "Top 15 most-wanted holiday toys for 2011."

    Not resting on his laurels, Rosenzweig is already extending the line. Next spring, FyrFlyz will come in three different colors and maybe even include music, he said.

迷你吸盘小怪兽

    公司名称：Zing Toys

    所在地：俄勒冈州波特兰市

    价格：一个装1.25美元，三个装2.99美元

    适用年龄：4岁及以上

    就是忍不住想捏泡泡包装袋怎么办？现在Zing Toys公司的产品让你有了新选择。

    Ickee Stikeez外形是小小的、黏乎乎的的怪兽形象，非常适合收藏。它的底部安有吸盘，孩子们可以把它们贴在任何地方，也可以把它们放在圆形的塑料包装盒里。

    不过最美妙的当属它们从一个平面上拔下来时发出的“啪”的声音。它们也符合孩子们收集东西的爱好。同时父母也不必太为钱操心。Ickee Stikeez系列有24个角色形象，每个售价仅为1.25美元。

    Zing Toys公司目前只有五年的历史，它是一家波特兰的小型玩具厂家，只有30名员工。该公司的高管约什•洛泽尔称：“我们的目标是生产一款又酷又有趣，并且并有创新性的产品。它既具有很高的娱乐价值，同时成本又很低廉。我们相信能够制造出一款由想象力创造的玩具，一款不需要电池，而且孩子们随时随地都可以玩的玩具。”

    洛泽尔表示，Ickee Stikeez还有一个实用的功能，成年人可能也会喜欢。他说：“如果你去参加一个宴会，不想把你自己的杯子和别人的弄混了，那就不妨在杯子上贴一个别致的Ickee Stikeez。”

    洛泽尔称，该公司针对Ickee Stikeez的营销方式也同样具有新意。“我们是一家小企业，所以我们也很支持小企业。”他说：“因此上个月我们通过5,000家独立的礼品和玩具商店发布了Ickee Stikeez。” 同时公司并没有花大价钱在电视上做广告，但Ickee Stikeez仍然卖得很火。

    “如果我们出去吃午餐，我们会把Ickee Stikeez粘在桌子上或吧台上。有意思的是，等我们再次光顾的时候，我们发现它们被粘在了收银机上，”洛泽尔说。

Ickee Stikeez

    Company: Zing Toys

    Location: Portland, Ore.

    Price: $1.25 for single pack; $2.99 for a triple pack

    Age: 4 and up

    Zing Toys may have the cute answer to popping bubble wrap.

    Ickee Stikeez, tiny, squishy, collectible monster figures, have tiny suction cups for feet. Kids can stick them anywhere, or keep them in their round plastic pods.

    The best part, though, is the popping noise that they make when pulled off of a surface. They also appeal to kids' tendency to collect items. But parents don't have to dole out lots of money either. Each of the 24 characters costs just $1.25.

    "Our goal was to make a cool, fun and innovative product that was high on play value but very low on the cost," said Josh Loerzel, executive with five-year-old Zing Toys, a small Portland toymaker with 30 employees. "We believe in making toys that are built on imagination, don't require any battery and kids can play with anywhere."

    Loerzel said there's also a functional value to Ickee Stikeez that grownups might appreciate. "If you're at a party and you don't want your glass mixed up, just stick a distinctive Ickee Stikeez on it," he said.

    Loerzel said the company is taking the same creative approach it adopts to make toys to also build buzz about them. "We're a small business and we're supporting small business," he said. "So we launched Ickee Stikeez last month through 5,000 independent gift and toy stores." Zing Toys is also shunning expensive TV ads and going viral, instead.

    "If we go to lunch, we leave Ickee Stikeez on the table or on the check. Funny thing is, when we go back, we find them there on the cash registers," said Loerzel.

会生蛋的企鹅机器人

    公司名称：波萨诺瓦机器人公司

    所在地：匹兹堡市

    价格：Skylee：59.55美元；Mechatars：39.99美元

    适用年龄：Skylee：4岁及以上；Mechatars：6岁及以上

    千万不要被这家公司的名字唬住了。波萨诺瓦机器人公司（Bossa Nova Robotics）实际上是一家玩具制造公司。

    这家公司是萨众恩•斯卡夫与两名同事一起创立的。当时斯卡夫正在卡耐基梅隆大学（Carnegie Mellon University）攻读机器人博士学位，并且正在为美国国防部制造机器人。后来他想道，是否可以把这项技术用来制造消费性产品，具体来说就是玩具。

    2005年，斯卡夫与同事一起创立了波萨诺瓦机器人公司，成为卡耐基梅隆大学机器人研究院（Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute）的一个衍生机构。不过当时斯卡夫并不急着进军玩具业，而是到中国去住了两年，对玩具制造业进行悉心调研，以便为他的玩具找到最好的代工厂家。2009年，斯卡夫的公司发布了一款名叫Penbo的企鹅玩具，它所使用的技术与斯卡夫为国防部研究的机器人技术是一样的。

    斯卡夫介绍道：“Penbo会像真的企鹅一样摇摇摆摆地走路，而且它还会通过红外线技术和接触式传感器与孩子进行互动。”此外，Penbo的身上还怀着一个蛋，能够自动孵出一个小企鹅。“凭借我们的机器人技术，我们建立了一种真实的母女互动。Penbo会对她的孩子说话，甚至和它玩捉迷藏，”斯卡夫说。

    今年，波萨诺瓦机器人公司又在“Penbo和它的朋友”（Penbo & Friends）产品线里加入了一个名叫Skylee的新角色。Skylee是一条可爱的小龙，具有互动能力，会唱歌、跳舞，还会与它的龙宝宝玩捉迷藏。

    另外，这两年来，斯卡夫和他的团队还一直在研发一款名叫Mechatar的玩具机器人。Mechatar的神奇之处在于，一个孩子和它玩得越久，它就会变得越聪明。斯卡夫称，孩子们既可以在现实世界中玩Mechatar，也可以把它与电脑进行连接。这样一来，孩子们会看到他们的机器人变得活了起来，而且可以在电脑上继续玩。斯卡夫说：“这是现实与虚拟的某种结合。”

    Skylee和Mechatar刚刚登陆全国的塔吉特百货（Target）、亚马逊（Amazon）和玩具反斗城（Toys R Us）门店。

    波萨诺瓦机器人公司的共同创始人马丁•希奇称：“我们都是机器人的狂热爱好者。我们也花了很多时间来了解孩子和他们的玩耍方式。我们生产的玩具都非常有创意，而且它们的价格也让家长们能够接受。”

Skylee and Mechatars

    Company: Bossa Nova Robotics

    Location: Pittsburgh

    Price: Skylee: $59.99; Mechatars: $39.99

    Age: Skylee: 4 and up; Mechatars: 6 and up

    Don't let the name fool you. Bossa Nova Robotics is actually a toymaker.

    Sarjoun Skaff, who founded the company with two other colleagues, was working on his Ph.D. in robotics at Carnegie Mellon University. He was building a robot for the defense department when he started to think about how he could translate that same technology to create consumer products, specifically toys.

    In 2005, Skaff cofounded Bossa Nova Robotics, an offshoot of Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute. But he wasn't in a rush to invade the toy industry. Instead, he went to China and lived there for two years, doing research on toy manufacturing in a bid to find the best maker for his toys. In 2009, the company launched Penbo, a penguin built on similar robotics technology that Skaff worked on for the defense department.

    "Penbo waddles. Penbo also interacts with kids through infrared technology and touch sensors," said Skaff. What's more, Penbo carries an egg that opens up into a baby penguin. "With our technology, we created a realistic mother-daughter interaction. And Penbo would talk to her baby and even play hide-and-seek with her," said Skaff.

    This year, Bossa Nova Robotics added a new character to the Penbo & Friends line called Skylee, an adorable interactive dragon. Skylee sings, dances, and plays hide-and-seek with her own dragon baby.

    There's more. For two years, Skaff and his team have worked on Mechatars, toy robots that become smarter the more often a child plays with them. Skaff said kids can play with Mechatars offline or connect Mechatars to their computer and watch the robotic characters come alive online and play there. "It's a form of blended reality," he said.

    Both Skylee and Mechatars just launched at Target, Amazon and Toys R Us nationwide.

    "We are robot enthusiasts. We also spend a lot of time understanding kids and how they are playing," said Bossa Nova Robotics cofounder Martin Hitch. "We are creating toys that are truly innovative at prices that parents feel good about."

烦人的桔子

    公司名称：The Bridge Direct

    所在地：佛罗里达州伯卡拉顿市

    毛绒玩具和角色套系的价格：9.99美元

    适用年龄：4岁及以上

    “烦人的桔子”形成自己的产品线只是个时间问题。

    《烦人的桔子》（The Annoying Orange）是戴恩•伯迪希海默制作的一个网络动画连续剧，主角是各种会说话的水果和蔬菜。伯迪希海默给它们安上了自己的眼睛和嘴，让它们有了生命。

    这个动画连续剧的男一号是一只桔子，它总是喜欢用搞笑和刻薄的双关语来骚扰厨房里的其它东西。

    这个网络动画连续剧现在十分热门，据说在YouTube上的观看数已经超过了8亿次。

    发现《恼人的桔子》迅速窜红后，玩具制造商The Bridge Direct公司立刻借着这股东风，开始生产“恼人的桔子”系列玩具。The Bridge Direct公司去年独家生产的贾斯汀•比伯玩偶就是该公司第一款大获成功的玩具。

    The Bridge Direct公司的总经理乔治•沃卡斯称：“我们一直很关注孩子们在追什么。两年前我们就注意到了《烦人的桔子》的网络视频，后来一直对它保持着关注。”

    沃卡斯说，《烦人的桔子》在Facebook上吸了900万粉丝时，公司果断出手，获得了生产该玩具系列的许可证。“《烦人的桔子》的搞笑元素和《愤怒的小鸟》不相上下，”他说。

    今年11月，《烦人的桔子》的粉丝们就能买到绒毛版的角色玩具，以及六个主要角色组成的套系了。每个角色都带着一句招牌性的烦人语录。“烦人的桔子”系列玩具将在玩具反斗城独家发售。

Annoying Orange

    Company: The Bridge Direct

    Location: Boca Raton, Fla.

    Price: $9.99 for plush toys and collectible figures

    Age: 4 and up

    It was only a matter of time before the Annoying Orange got its own line of toys.

    The Annoying Orange is an animated web series created by Dane Boedigheimer, featuring a variety of talking fruits and vegetables. Boedigheimer brought the characters to life by superimposing his own eyes and mouth on them.

    The main character is the orange, who tries to annoy the kitchen crew with his hilarious and sarcastic exchanges.

    The webisodes became a hit and now boast over 800 million views on YouTube.

    Toymaker The Bridge Direct, which scored its first massive toy hit last year with its exclusive Justin Bieber dolls, quickly jumped onto this viral trend after spotting its explosive popularity.

    "We pride ourselves in keeping a pulse on what kids are following," said George Vorkas, general manager with The Bridge Direct. "We noticed the Annoying Orange web videos two years ago and kept an eye on it ever since."

    When Annoying Orange hit nine million fans on Facebook, Vorkas said the company decided to pull the trigger and lock in a license to produce a toy line. "Annoying Orange has the same fun factor as Angry Birds," he said.

    In November, Annoying Orange fans will be able to buy plush characters and a collection of six talking Annoying Orange figures, each with their own annoying phrases. All the toys launch exclusively at Toys R Us.

在天上游泳的鲨鱼和会跳舞的机器人

    公司名称：Wow!Stuff

    所在地：英国伍尔弗汉普顿

    价格：均为49.99美元

    适用年龄：充气鲨鱼Air Swimmer适合8岁以上儿童；跳舞机器人My Keepon适合6岁以上儿童。

    英国玩具厂家Wow! Stuff公司首次在美国发售玩具就取得了巨大的成功。

    Wow! Stuff是一家仅有50名全职员工的小公司。仅仅两年前，该公司才决定从玩具进口商转型为玩具制造商。

    “我们不想再卖别人的产品了，”Wow! Stuff的CEO理查德•诺斯说。打定主意后，诺斯和其他两名同事组建了一支发明团队，其中一些成员还是科学家。这只团队决定创造出令人兴奋的、具有创新性的玩具。他们的格言是：“要么一鸣惊人，不然啥都不是！”

    Wow!Stuff公司于2009年推出了第一款玩具，那是一只能放在肩膀上的机器猴，它的名字叫Dave。“我们卖出了30万只玩具，但是没有一只在美国卖出的，”诺斯说。一年后，诺斯的一个朋友搓合他与玩具反斗城会面，诺斯也抓住了机会。“我们飞越了整个大西洋，只是为了争取10分钟的机会，把我们的点子展示给玩具反斗城，”他说。但这次会议最终却持续了4个小时。

    诺斯说：“他们非常喜欢我们的创意。”玩具反斗城立即拍板，与Wow!Stuff公司签订了一项协议，决定独家代理Wow!Stuff的两款新玩具在美国和全球的发售，正好赶得上2011年的假期季节。

    第一款产品是一套名叫Air Swimmer的遥控充气飞行玩具，它包括一只4英尺长的鲨鱼和一只巨大的小丑鱼，均由遥控控制，可以漂浮在空中。第二款玩具叫做My Keepon，这是一款互动式的跳舞机器人，它最早是为了帮助自闭症儿童而研发的。捅它、拍它、捏它，或者搔它的痒，它都会做出反应。My Keepon将于11月3日开始在美国销售。而Air Swimmer已于上月到店发售。

    诺斯说：“这两款产品的反响十分强烈。玩具反斗城说，我们能生产多少，他们就愿意采购多少。”

    译者：朴成奎

Air Swimmers and My Keepon

    Company: Wow!Stuff

    Location: Wolverhampton, England

    Price: $49.99 for both toys

    Age: Air Swimmers: 8 and up; My Keepon: 6 and up

    UK-based Wow! Stuff launches its toys for the first time in the United States, and it's doing it with a bang.

    Just two years ago, Wow!Stuff, a toymaker with 50 full-time employees, decided to move away from being a toy importer to a toymaker.

    "We didn't want to sell other people's products anymore," said Richard North, CEO of Wow!Stuff. So North and two other colleagues assembled a team of inventors, some of whom were scientists, and embarked on a mission to create exciting, innovative toys. Their mantra was "Wow! Or nothing!"

    "Dave the robotic funky shoulder monkey" was the first toy Wow!Stuff produced in 2009. "We sold 300,000 of those but none in the United States," said North. A year later, a friend proposed a meeting with Toys R Us, and North jumped on it. "We literally flew across the pond for a 10-minute chance to present our ideas to Toys R Us," he said. That meeting ended up running four hours.

    "They loved our ideas," he said, so much so that Toys R Us immediately locked Wow!Stuff in a deal to debut the company's next two toy products exclusively at Toys R Us stores in the United States and worldwide just in time for the 2011 holiday season.

    The first is Air Swimmers, which include a four-foot-long floating remote-controlled shark and giant clownfish. The second toy is My Keepon, an interactive dancing robot that was initially developed to help autistic children. It responds to poking, patting, squeezing and tickling. My Keepon goes on sale on Nov. 3. Air Swimmers hit stores last month.

    "The response has been tremendous. Toys R Us said they'll buy as many [of the toys] as we can make," he said.