Technological devices are taking over the toy box, according to new research, which has shown that dolls, building bricks and action figures are being edged out by games consoles and smart phones.
The two-part survey, conducted by cable management specialists D-Line , asked children aged 10 years to name their three favourite toys. Separately, people aged around 40-years-old were questioned about what their three favourites had been at that age.
While the older age group reflected that their top toys had been Lego (15.5%), Star Wars figures (13.3%) and dolls, ie Sindy (11.11%), today’s ten-year-olds have a much more technological taste. Topping the list of today’s favourites was the Xbox (57.5%), with Playstation (25%) also in the top four.
However, more than 32% still have their football as a top play thing, and scooters (including Flikers) among the three favourites named by more than 25% of youngsters, but the domination of technology is bolstered by the popularity of phones, tablets, laptops, and other tech toys like the Furby Boom.
The research backs up a previous D-Line study which dispels the myth of the “wireless age”, with the average UK home shown to have 170m of wiring on view.
The top toys from 30 years ago included such staples as Sindy, Action Man, My Little Pony, soldiers, Bagpuss and play sets. However, signs of the start of the tech toy revolution can be seen in the results with smaller numbers recalling their love for Bigtrak, Scalextrix and early video games.
Paul Ruddick, founder of D-Line, said: “30 years ago, one of the biggest concerns around toys was standing on a block of Lego or crushing an action figure under your foot. Now, we have to negotiate power cables for Xboxes, Playstations and Nintendos, or charging wires for phones, tablets and laptops. It is a completely different environment.”
D-Line produce aesthetically pleasing solutions to the problems of exposed wiring in a more technological age, making homes neater, tidier and safer.
Paul added: “However, this research doesn’t mean the home, or even the child’s bedroom, has to be a tangle of wires, because there are many ways these can be covered or tidied so that they are hidden or out of the way.”
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