The 2026 fair saw the high-profile U.S. debut of MOMOTOY, a creative platform that integrates AI, original IP, and youth culture. MOMOTOY's approach represents a shift from "toys with tech added" to "tech-native toys". Their products are powered by:
Affective Computing: Enabling toys to sense and respond to user emotions.
Voice Interaction and Cloning: Allowing for multi-language conversations and personalized "exclusive companion" experiences.
Character Customization: Transforming physical collectibles into interactive storytellers.
Their primary IPs include the popular DUNDUN FAMILY, along with Pear-Us, The Seedverse, and The Soft Forest Tales.
Pros of MOMOTOY
Advanced Emotional Interaction: Unlike traditional toys, these products use "affective computing" and emotion recognition to sense and respond to a user’s actual mood.
High Personalization: Features like voice cloning and character customization allow the toy to become a personalized "exclusive companion," fostering a long-term emotional connection.
Multi-Language Capabilities: The AI supports multi-language conversations, making it accessible to a global audience and useful for language learning.
Support for Creators: MOMOTOY launched a "Global Young Artists Incubation Program" that provides scholarships, co-creation projects, and revenue-sharing for emerging artists.
Collector Appeal: The brand bridges the gap between high-end art and play, featuring limited editions like a 99.9% pure gold DUNDUN figure.
Cons and Risks
Privacy and Security Concerns: Like many AI-powered toys, MOMOTOY products collect sensitive data, including voices and interaction patterns. Industry experts warn that AI toys are often "wolves in sheep's clothing" regarding data privacy.
Vulnerability to Breaches: While MOMOTOY claims secure processing, the broader AI toy category has seen major failures; for instance, the AI toy "Bondu" recently exposed 50,000 private chat logs due to a simple authentication flaw.
Impact on Child Development: Child advocacy groups like Fairplay argue that AI companions can "prey on children's trust" and displace the "imaginative labor" of traditional play where kids create both sides of a conversation.
Stifling Creativity: Some experts worry that because AI toys drive play through preloaded scripts and prompts, they may actually stifle the development of emotional regulation and problem-solving compared to analog toys.
Technical Dependency: These toys typically require a Wi-Fi connection and a companion app for full functionality, making them vulnerable to "hallucinations" or inappropriate responses if the underlying AI model isn't strictly gated.
Writer's Bio: Driven by a fascination with how young people learn, grow, and connect, Laura N. Larsson has spent years researching the role of play and social media in child and adolescent development. Since 2012, she has combined her ecommerce background with in-depth interviews of children and teenagers, producing insightful articles that explore the evolving interplay between play, communication, and online interaction. Read more articles by this author
Writer's Bio: Driven by a fascination with how young people learn, grow, and connect, Laura N. Larsson has spent years researching the role of play and social media in child and adolescent development. Since 2012, she has combined her ecommerce background with in-depth interviews of children and teenagers, producing insightful articles that explore the evolving interplay between play, communication, and online interaction. 
