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TWEEN MARKET

The Boys´ Share of the Tween Market
In the toy and hobby world, the tween market has become a hot commodity for retailers. Reyne Rice, toy trend specialist for the Toy Industry Association, explains that the industry focus for the last few years has been to retain that particular age group in toy products...READ MORE
CHILDRENS MEDIA

Children´s Video Games Win Fans, Spur Spin-offs
12-and-under gamers continue to split their video time between sports games and educational / adventure games. For the most successful companies and developers, understanding this bifurcation is the key to the crowded, but lucrative, children´s gaming market....READ MORE
MUSICAL TOYS

Bells and Whistles: Musical Toys for Infants and Toddlers
Music comes in many shapes and forms, and thank goodness it does! From plush toys that play traditional music to interactive DVDs, the musical toys on the market with have infants and toddlers singing and dancing with delight!...READ MORE
TDMONTHLY TOY BUZZ

Poker Has Breakout Year in 2004
Without a doubt, Poker has emerged as the hottest game of the year and the trend is directly reflected in this season´s new products. For the 50 million-plus poker players in the US and another 100 million around the world (according to About.com), No Limit Texas Hold ´Em appears to be the most popular version of the game; meanwhile, many manufacturers are drawing their licenses from popular cable shows and even the actual games deployed on the casino floor...READ MORE
EDUCATIONAL

Musical Training Can Start with Toys
Toy Symphony products, were developed by Tod Machover, a composer and professor of music and media, and his research team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The project is co-sponsored by MIT Media Consortia Fund, Yamaha, Sega, Fisher-Price, and Mattel...READ MORE
RETAILING TIPS

Safe Budgeting: The Dangers of High Overhead
Tamara Carlisle, president of Big Kids Productions in Austin, defines "overhead" as their staff and their inventory...READ MORE
TDMONTHLY COOL COMPANY

Schoenhut Toy Pianos: History in Music
Founded in 1872 by Albert Schoenhut, the award-winning Schoenhut Toy Piano Company has moved into the twenty-first century with finesse. Emphasizing an individualized rather than an assembly line approach to manufacturing, this historic toy company is a timeless contributor to early childhood music education...READ MORE
RETAILER SPOTLIGHT

Groth Music Company: Selling Children´s Instruments
"The biggest factor in our success has been the wonderful talented employees that I have surrounded myself with. In the past five to ten years we have relocated to a much larger building, upgraded our use of technology, and have increased our market area to include the entire United States through advertising on the Internet"...READ MORE
TDMONTHLY MOMīS PERSPECTIVE

Wooing the Parents of Tweens
My son now falls into that demographic Limbo known as "tween"--a new market segment crammed into the space between "kid" and "teen."...READ MORE
TDMONTHLY TOP-10 MOST-WANTED LISTS

TDmonthly Top 10 Most Wanted Lists
The TDmonthly Top 10 lists are mostly used by specialty retailers to better anticipate market demands and trends. These lists are based on thorough research and interviews....READ MORE