 |
|
Onward Christmas soldiers: Ben
Watkins, 2, gets to grips with Robosapien, one of the
'top ten' toys tipped to head this year's
sales. | |
Toy manufacturers are going back to the future
with a relaunch of an Eighties favourite this Christmas.
Cabbage Patch Kids, which caused riots in stores in 1983 as frantic
parents rushed to buy them, are predicted to be one of the biggest-selling
toys this year by the Toy Retailers Association.
The retro look continues with the re-emergence of Power Rangers, which
first burst onto our television screens ten years ago, and Star Wars
figures, popular once again with the recent release of two new films and a
new DVD box set.
And despite all the innovative computer games on offer children are still playing
with toys their parents enjoyed as youngsters. Christmas classics such as
Cluedo and Monopoly are in the association's top ten this year but for the
first time in many years Barbie has had her crown stolen by the
street-wise Bratz dolls.
However, the annual top ten predictions, whittled down from 60, are not
always spot on. Last year three toys predicted by the retailers to be
bestsellers failed to make the grade. Bionicles, Boohbah and LeapPad
Learning System fell short of
being a hit with consumers.
In Christmas 2001 only four of the association's predicted top ten
products were successful. With 50 per cent of toy sales made in November
and December and ￡14 million taken in the seven days before Christmas, the
publicity generated from the top ten list is important for the retail
industry.
It is worth more than ￡2.1 billion annually; each child up to the age
of 14 receives toys worth an average of ￡179. Five-year-olds do best with
an annual haul of toys worth an average of ￡278.
Ben Green, chairman of the TRA, said: "We do this to try and give the
public information about the big toys of the year. Cabbage Patch Kids are
the biggest surprise. They were a late entry, launched in August, and we
were surprised how quickly they took off.
Natalie, 11, staring
intently at the Bratz and Cabbage Patch Kids displays, was
asked for her top tip of the year. "Cabbage Patch, definitely.
"They are tiny and cute and I love their dresses. If you are upset
maybe they will comfort you, they are definitely on my Christmas list. But
I would like a Bratz doll as well because they are more into fashion."
Caption: Onward Christmas soldiers: Ben Watkins, 2, gets to grips with
Robosapien, one of the 'top ten' toys tipped to head this year's
sales.
(Agencies) |
今年圣誕節，玩具制造商們將重返舊途，重新生產那些80年代最受歡迎的玩具。
1983年，點心寶寶曾經在商店中引起一片騷亂，瘋狂的父母們竟相購買。英國玩具零售商協會預計今年點心寶寶將再次成為最熱銷的玩具之一。
隨著《力量戰隊》重新走上熒屏，火箭類玩具將繼續流行，10年前，《力量戰隊》首次出現在熒屏上；《星球大戰》中的人物玩具隨著兩部新影片和一套DVD套裝的發行再次流行起來。
盡管現在市場上有各種各樣新穎的電腦游戲出售，孩子們仍然喜歡玩那些他們父母小時候喜愛的玩具。圣誕節的經典玩具如：妙探尋兇和大富翁都濟身于今年玩具零售商協會最暢銷玩具的前十名，但今年是巴比娃娃多年以來第一次把冠軍的位子讓給了“街頭美少女”Bratz娃娃。
但是，每年從60種玩具里篩選出的預計排名前十的玩具并不總能榮登榜首。去年，銷售商預計的三種暢銷玩具：Bionicles積木、Boohbah毛絨玩具和LeapPad益智玩具就沒能在消費者種獲得成功。
2001年的圣誕節，在英國零售商協會預計排名前十的玩具產品只有四種玩具獲得了成功。11月和12月的玩具銷售額占玩具總銷售額的50%，其中圣誕節前七天的銷售額達到1400百萬英鎊，所以前十名榜單的宣傳在銷售業中起到了很重要的作用。
每年玩具的銷售額達到21億多英鎊。每個14歲以下的兒童都會收到平均179英鎊的玩具。5歲的兒童最多一年就可以收到平均278英鎊的玩具。
英國玩具零售商協會主席本·格林說：“我們每年對排名前十的玩具進行預計是為了向公眾提供今年流行玩具的信息。點心寶寶是最大的驚奇。它們在8月份才投放市場，卻迅速成為暢銷玩具，我們對此感到驚訝?！?
11歲的納塔利，專注地看著Bratz娃娃和點心寶寶。當被問到哪個是她今年最喜歡的玩具時，她說："當然是點心寶寶。"
“它們小小的，很可愛。我喜歡它們的衣服。在你心情煩躁的時候，它們會安慰你。毫無疑問，它們在我的圣誕節玩具名單上。但是我也喜歡Bratz娃娃，它們更時尚?！?nbsp;
（中國日報網站譯） |
Updated: 2004-10-09 09:59