"Toys increasingly tied to online worlds created for children to explore"; " A growing number of online tie-ins to toys such as Barbie, collectible trading card games and even stuffed animals are joining established kids-geared online communities to create what will soon become hundreds of social networks and virtual worlds for children. No one expects Web-enabled toys such as Webkinz stuffed animals or the online world devoted to Bratz dolls (Be-bratz.com) to completely supplant Lincoln Logs and Play-Doh. But in a relentlessly wired world, toymakers and those who specialize in kids' entertainment are finding children are already online and looking for virtual playscapes to explore. In a recent study, a senior analyst at consulting company eMarketer Inc. estimated that about 20 million U.S. children and teen Internet users will visit online virtual worlds at least once a month by 2011. Some of the most popular toy and game sites geared toward kids -- including Neopets.com, where kids can care for virtual pets, or the Antarctic-themed, Disney-owned ClubPenguin.com -- already have millions of players, and many more online communities such as these are on the way. Many toys manufactured by companies such as Mattel Inc. now routinely include an online component allowing kids to take their play online. Webkins and Barbie Girls toys, for instance, are playthings that include a large online component: Kids can buy virtual goods for their Webkinz or play dress-up with their Barbie Girls on a Web site.
4Kids Entertainment, the company behind the popular Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh franchises, is launching a collectible trading card game that will include a way for players to battle one another online. The game is based on a popular Saturday morning cartoon, "Chaotic," which runs on Fox affiliates. Eventually, kids will be able to chat with one another while playing with their trading cards online -- each purchased card has a unique code that can be entered on a Web site, chaoticgame.com, for free online play. Carlin West, executive vice president of acquisitions and development at 4Kids, said "Chaotic" has been in the works for three years and is the foundation for other online games and virtual worlds that will target young players. "Kids are spending more time online," West said. "Therefore entertainment truly has to migrate online if it's going to have any presence with children. If online play is essential, then toymakers have to adapt to that position." The trading card game and its online equivalent keep kids invested enough to tune in to the TV show, she said.
www.chicagotribune.com/features/chi-0101digital_toys_subjan01,1,4938536.story
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