Modern Toys: Developmental Tendencies

The paper reviews the specifics of modern toys basing on the analysis of items presented at the annual Nuremberg International Toy Fair. We share our impressions of the Fair and make an attempt to identify the main developmental trends of the modern toy market. We outline the structure of the Fair that represents the typology of play materials and provide a description of character toys, toys made of wood and other natural materials. In the special focus are the winners of the toy awards (10 most interesting toys out of 75,000). All in all, there are two main trends in the development of modern toys: the first one is related to increasing demands for eco-friendly toys and technologies; the second one refers to the use of digital technologies. In the majority of cases the introduction of electronics into play is made with an attempt to keep the relation between traditional and digital play.