 Thu, Aug 28, 2008 07:52 PM
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2008-07-18  Business | Tradition married to technology in toys
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| | by Bob Pepalis | |  |
July 24, 2008 | 09:00 AM
www.gwinnettherald.com
ALPHARETTA – Kiz Toys is about three things, Moreau said: safety, innovation and education.
"What we've done is taken traditional toys that parents are comfortable and familiar with, whether cars, action figures, whatever they would be, and introduced... technology. We've kind of blended the best of both worlds," he said.
Everything in the Kiz Toys product line focuses on having an educational value.
Technology comes in with the online interactive nature of the toys. Children can interact anonymously in secure settings online.
Moreau and Johns sat down and talked about the toy industry, and how they saw little innovation, rated at 2 percent while the average industry reaches 4 percent. Many of the larger companies such as Mattel and Hasbro constantly put new faces on old toys. Even their software games are near copies of their board games, he said.
"We want to reinvent every toy," he said.
Kiz Toys model is to take a traditional toy, whether a car, plane, doll, action figure – and integrate that specific toy with the child's computer to allow interaction both in the physical and digital world.
KizMoto vehicles, for instance, will use a USB key that literally looks like a big key, for the child to put into the home computer. The key is required to access the car's online, interactive features, adding security. Each key has its own access and unique identification on it, with data stored to the key. The key itself becomes the new identity, not the child. What happens if the child loses the key? That, too, is an education, as it carries consequences just as if an adult lost a car key.
"A lot of parents are very uncomfortable with children being able to go online," Moreau said. "We are addressing that in a very direct manner."
The child will be responsible for maintaining the car in a virtual world, checking tires, oil and other fluids. The car can be personalized also. It can be taken to the gaming world to race.
The majority of the Kiz Toys' products will be around $19.99 retail. A kids' gear product line with watches, hats, shirts and other items will probably vary from about $4.99 to $19.99.
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Company lauching KizEarth
CUMMING – Kiz Toys plans to launch KizEarth, an environmentally themed initiative featured throughout its product lines and promotional materials.
In KizMoto, KizEarth will promote fuel efficiency and educate kids on the environmental effects of vehicle emissions, also focusing on alternative fuels, efficient engine designs and how they fit into environmental sustainability.
As Kiz Toys' product offerings increase and diversify, KizEarth will adapt to explore different aspects of environmental education through the product line. | |
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