Originality: The key to kid captivation

AS we put the final touches on this year's Toy Fair issue, I started to reminisce about my favorite childhood toys, and I realized that they all share one common characteristic: the ability to captivate me for long periods of time. I remember spending hours trying to line up the color-coded sides of my Rubik's Cube. (Never one to take a shortcut, I refused to give in to the temptation to simply switch around the stickers.) And each new environment I traversed with my beloved Slinky posed a whole new set of descension challenges that had to be explored. Play-Doh, Lego, Lite Brite - the list of retro playthings that consistently amused my generation just goes on and on.