Detective and science toys find a gold mine in girls

Nothing makes a kid feel smarter than knowing something a grown-up doesn't, and with the likes of Kim Possible, Harry Potter and Spy Kids inspiring young sleuths, it doesn't take a genius to figure out why science and detective toys have been flying off shelves. In fact, in November 2002, the science toy category had seen a year-to-date growth of 11% over the same period in 2001. 'Scientific toys and spy detective toys have been dormant for a while, but we're starting to see a real increase in this whole arena of education, science and exploration,' says Reyne Rice, director of marketing and communications for toy sales tracker NPDFunworld. 'It's not nerdy to be smart anymore; in fact, it's kind of cool.'