Publishers push into web-toy territory

IT looks like publishers are borrowing a page from toycos that have carved out a new product category with web-connected playthings in the last 18 months. According to industry tracker The NPD Group, the category's US retail sales grew a whopping 350% between July 2007 and July 2008, from US$130 million to US$460 million. NPD toys and video games industry analyst Anita Frazier says a good portion of that growth was driven by breakout category leader Webkinz, but the fact remains that nearly 50% of four- and five-year-olds in the US use a desktop computer, and the average age of a child's first time using one is 5.7. And US publishing giants seem to be keeping these facts in mind as they move forward with new initiatives that incorporate more involved web features.