Physical + Digital = Physital, the next big thing in toys

"Physital" is the word defining toy makers in 2017, as they gear up for the Toy Fair in New York City starting on Saturday (February 18). ,

This year, a combination of physical and digital. One example of physital - Hasbro's Play-Doh Touch. It brings any creation to life on an iPad or iPhone. Other strong trends include games and toys inspired by movies.

"The biggest trend in toy industry in 2017 is all about theatrical entertainment," said industry analyst, Jim Silver, CEO and editor-in-chief of TPPM.com. "In a typical year for toy business you see six to eight films that have toy tie-ins. This year, there are close to 25, and most of them are gonna be quite big. I mean, look at the lineup. They have 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'Power Rangers,' 'Guardians of the Galaxy.' You have 'Spiderman,' 'Cars 3,' and, of course, you have the big one at the end of the year, the next edition of 'Star Wars'."

Hasbro is coming out with its own line of movie-inspired toys. But it's also upgrading its well-known gadgets.

"Simon Optics, which you see here, which is a great, new way of playing Simon," says Hasbro president, John Frascotti. "But across all our brands, across our FurReal Friends, we have new animatronic pet tiger that is so fun and looks so realistic, it strains credibility to believe it's actually a toy, and not an actual animal. And then across all of our partner brands, with 'Beauty and the Beast' coming up, we have a new Belle, which is a star of 'Beauty and the Beast', kids can code a dance move, and then the Belle doll actually does the dance that the child has coded."

Mattel, also strong on the movie trend, is showing Barbie Hologram, a doll with voice recognition and artificial intelligence.

"From Barbie, we have Barbie on the go. It's a track set that you can take Barbie, she is riding horses, she has cars, she can travel around this village, it's all interconnected. It's a fun way to take Barbie with you," Candice Jacobson, Mattel's senior manager of global communication, said.

"This year we have Hot Wheels Track Builder. And you can now infuse it with bricks. So we've taken what boys love, construction, and vehicle play. And you can now build out your own world of Hot Wheels. So, it's super fun, and you can build, create, experiment in various ways with Hot Wheels," Jacobson said.

Hasbro, Mattel, and many more smaller companies will be showing off their best creations during 2017 Toy Fair, the biggest industry event in the world. There is a lot to fight for. According to The NPD Group, the U.S. toy market is worth about $26 billion. — Reuters