Holiday Toys: Then vs. Now

Holiday toys for your children are getting flashier, louder, and definitely more technologically complex than they were just a couple of years ago. We didn’t quite have to carve those old toys out of a plank of wood in a log cabin back when I was a child, but compared to some of the toys children today are receiving, we might as well have. Today, toys are so technology-heavy some of them are barely recognizable as toys. Below is a comparison of seven modern day versions of old classics, filled with as much technology as physically possible.

1. Imaginext Apptivity Fortress vs. Lego Castles:

Imaginext Apptivity Fortress

Remember those days sitting around with your siblings, taking hours to build the perfect wobbly tower out of the Lego Castle set? Then going back to destroy it after dinner? The Imaginext Apptivity Fortress has taken that classic toy and installed an iPad straight in the middle, turning hours of fun into a game that will likely last three minutes before your child gets bored. With an iPad screen placed straight in the middle of a plastic castle. Children can play interactive games on the iPad if the parents download the accompanying app. The “Activity Fortress” lets children unlock new games and activities on the iPad, which sounds fun—just not very active. The toy is, essentially, a computer screen that you lock in a plastic castle. For one thing, this seems like an oddly high-tech toy for a toddler, considering you’re really just handing them an iPad. For another, your child is going to spend even more time staring at a screen, trying to unlock more and more computer “activities” while never moving from the couch, which sort of defeats the point of a toy that promotes activeness. Like the Lego Castle set, it does come with a little plastic knight and cannon…which essentially just sit in the box while your child storms the castle on his iPad screen.

2. Perler Beads I-Pegboard vs. Lite Brite:

Lite Brite

Lite Brite was probably one of the most popular toys ever released. Using little cones of light, you could make any design you wanted, from a flower to a clown to Mr. Potato Head. Now, there’s a version for your iPad—the Perler Bead I-Pegboard. Using small little plastic pegs, kids can work on bead designs over an iPad that shows the shape of the design the child is working on. The free app comes with various designs, and comes with a feature that allows you to create an individual design by taking a photograph. It’s interesting and does look like fun, but unlike previous versions of this type of toy there’s no way for kids to just make up a design on the fly.

3. Angry Birds Star Wars Telepods vs. G.I. Joes:

Angry Birds Star Wars Telepods
G.I. Joes and Barbies were probably strewn over every piece of furniture if you had children a couple of years ago, but now, unless they can interface with a screen what’s the point? With the Angry Birds Telepods, kids can use the iPhone app to download a new game, and by placing their telepods on their tablet’s camera they can transport the telepod characters into the game. Why play with the actual, physical toy when you can just digitize it and play with it on your iPad, right?

4. HexBug vs. Remote Control Cars:

HexBug Crab

Evidently, remote controlled cars are becoming obsolete in the world of toys. They are still being made, but now kids are clamoring for toys like HexBug, a micro-robotic insect that children don’t even need a remote to control. It comes with light sensors and sound recognition, so children just have to clap their hands or shout to get it to move or change direction. It also has bumper sensors, so children don’t even need to steer it away from obstacles—they can play with it without even moving, by pretty much just sitting in bed and shouting. It also moves like a real-life insect, to make matters even worse.

5. RoboMe vs. the Robot Dog:

RoboMe complete with iPhone face

A couple of years ago, every toy developer had come out with at least one version of a robot dog. Some flipped, some barked, and some did tricks, but none would come close to WowWee’s RoboMe, the robot toy that a child can customize using their iPhone. RoboMe comes with voice command recognition, remote video control and facial tracking, and children ages size and up can use their iPod Touch or iPhone to completely customize it’s personality. WowWee has pretty much created a tiny robotic best friend for your child. Good luck getting them to leave the house now.

6. WowWee ArtSee Studio vs. The Etch-a-Sketch:

 ArtSee Studio for iPad
Let’s be honest, the Etch-a-Sketch is a fabulous invention, and even at its debut was one of the most simplistic toys you could ever buy for your child. A child could draw all over the pad without their parents ever worrying about marker or crayon stains on clothes or the furniture, and the drawing could simply be erased if they wanted to start something new. Now, there are dozens of versions of this type of toy, from the Doodle Pro Mini Doodler to markers that only show up on specific paper, to theArtSee Studio, which is basically an Etch-a-Sketch put onto a tiny iPad. Kids can snap this case onto the iPad and store physical drawing tools that are safe for the screen. They can also use the ArtSee Studio app to digitally share or print your child’s artwork. It’s a new take on an old favorite, but at least this one is staying pretty close to the idea of the original.

7. Barbie Digital Makeover Mirror vs. the Original Barbie Makeover Mirror:

 Digital Barbie Makeover Mirror
If you loved Barbie, chances are you had the Barbie Makeover Mirror, which was a pink mirror that came with cheap makeup to try on. Now, even this old favorite has gone digital. The New Barbie Digital Makeover Mirror comes with its own app, as per usual these days, and comes with digital makeup—the child pops an iPad into the Mirror and loads the app, which then tracks the child’s facial movements as they apply empty makeup tubes o their own face. The digital rendering of your child’s face will be covered in makeup, but not the actual physical child. While it probably comes with far less cleanup than the original, it also kind of defeats the entire purpose of the toy.

The moral of this story seems to be, don’t bother going holiday shopping for your child or even reading their Christmas list: just buy them an iPad or tablet and download all of the apps.