Tomorrow’s Toy Story

Yesterday the NY Times featured two articles on the latest online-offline toys – one offered a sneak preview of the latest incarnation of everyone’s favorite doll, Barbie; and the other introduced U.B. Funkeys, a set of figurines that, when connected to the computer via USB, allows access into an online world of fellow U.B. Funkeys to interact with.

Mattel’s extreme makeover for Barbie includes a change in style and size (she’s less buxom and smaller than the original), but what really sets her apart is her new functionality: not only is she an MP3 player, but once she’s set in her docking station (that’s hooked up to a computer), she becomes a portal to a world of shops, games, and chat functions on a website designed for her and her fans – BarbieGirls.com.

U.B. Funkeys, being shipped to toy stores across the country now, operate similarly. Created by Radica Games, a subsidiary of Mattel, these vinyl toys look quite like standard collectible figurines, but when placed on their internet-connected hub, they can enter “Funkeys Town” (found at www.ubfunkeys.com, to be operational soon) where they can play games with other UB Funkeys and fight off evil Henchmen.

Both articles points out the potential value of merging the physical retail world with the virtual marketplace. Instead of relying solely on consumers to visit the website and pay for virtual content, Mattel is sending consumers out to buy the enhanced Barbie first, in the real world, to bring back to use interactively with the site. Similarly, entering the world of U.B. Funkeys relies on a minor purchase first (the U.B. Funkeys Starter Kit, expected to sell at $19.99), then further purchases to reach more elite levels of Funkeys Town. For the new Barbie as well as U.B. Funkeys, if buyers want to explore more of the toys’ online worlds, they can purchase more in-store items (like figurines or outfits for Barbie) to access more online. Webkinz is another site that has already capitalized on this idea, though as the article points out, unlike the BarbieGirls site which has limited features you can access even without the new Barbie, Webkinz is directed almost solely towards those who have already bought a physical Webkinz stuffed animal.

While Mattel is not the first company to attempt to bridge their offline and online retail worlds, Barbie is one of the biggest name toys to get “plugged in.” And if the success of Webkinz is any indication, the growing legion of tech-savvy kids will happily welcome the new Barbie and U.B. Funkeys to their diversifying toy collection.