THE FUTURE OF PLAY:

MINDFUL TOYS
CO NS U M E R I NS I G H T

​ illennial parents are

M
employing simple toys and
'slow play' to encourage their
children's creativity.

Lindsey Belle
OVERVIEW
B o r n mo st ly t o millennia l p a r ent s, Gener a t io n
Alp ha ’s co ncep t o f p la y is imp a ct ed b y
millennia l a t t it ud es a nd v a lues. Ha lf o f
millennia l p a r ent s in t he U nit ed S t a t es sa y t ha t
t hey ha v e a lr ea d y b o ug ht g end er - neut r a l t o y s
f o r t heir kid s, a nd – t r ue t o t he i- g ener a t io n’s
v a lues – Gener a t io n Alp ha ’s millennia l p a r ent s
p ut a p r emium o n t heir child r en’s uniq ueness
a nd cr ea t iv it y r a t her t ha n a ca d emic
a chiev ement .

O f f - scr een sma r t t o y s a nd w o o d en t o y s a r e

g a ining in p o p ula r it y , d r iv en b y co ncer ns
a b o ut ex cessiv e scr een t ime, ha r mf ul
chemica ls in p la st ics a nd r enew ed int er est in
‘slo w p la y ’.

Jetaime Kyan
“
" I n t h e f o rm a l e d uc a t i o n
sy st e m a n d i n t h e h o m e s o f
c h i l d re n , t h e f o c us o n t h e
v a l ue o f p l a y i s ra t h e r l i m i t e d .
Th a t ’s re a l l y so m e t h i n g w e
w a n t t o w o rk o n – t o i m p ro v e
t h e un d e rst a n d i n g o f t h e v a l ue
o f p l a y a n d w h a t p l a y re a l l y
c a n d o ."

HANNE RASMUSSEN

CEO AT LEGO FOUNDATION

Jetaime Kyan
THE RISE OF MINDFUL PLAY
The ev id ence f o r enco ur a g ing p la y - b a sed Pla y - simp lif ica t io n is a lso imp a ct ing t he t o y b o x ,
lea r ning in ea r ly child ho o d – r a t her t ha n f o r cing w it h a shif t t o w a r d s f ew er , b et t er q ua lit y t o y s. A
lit er a cy a nd numer a cy – is g a ining g r o und , a nd r ecent st ud y b y ed uca t io na l no n- p r o f it Z er o t o
t his is imp a ct ing ho w millennia l p a r ent s a p p r o a ch Thr ee r ep o r t ed t ha t w hen child r en und er f iv e
p la y . ha v e t o o ma ny t o y s, t hey ca n’t co ncent r a t e o n
o ne t hing lo ng eno ug h t o a ct ua lly lea r n f r o m it
Ha nne R a smussen, CEO a t L EGO Fo und a t io n, a nd a r e una b le t o immer se t hemselv es in a ny o ne
sa y s child r en ha v e b een missing o ut o n t he p la y - a ct iv it y .
b a sed lea r ning t ha t help s t o d ev elo p cr ea t iv it y ,
p r o b lem- so lv ing a nd emp a t hy . “Pla y is a p la y f ul
st a t e o f mind in w hich y o u a r e o p en a nd t r y Med it a t io n p la t f o r m Hea d sp a ce links immer siv e
Headspace For Kids d if f er ent t hing s a nd a r e in a p o sit iv e f lo w , ” she p la y w it h mind f ulness. The co mp a ny la unched a n
t o ld The Gua r d ia n in 2016 . I t ’s a v iew echo ed b y a p p t ha t a ims t o help t ech- sa t ur a t ed kid s f ind a
f o r mer S t a nf o r d U niv er sit y d ea n Julie L y t hco t t - sense o f ca lm a nd co nnect io n t hr o ug h b r ea t hing
Ha ims in her 2015 N ew Yo r k Times b est seller Ho w ex er cises, v isua lisa t io ns a nd f o cus- b a sed

t o R a ise a n Ad ult . L y t hco t t - Ha ims cr it icises sessio ns.

Env ir o nment a l co ncer ns a nd w o r r ies a b o ut
p a r ent s w ho f o cus o n success a nd
ex cessiv e scr een t ime ha v e led t o a r e-
a cco mp lishment f o r t heir child r en a t t he ex p ense
emer g ence o f simp le w o o d en t o y s. R et r o
o f p la y .
p la y t hing s, like Ca nd y la b ’s w o o d en ca r s, o f f er
d ur a b ilit y , sa f et y , ima g ina t io n a nd ed uca t io n.
And , cr ucia lly f o r ima g e- co nscio us millennia l
p a r ent s, t hey lo o k g r ea t .

Miss Gabby
GENDER-FLUID PLAY
Gener a t io n Alp ha ’s millennia l p a r ent s a r e mo r e
sensit iv e t o g end er issues t ha n a ny p r ev io us
g ener a t io n’s, a nd t his imp a ct s ho w t hey
int r o d uce id ea s o f g end er t o p la y . To y
co mp a nies a r e q uickly a d a p t ing t heir o f f er ing t o
r ef lect t hese a t t it ud es.

To ca B o ca , a S w ed ish co mp a ny t ha t ma kes
child r en’s a p p s, is f o und ed o n a g end er - neut r a l
p hilo so p hy . “Wha t w e t r y t o d o w it h o ur d ig it a l
t o y s is r ea lly insp ir e kid s t o b e cr ea t iv e, b e
ex p lo r a t o r y , t o w id en t heir ima g ina t io n, ” sa id
Ma t hild a Eng ma n, To ca B o ca ’s hea d o f co nsumer
Toca Boca p r o d uct s. “I d o n’t see t ha t b eing linked t o
g end er in a ny w a y . ” I n t he co mp a ny ’s mo st
r ecent a p p , To ca D a nce, a ll t he cha r a ct er s ha v e
t he sa me mo v es a nd clo t hing o p t io ns, r eg a r d less
o f g end er .

Bleubird
GENDER-FLUID TOYS
L a unched b y a n Amer ica n f ema le t r io a t CES
2016 , Wo nd er nik is a D I Y kit t ha t enco ur a g es
a na ly t ica l t hinking t hr o ug h b uild ing cir cuit s.
Child r en ca n b uild a ny t hing f r o m cust o m nig ht
lig ht s t o t a lking st uf f ed t o y s, a nd kit s a r e
co nscio usly d esig ned t o a p p ea l t o a ll g end er s.

Co nv ent io na l ex p ect a t io ns a b o ut d o lls a nd

a ct io n f ig ur es a r e b eing cha lleng ed .
I AmElement a l, a set o f f ema le a ct io n f ig ur es w it h
na mes like B r a v er y , Co ur a g e, Ener g y , a nd
Per sist ence la unched in 2014 , w hile st a r t - up
Wo nd er Cr ew ma kes d o lls f o r b o y s t ha t a r e
mea nt t o enco ur a g e emp a t hy a nd kind ness. I n
Iamelemental
ea r ly 2016 , Ma t t el int r o d uced a r a ng e o f B a r b ie
d o lls w it h sev er a l d if f er ent skin t o nes, ey e
co lo ur s a nd b o d y sha p es in a n ef f o r t t o a t t r a ct a
w id er d emo g r a p hic.

To y s R U s’s U K w eb sit e d r o p p ed g end er la b els in

la t e 2015. Fo llo w ing t his p r eced ent , Ta r g et
elimina t ed it s st o r es’ p ink a nd b lue a isles in
Aug ust 2016 .

Wonder Crew

Wonderkin
 RELATED REPORTS

G E N E R AT ION ALPH A MILLENNIAL PARENTS

LUXUR Y ALPH AS - APAC

THE NEW FAMILY FRIENDLY THE GENDERLESS GENERATION

ALPHA INFLUENCERS

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