Holiday
Shopping Brings Back the 1980s
(ARA)
- The holiday shopping season is here. What’s hot? Toys from the 1980s.
That’s right. He-Man, Strawberry
Shortcake, Care Bears and Transformers are a few of the brands being
re-released. There’s even “The 80s Game,” a new trivia board game for
s.
So why are store shelves packed with ‘80s
products?
Toy industry experts say that kids -- and
s -- just can’t get enough of these "retro toys."
“Many popular product lines from the
1980s have been reintroduced or enhanced for the 2003 holiday season and
we expect them to be big sellers,” says Shannon Eis, spokesperson for
the Toy Industry Association.
“It seems as if parents who once played
with these items are hoping that their children will take as much
enjoyment from them as they did,” Eis says.
And that’s just fine with toy retailers,
who eagerly anticipate the busy holiday shopping season.
“‘Retro toys’ are selling briskly right
now and we expect that the high demand for these products will continue
through the holiday season,” says David Novitsky, vice president of
merchandising for
KBtoys.com.
Re-releasing best-selling toys is not
unusual in the toy industry. For example, new versions of Barbie and G.I.
Joe pop up every year.
However, this year’s crop of re-released
‘80s toys is turning some heads. That’s because the new versions are now
sold with “modern day” accessories.
For example, Strawberry Shortcake now
comes with a DVD. He-Man talks, thanks to a tiny microchip. And you can
buy Pac-Man for Xbox.
All of which must have some parents doing
a double-take when they walk down toy store aisles.
To feel young again themselves, s
can catch retro fever with The 80s Game. Geared to those aged 25 and
older, the trivia game features 3,000 questions about ‘80s pop culture.
(See the game at www.the80sgame.com.)
A quick glance at the game’s trivia cards
reveals topics such as The Cosby Show, Fletch, Madonna, Journey and The
Breakfast Club.
“People who grew up in the 1980s are now
getting married and having kids, and they want to remember their younger
days,” says Anne Siegert, vice president of the company that makes The
80’s Game, The 70s Game and The 90s Game. “The 80s Game is a catalyst
for reminiscing about the past.”
Siegert says that the game’s music trivia
questions are especially popular with players. One question asks for the
opening lyrics to the ‘80s song “Come On Eileen.”
But do players actually remember songs
like this?
They do, according to former MTV vee-jay
Nina Blackwood, who hosts the syndicated radio show “Absolutely80s.”
Blackwood says she gets hundreds of requests for the song which is by
Dexy’s Midnight Runners.
“People don’t seem to get enough of many
of the big hit artists I first played on MTV,” says Blackwood, who was
one of MTV’s original vee-jays in 1981.
Blackwood points out that many of her
listeners now have strong nostalgic feelings for 1980s pop culture.
“People who were watching me on MTV in the ‘80s get a nice dose of
memories,” she says.
And those ‘80s memories could explain why
many parents are poised to purchase ‘80s toys for their children this
year.
Courtesy of ARA Content
You can purchase these and other fine
retro toys and games at
the following locations:
Amazon.com
TFAW.com for a
massive selection of DC Direct merchandise!
eToys
and
Hobbytron
for more games and toys.
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