Licensed wearable devices for children represent a small but growing sector of the toy, accessories, and electronics industries. Their positioning and functionality often differ somewhat from the typical adult-skewing licensed wearable; namely, they focus less on fitness and more on play.
A few examples:
- Disney’s Playmation, a line of connected toys developed with Hasbro and incorporating properties including The Avengers and Star Wars, debuted with a wearable device called the Repulsor, inspired by Iron Man, as part of the play pattern.
- Now Computing, a start-up company, launched Minecraft Gamebands, which allow beginning gamers (playing alone instead of with others) to essentially save the in-game worlds they have created, using cloud-based storage, and take them on their wrist wherever they go.
- Sakar offers smartwatch cameras that can capture stills, video, and audio; they also incorporate an activity tracker. The product line features licenses including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hello Kitty, The Avengers, Batman, Monster High, and several more.
Razer, LG, and Kurio are among the other companies making wearable devices for younger users, although they do not include licensed versions to date.
Kids’ wearables were among the products spotted on the show floor at last week’s New York International Toy Fair. If you are interested in Karen Raugust’s observations about the key licensing trends on display at the show, click here.
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