It lets us get our timing right and not overload a given factory at any one time. He added while price was a consideration, the main factors were quality and accuracy in execution. In probably the key overall direction of a trend, manufacturers are using new technologies to redefine basics. The idea is to add high-tech features to familiar favourites. Smart toys can light up, talk and move - but the technology is getting less glitzy and more focused on functions.
Realism is increasingly important in categories such as dolls, model trains and action figures.
At the same time, plush toy makers are using electronics for plain fun. Our toys smile and laugh. The Harry Potter figure, drawn from the phenomenally successful book series, is still high profile. Game maker Decipher featured its Lord of the Rings card game, aiming to cash in on the movie release at the end of the year, based on the classic book. Infant and pre-school travel toys and action figures largely escaped the slowdown at the end of 2000 and were again high visibility this year, as were plush figures and games.