The latest Fisher-Price toy lets kids play with their parents who, as part of the coronavirus pandemic, work from home and do other stay-at-home activities.
These new play sets allow children to play as well as work from home, practice at home, and spend more time in the kitchen – just like their parents.
Babies and toddlers can play with adults with these toys “which turn every day adult activities into, well, toys,” says Chuck Scothon, former vice president of Fisher-Price and Mattel’s global head of nursery and toddler playgrounds, in a blog post announcing them. “This collection contains a number of actions that children see the adults in their lives now doing more than ever.”
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The new Fisher-Price toys include:
• My Home Office Set ($ 24.99, available for pre-order) comes with a toy laptop with interchangeable fabric apps for the screen, toy smartphone, headset and coffee cup.
• The Cutest Chef Gift Set ($ 14.99, now available) features chef’s slice pants, crispy oven-mitts, tongs with a spinning meatball and a recipe card.
• Baby Biceps Gift Set ($ 14.99, now available) includes a headband, barbell and kettleball, plus a pretend protein shake drinking cup.
• Tiny Tourist Gift Set ($ 14.99, now available) to make staycations feel like a game. The set includes a toy camera with a click lens and rattling beads, a sunscreen bottle, a mirror and a chewable teething “passport.” This was released earlier in the year.
Fisher-Price toy designers used popular hashtags on social media – #food, #fitness and #staycations – as inspiration for the new products intended to tick adults as children, Scothon says.
“We have always focused on making playtime more enjoyable by infusing surprising and playful elements into our toys,” he said. “In the category of children and toddlers, we have deliberately focused on introducing toys that also make parents and caregivers laugh.”
Other Fisher-Price and Mattel toys announced during the pandemic included action figures and figures from doctors, nurses, medical emergency technicians, grocery workers and delivery managers. The company has also released new Matchbox cars, including vans and a waste truck, plus play sets, including a police cruiser with a police officer and medical personnel.
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