(Toy) Platform Wars

Lego reigns king, but many other platforms invade the home

What can we learn from toys?

A couple of Christmases ago I was looking to purchase some engaging and creative toys for my boys for Christmas. This should be a pretty easy thing to do but was faced with the complication of what toy platforms do I buy into. This isn’t iOS vs. Android, this is iOS vs. Android on pounds of candy. We already have multiple toy platforms in our house with Lego, Duplo, Mega Blocks, Bristle Blocks and Magnatiles. In looking online I found over 20 different toy building platforms. My kids are like most kids, they want to continue to build out and try new things. This inherently creates a challenge for parents to determine which toy platform to buy into for their kids. The lack of integration among the various platforms makes it hard for kids to play with these various toys at the same time.

How can this be solved

There are lots of ways this can be solved. I’ll look at two of them, 1) Toy Sharing / Swaps (secondary market for unused toys) and 2) Toy Integration packages

#1) Toy Sharing

The Sharing economy is still hot (or at least a couple years ago it was) and thus there is an opportunity to create a sharing economy for kids stuff (vague on purpose). In this model, it reduces the risk of trying out a new toy given that there is a secondary market to procure and sell unwanted toys. This solution doesn’t come without complications, but aside from ensuring the toys are clean, the complications have been solved by other companies.

#2) Toy Integration Packages

Most homes are made of a variety of materials which is part of what makes homes unique. Unfortunately in the toy world integration appears to be taboo. I can only imagine the type of creativity my 3-year old and 5-year old would unleash if they were able to build with all of his blocks. Just picture integrating Magnatiles with Lincoln Logs and Legos. This would create the perfect foundation for an aspiring architect or engineer. The solution is to build interchangeable “blocks” that allow kids to integrate their packages together. A natural starting point would be Lego, given they have Classic and Duplo blocks. An integration kit among the different types of Legos would provide a gateway from one platform to the next.

Market Complication

Like many markets, the parents aren’t the end users, but they are the customers. While every parent wants to find the best gift for their kid, it is often hard to know what toy will be best. Thus parents rely on market feedback, friends, and sometimes our own youth to make decisions. If you are new toy that is looking to enter the market you should consider ways to integrate with other toy platforms in a way that is additive. This initial hook can then cause new customers to switch a share of their wallet to your business.

Another complication is that a good number of presents come from friends and family. They may have a certain type of platform in their house and thus think you should as well. After the last couple of years, we probably have acquired 10 different toy platforms, though Lego is the king in our house.

How technology can help

Families everywhere will soon have access to 3-D printing technology to print their own integration kits. Thus creating an open-source marketplace of reference designs could be great spot to start where tinkers the world around can tap into their youth to design integration kits that tie together the web of toy platforms. And over time you will be able to print all of your toy parts here. Thus the reference designs can all work together in new ways.

Final Point

Picking toy platforms is difficult. Once you invest in one it is better to stick to that one to give your kids the most freedom to explore and build. Hopefully, we will get integration packs soon that enable the next level of imaginative play or better sharing choices to optimize your toy platform collection.

Enjoy the holidays