Legions of kids explored, tested and rated toys this weekend at a Midrand event that previewed this year's festive playthings.
Legions of excited kids descended on retailer Massmart’s Game store in Mall of Africa this weekend. They didn’t just get to play with the latest squishies, rifles, cars, dolls and puzzles that manufacturers had on offer. They got to vote for them.
The results will, to some extent, establish which toys are favourites amongst kids this year and, said a representative of the retailer, it will determine in part what Santa will be leaving on shelves over the festive season.
Excited kids
The event was noisy, full of energy. It was heartwarming to see the excitement on kids’ faces as they moved from testing station to testing station. It was toy exploration at its most intense. Children were divided into teams with three youngsters clubbed together, herded by friendly minders.
Kids took it seriously. My offspring, who attended and voted, diligently rated each toy along with the balance of the kids.
Gallery of toy testing
A few unguarded moments amongst the grown ups gave away remnants of the kid in all of us. Ditto for the writer, whose hands were itching to get to play with some of the toys. There were some longing stares at some of the more traditional play stuff. Racers, cars and even plushies saw some parents coo, quietly, over the displays.
Bubbles always win
Interestingly, and just by anecdotal observation, the bubble machine attracted a lot of attention with kids clamouring to fire off streams of soapiness from the lens of a pink, camera shaped bubble generator.
Then, there were the Lego puzzles, Hot Wheels and even, curiously, a mini-Karcher cleaning device. Puzzles and model assemblies drew a lot of interest, too. Of course, gel ball and air guns had all the kids queuing for a turn with X-Shots.
Toys are the antidote to screen time and what was encouraging afterwards, in particular, was that many of the children fared into the toy aisle at the store, looking for the same toys that they tested.
Later, my children, who participated in the event, ditched their devices to play outside, play with toy cars and spend time away from television, devices and online games.
Once the votes are tallied, Massmart will reveal which toys made the cut. Until then, the bubbles, puzzles and toy cars explored may just be an early preview of what will light up living rooms this coming festive season.
