By Rachel Pleasant
Staff Writer

Sarah Anne Summers knows that no matter how many flashy videogames and portable electronics are invented, children still dream of being princesses and firemen; their imaginations still transform a pile of blocks into a towering skyscraper or a little red wagon into a speeding space ship.

But classic toys—the tin drums, ballerina tutus and timeless board games—are often overshadowed by the trendy, beeping, battery-powered, cord- and plug-laden contraptions that come and go with each holiday season—except maybe this season.

Toy giant Toys “R” Us recently released its list of the top toy trends for 2005. Trend No. 3, according to the list, is classic toys.

“Several beloved toys are returning this holiday season, ready to delight a whole new generation of kids and kids at heart,” a press release distributed by the toy giant said.

Toys “R” Us names updated versions of Cabbage Patch Kids, the game Operation and Hasbro Games’ “Classic Mystery Date,” which has been off store shelves since the 1970s, as hot items this holiday season.

National Retail Federation spokesman Scott Krugman said that while the Xbox 360 is on the top of many wish lists, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake and Hot Wheels are also popular, just missing the federation’s list of the top toys.

The reason for the resurgence of such items, Krugman said, is familiarity.

“Now these are toys that parents can relate to, and it’s easier for parents to buy something that they know,” Krugman said.

At Sarah Anne’s, a toy store on King Street, Summers said while parents might be snatching up Cabbage Patch dolls and Hot Wheels, grandparents are also eager to pass on the toys from their childhood to today’s little ones.

“The baby boomer generation is becoming grandparents,” Summers said. “They say ‘I remember this’ or ‘I remember so-and-so up the street had one of these,’ and they think, ‘Well, if it was good enough for us.’ If these toys have been around this long it most likely means they’re safe and just good toys. Otherwise, the companies wouldn’t be bringing it back.”

Among her best selling items, Summers names Madame Alexander dolls, a line of collectible dolls meant to be displayed, as well as soft dolls that can be used as a child’s toy.

“Everybody and their mother grew up with them,” Summers said. “A lot of grandmothers and mothers want to start their daughters on a collection.”

The dolls range from $40 to $140.

Also popular for little girls are china tea sets that come in wicker baskets.

“That’s one thing we can’t keep in stock,” Summers said. “Daughters still see their mothers having coffee or tea, and they want to do the same thing.”

Radio Flyer wagons are also a hot item, as are pedal cars that are large enough for a child to sit in and pedal. The most popular versions are modeled after cars such as the Ford woody station wagon.

Also popular are wooden alphabet blocks, wooden tool sets, dress-up clothes, the Slinky, marbles and juggling balls. Summers has also started stocking Rubik’s Cubes because kids who are 10 or 12 have never seen one, she said.

“We’re also seeing a resurgence in the old children’s card games. One company has brought back the children’s card games with the original pictures, like Old Maid,” Summers said.

“Maybe people are realizing that kids are so computer zeroed in, and they remember playing board games with their friends when they were kids.”

Tim Walsh, author of Timeless Toys, Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them, and the inventor of two board games sold by Mattel, studies toys. He said Summers is onto something when she talks about parents or grandparents wanting their youngsters to break away from the computer screen.

“Childhood obesity is at an all-time high, and people want their kids to be doing more physically, and computer games have hijacked the term ‘interactive.’ A truly interactive game is a board game, when you’re interacting with other people.”

Though Walsh agrees that parents and grandparents are more likely to buy children the toys they grew up with, today’s versions are not exactly what the older generations might remember.

“Kids are more sophisticated. For instance, there’s a DVD Candyland game out right now. Toys are constantly keeping up with the times. When Viewmaster came out, it was for adults to view Hawaii and national monuments. In the 1960s, it was a teenage toy, but now it’s strictly a toy for preschoolers. Kids are growing up faster, and the toys need to keep up,” said Walsh, who lives in Sarasota, Fla.

Whereas a five- or six-year-old might have once been entertained by a Jack in the Box, now a three- or four-year-old is likely to get the greatest enjoyment from the toy, Walsh said.

“There’s something to be said for buying a $200 robotic dog and after a week, the kid is playing with the box. That’s because the dog can only be a dog, but the box can be a cave, mansion or castle, whatever the child can come up with. The open-ended toys, the blocks and the Play-Doh, will always allow kids to bring out their imaginations.”

Rachel Pleasant is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at rpleasant@charlestonbusiness.com.

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