Worldcrunch
Remember those late-90s Furbies—cute, creepy, and eerily chatty? A programmer recently fused one with ChatGPT, unleashing a chilling plot: AI-powered Furbies bent on world domination. As retro toys return and emotional robots like Ropet emerge, we must ask: are we ready?
While Mattel’s Barbie doll is the world’s most popular fashion doll, she faces competition from local and regional dolls: from Mimi in South Korea to Steffi Love in Germany, Worldcrunch takes a look at her past and present counterparts around the world.
Created in 1984 by Spanish toymaker Feber, Chabel fashion dolls were an icon of her era and a favorite among Spanish girls before production stopped in 1992. Now, Chabel is back.
From dedicated spas and luxury perfumes to prebiotics and behavioral therapies, how man’s best friend became the target of high-end marketing.
Children play to explore and learn. But that does not mean that adults are less playful. As we celebrate June 11, the first International Day of Play, Worldcrunch’s Irene Caselli considers what play means for kids and adults alike.
The surge in toy sales sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic has tailed off, and the industry is now in a serious crisis. LEGO, Mattel and others see a potential lifeline in a new target: adults who play. The “escape into the inner child” could become a market worth billions.
The Barbie doll is known today as one of the world’s most iconic toys, featured in Greta Gerwig’s newly-released film. The doll was not expected to be a commercial success at all, but that didn’t stop creator Ruth Handler’s determination. Here is her story.
Buddhist and Shinto temples in Japan hold “ningyo kuyo” (人形供養) funeral rites for unwanted dolls, a spiritual send off to thank dolls for their service and properly put them to rest.
If not for a Polish shopper, it might have remained lost in translation for all the Taiwanese parents who’ve bought their kids the popular toy cactus that raps in some exotic language. But a Polish mother living in the city of Taichung was doing some grocery shopping with her baby at the local Carrefour when […]
Play is a fundamental part of childhood development. But when it comes to toys, as one nursery in Bavaria has shown, there’s something to be said for moderation.
HAMBURG — Georgios Titokis is actually too old for the remote-controlled car he’s holding in his hand. But the toy interests him. Cautiously, the Greek-born Titokis removes the beach buggy from its box and checks to see if any parts are missing. Then he checks the batteries and looks for any sign of wear and […]
The European Union has implemented a stringent new set of toy safety regulations, which could leave some Chinese manufacturers on the losing end.
BYDGOSZCZ – Five-year-old Dobrusia has been in the Pediatric Oncology Division at Jurasz Hospital in this northern Polish city for a week now. “We are still waiting for the diagnosis, so we are not sure what to expect,” says her mother. As she and her family anxiously anticipate her exam results, Dobrusia spends much of […]
What the facial evolution of children’s toys tells us about our conflict-driven society.
A German reporter takes a tour with the radical feminist group at the newly opened Barbie House in Berlin.