Last year, Wal-Mart and Toys R Us listed bilingual toys among the hottest for the 2006 holiday season and it appears the trend continues this year. According to a story from the LA Times from February, Fisher-Price said its Dora’s Talking Dollhouse is the best-selling dollhouse in the company's 77-year history.
This year, some of the most popular bilingual toys such as Dora and Diego play sets were affected by the sweeping recalls. But walking though a store, you wouldn't know, since both of the very popular franchises have resulted in many delightful options for fans of the characters. Truth is, Dora and Diego are very entertaining, endearing and wholesome and those are extremely good reasons to like them-- throw their use of English and Spanish combined in the mix and you come out with the phenomenon they've become. And if you don’t know who they are, ask any parent of toddler.
Aside from toys featuring these characters, parents looking for bilingual toys can choose from many options including offerings from V-Tech, Chicco, more Fisher Price or Mattel franchises and even smaller, independent toy makers. One such example is Baby Abuelita designed to keep Hispanic traditions and sold at top name retailers including Wal-Mart and Target*.
The toy industry amounts to $22 billion, and Hispanic shopping power is nearly one trillion and with larger, younger families, the toy sector will continue to develop products with the needs of these consumers in mind-- and of those who regardless of ethnicity, seek ways to raise bilingual children. With just a few days left for shopping, know that if you are looking for a gift que hable español, there are options out there.
And on a curious note, according to Wikipedia, Dora has been translated into more than 15 languages and always teaches a second language depending on the country where it has been adapted...
(*Target is an FH Hispania client.)