Ideas
Explore the world's #1 largest database of ideas and innovations, with 470,884 inspiring examples.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,271 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 312,251 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Consumer Insights
Uncover major shifts and emerging opportunities with our exclusive PRO research.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,271 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 312,251 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Trend Reports
Get fast, customized trend reports, presentations and deep dives 20x faster than traditional research.
Plans
Get started today with a free consultation, our self-serve tools, or a dedicated program.
Articles & Magazine
Get inspired with our 4,215 innovation strategy articles, keynote, videos and innovation tools.
Innovation Awards
Trend Hunter’s Innovation Strategy Awards recognize the best innovation tactics gathered from our interviews with some of the world's most notable business leaders, authors and change makers.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Innovation Assessment
Enhance your innovation potential with a deeper understanding of your unique innovation archetype and how your organization benchmarks.
FuturistU
Prepare for the years ahead with 100+ lessons, tactics, tools and frameworks with our full learning database.
Innovation Books
Join 20,000,000 people getting better and faster with our New York Times Bestselling books and keynote videos.
Jeremy Gutsche
Ignite your event or virtual event with our CEO, a NY Times Bestselling Author and one of the top innovation keynote speakers.
Our Team of Speakers & Virtual Presenters
Inspire your group with our most popular speakers on innovation, trends, change and futurism.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Custom Masterclasses
Join the world's leading brands who leverage our custom programs to accelerate innovation.
FuturistU 5-Day Program
Become a Futurist with our immersive 5-Day program at Future Festival World Summit.
Online eLearning
Learn the fundamentals of futurism and trends with 100+ online courses about innovation.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Contact
Get in touch to learn more, ask a question or submit a tip.
About Us
Learn more about Trend Hunter and how we accelerate innovation.
Follow-Us
Join our 3,500,000 social media followers, on the cutting edge.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
FAQ
Get answers to common questions about Trend Hunter.
Community
Stay on the cutting-edge with the help of the Trend Hunter community.
Team
Meet the team trusted by hundreds of leading businesses worldwide.
Jobs
Find opportunities to accelerate your career with the #1 Trend Firm.
News
Catch up on noteworthy Trend Hunter news and media mentions.
Join
Build a portfolio and put your trend-spotting abilities to the test.
Advertising
Supercharge your marketing by partnering with Trend Hunter.
Portfolio
Visit your public portfolio and browse your past articles.
Add a Trend
Write up an article and showcase your trend-spotting skills.
My Trends
Edit your articles and see how they stack up on the leaderboards.
Settings
Edit your profile, connect your social media accounts, and more.
Add a trend, customize your dashboard, or track topics.
Future Festival
Innovation Events
Join the world's top innovators at our in person events.
Free Webinars
Learn to innovate through chaos, navigate the new normal and maintain work culture from home.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Search our database of 470,884 cutting edge ideas.

Offbeat Playtime

Toy designers encourage personal expression with bizarre products

Implications - Toy designers are moving away from offerings that emphasize stereotypically masculine or feminine traits, instead creating a wide array of bizarre and offbeat products that are neutral in gender. Whether it's subverting pop culture characters or simply reimagining a traditional toy in a new form, these products make it acceptable for children to diverge from the norm. This progression speaks both to the fading relevance of the gender binary, as well as the heightened development of personal identity at younger ages.
Workshop Question - What can your brand do to encourage individuality and personal expression among youth?
Trend Themes
1. Gender-neutral Toys - Designers are moving away from offerings that emphasize stereotypically masculine or feminine traits, instead creating a wide array of bizarre and offbeat products that are neutral in gender.
2. Educational Subscription Boxes - Subscription boxes with developmental skills encourage kids to think, question and create through experiments and activities on ecosystems, science, ecology, and the solar system.
3. Creative Wearables for Kids - Toy wearables are being designed for children to identify their current moods and express themselves through corresponding colors and app-connected wearable bands.
Industry Implications
1. Toy Manufacturing - Toy manufacturers can create gender-neutral toys that are unique and engaging for both boys and girls.
2. Subscription Services - Educational activity box subscription services can provide eco-friendly products with developmental skills to encourage creativity in children.
3. App-connected Wearables - Companies that create wearable technology for kids can create products connecting apps to help kids identify current moods and express themselves.
5.7
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
5 Featured, 43 Examples:
167,874 Total Clicks
Date Range:
Mar 15 — Jun 17
Trending:
Hot
Consumer Insight Topics:

Related Examples

Diverse Male Dolls
Diverse Male Dolls
Mattel Canada is Launching 15 New Ken Dolls as Part of 'The New Crew'
Toy-Included Gen Z Magazines
Toy-Included Gen Z Magazines
'Mixit' is a New Magazine for Young Girls Ages Four to Nine
Disney-Themed Lip Balms
Disney-Themed Lip Balms
Lip Smacker Has Released a Collection of Endearingly Designed Balms
Bejeweled Fidget Spinners
Bejeweled Fidget Spinners
This Takashi Murakami-Inspired Fidget Spinner Was Made for J Balvin
Wooden Fidget Toys
Wooden Fidget Toys
MOKURU is a Desktop Toy That Flips, Rolls and Does Tricks
Inflatable Floating Raft Decks
Inflatable Floating Raft Decks
The Blue Water Toys Lounge Raft Deck is Ideal for a Lake or Ocean
Treat-Dispensing Puzzle Toys
Treat-Dispensing Puzzle Toys
Planet Dog's 'Link' Treat Toy Challenges with Interlocking Shapes
Connected Superhero Toys
Connected Superhero Toys
The Sphero Spider-Man Toy Connects to a Network for Software Updates
UV Protection Baby Beds
UV Protection Baby Beds
The Fisher-Price On-the-Go Baby Dome is Portable for Use Anywhere
Paper Ammo Toy Guns
Paper Ammo Toy Guns
The 'Spitball Blasterz' Shoots Tissue Paper Ammo You Make Yourself
Spinner Toy Apps
Spinner Toy Apps
This Ketchapp Application is Like a Digital Finger Spinner Toy
play_circle_filledTransformative Cone Toys
Transformative Cone Toys
'Hix' are Soft Construction Toys for Kids for Stacking and Nesting
DIY Model Car Makers
DIY Model Car Makers
The Hot Wheels Car Maker Creates Customized Toys as Desired
Randomized Smart Pet Toys
Randomized Smart Pet Toys
The 'Felik' Intelligent Toy for Cats and Dogs Reacts to a Pet's Actions
Decaying Toy Bears
Decaying Toy Bears
Daniel Arsham Recently Presented His New 'Crystal Toys' Collection
Collectible Sci-Fi Film Toys
Collectible Sci-Fi Film Toys
The Funky Pint Size Heroes Science Fiction Mini Figures are Geeky
Metallic Desk Toy Tools
Metallic Desk Toy Tools
The iThinking Rhino Hammer Tool Keeps Equipment Stylishly on a Desk
play_circle_filled3D-Printed Programming Bots
3D-Printed Programming Bots
'LittleBot' is a Smart Classroom Robot for Hands-On STEM Education
Conversational Study Robots
Conversational Study Robots
The 'WOOGIE' Learning Assistant Keeps Kids Engaged While They Study
Infant Programming Toys
Infant Programming Toys
The 'KUMIITA' Educational Programming Toy Teaches Coding Concepts
play_circle_filledTabletop Restaurant Robots
Tabletop Restaurant Robots
Bots from Coco's Family Restaurant Chain Entertain Patrons as They Wait
Kid-Friendly Therapy Robots
Kid-Friendly Therapy Robots
'Darwin' Provides Robot Therapy to Children with Cerebral Palsy
Robotic Pet Companions
Robotic Pet Companions
The 'Sego' Pet Companion Robot Feed and Cares for Cats and/or Dogs
No-Tech Coding Toys
No-Tech Coding Toys
The 'Let's Go Code! Activity Set' for Kids Teaches Programming Without Tech
Sensory Development Robots
Sensory Development Robots
Infantino's Sensory Toy Features Different Textures, Sounds and Colors
Language-Teaching Robots
Language-Teaching Robots
The EMYS Interactive Robots Help Your Child Learn a Foreign Language
Boy-Specific Dollhouses
Boy-Specific Dollhouses
This Dollhouse for Boys Boasts a Neutral Design Aesthetic
Gender-Inclusive Kitchen Sets
Gender-Inclusive Kitchen Sets
KidKraft's Retro Kitchen Toy Targets Aspiring Young Chefs
play_circle_filledTalking Toy Buttons
Talking Toy Buttons
'Pechat' Turns Playthings into Interactive Talking Toys
Stimulating Infant Gyms
Stimulating Infant Gyms
The Skip Hop Treetop Friends Baby Gym Features 17 Developmental Activities
Mosaic Artwork Toy Sets
Mosaic Artwork Toy Sets
Elmer's Sparkle Mosaic Masterpieces Allows Kits to Create without Liquids
TV Puppet Collectibles
TV Puppet Collectibles
These Muppets Action Figures Celebrate the Iconic Comedy Characters
Drug-Detecting Science Kits
Drug-Detecting Science Kits
This Toolkit Lets Citizen Scientists Help Discover New Drugs
Girl-Targeted Science Kits
Girl-Targeted Science Kits
Yellow Scope Produces Creative and Rigorous Science Kits for Girls
Child Bookworm Subscriptions
Child Bookworm Subscriptions
The Sproutkit Subscription for Kids Gifts New E-Books Each Month
Tailored Motherhood Kits
Tailored Motherhood Kits
Citrus Lane Ships Out Curated Gift Boxes for Mom and Baby
Kiddie Voyager Kits
Kiddie Voyager Kits
A Little Passports Subscription Takes Kids on a New Adventure Each Month
Motherhood Survival Kits
Motherhood Survival Kits
Hello Flo's New Mom Kit is Stocked with Products for New Moms
Kiddie Coding Kits
Kiddie Coding Kits
Bitsbox Teaches Kids Coding Through Monthly Subscriptions
Subscription Science Experiment Services
Subscription Science Experiment Services
The 'genius.box' Service Delivers Monthly Experiments
Child-Friendly Activity Subscriptions
Child-Friendly Activity Subscriptions
Kiwi Crate Service Offers Fun Monthly Packages to Kids
Eco-Friendly Toy Subscriptions
Eco-Friendly Toy Subscriptions
Little Pnuts Sends Your Children an Exciting Surprise Each Quarter
Baby Toy Rentals
Baby Toy Rentals
Dim Dom Offers Short-Term Leases for Kids' Playthings