On February 12, the winners of the 2012 Toy of the Year awards will be announced. These awards are put on by the Toy Industry of North America, and the finalists were selected by “retail buyers; journalists, bloggers and toy industry media spokespersons; academics and inventors/designers”. Here are the finalists in the Infant and Preschool categories:

Infant/Toddler Toy of the Year Finalists:  (ages up to 36 months)

• Elefun Busy Ball Popper by Hasbro/ Playskool
• Laugh & Learn Dance & Play Puppy by Fisher-Price, Inc.
• Let’s Rock Elmo by Playskool
• My Busy Town by ALEX
• My Take Along 1.2.3 Noah’s Ark by Playmobil
• Parents Jungle Pals Stacking Puzzles by Manhattan Toy
• Pocoyo SwiggleTraks Feature Set by Bandai America Incorporated

Preschool Toy of the Year Finalists: (ages 3-5)

• Elefun Busy Ball Popper by Hasbro/Playskool
• Green Toys Pizza Parlor by Green Toys Inc.
• LeapPad Explorer by LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
• Let’s Rock Elmo by Playskool
• Little People Zoo Talkers Animal Sounds Zoo by Fisher-Price, Inc.
• Pirate Ship by Box Creations
• Richard Scarry’s Busytown Busy, Busy Airport Game by Wonder Forge

Keep in mind that these lists were created by grownups, not kids. And that the real toy judges are the kids who play with them. As we’ve seen from years of tracking truly successful toys on BC’s Toys that Get Played With lists, Good toys share common traits which make them irresistible:

Good toys are not one-trick ponies. They can be played in more than one way as kids grow and learn. They’re interactive and made to be played with rather than just looked at. They foster creativity, allowing kids to imagine their own worlds and scenarios. They encourage focus and extended attention. They also help kids develop language, motor, social and/or problem-solving skills. And finally, they’re attractive and fun to look at, touch, and/or listen to. If a toy lacks too many of the traits above, it’s destined to collect dust in the bottom of the toy bin.

Overall, I think they’re good lists. We see new iterations of toys like Little People and Playmobil whose proven track records span generations. Toys like the Pizza Parlor and Pirate ship let kids create imaginary worlds. The puzzles and My Busy Town toy let kids work on their motor skills. The stand out dud among them, in my opinion, is Let’s Rock Elmo, a toy that kids “watch” rather than play with. I’m a little iffy about how interactive the SwiggleTraks set would be.

What do you think about the toys on the finalist lists?

See all the TOTY Awards finalists.

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As you may know, Lego’s new ‘Friends” line just hit the shelves. The 23 sets, with their pastel-hued bricks and doll-like figures are clearly aimed at the Disney Princess set. and have the internet wondering whether that’s a good thing.

Legos and similar building toys are perennially on Baby Cheapskate’s “Toys Kids Play With” lists, and for good reason: Besides being just plain fun, they foster creative, open-ended play, and even help kids understand important concepts like spacial relationships and math.

As a girl who grew up playing with them constantly, I’ve never considered Legos a “boy” toy. Lots of BC readers grew up with Legos, too. We built houses, cars, and spaceships. Lots of girls built houses. We never needed our own version of the toy.

Today’s Lego are different from the ones we grew up with. They’re themed– Alien Conquest Legos. Star Wars Legos. Ninja Legos. These are themes that most girls arent’attracted to. But the Friends line isn’t about girls preferring pink and purple to black and gray, and it isn’t about girls liking puppies more than Aliens.

Legos extensive research tells them that boys play differently from girls. Girls like to build, but during their role play, they love to tell stories and imagine themselves in the world they create. The Friends line was created specifically to allow them to do that.

The Lego Friends sets feature five female characters–each with her own name, outfit and personality. The characters who inhabit Vet Clinics, Design Schools, Cafes, Bakeries, Pools, Inventors Workshops and other locales. At Target, the Friends line will be sold on the “girls’” aisle rather than with the other Lego toys.

Business Week says, “The Lego Friends team is aware of the paradox at the heart of its work: To break down old stereotypes about how girls play, it risks reinforcing others.” There’s the rub. Which is more important?

Will LEGO’s Friends line persuade parents of girls to buy them for their kids? Will kids now play with building toys who otherwise wouldn’t have? If so, I think it’s a good thing.

On the other hand, does the Friends line further differentiate “regular” LEGOs as a boy’s toy? Is Lego reinforcing  gender stereotypes and thus limiting girls’ idea of what they can be and do in the world? If so, that’s bad.

What do you think?

Read more:

• Lego is for Girls at Business Week

• Are New LEGO Friends for Girls Sexist or an Awesome New Choice for Kids? at Inhabitots

• Should the World of Toys Be Gender-Free? by Peggy Orenstein at The New York Times

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