Are Non-Digital Toys Doomed?

ONCE UPON a time, toys didn’t whirr or flash. they didn’t connect to the cloud or unlock special content.

- Kathryn Hulick

They never needed new batteries. they just, well, sat there. They sat there doing nothing . . . until a child came along and unlocked the fun waiting in an ordinary marble or wooden building block.

But will future children want to play with such old-fashioned toys? Many experts hope so. the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association is a non-pro t that provides kids with toys that “focus on what the child can do, rather than what the toy can do.” Some toys help kids develop important skills. Too many special features may distract from those skills, making play more about the toy and less about the child.