While a set of Angry Birds plushies made it onto this year's Hot Toy list, the only proper video game to make the cut is an Activision game that has Toys"R"Us as a marketing partner.
Earlier this year when Activision announced Skylanders: Spryo's Adventure, Toys"R"Us was right there at the game publisher's side. The press release described a global marketing partnership between the two companies, which made sense considering the Skylanders is the first game to merge toys and video games, allowing players to purchase new figures at the toy store, bring them home, and port them into the game. From the press release:
"We began discussing this concept with Activision and immediately knew merging the world of toys and video games together in Skylanders Spyro's Adventure would capture the imagination of a wide range of consumers, including kids, toy collectors and video game enthusiasts," said Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO, Toys"R"Us, Inc. "We believe this product line is among the most exciting and unique offerings that will be seen at Toy Fair this year, and we are excited to partner with Activision to bring Skylanders Spyro's Adventure to Toys"R"Us stores this fall."
Apparently that global marketing partnership includes a spot not only in the 2011 Holiday Hot Toy List, a list that countless parents across the country reference when shopping for their children's holiday gifts, but a coveted spot in the Toys"R"Us Fabulous 15, which narrows the 36 item list into the very best of the best.
Of course that's not to say Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure isn't among the best of the best. Toys"R"Us obviously believes in the product's potential, or they wouldn't have enetered into the agreement in the first place. I love the idea of scanning collectible toys into a video game, and were my children old enough I'd buy it for them in a heartbeat. It just makes one wonder what other entries on the Hot Toy List are the products of global marketing partnerships.
Toys"R"US 2011 Hot Toys List [Company Site]