As the Avatar hype heats up with the debut of the movie this weekend, don’t be surprised if your kids are adding Mattel’s new line of Avatar toys to their wish list.
In keeping with the high-tech caliber of the movie, the toys use augmented reality to bring the characters to life by re-creating the amazing world of Pandora on the computer screen. This is done via a 3D Web tag, called an i-TAG, which comes equipped on each toy creature or vehicle. Scanning the i-TAG at the avatar website will reveal a 3D image with content specific to the toy. If you purchase the Battle Pack collection, which comes with six i-TAG badges, you can have various 3-D models actually fight each other on your screen.
The toys have been available for pre-order since October, but will no doubt be in high demand after kids actually view the movie (and commercials). For a demo of how the Avatar toys work, click on the video above.
Avatar Toys
Augmented Reality Brings the World of Pandora Home
Trend Themes
1. Augmented Reality Toys - Incorporate augmented reality features to bring toys to life generating immersive experiences.
2. Interactive Toy Market - Create interactive, multi-dimensional toys that blur the lines between digital and physical play to engage young audiences.
3. Movie Merchandise Integration - Develop toys that integrate with movie merchandising and marketing strategies to increase revenue and provide an immersive experience.
Industry Implications
1. Toy Manufacturing - Include augmented reality features in toy design for engaging play experiences.
2. Entertainment - Explore merchandise options that utilize augmented reality to create a more immersive and interactive connection between audiences and entertainment brands.
3. Advertising - Integrate AR features into marketing campaigns and advertising to create interactive experiences that bridge the physical and digital realms.