# Emotive Pixel Toys PIXL Characters Display Their Personalities on a Small 8-Bit Display By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2016-04-12 | Life-Stages Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pixl References: [vividtoysandgames](http://vividtoysandgames.co.uk/pixl/pixl/) Six 'PIXL' characters were introduced at London's Toy Fair 2016 at Olympia, giving young kids a fun new way to express themselves with emojis. Each of the toys comes with a distinct personality and expresses itself through the small display on its front. For instance, MASH loves food, while FLUF is known as the artist of the group and FLIP & FLOP come as an inseparable pair. On top of the [8-bit emoji designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/disney-4) that each character displays, kids can create and upload their own designs using the PIXL Creator app and website. With these toys, kids are able to "bumpinate" the toys (hold the units close together) and swap patterns with friends. The toys are reminiscent of a [Tamagotchi](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bitzee), but give kids more freedom and opportunities to interact with others. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.8/10 - Popularity: 20% | Activity: 55% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Gen Alpha - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Life-Stages](https://www.trendhunter.com/life-stages) > [Youth](https://www.trendhunter.com/youth) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Emotive Pixel Toys:** Opportunity for creating a new line of toys that allow kids to express their emotions through customizable pixel displays. - **Personalized Emoji Characters:** Opportunity to develop toys that allow kids to create and share their own emoji designs, fostering creativity and self-expression. - **Interactive Toy Swapping:** Opportunity to create toys that enable kids to interact and swap patterns with their friends, enhancing social interaction and play. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Toy Manufacturing:** Opportunity for toy manufacturers to tap into the market for emotive pixel toys that combine digital interactivity and personal expression. - **Digital Toy Platforms:** Opportunity for companies to develop platforms that allow kids to create and share their own personalized emoji characters, promoting creativity and connectivity. - **Social Gaming:** Opportunity for gaming companies to incorporate interactive toy-swapping features into their games, fostering social interaction and engagement. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Emoji-Only Communication Toys](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sega-emojam.md) - [Emotional Exploration Plushes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/emotional-baggage-by-solobo-toys.md) - [Interactive Holographic Companions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/imagix.md) - [Phygital Fairy Toys](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/holobrite-pixie-lantern.md) - [AI-Powered Collectible Figurines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/heymates.md) - [Playful Coding Pets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pyxel.md) - [Expressive 3D-Printed Figures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/solobo-emotion-friends.md) - [Digital Floating Pet Toys](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bitzee.md) - [Pixelated Tile Toy Sets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/click-tile-construction-set.md)