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MOM, CAN WE HOOK UP MY BARBIE TO THE COMPUTER?READY FOR THE NEXT WAVE in children's playthings? Networked toys are on their way. No, the little tykes are not going to be trading E-mail back and forth about Big Bird and the Rugrats. However, according to Forrester Research Inc., a new category of cybertoy--led by Microsoft Corp.'s Barney and Mattel Inc.'s Talk With Me Barbie--is just about to really catch on with the under-three-feet crowd. Why now? The penetration of personal computers into homes is nearing the halfway mark in the U.S., according to Forrester. The way the market researcher sees it, the home PC will act as a distribution device for a steady stream of new programs and activities that toymakers will provide via CD-ROMs and the Internet. Parents will simply take a networked toy, say a Barney or Barbie, and connect it to the PC so they can load up on new games and fresh features for the old ones. Then, Junior can go off and play. By 2002, the market researcher predicts, networked toys will be found in 80% of U.S. households with both PCs and kids. By then, sales of networked toys and accessories will reach nearly $2 billion.
EDITED BY IRA SAGER RELATED ITEMS
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Updated Apr. 9, 1998 by bwwebmaster
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