Santa's Bag

Battery supremos Duracell have conducted a Europe-wide survey on the most popular toys this Christmas. Full details can be found here.

The report is available as a PDF, the most interesting part of the report is the survey insights section which highlighted some cultural trends amongst children and the differences across Europe. I have summarised these below

• Actions is the strongest draw for boys with radio controlled cars and race tracks
• Fashion and beauty is the big draw for girls - the Smoby Star Party CD which allowed girls to become a singer a la Pop Idol or Fame Academy was a winner in this category

UK:USA

• The UK was considered to have consumption patterns closer to the US than Europe
• More toys were bought and more money spent in the UK than other European countries

Northern versus Southern Europe

• Northern children prefer being outdoors taking part in sport
• Southern children prefer to play indoors with computer games and watching television
• Southern children receive a higher amount of pocket money than Northern children, but Northern children start receiving pocket money at a younger age
• Northern children discover new toys through multiple channels: word of mouth, television, magazines, print advertisements, retail displays and catalogues
• Southern children primarily discover new toys through television
• Southern parents put a greater emphasis on educational value when purchasing toys