Fisher Price Kid-Tough Portable DVR (Photo: Business Wire)

At the 2012 New York International Toy Fair, leading toymaker Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) will showcase its newest toys that transcend the traditional playroom and deliver deeper ways for kids and families to engage with their favorite brands including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Monster High® and Fisher-Price®. From redefining toy-based storytelling to leveraging age-appropriate technologies, Mattel’s “brand portfolio” puts the future of play in the hands of kids today.

Hot Wheels Apptivity Vehicles for tablets (Photo: Business Wire)

“Families want toys that fulfill a fun play experience while also expanding children’s imaginations in clever and exciting ways,” says Chuck Scothon, SVP, Marketing, Mattel’s North America Division. “Our iconic brands not only transcend generations, they extend beyond the play room to deliver rich content on today’s multiple entertainment platforms.”

Technology: It IS child’s play

Merging age-appropriate technologies and traditional play patterns, Mattel continues to deliver meaningful content and innovative play at a price point that maintains the integrity of a product. From integrated digital cameras to toys that interact with tablets and smartphones, the line between the two worlds continues to blur.

“Today’s children do not differentiate between toy and device as technology is expected in their favorite playthings,” said Scothon. “What Mattel brings to this convergence is a rich understanding of both the art and science of play.”

To complement its global powerhouse of brands, Mattel infuses play into your tablet with something no one else can – the industry’s top global powerhouse brands combined with rich content for an immersive play experience with Apptivity™. Featuring proprietary technology, Apptivity™ allows kids to take a physical toy and safely play with it on the screen of an iPad®.

Beginning with Hot Wheels Apptivity™ which lets kids take a 1:64 scale Hot Wheels car and race through three exciting game mode in May, Mattel will introduce Apptivity™ to even the youngest techies-in-training with Fisher-Price’s® Laugh & Learn™ Apptivity™Monkey. The Laugh & Learn™ Apptivity™ Monkey is an interactive plush learning toy for babies that also lets them enjoy their very own apps on mom or dad’s iPhone ® or iPod ® touch device. Toddlers can squeeze monkey's hands and feet to interact with the app, which teaches baby about colors, numbers, animals and much more. Mattel will introduce Barbie®, Monster High®, WWE®, Angry Birds, Cut the Rope™ and Fruit Ninja™ later in the year.

Combining fashion and photos with a simple click, Barbie® Photo Fashion™ Doll is actually a digital camera and Barbie® doll’s tee-shirt serves as the canvas. Girls can showcase pre-loaded graphics or take their own pictures and display them on Barbie® doll’s tee. Girls who loved Fijit Friends® will love the innovative nurturing play of Fijit Friends® Yippits™. These dynamic dancing pets perform tricks when played with so girls can nurture, teach tricks and discover the spontaneous play that comes with the fun, unpredictability of Yippits™.

Preschoolers who want to take their favorite content on the go will delight in the super-cool, kid-friendly Kid-Tough® Portable DVR that connects directly to a TV and set top box to record children’s favorite TV shows. The Kid-Tough Portable DVR gives parents and preschoolers the best of both worlds: parents can maximize TV content they’re already paying for at home and preschoolers can take their favorite TV shows along for the ride – on road trips, flights, family vacations – or wherever their adventures take them.

Customization and Collectability

When traditional toys incorporate a creative, customizable element – imaginations run wild. From designing fashions to entire fashion dolls, Mattel keeps the category engaging for girls of all ages. We know kids love to collect, and this year, we are offering boys a cool, new take on vehicle play.