Long-Range Water Pistols, Light-Beam Weapons : Toy Gun Makers See a New Hit
Sales of toy guns have slipped in recent years, but they may be poised for a comeback--powered by high tech.
Using technology to make toy weapons more exciting, toy companies are producing water guns that can shoot up to 30 feet or space pistols that shoot light beams and allow children to play tag.
The major forces behind the move are LJN Toys Ltd., with its Entertech guns, and Worlds of Wonder Inc., which has developed a Lazer Tag weapon.
“All the major companies have shied away from the area in recent years due to concerns about possible consumer resistence to toys that are guns and toys connected with violence in general,” said Paul Valentine, a toy analyst with Standard & Poor’s. “However, these two companies are coming to market--this neglected market segment--with state-of-the-art technology.”
Parents Less Averse
That technology, plus sophisticated marketing that includes tying the products in with children’s television programming, should bring the segment back to life, Valentine said.
“I think today’s parents may be less averse to guns than many suspect because they generally missed the height of the anti-war movement in the late ‘60s and they generally were not affected by the draft,” the analyst said.
Americans bought 19 million toy guns worth $64.2 million last year, down 43% from 33.4 million toy guns worth $80 million in 1980, according to MPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research firm.
LJN, in particular, is going after the toy gun business aggressively.
The New York-based company’s Entertech division sells water guns that are scale models of real submachine guns and other weapons.
Sees Univeral Appeal
“The Entertech arsenal features the greatest assortment of realistically detailed and authentic-sounding guns, life-sized for enhanced fantasy action play,” according to the company’s promotional materials.
Leo Hoffman, director of marketing for LJN toys, said: “The motorized water machine gun category is one that we think is going to grow. It hits really a broad age range. The product has really universal appeal.
“The play value is tremendous, really. The product is actually harmless. It shoots water; it doesn’t shoot anything that is dangerous.”
The toys’ realism has caused occasional problems, however. Police in several cities have been summoned by people who thought that the toy guns being carried by children or young adults were the real thing.
The Entertech guns, which are battery powered, boast a 30-foot range and can hold up to a quart of water. The toys, which include submachine gun, rifle, pistol and grenade-launcher versions, carry suggested retail prices ranging from $13.99 to $29.99. Entertech also is coming out with toys guns based on the “Rambo” and “Delta Force” action movies.
Coleco Industries, based in West Hartford, Conn., is producing a line of Rambo action figures based on the movies starring Sylvester Stallone that are expected to be hot sellers this year.
“I think Rambo will be the top boy’s toy of the year because he is being positioned as an anti-terrorist, individualistic commando, as opposed to GI Joe,” who is marketed as a conventional soldier, Valentine said.
The GI Joe line is made by Hasbro Bradley of Pawtucket, R.I.
“Obviously, the decision of Coleco to go with the Rambo license reflected their belief that violence is being more accepted in toys,” Valentine said.
The Rambo character debuted on TV this spring in a five-part animated TV series. For the fall, a five-day-a-week cartoon series is planned, LJN says.
Tie-In With Movies
The Delta Force guns tie in with a planned series of three movies that star Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin leading a highly skilled and secret battalion around the globe, LJN says.
In another area, LJN is producing a line of Photon space gun toys.
Photon is a participatory amusement game invented by Los Angeles-based DIC Enterprises. The game, described as a high-tech version of “cowboys and Indians,” is played in a 10,000-square-foot arena that looks like a space station, complete with lights, mazes, catwalks and electronic music.
Two teams of 10 engage in a 6 1/2-minute simulated space battle. Each player is equipped with a Photon Warrior helmet, chest pod, power pack and phaser pistol.
There currently are five working Photon centers and 94 scheduled to open this year, LJN says.
The toy line that LJN is developing will feature various elements from the actual game so kids can play Photon at home. LJN’s Entertech division is making life-size, accurate reproductions of the Photon Phaser. The battery-powered weapons are to be shipped in June and will cost anywhere from $60 to $149.95, Hoffman said.
LJN and DIC also plan to tie in Photon with 26 weeks of children’s TV programming, starting in September.
Emits Light Beam
The prime component of Worlds of Wonder’s Lazer Tag is the StarLyte, a hand unit that emits a direct beam of safe, infrared light used to tag the StarSensor, an electro-optical device worn by the opposing player.
StarLyte projects its beam up to 100 feet and emits an electronic sound indicating the unit has been activated. When a player tags another player, he or she scores points toward winning the game, says Worlds of Wonder, which also makes the high-tech Teddy Ruxpin bear that was a Christmas hit.
When a player is tagged, the StarSensor emits a stuttered electronic tone and one of the score-keeping lights will light up. After six tags, the StarSensor emits a game-over sound and the score-keeping lights flash in unison.
There are various accessories for Lazer Tag, including a StarHelmet and StarCap, which add to the challenge of the game by increasing the number of sensors worn by the players on different areas of the body. The helmet and cap allow tags from a 360-degree radius.
These toys also are powered by batteries.
A basic Lazer Tag play set is expected to sell for between $39 and $49. World of Wonder, which is based in Fremont, Calif., plans to start shipping in June.
