Summer Games : The Power Plays of the Season Are Those That Get Children to Have Fun in the Sun

Here’s the picture, one familiar to many parents: The sun is bright, a breeze has the smog almost in retreat, and look at the kids, anchored in front of the TV playing video games.

The sunscreen is ready, and they’ve been warned about accepting rides from strangers. But how do you get them outside? It’s a question Jim Silver asks every summer, and the answer is usually the same--with toys that draw youngsters to the back yard or the corner park.

Silver, a 33-year-old New Yorker known as the “toy guru,” recently evaluated more than 40 products from both major and minor manufacturers and came up with a list of the 12 best toys of summer. The list was published in The Toy Book, his independent trade journal that reaches 18,000 industry insiders worldwide.

“What I try to do is find a variety that will get kids out of the house,” Silver said during a telephone interview from his Manhattan office. “This is the warm season, and parents want their children to take advantage of it. Why should they be cooped up inside? These toys promote recreational fun in the sun.”

The toys, most recommended for children older than 3, cost from $5 to $50, with an average price of about $15, Silver said. They include water sports (pool not required), new slants on traditional games such as football, basketball and tennis, and a talking pony (watch out, Mr. Ed) that reinvents the old stick horse.

Silver, who played with many of the toys and also solicited opinions from study groups, said one consideration is that children don’t get enough exercise. A father of two young daughters, Silver stressed that toy makers should focus on and, in fact, are aiming more products at physical activity.

“Everyone knows that kids these days are in lousy shape,” he said. “I mean, when I was young, we went out on the street (to play) stickball, but now it’s the computer games. I love computer games, but I think that’s more of a nighttime thing.”

Silver said “play value”--whether youngsters will stay with the toy or get bored--also helped him decide which toys to include. Inventiveness usually ensures play value, although there aren’t any guarantees that unique products will appeal to all children, he said.

“We have a pretty good idea, but it’s not a perfect science,” Silver conceded. “We do find that variations on proven ideas, like toys that shoot water, (can be) a good idea.”

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In fact, one of his recommendations, the Robo Blaster from CAP Toys, is an aggressive evolution of the squirt gun. Kids strap on a “robotic control glove” and fire streams of water from their fingertips. The water is held in a tank tied to the hip.

Shoot-em-up themes also figure in the Nerf Arrowstorm Gatling Unit from Kenner, which sends soft foam projectiles more than 40 feet. The Nerf Sharp Shooter fires soft darts, each armed with a suction cup. Silver noted that these toys, as well as the others on the list, have been safety-tested.

Among the sports-oriented products is the Aviva Power Slam bat, which lets youngsters measure the power of their swing on a calibrated meter. Silver said children just starting out in baseball can refine their skills this way. “It’s great for kids just getting into Tee-Ball leagues,” he said.

Agassi Street Tennis from Maui Toys lets you set up a portable court in the driveway or on the playground. It includes a 13-foot net, plastic poles, a non-pressurized ball and two lightweight rackets.

The Double Dunk Floating Basketball Game takes hoops into the pool. The game includes a pair of floating backboards and a small rubber ball. “I love games for the water,” Silver said. “This is a great item; it’s wet basketball with a moving basket.”

If getting soaked is your kid’s thing, then Water Wackers from Buddy L might be worth a look. Players volley a water balloon with racquets equipped with safe spikes. The driest player wins.

Silver said that Sqwish Super Net Ball from Cap Toys is good for the park or beach. Players use a racquet of “super stretchy netting” to fire a ball up to 100 feet. The object is to catch it and shoot it back.

Silver says Vortex is one of his favorites. Made by OddzOn Products Inc., this variation on the football lets kid and their parents throw with accuracy and distance. It’s all in the design; the smaller ball is stabilized by a tail fin. “When I tried this out at the beach, I had a crowd gather around me because I was heaving it about 70 yards,” Silver said. “This really encourages kids, because it spirals every time.”

Boingo Ball, also from OddzOn, is for younger children, ages 1 and up. This large ball features a foam outer layer that “protects fingers from the stings of catching a typical ball.” Silver said it could be used in games such as dodge ball and kick ball.

Another toy for the younger kids is Howdy the Talking Pony by Mattel. This electronic horse, gabby with 18 sayings such as “Whoa, Partner,” straps to the waist. It responds to motion, reacting when a child “rides, pets or feeds” him.

To round out the list, Silver included Maui Toys’ Bright Hoops, an updating of the Hula Hoop. Brightly colored and patterned, he said the hoops appeal to kids with splashy fashion on their minds. “These are really for the fashion-conscious girl,” Silver said. “Now they can hoop in style.”