Play's the Thing

By Maryanne Murray Buechner

Butterscotch, a life-size plush pony from Hasbro that nuzzles and eats carrots, debuts at the 2006 American International Toy Fair in New York City along with hundreds of other high-tech amusements, including a tweenage doll with artificial intelligence, an interactive easel and a musical robot fueled by MP3s. Here's a look at some of the most promising playthings hitting the show floor this week--and store shelves across the U.S. later this year. --By Maryanne Murray Buechner

BABY'S DIGICAM

The Kid-Tough digital camera from Fisher-Price has sturdy rubber grips and a color LCD screen so kids can review snaps immediately. ("Look Ma! My hand!") The double viewfinder helps wee ones frame their shots. Image resolution is a mere 640 by 480 pixels (barely enough for a decent 4-in.-by-6-in. print), but low res also means there's more room to store pics: the 8 MB of built-in memory holds some 70 images, and there's a memory-card slot so Mom or Dad can up capacity. Price $70 Available June

A LIVING DOLL

Amazing Allysen from Playmates is a smart doll for the tween set. She's programmed to learn a child's preferences--favorite colors and hobbies, best school chums--and work them into conversation. Armed with a vocabulary of more than 100 words, Allysen speaks in the recorded voice of a real girl. Her ability to process voice commands--a technology that hasn't always worked so well in the past--is supported by sophisticated software, her creators say. The animatronics controlling her face are finely tuned to produce subtle facial expressions that are perfectly suited to her age (she's 10). Price $100 Available Fall

THE WIRED TOT

For those who think it's never too soon to introduce technology, there is plenty of new gear. The V.Smile Baby system from VTech is aimed at children ages 9 months to 3 years. While Junior punches the oversize buttons on the wireless console, Mom is supposed to guide him through the activity--a lesson in colors, say, or shapes--from a device connected to the TV. Chicco, meanwhile, has developed a bilingual videophone for tots 18 months and older. When a child flips a switch on the keypad, objects (a duck, a tree) appear on the screen, and a voice, speaking in Spanish and English over a cordless handset, identifies what's on display. Price $40 each Available Fall

YOU'VE SEEN THE SHOW ...

Toymakers love to license popular TV and movie characters. Dora the Explorer products did $1.4 billion in sales last year alone. So it's no surprise that Curious George--star of a new movie and a PBS series launching this fall--is at the center of his own merchandising blitz. The Tickle 'n Giggle doll by Toy Biz has one up on the classic Elmo doll: a secret, random tickle spot that, when discovered, produces a big belly laugh. Price $25 Available Now

ONE-MAN BAND

The success of the iPod has inspired toymakers to create instruments that let kids jam with their favorite tracks. Blue Box Toys' b2 division this week introduces the MiJam line, pitched to musicians ages 8 to 14. The drumsticks connect to an iPod and let kids add extra percussion to a song. The stringless guitar features a strumming pad and a bar for vibrato effects. Price Drumsticks, $30; guitar, $40 Available September