This post is an article by guest writer David Smith, who edits the Toy Talk site. His blog is full of great toy news and reviews, and there are toy giveaways as well. I highly encourage you all to check it out! David and I are going to be exchanging articles regularly to give our readers some fresh content, so this is the first of what will hopefully be many foreign exchange blogs. And now, without further ado, I give you David’s article, which flew all the way across the Atlantic to make it into my inbox. Enjoy!

I love toys. That’s not too surprising coming from someone who runs a toy news website. It’s not even that surprising coming from a 40-year-old man – I have two young boys aged three and five who have opened my eyes once more to the simple pleasure a well-made toy can bring.

And I’m only just 40…

But my love is not unconditional, and I’m seeing some unwelcome trends in the toy industry at the moment. The first is the rush to brand toys as ‘interactive,’ whatever that means. The second is the seemingly insatiable desire to tack internet access on as some sort of bonus feature, whether it adds anything or not.

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Just a quick post to let you know that I was invited to do a guest post on David Smith’s Toy Talk Blog! David writes from the U.K. and wanted my take on the status of the American toy industry.

You can read the article by clicking here.

David is also going to be doing a guest post for my blog as well, so stay tuned for that. We’re both hoping to make these exchanges a regular bit, and we’re very excited about it! I’m definitely looking forward to having a new perspective, and I’m sure we’ll all enjoy his fresh insight.

And with that, I’m off to go do some research on Silly Putty and Jem and the Holograms. Ta for now!