With Christmas almost upon us, manufacturers’ attention once again falls on the annual top Dream Toys list released by the Toy Retailers Association. 2020’s selection makes especially fascinating reading as the list highlights the toys that parents have relied on to entertain and educate their children for the extended amount of playtime they’ve had this year.
It is interesting to note that almost half (47%) of the most popular stars in the ‘long list’ for 2020 require either batteries or charging via USB in order to operate. These electronic toys include hi-tech Super Mario™ Lego® figures that give instant expressive responses via LCD screens and speakers, as well as a new generation of radio-controlled combat vehicles that do battle with built-in infrared cannons. Also on the list are some returning iconic names, with Peppa Pig and Barbie among them.
Lamentably, a large volume of these electronic toys will inevitably end up in landfill sites, just as they do each year. But with manufacturers now increasingly being required to reduce the waste they produce there is a real need to ensure all such toys are constructed from the outset to be long-lasting and repairable.
No matter how popular they are, the threats to the lifespan of electronic toys remain the same; they include the type of spillages, splashes and misuse around water which commonly occur around children. And this year – with parents paying closer attention to hygiene around their little ones’ playthings – toys will have to withstand more regular and vigorous antibacterial cleaning than in the past. Then there is the issue of corrosion damage from humidity, which can also lead to faulty electronics.
However, manufacturers can help to reduce this problem by ensuring electronic toys are manufactured with the best liquid protection so that they don’t become damaged and consequently discarded after a much shorter lifespan than they ought to have. By using functional nano coatings, it is possible to provide protection for the types of splashes, spills and even accidental submersion that children are likely to subject their toys. Nano coating offers a lifetime of protection enabling electronic toys to easily be rehomed to another family after a much longer period of use, as opposed to yet again ending up as landfill.
For more information on how nano coating improves the protection and lifespan of products including electronic toys, contact one of our liquid protection experts today.