Do you remember when you were a kid and you were presented with your first Slip and Slide?  I do.  I will never forget the excitement of running through the grass, jumping on the yellow rubbery surface and sliding as far as I could.  I couldn’t get enough.  I would run and jump and slide all day long.  To me, it was heaven and to my mom, it was heavenly.  It gave her a time to breathe while I played...Little did I know at the time, that this play was also helping my health, my focus and my drive.

It’s been proven that physical activity is directly associated with increased academic performance, self-concept, mood, and mental health. In addition, physical activity and exercise also improves ones quality of life. Therefore, at my agency, and our other sister agencies, we believe that the benefits of physical activity are reason enough to infuse typical toys with some physical play value like running, dancing and jumping. In addition to the health benefits from active toys, there is a positive social advantage as well. Active playtime gives kids the opportunity to learn, to reason, to make decisions and to use their imaginations.

We believe that kids naturally like to be active and we want to be proponents of it.  Our core philosophy is participative marketing and we want to get kids to play, run around and interact with one another.  And, this idea doesn’t differ from our favorite ideas from childhood.  In fact, I bet, if you thought back to some of your favorite childhood toys, you would find that in most cases, they were active oriented toys that encouraged you to play outside with a bunch of your friends. These “social gatherings” didn’t have to be complicated or expensive either. The only limit was your imagination. These toys encouraged you to get off the couch and run, hop, hide, toss or catch. I like to call it “disguised exercise.”

An electronic robot with the bells and whistles can be only one thing. But flying discs and sport oriented activities can inspire multiple ideas and game-play. Just look at what active play can do:

1. Play releases endorphins in the brain that are responsible for feelings of well-being.

2. Play allows children to take appropriate physical and social and emotional risks.

3. Play can teach children teamwork and give them a sense of pride and accomplishment.

4. Play activities are a good way to relieve stress and reduce depression.

5. Play increases quality of life. Children who exercise are more likely to continue the practice into adulthood.

We have created multiple promotions and premiums for our clients that both encourage and promote activity.  Take the Spiderman Toss ‘n Catch promotion we at Logistix created for Embassy Suites as an example.  Featuring a two paddle game with a Velcro ball for playing catch and point targets for competitive play, the game gets people moving! Or look at the Disney Theme Park Pedometer we created for Kellogg’s…The pedometer actually measures how far one has walked!  Name me a kid that doesn’t want to run around counting their steps!  And, that’s just the work coming out of our agency. Take our sister agency Equity Marketing’s Dance, Dance Revolution promotion for Burger King as another example.  Featuring eight toys inspired by the popular video game that combine real physical dancing with energetic music and visuals, this game centers itself on activity!  

And, we are not alone.  If you look around in the marketplace today, you will see other brands leaning towards this important trend of activity.  Even the Nintendo Wii has kids moving while they play!  And, I believe this is only the beginning.  As a company with strong ties to children’s entertainment and how it relates to the toy industry, we are proud to be active participants in this trend.  Therefore, we will continue our efforts on behalf of our clients to create premium products and toys that will encourage activity amongst children like the Slip and Slide did for me many years ago…

Nick Longo is the Vice President, Creative & Design Director, Americas for Logistix Worldwide.

Logistix Worldwide is a global marketing services and product development company specializing in the consumer and retail segments.  For our clients we develop ingenious ideas which we execute flawlessly.  Logistix is fully staffed in London, Paris, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Sydney and headquartered in Los Angeles.