Disney's New Playmation Toys: Savior Or Menace?

Walt Disney Co DIS on Tuesday unveiled Playmation, the company’s new line of smart toys. While some praise the creation of connected toys as the potential savior of traditional children’s play in the digital age, others criticize the practice of gathering data on children.

Playmation

According to the New York Times, Disney’s new Playmation line will be available starting in October. For $120, parents can purchase an “Averngers” starter pack which includes an Iron Man “repulsor” glove and four smart toys. Children can wear the glove on their right hands and control the smart toys using the glove. A supplemental app provides additional activities and powers.

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Savior Of Traditional Play

Disney is touting the new line as a big win for parents that want children to remain active in a modern digital world where traditional toys are becoming increasingly obsolete.

“It’s physical play for a digital generation,” said Disney’s chief operating officer Thomas Staggs.

Not only could the transition to smart toys preserve the traditional idea of physical play, it could save the necks of traditional toy companies like Hasbro, Inc. HAS and Mattel, Inc. MAT that are tasked with maintaining children’s interest in a new app-dominated world.

Dangerous Territory?

Not everyone praises connected toys as beneficial for children, and some even believe them to be dangerous. Watchdog organizations such as Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood argue that connected toys that collect data on children could be dangerous to a child’s privacy. The advocacy group recently described Mattel’s new line of Barbies that records children’s speech as “Eavesdropping Barbie,” and warns parents of the potential ramifications of data collection.

Disney’s senior vice president of strategy and business development Kareem Daniel assures parents that the company “doggedly designed Playmation with privacy in mind.”