A toy helicopter created from cannibalised smartphones was among the main attractions at a huge toy show in Tokyo on Friday, where producers were targeting the young and the young-at-heart.<\/p>\n
The motor that makes a telephone vibrate provides the power for the rotor blades on the Nano-Falcon, which its makers say is the world’s smallest radio-controlled helicopter.<\/p>\n
The 6.5-centimetre (2.4-inch) machine weighs just 11 grammes (0.385 ounces), has a range of just five metres (15 feet) and can fly for five minutes, but its makers say they are feeding the fantasies of adults who never really grew up.<\/p>\n
“Japan’s ageing population made us think of developing a toy targeting adults,” said Naoki Nakagawa, head of sales at maker CCP.<\/p>\n
“Ten or twenty years ago, helicopter-toys could cost a lot of money. Those who couldn’t afford it at the time can now make their childhood dream come true at a reasonable price.”<\/p>\n
The mini machine retails at around 4,700 yen ($50), a price company spokeswoman Kiyoko Hayasaki said came from its use of bits of mobile phones.<\/p>\n
“We were able to set the price at this relatively cheap level because we took some key parts from stocks that are widely available in the market for smartphones,” she said.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere at the exhibition, toymakers were showcasing tablet computers specifically for small children.<\/p>\n
“Children like to emulate what adults do, and a survey said 90 percent of tablet computer users let their children use their tablets,” said Yuki Itagaki, a spokeswoman for MegaHouse, a subsidiary of major Japanese toy maker Bandai Namco Holdings.<\/p>\n
MegaHouse’s “tap me” is a tablet specifically developed for use by children aged between four and eight, with built-in parental controls, including a timer that limits use.<\/p>\n
“When the timer reaches the set time, the tablet shows a sleeping face instead of turning off,” Itagaki said. “Children can’t bring tablets to their parents and say ‘hey, the power is off. Turn it on please.'”<\/p>\n
Despite its price tag of 20,790 yen ($219), MegaHouse aims to sell 100,000 “tap me” in the coming 12 months.<\/p>\n
US toy maker Mattel was showing off its Apptivity Monkey, a fluffy monkey designed to hold Apple’s iPhone — and protect it from over-enthusiastic toddlers, who can press buttons on the creature’s limbs to create music.<\/p>\n
Japan’s Takara Tomy has a stand for the iPhone that dances along to the music it is playing.<\/p>\n
“We hope adults with a sense of fun like this product,” said Tsubasa Tominaga of the company’s new products team.<\/p>\n
The International Tokyo Toy Show runs until Sunday at Tokyo Big Sight in the Japanese capital’s bay area, with Saturday and Sunday open to the public.<\/p>\n
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