The advertisement above relates to the issue of children and free play. The product advertised has resulted from the collaboration of two very well-known brands: Apple and Fisher Price. Fisher Price has created a toy monkey that can be connected to an iPhone or iPod Touch placed in its belly. The advertisements show happy parents and their babies who play with the Laugh and Learn Monkey. The babies can either use the touch screen of the phone, or press buttons on the actual toy and see the screen of the phone come alive with images and sounds that teach letters and numbers. The creators of this toy have even invented a name for the unique combination of electronic and physical toys, calling the monkey an "apptivity". If this toy foreshadows a new generation of "apptivity" toys to come, then the future of children's free play seems bleak to me. Since the Laugh and Learn Monkey is targeted at infants, it has the potential to make children used to playing with electronic media instead of actual toys from a very young age. Although the phone at the center is framed by a physical toy, it is obvious that all the action and the child's attention are concentrated at the screen. Screens can only generate pre-programmed responses and thus do not allow the child to expand his or her imagination beyond the constraints of the iPhone "app".
Friday, November 2, 2012
Laugh and Learn Apptivity Monkey: When Virtual Reality Meets The Physical World
The advertisement above relates to the issue of children and free play. The product advertised has resulted from the collaboration of two very well-known brands: Apple and Fisher Price. Fisher Price has created a toy monkey that can be connected to an iPhone or iPod Touch placed in its belly. The advertisements show happy parents and their babies who play with the Laugh and Learn Monkey. The babies can either use the touch screen of the phone, or press buttons on the actual toy and see the screen of the phone come alive with images and sounds that teach letters and numbers. The creators of this toy have even invented a name for the unique combination of electronic and physical toys, calling the monkey an "apptivity". If this toy foreshadows a new generation of "apptivity" toys to come, then the future of children's free play seems bleak to me. Since the Laugh and Learn Monkey is targeted at infants, it has the potential to make children used to playing with electronic media instead of actual toys from a very young age. Although the phone at the center is framed by a physical toy, it is obvious that all the action and the child's attention are concentrated at the screen. Screens can only generate pre-programmed responses and thus do not allow the child to expand his or her imagination beyond the constraints of the iPhone "app".
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It's so sad that free play is being replaced by expensive Apptivity Toys. Children need their parents to engage them and that activity doesn't cost a cent!
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