LI entrepreneurs tapping into creative toy trends

It doesn't have to be high-tech to be fun and to sell.

Toys that stimulate imagination, roust children from the TV set and maybe even encourage them to do some social good are among some of the hottest trends that have buoyed the toy industry over the past year, toy experts said.

"Moms and grandparents like them," said Jonathan Samet, publisher of The Toy Insider. "They're educational. Kids create things, there's an end product and it stimulates their minds."

Toy industry sales declined less than 1 percent in 2009, according to The NPD Group, a Port Washington-based market research firm.

The categories that showed the most growth were building sets and arts and crafts, which saw annual sales increases of 23 percent and 7 percent respectively.

This week, toys like these are on display at the Toy Industry Association's annual toy fair at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.

Reyne Rice, TIA's toy trend specialist, identified the industry's top trends as toys that encourage physical and mental activity; accessible products that are small, portable; affordable items; and "aspirational products" that "positively influence" children's emotional and intellectual development.

Here are three Long Island entrepreneurs tapping into these trends.

Robert K. Nizza, an East Northport acupuncturist, was pretty pleased with a modular sculpture he created more than 10 years ago, but he didn't immediately see the seven-sided, colorful blocks as a toy.

A friend suggested they were marketable. Nizza and his wife, Paula Giglio, tested them with children, who seemed to enjoy them. So SepToys launched in August.

The block sets have won awards from toy blogs and magazines and sell in 40 stores.

"We believe it encourages creativity, helps develop fine motor skills, spatial skills and vocabulary," Nizza said.

Carson Optical Inc., a Hauppauge company known for its magnifiers and binoculars, produces pocket microscopes and magnifying bug catchers that give children a different view of their environment, said president Richard Cameron. And, "it's really cool," he said.

One of his most popular items has been a small digital microscope.

Exposure on "Live With Regis and Kelly" sparked sales during the holidays and depleted his inventory, he said.

Daisy Cook's Rebelle Friendship Bags and interactive Web site are built around the concept of sharing and friendship, and aspire to instill social values.

The purses and backpacks unzip into two separate bags to be shared with a friend. And the Web site provides a vehicle, called Million Girlz2, for girls to learn about and organize a project for charitable groups.

"This is where I can put the concept of the brand into action," said Cook, of Atlantic Beach.