During tough economic times, it seems no one is in the mood for high-tech fun.
The "Techno Play" pavilion at the 99th annual American International Toy Fair last week was a small, sparse room in the basement of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center here. The pavilion hosted only 20 of the conference's 1,600 exhibitors. Of those 20, three made karaoke machines.
Where have all the high-tech toys gone? A lagging economy has pushed key technology players out of the market for fancy electronic toys, analysts say. Statistics also show that sales of consumer electronics have declined overall, and all toy sales had meager growth last year. But it's the anecdotal evidence from this year's toy fair that gives the strongest evidence: The heyday for high-tech toys may be over.
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