Once upon a time, there were toys

Children are waving goodbye to their toys earlier than in the past, with a switch to computer games believed to be behind a substantial drop in the importation of traditional toys and games.

Figures published by the National Statistics Office show that the value of the annual importation of toys and games has dropped to €8.4 million in 2008 from €10.4 million in 2004.

But these figures do not include video games, which have risen in popularity over the past years.

Toy shop owners believe children's interest in toys is waning earlier. "About 10 years ago, children would play with toys and games until they were 12 or 13 but today you see five-year-olds already playing with PlayStation and Nintendo," Michael Balzan Demajo, general manager of Pedigree Toyshops, said.

Similarly, Martin Aquilina, from Handkrafts, said children were packing away their toys when they were still nine or 10 years old whereas before they were still interested in them as they turned 15.

"We are seeing very young children interested in computer games," he said.

Felix Rizzo, the shopkeeper at Kingsway toyshop, said a decade ago a 13-year-old would love to get a toy as a gift. But things had changed and 10-year-olds were now happier to receive a mobile phone or an iPod.

"Before I used to recommend a Barbie for a 10-year-old girl, today I suggest a handbag or digital camera," he said.

Shopkeepers are also seeing a shift towards more educational toys. "Parents are keen to buy a toy which can help their children learn," Mr Balzan Demajo said, adding that such toys had drastically increased in popularity over the past five years.

Mr Rizzo said that, nowadays, toyshops were also stocking electronics, something they did not do before. He said people were more aware of what they bought, carefully reading the warnings and looking for safety markings.

Marlene Mizzi, the owner of the Early Learning Centre, also believes parents are very conscious about the safety of the toys they buy.

"We have seen an increase in sales because parents want toys that are safe," she said.

Ms Mizzi too thinks parents no longer buy just any toys but look at their educational qualities.

The NSO figures, released last week in the publication Children 2010, show that imports of dolls and related items have dropped by a third between 2004 and 2008 while imports of toy models went down by almost half.

On the other hand, the value of imports of toy trains shot up to €273,762 in 2008 from €66,578 in 2004, while imports of puzzles almost tripled.

The value of imports of toy weapons have also gone up drastically, to more than €27,000 in 2008 from €5,643 in 2004. But an amendment to the Criminal Code announced last month will be imposing a ban on the sale of toy weapons and ammunition, although imports will still be allowed.