“At Fisher-Price, ‘we bring babies in with their moms and watch them at play with different types of apps, different types of products,’ said Deborah Weber, senior manager of infant research. Her job, she said, is to ‘understand the ages and stages of babies — what they can and can’t do, what their interests are, and the growing needs of families today.’”

“At Fisher-Price, Ms. Weber said, ‘We see 6-month-olds batting at the screen, 9-month-olds swiping, and 12-month-olds pointing out objects to see.’ Observations like these are passed along to toy producers and industrial designers, resulting in products like the iPad case and the Laugh & Learn Apptivity Monkey, which comes out in August.”

“The Apptivity Monkey would pass for just another stuffed animal if it didn’t have a thick, plastic iPhone case attached to its belly; the front of the case is made of see-through plastic. An iPhone can be placed inside, and a child can play apps on it, either by pressing on the iPhone directly or on the monkey’s paws, which interact with an array of alphabet and singing apps.”

“Innovations like this are fueling the digital toy trend, according to Lisa Harnisch, senior vice president and general merchandising manager at Toys “R” Us. Last year, she said, the trend in children’s apps and app-related products ‘really started to heighten and explode.’ Indeed, in the last year, there have been nearly three million downloads of Fisher-Price’s Laugh & Learn apps. By year-end, LeapFrog expects to have 325 apps at its online App Center, double the number at the end of 2011.”