Created for
When you think of a toy manufacturer, what comes to mind" People in board rooms" Factories and conveyor belts" Perhaps designers working feverishly to come up with the next big toy sensation" At the Fisher-Price Play Lab in East Aurora, New York, things are a little different. 
Picture instead a bright and cheerful playroom, with an almost-real indoor treehouse, a huge red twirly slide, and children?s artwork on the walls. Toys aren?t simply created and shipped out to market at Fisher-Price; instead, they are conceptualized, tested and re-tested in the Fisher-Price Play Lab?a 60-years-young facility (the first of its kind) where children and their parents come to play, while experts watch, evaluate and develop new, engaging toys. ?Children learn best through hands-on experience,? says Dr. Deborah Weber, Senior Director, Early Childhood Development Research at Fisher-Price. ?Our designers watch and learn from how they play. It really helps us make better toys.”

Research shows that both free and guided play helps children learn by guiding them to explore their emotions and encouraging self-expression. By creating an environment where kids can play freely with toy prototypes, researchers gain valuable feedback about what children do and don?t like or respond to. Does the toy capture and hold their attention" Are the noises too quiet" Too loud" Are the lights overwhelming" Do certain toys and learning concepts work b...