Step inside the secretive world of toymakers

At a $3-billion toy company in downtown Toronto, kindergarteners file in with parents and siblings, clad in snowsuits and ready to offer their expertise.

They pass a toy museum decked out with Paw Patrol toys, Tech Decks, Bakugan and more, and eventually arrive at a small room with a large two-way mirror.

Soon, they'll be presented with toys.

This is called a play test, and Spin Master, the toy company behind Paw Patrol, Hatchimals, Air Hogs and more runs them a few times a month to help develop their toys.

"Toy development is such a science and art blend," said Sanya Siddiqui,  one of Spin Master's product development engineers. 

"It's crazy because you want to create a magical moment, but you also need to make sure that it can be done and that it's safe."

Spin Master works with thousands of toy inventors to come up with ideas, engineers to develop the toys and designers to determine what colours and materials will be "in" when the product hits the shelf.

But the 2023 holiday season is forecast to be a difficult one for the toy industry. After years of high sales during the pandemic, people worldwide are watching their spending.

The toy company's building has floors of engineers and designers, and there's a lab to build prototypes in the basement. 

"It's so much play testing! We do that all the time," said Siddiqui. 

"Obviously, we have adult hands, not kid hands. We use adult forces to open and push down on things. So I would say that's the thing that we always try to look out for too is, 'How would a kid actually play with this?'"

Play tests with actual kids can be nerve-racking for people who have spent years developing toys, but toy developers watch closely to see what parts kids like and where they get stumped. 

On a recent test, one girl dunked Hatchimals in water upside down — not realizing the mechanism to make the pet "hatch" was in the bottom of the egg. 

Another was enamoured with a small towel the Hatchimal came with and carefully dried off her new pet rather than trying to hatch more eggs.