Children's gifts can have faith-and-values component

Published: 2003-11-18

NORWICH, Conn. (CNS) -- Parents and others seeking to give children toys and games that promote Christian values this Christmas will find several that foster interaction among family members. "As we look at new products, it's going to be the products that make an emotional connection between parents and children that stand out," said Mary Manz Simon, a corporate marketing consultant for the Christian Booksellers Association. Citing the Columbia space-shuttle disaster, the war in Iraq, the SARS outbreak and a depressed economy, Simon, who tracks trends in the Christian segment of the U.S. toy and game industry, said families are opting to spend more time with each other in the safety of their homes. And this year's toys and games reflect that trend. "As families have cocooned, the biggest hit in the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) market is a little guy who came out of a cocoon: Hermie, the green caterpillar," she told the Four County Catholic, newspaper of the Norwich Diocese. Hermie, the first character in a new family of characters by Tommy Nelson -- the children's division of Christian publisher Thomas Nelson -- is featured in everything from videos aimed at ages 2-8 to a picture book, a board book and a DVD.

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