Power Touch Learning System

Reading and learning activities for children as young as three

In 2003, Fisher-Price energized the learning toy aisle with innovation as retailers reported accelerating sales of the revolutionary new Power Touch Learning System.

In the first month that product was on shelf, Power Touch was already performing very well against competitive product in the highly successful learning category. Many retailers are reporting weekly sales volumes that are double that of last year's #1 new Preschool Learning toy, Kasey the Kinderbot.

"Our mission has been to bring a new level of innovation to the learning category," says Neil Friedman, President of Fisher-Price. "Clearly, we've been able to answer a need among parents and children for the kind of learning products that are most intuitive to the way children really learn."

"The new platforms are proving their appeal with consumers, showing very good velocity right out of the gate. We are excited that Fisher-Price is adding real value to the learning category with both innovative products and strong marketing initiatives," said Wayne Yodzio, Vice President, Divisional Merchandising Manager, Toys 'R Us.

These products represent the next generation of educational toys with the application of electronics to enhance learning in a way that's fun and engaging, according to Jim Silver, publisher of The Toy Book. "The introduction of Power Touch has taken learning toys to a new platform with its hands-on approach and unique auto page detection capabilities, and Learn Through Music breaks new ground all together, with its emphasis on rhythm, repetition and rhyme to help toddlers develop language acquisition," he says.

The Power Touch Learning System uses breakthrough technology to provide the most natural way for children, as young as three years of age, to tap into reading and learning activities. Many teachers encourage early readers to follow along with their finger as they read or hear a story, a method called "finger-point reading." The Power Touch System uses this same approach, using easy finger touch activation to let children learn reading skills by simply touching words and pictures with their fingers. This advanced technology eliminates the need for any tool or stylus to activate the electronics, allowing for an intuitive and seamless interface between the child and the book. The system features more than 60 learning activities in reading, phonics, spelling, music, math and more. Additionally, an interactive alphabet board built into the base of the system further enhances the development of early literacy skills for preschoolers.

The Power Touch Learning System brings additional innovation to this type of book-based learning system with its "auto page detection" feature. An optical reader built into the base automatically recognizes which page the child has turned to, without requiring the child to remember to press a secondary button. This ensures that the child will always receive the appropriate response to the corresponding page they are exploring.