Posted on 03/04/2007 7:53:07 AM PST by Ready4Freddy
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sales of model trains are picking up steam again thanks to deals linking them to the "Harry Potter" and "The Polar Express" movies, along with a new approach to marketing the old-fashioned toys.
Lionel, one of the big names in model trains in the 1950s, has watched as its business had to focus less on selling toys to kids than serving an older but much smaller hobbyist market. Folk-rock singer Neil Young, 61, is so passionate about trains that he bought a fifth of the company in 1995.
Now, the company is bringing trains back to young people, and sales are up 40 percent in the last two years.
Lionel signed deals to bring out "Harry Potter" and "The Polar Express" trains, and filled shelves at department stores such as Macy's and Target, instead of just hobby shops.
"We're a resurgent brand based on nostalgic appeal," said Jerry Calabrese, chief executive of Lionel.
Last Christmas, the company advertised toy trains as the ultimate gift by setting up displays at Macy's Santaland and Grand Central Terminal in New York. Forty percent of Lionel's sales of $70 million in 2006 came during the Christmas season.
This sort of advertising is as much geared to children as it is to parents who remember Christmas train displays when they were young, said Andy Edleman, vice president of marketing for MTH Electric Trains.
MTH sells its trains with promotional DVDs and catalogs that portray parents and children enjoying trains together.
"We almost make them feel guilty," Edleman said, before adding that "people would prefer family participation and nostalgia" to things like Game Boys and PlayStations.
Companies such as Lionel and MTH also showcase their products at events like the World's Greatest Hobby...
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When my younger daughter was five she developed a passion for toy trains. We bought a modest set and then expanded it over time. Each trip to the hobby shop was a pure delight.
Sadly, as she got older the trains turned to I-pods and boys. I miss the good old days!
LOL!!
Take them for a train ride. It's a sure fire way to get them interested in Locomotives. I took a train from Albany to Niagra Falls with the kids and they had a great time, plenty of room to move around, switch seats, snack car and lots of leg room for Dad!
Then our house would be the least freaky place on earth. My 5 year old loves trains and I am sorry to admit we are spoiling him. Just got another HO gauge train last night. Going to Lowes to get board to put it on. I have to admit that I like them too. Never had one as a kid. My parents thought it was too macho for a girl. More confessions, when he is at school I play with them. (Shhhh don't tell anyone) ;-)
Yup. Even though I turned 15 and went crazy for 'em - at 43 years old I'm smart enough to know that at the molecular level they are still icky.
And those true-love comic books they read were just atrocious.
It may be making a comeback.
That really is nice to hear. Computers and Playstations are nice and all but I do sometimes miss the days when kids used their own imaginations to entertain themselves. It made for more interesting kids too IMO. They all seem the same to me now-a-days.
Anyway, girls did cars too, you know. I had a Barbie Car. A big, pink plastic convertible so she & Ken could go to the beach with me. Wasn't motorized though (guess all the cooties would just muck up the transmission, so manual was the way to go!)
Back in the day, my kid sister had a wind up train and wanted electric like me. I traded something to a friend for a beat-up Lionel diesel loco. Took the clockwork out of my sister's engine and jammed the shell down on the Lionel chassis and motor. Gave her some track and a small transformer and she was in business.
That must be tough to admit in a world where the freakier the better - but I'm damn proud of you and yours. Keep up the good work raising real kids. ;-)
What the heck were those? We didn't have 'em in my neighborhood. My bros had superman & spidie. I had Barbie & Betty & Veronica. Also was a big fan of Beano, but that was British, IIRC, don't know if you could get it here w/o a transatlantic subscription.
Can you imagine the display if one of these computer whiz-kids decided to integrate a program with a freight yard set-up? All automatic switching, coupling etc?
Sorry 'bout the cold.
The wiring just takes patience and a steady hand. Things I find to proportionatly decrease as the years increase. LOL!
You sound like a great big brother.
"You sound like a great big brother."
I wouldn't go that far. :)
It didn't stop her from being a brat. Heck, she's 58 now and she's still a brat! LOL!!
At the time I thought they were just a nuisance but it turned out they were a harbinger of troubles yet to come.
When my hubby and I first met, he was BIG into running his model railroad, and I naturally joined in.
We still have our original setup on a big hinged plywood base - you can haul it up to the ceiling on pullies to get it out of the way, or it will fold up. All HO scale.
He was glad when I started helping him, because I am an expert at doing the landscape, houses, stations, etc. I have always been very nearsighted (good for detail!) and I love fiddly work. Our main passenger station is a thing of beauty!
Sadly, after we had our second child we had to disassemble everything and store it in the garage because he needed the train room for his bedroom.
Anyway, girls did cars too, you know.
DANG! I would have so loooooved those! Way cooler than Barbie & Ken!
Man, I had completely forgotten about that...
Duncan Yo-Yos.
I used to have the one called Satellite or something like that that had the lights on the inside that flashed as you yo-yoed. LOL
Occasionally if your skills weren't up to snuff the thing would get open and the batteries would fly out and pop someone in the head!
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