How to pick the perfect toy

The following article has been taken from The Telegraph, www.telegraph.co.uk

Would you like to try and explain all this at the till point when asked to make a recommendation?

 

Dr Cliff Arnall, who has previously come up with calculations for the happiest and most depressing day of the year, reckons that mathematics can be used to work out the "play value" of potential purchases.

But parents hoping for a simple formula to help them make wise decisions in the toyshop had better not be in a hurry and might have to bring a calculator with them.

The result is also likely be different for different children, he admits.

Parents first have to assess the toy against six criteria: its usefulness when playing alone (Pi); playing with others (Po); whether it fosters creativity (Cr); its value promoting social interaction (S); its general utility (U) and finally whether it can be handed down to siblings (H).

Parents must give the toy a score out of five for each and add them up.

In a separate sum, then they must estimate the amount of time in hours a child will play with the toy regularly (T) and multiply it by how many months it is likely to remain of interest (L).

 

As a soft toy wholesaler I am going to find some time and judge my teddies and soft toys on this scale. Any suggestions on what their score will be?

The two figures must then be divided by the square root of the cost (C) and added to the total score from the criteria section.

Simple? For those who did not quite follow, it works out as: T x L + Pi + Po + Cr + S + U + H / square root of C

"A toy may score higher for one child than another but that's an important part of the exercise," said Dr Arnall