The Bundesnetzagentur is treating smart toys as if they are nefarious spying instruments when they are actually useful devices that help parents stay in touch with their little ones, argues Nick Wallace.
The Nuremberg toy fair, the world's
largest, opened its doors this week to an industry in the throes of
reinvention as toymakers vie for the attention of children increasingly glued to smartphones and tablets.
German regulators have banned an internet-connected doll called "My Friend Cayla" that can chat with children, warning Friday that it was a de facto "hidden spying device".
Small children in Germany could be taking in dangerous chemicals when they put toys in their mouths, the German Environment and Conservation Association (BUND) warned on Friday.
Horst Brandstätter, considered the father of Playmobil figures, has died at the age of 81, after having built the middle sized company into one of the biggest toy manufacturers in Germany.
Deep in the Bavarian countryside lies the home of German toymaker Playmobil, the centre of a universe of little plastic people who turn 40 in 2014 but have not aged a bit.
Hundreds of toy-makers from around the world are showcasing their new games in the hope of making it onto children's Christmas wish-lists at the world’s biggest toy fair in Essen.
Generations of children all over the world have one German man to thank for hours of fun. Playmobil owner Horst Brandstätter reached the ripe old age of 80 on Thursday, making him our <b>German of the Week</b>.
In anticipation of the Women’s World Cup in summer toymaker Mattel this week unveiled two new Barbie dolls modelled after Germany’s head coach and star player.
As retailers prepare for the Christmas shopping season, Germany’s top consumer watchdog <i>Stiftung Warentest</i> on Thursday revealed that 80 percent of children's toys tested by the organisation posed health risks to children, regardless of their price.
Even stuffed animals need a holiday every now and then, according to a Cologne woman who runs a travel agency catering exclusively to teddy bears and other plush toy friends.
The tough economic climate is failing to dent Germans’ enthusiasm for Karneval, with partygoers set to spend €300 million on costumes and makeup during this year’s season, the Toy Retailers’ Association said Monday.
The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) warned on Monday that children's toys contain far too many carcinogenic substances that are not regulated by the European Union.
A Mickey Mouse toy included with the most recent edition of the Disney character’s comic book has made a mockery of German police, who are investigating reports that it picks up scanner dispatches.
To honour Germany's first female chancellor, the Mattel company has debuted an Angela Merkel Barbie at a toy fair in Nuremberg. The doll sports Merkel's pant suit and bob, but the resemblance ends about there.
Germany’s storied model train maker Märklin said on Wednesday it had filed for insolvency after delighting fans of tiny railways for the past 150 years.
The founder of the internationally beloved Playmobil toy figures, Hans Beck, has died at the age of 79, the Zirndorf-based company announced on Monday.
Venerable German toy maker Steiff will no longer produce its trademark teddy bears in China because of quality concerns, according to a newspaper report on Wednesday.
