Toy Tuesday: Puppy Tweets

Last Thursday, Mattel announced a new toy for dogs called "Puppy Tweets" that will launch next week at Toy Fair in New York.

According to CNN,

Puppy Tweets is a plastic tag with a sound and motion sensor that you attach to your pet's dog collar and connect its USB receiver to your computer. Then you create a Twitter account for your dog and enjoy updates all day from Sparky or whatever its name is on your computer or smartphone.

The tag is set with several pre-recorded tweets that are triggered by the dog's activities. So if he's running around, you might get a tweet that says "I finally caught that tail I've been chasing and...OOUUUCHH!"

While my dog doesn't have a Twitter account, he does have his own email address. It's not far fetched to expect dog owners to adapt kids' (or adults') play patterns for their dogs.

Mattel's introduction is a great adaptation of the types of technology that toy companies use in their kids' products, but I expect that Mattel will have a few challenges making "Puppy Tweets" a success once the novelty in the marketplace wears out. The most obvious challenge is to determine where the product should be merchandised at retail. In the kids' toy department? In the pet department? And if it's in the toy department, which aisle? Toymakers often have a tough time working with big retailers to find homes for new innovations, and Mattel will no doubt face this challenge.

When I worked at Mattel Canada, I was responsible for a line of Back to School products that were sold in stationery departments and drugstores, not in toy departments and toy stores like most of Mattel's line. With a dedicated focus on the Back to School line, we were successful in getting placement at retail and strong sell through to consumers. Similarly, Mattel should be able to establish a home for "Puppy Tweets" in mass merchants and big box pet stores with a concerted sales and marketing effort.

Still, I'm not sure that I'd buy it for my dog. For families with both dogs and kids, though, "Puppy Tweets" could have a lot of appeal. What do you think?