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Building blocks are absolute evergreens in children's rooms. But while the “click, plug, build” principle has worked for generations, new products ask the same question over and over again:
Which designs, figures and theme worlds really appeal to children today?
Especially when it comes to characters that are part of a building block world, the first impression is often decisive: Does the child find the figure cool, cute, exciting — or maybe even a bit creepy? And with that: Is the character integrated into the game — or does it remain on the left?
A toy manufacturer wanted to know exactly that and made a conscious decision Let the little experts speak for themselvesbefore the product goes to the next development step.
Our solution: Children decide for themselves — with a clear focus on spontaneous reactions
The survey did not focus on a complete product review with regard to packaging, price or USPs, but on direct visual impression:
Which figure do children find most beautiful at first glance? Which rather not?
In order to get the most authentic answers possible, we designed the survey so that the children can react very intuitively.
Die Online survey was conducted via FACT family, our own market research tool. A total of respondents were 1,369 children between 5 and 7 years into Germany, France and the USA.
The age group corresponds to the core target group of the product and was therefore deliberately chosen. Another advantage in these age groups: Children of this age are open, honest — and often judge very clearly what they like and what they don't like. Issues such as social desirability are not yet quite as pronounced.
The core of the methodology was a MaxDiff analysis (best-worstscaling). The children always saw four figures at the same time and chose which figure for them fittest And which least likes. This approach reduces distortions and clearly shows which designs are prevailing in direct comparison.
In addition, questions were asked about Favourite theme worlds (e.g. vehicles, fairy tales, animals) and qualitative reasons for the selection (“What do you particularly like about this character? ”, “Why don't you find this figure so beautiful? “) queried.
The result: Clear preferences — directly from the target group
The results of the survey clearly show what figures are important to children — and what is more likely to scare off:
✅ Friendly colors with strong contrasts and clear color design
✅ Highly recognizable characters that match familiar roles: Firefighters, astronauts, animals and fantasy creatures such as unicorns or kite flying are very popular.
✅ Emotional, positive facial expressions: Big eyes, smiling faces, friendly appearance.
✅ Characters with action and interaction elements: Helmets, tubes, tentacles or gripping arms are perceived as exciting and “playable.”
In contrast, figures that had the following characteristics fared significantly worse:
❌ Gloomy or uninviting color palettes(e.g. dark black, pale tones without contrasts)
❌ Scary or neutral facial expressions, particularly with unnatural eyes or expressionless facial expressions
❌ Designs that are too abstract or difficult to recognize, for which children could not immediately classify what kind of character it was or how it could be integrated into the game.
❌ Less dynamic figures with no discernible function or activity.
Particularly exciting: differences between markets
The analysis also revealed interesting country-specific differences, for example in the evaluation of individual figures. These findings provide the manufacturer with important information for a targeted adjustment of product ranges and marketing measures in the various markets.
Why it's important
Especially in marketing for children and families, products are often developed “from the gut” — based on trends, assumptions or the personal taste of adults. The survey shows once again how valuable it is Involve the target group directly.
Because: Children rate differently than adults. And they have a keen sense of which designs invite you to play and which don't.
With the results of this survey, the manufacturer was able to specifically adapt the portfolio of figures — and ensure that the figures really hit the nerve of the little builders.
