Radica will try to fuel interest in the collecting of Funkeys by releasing them in batches, and making some more rare to collect than others. A starter kit is expected to sell for $19.99, and an individual Funkeys figurine for $4.99.Ĭhristopher Wilson, vice president of marketing for Radica, said that Radica’s market research showed “there had to be a struggle of good versus evil” for children to get involved in the game, but Radica “wanted to avoid violent altercations.” If a Funkeys comes into contact with a Henchman, the Henchman steals the Funkeys’ coins. Funkeys was created by Radica Games, a subsidiary of Mattel, with software designed by Arkadium Games, a game design company. Funkeys figures and video game will allow children to explore a virtual town and play minigames. in the name is meaningless, the game’s creators say, but it distinguishes the product from others that use the name Funkeys.) There, each Funkey on the base will appear in avatar form on the screen, ready to play games. Once the Funkeys are set up, their owner will be able to go to (which is not yet operational) and enter Funkeys Town. The hub also comes with two Funkeys characters, which transmit data to the base when placed on top. Funkeys starter kit - which is being shipped to stores in the United States - contains a hub that can accommodate several of the colorful little figurines, each of which looks vaguely like an animal or a space alien. Funkeys, a set of collectible vinyl figures that connect to a computer via a base with a U.S.B. One new product that will lean particularly hard on this theme is U.B. Similarly, the more accessories a child buys for the forthcoming BarbieGirls doll, the more activities she will be able to explore on the toy’s Web site. The Webkinz stuffed animals are not only cute to line up on a bed, but they also unlock a succession of fun places in cyberspace as more of them are accumulated. With their new crop of products that plug into the Internet, toy makers are placing heavy bets on the longstanding enthusiasm among children for collecting things.

Ub funkeys unlock a world of games