Sunday, December 24, 2006
Demand for Religious Games, Toys Grows
The "crazy, crazy Jewish fun" of KosherLand looks a lot like the board game Candy Land, except gefilte fishing substitutes for visits to the Ice Cream Sea.
The board game ''Mortality'' is seen at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass. Sales numbers indicate the market for religious games is growing.
In Catholic-opoly, like Monopoly, the job is to bankrupt your opponents. The difference is it's done "in a nice, fun way."
And playtime can get pretty realistic with the Biblical Action Figure of Job, which comes complete with boils.
The market for religious board games and toys like these is tiny and a bit quirky. But sales numbers indicate that demand is growing as families seek wholesome entertainment, selections expand and the Internet gives greater access to retailers.
Abe Blumberger of Jewish Educational Toys says people are much more willing to buy religious toys since he helped create KosherLand in 1985. His game is now offered on UrbanOutfitters.com.
"I think there's a recognition there's a small niche out there," Blumberger said.
Statistics on sales of religious games are hard to find. However, retail sales of inspirational gifts and merchandise, which includes religious toys and games, were an estimated $1.9 billion in 2005, an 11.8% increase from the previous year, according to an April report by Packaged Facts, the publishing arm of MarketResearch.com.
The report projected 26.3% growth to $2.4 billion in sales in the gifts and merchandise sector by 2010.
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20061224/24487.htm
The "crazy, crazy Jewish fun" of KosherLand looks a lot like the board game Candy Land, except gefilte fishing substitutes for visits to the Ice Cream Sea.
The board game ''Mortality'' is seen at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass. Sales numbers indicate the market for religious games is growing.
In Catholic-opoly, like Monopoly, the job is to bankrupt your opponents. The difference is it's done "in a nice, fun way."
And playtime can get pretty realistic with the Biblical Action Figure of Job, which comes complete with boils.
The market for religious board games and toys like these is tiny and a bit quirky. But sales numbers indicate that demand is growing as families seek wholesome entertainment, selections expand and the Internet gives greater access to retailers.
Abe Blumberger of Jewish Educational Toys says people are much more willing to buy religious toys since he helped create KosherLand in 1985. His game is now offered on UrbanOutfitters.com.
"I think there's a recognition there's a small niche out there," Blumberger said.
Statistics on sales of religious games are hard to find. However, retail sales of inspirational gifts and merchandise, which includes religious toys and games, were an estimated $1.9 billion in 2005, an 11.8% increase from the previous year, according to an April report by Packaged Facts, the publishing arm of MarketResearch.com.
The report projected 26.3% growth to $2.4 billion in sales in the gifts and merchandise sector by 2010.
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20061224/24487.htm
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