Jimmy Daniels of RealTechNews writes:

Toy sales have slumped by about 3% the previous two years because of price wars among the top retailers, so, to help increase toy sales, toy manufacturers are pushing electronics toys, mainly because sales of children’s electronics grew by about 40% last year.

“Mattel collaborated with a wireless consulting firm, Single Touch Interactive, to create a prepaid cell phone for girls 8 to 14 that has already won the nickname ‘Barbie phone.’ LeapFrog Enterprises, the educational toy company, teamed up with another wireless company, Enfora, to release TicTalk, a phone for children 6 and older.”

[More on Cell Phones For Kids]