It’s like learning a new language, and the younger you start learning a new language, the better.”
Ms. DiBartolo’s publication also endorses other toys
that are similar to Cubetto, including one from established brands like Fisher-Price’s Codeapillar and Learning Resources’ Code and Go Robot Mouse.
“The idea behind Cubetto was to create a tool that would make that literacy accessible to this age group, 3 to 6.”
According to Adrienne Appell, the director for strategic communications at the Toy Industry Association, this
segment — which did not even exist 20 years ago — has rapidly become a major part of the toy market.
As parents increasingly grow eager to give their children an edge in technology skills by getting them to think like a computer early, start-ups
and entrepreneurs see potential in creating toys with a focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics — popularly referred to as STEM.
The Toy Insider, which reviews toys and makes purchasing recommendations to its readers, included Cubetto in its
list of top STEM toys for children ages 3 to 5, although the publication has not yet formally reviewed it.
Filippo Yacob, the founder of Primo Toys, was hoping to market to toy buyers
and retailers when he attended the Toy Industry Association’s New York Toy Fair in February.
Robot Turtles, from Think Fun, is a traditional board game,
but Ms. DiBartolo said it still taught “if/then” — a fundamental command in coding — as players use cards to direct pieces across the board toward a prize in the center.
