The real world is not enough.  Who wants to play with a real toy when you can play with a virtual one?  We’ve long believed that most products ultimately will  have virtual extensions as companies try to satiate consumers’ desire for experience.

From AP:

The nation’s No. 1 toymaker on Thursday unveiled Barbie Girls, a
multi-pronged brand that features a free Web site, BarbieGirls.com,
that will allow children to create their own virtual characters, design
their own room and try on clothes at a cyber mall. This summer, Mattel will introduce a Barbie-inspired handheld MP3 music device to interact with the Web site and unlock even more content.

Read more at Forbes.com.

Mark Kingdon