One year ago, toy manufacturers were worried about the ongoing migration of toy dollars into catchy consumer electronic gadgets like iPods. Now, those same suppliers are riding the coattails of their rivals following the success of the iZ and iDog.

And that success has spawned a barnyard of copycats. That's literally the case with Hasbro, which has its I-Cat due in stores this fall from Tiger Electronics. The feline version of iDog, which has eyes that light up to music and purrs when it likes a song, will be priced at $29.99.

MGA Entertainment is expanding the sector with its i-PeG line, which will debut in August with an interactive pig (below right) and a frog. The Petz will dance and react to music but will also do things like "blush" when romantic songs are played.

The company's venture into iPod gadgets is a natural, given the fact it's already produced its own Liptunes mp3 player (below left) that's shaped like a lipstick tube. MGA chief executive Isaac Larian said the company has six or seven animals planned for the i-Petz line and expects them to appeal to a wide audience.

 COPYRIGHT 2006 Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group