Toys are serious business. In the US, the toy industry sold $22.58 billion worth of products in 1997. The Toy Manufacturers Association hosts a site at www.tma-toy.com which has exhaustive information on this industry. Of this one company Toys-R-Us alone accounts for about 20 per cent of the sales.

The site has data on the import, export figures and has about 300 members in its fold. The toy business is heavily dependent on brand and images, and as a result spends a lot on advertising. The industry spent $950 million on advertising last year to sustain its sales. The site has links to other industry related sites. For instance, there is the toy research institute which organises funds for children.