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On A Desert Island With....Top Ten Toys

Jenny Gentile, Andrew Witkin and Scott Mitchell Rosenberg

What toys would you want to have with you if you were stranded on a desert island? This month, we asked the licensing executives and creatives of the industry's leading licensed animated properties to recall their favorite childhood toys.

Jenny Gentile is Senior Vice President, Licensing at Abrams/Gentile Entertainment. She is involved in licensing such successful properties as Sky Dancers and Van-Pires. Andrew Witkin is Sales and Marketing Manager for Nelvana Marketing Inc. Scott Mitchell Rosenberg is Chairman of Platinum Studios, the U.S. entertainment arm of the 25-year-old European comic rights holder, established to develop comic properties for television and motion pictures.

Jenny Gentile was involved in developing the successful Sky Dancers toy and animated series with Gaumont Multimedia. © AGE & Gaumont.

If the following selections are any indication of changes in the toy industry, it is apparent that very few of kids' favorite toys in the past were tied-in to television properties. While there are many animated series and feature-related toys on the market today, one has to wonder which ones will remain in the memories of kids 20 years from now.

Jenny Gentile's playpen favorites:

1. Push n' Pull. 2. Trolls. 3. Hula Hoop. 4. G.I. Joe. 5. Paddle Ball. 6. Lincoln Logs. 7. Twister. 8. Battleship. 9. Monopoly. 10. Mousetrap.

Scott Mitchell Rosenberg's favorites:

1. Risk. 2. Stratego. 3. Monopoly. 4. Cowboy stuff. 5. Lite Brite. 6. Toy Soldiers. 7. Mego Superhero Toys (DC and Marvel). 8. Hot Wheels. 9. Star Trek Guns. 10. Silly Putty.

Andrew Witkin.

Andrew Witkin's childhood memories:

1. Barrel of Monkeys. 2. Slinky. 3. Silly Putty. 4. Lego. 5. Intelivision. 6. Mr. Turtle Pool. 7. Hot Wheels. 8. View Master. 9. Nerf football. 10. Monopoly.