Toys that boast both English- and Spanish-language capabilities have made strong gains in the past year, reflecting the large number of young Latinos in the United States whose families speak Spanish—and English-speaking non-Latino children whose parents want them to learn Spanish. From Barbie to T.M.X. Elmo—even venerable board games Monopoly and Candy Land—toys increasingly are being made and marketed with Latinos in mind. Still, despite some hefty competition, semi-new kid on the block Dora the Explorer has been the definitive "Hispanic" merchandising property in the past few years.

Research points to Hispanics spending more money on toys than their general-market counterparts. With a surging population comes growing affluence, and Latinos have larger households in which the child is the focal point--and in need of playthings. According to Simmons Fall 2006 National Consumer Survey, 53 percent of Hispanic adults, or 14.8 million, purchased toys or games in the past 12 months, with 9.5 million having purchased toys or games for children under 12. "Without a doubt, bilingual toys have grown tremendously, especially over the past three years. Consumers want these items," says Jim Silver, editor in chief and co-publisher of Toy Wishes magazine. "It really originated with Dora, and it's a trend that's certainly increasing."

With so many children, and more people with money to spend on toys, marketing to Hispanics has not been ignored by the $22 billion toy industry. Toymakers are taking a multipronged approach to reach this market, including creating multicultural products that resemble Latinos products that speak Spanish, products based on successful properties popular with Latinos and, of course, developing dedicated Hispanic marketing campaigns.

With up to 400 new products released each year, Fisher-Price acknowledges that many are developed with Latinos in mind. Dora and Diego are linchpin toys targeted for growth, but other toys this past holiday season, including one of the most sought after, T.M.X. Elmo (the technologically advanced Tickle Me Elmo), also were made available in Spanish. Fisher-Price is in its third year of a dedicated Hispanic advertising campaign for all of its toys that includes TV, print, out-of-home and event marketing, says Brenda Andolina, director of public relations for Fisher-Price. "Hispanic consumers are different than the general market, and our marketing has to be specific."