If you\'re shopping for the newest and hottest toys for the children in your life, how do you know which are the best toys around? Many items go through a strict review system before ever making it to the store shelves, but what exactly do the toy companies do? This article outlines some of the steps toy companies take to make sure its toys are safe and fun for children.

Research And Development
The first step to getting toys on the shelves and into consumer\'s homes is research and development. The toy companies have talented people on their staffs that spend their time coming up with the latest and greatest toy ideas. From Hot Wheels games, to Lego games, to Barbie games, these talented toy designers spend all day thinking of new and exciting ways for kids to interact with their toys.

Many of these toy designers think up hundreds of ideas every year, but only a handful may make it out to store shelves. If the toy is one of the few that makes it to the prototype stage, the next step is rigorous toy reviews and testing.

Toy Testing
Once a sample is made, the toy must go through strict testing before making it to the review stage. Toy reviewers and testers try to damage the toy as much as possible to make sure it can\'t break into small pieces and harm children. Testers also try to imagine how children will play with the toy, whether it\'s a learning kids toy or just something for fun like Barbie games or a Hot Wheels set.

In addition to the practical testing, the toys are also put through a rigorous battery of chemical tests. To ensure safety, the toys are tested for lead and other potentially harmful chemicals.

Toy Review Focus Groups
Only after passing the research and development and testing stages are the toys ready for a review focus groups. These toy reviews are often large groups of children who are allowed in a room full of toys. The goal of these reviews is to leave the children alone and see which toys they naturally gravitate to and how they play with them. Sometimes, the children may come up with an entirely new way to play with the toy, which can open up a completely new marketing campaign. Because there is no right or wrong way for children to play in these focus groups, it helps designers see what works and what doesn\'t.

It\'s only after all these steps that toys make it to your store\'s shelves. Because of the rigorous research and development, testing and reviews toy companies take, parents can feel confident when purchasing a new toy for their children. Whether the toys are Barbie games, Hot Wheels games or Lego games, children are sure to enjoy them.