Nickelodeon Expands Kids' Electronics Line

In another nod to how young kids are drawn to adult-like technology at earlier and earlier ages, Nickelodeon has released a line of tech products to snap up some of those kid tech dollars.

Like Disney, Nickelodeon is expanding beyond clock radios and tech toys to electronics—digital cameras, TVS, and DVD and MP3 players. The Nick line includes a $300 LCD SpongeBob SquarePants TV, a $60 Dora the Explorer digital camera, SpongeBob digital cameras ranging from $22 to $50,  DVD players, and 7-inch Dora, SpongeBob, and Go Diego digital frames. Here's a full list of the products, which will be available this fall at stores including Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

The New York Times notes that a recent NPD study on children and consumer electronics trends shows that the average age that children begin using consumer electronics has dropped from 8.1 years in 2005 to 6.7 years in 2007. Kids like tech and they want grown-up tech, not toy replicas.

LINKS: SpongeBob Pushes Deeper into Electronics Aisle [New York Times]
Nickelodeon and Imation Launch New NPower Brand of Consumer Electronics [press release]