The things that made you the happiest as a child just don't cut it for today's generation, a new survey suggests.
With digital entertainment at our fingertips at all times in this day and age, brands like Disney, Toys 'R Us and Pop Tarts have taken a back seat to Apple's iPad, according to market research firm Smarty Pants.
A list released this week of the top 50 kids brands places Apple's tablet firmly atop the chart, besting the likes of Nickelodeon, M&M's and Crayola.
"iPad's number one status among kids represents the culmination of the 'tablet takeover' - a movement from shared screens and TV network dominance to curated content on personal devices," Wynne Tyree, president of Smarty Pants, said in a statement. "Kids increasingly turn to [the] iPad for games, TV shows, videos, books, homework help and communicating with friends and family."
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The tablet was also joined by fellow iDevices including the iPod (No. 19) and iPhone (No. 23), with the company itself placing 25th overall. The iPad, however, is in its own class of Apple products with its ability to offer entertainment anywhere, anytime.
"I can watch YouTube and play Minecraft and use the Internet anywhere I want," a 9-year-old boy told Smarty Pants. "And I don't have to share."
"In just five years, the iPad has risen from ranking 109th to being kids' favorite brand," Tyree added. "Early on, it captured the hearts of tweens and middle- and upper-class families, but [the] iPad is now an indispensable part of childhood for the masses."
While digital entertainment held the top spot, kids' affinity for junk food doesn't figure to change in the coming years, with Hershey, Oreo, M&M's, Doritos, Cheetos and Skittles finishing in spots two through seven overall, PC Mag reports.
