CFCN Consumer Watch Toy Test 1994 (1994 - 15 Minutes, #473-HD)

The CFCN Consumer Watch Toy Test was a local week-long news mini-series that aired on the CFCN Evening News in the 1990’s and into the 2000’s. The idea was created by CFCN Consumer Watch reporter Tony Tighe. Children played with popular toys and then gave their honest unscripted reviews. The CFCN News team would acquire the toys and let the children play with them for a week under teacher/parent supervision. Then Tony would return with cameras and record their reviews. The feature aired at the end of November, and was extremely popular. Both parents and children looked forward to the series and it helped them choose their Christmas gifts. Besides rating the toys, Toy Test also provided safety tips, consumer advice on picking toys, and price comparisons to save money. The feature aired on CFCN in Calgary and was also seen province-wide and across the country on CTV affiliate stations. Tony’s 1994 Toy Test reports, compiled in this video, targeted children in grades 1 to 2. That year, more than 50 toys were tested by children from Calgary’s Hawkwood Elementary School. If you have any questions or, additional information to share about this posting, email me at brianvos@telus.net.