Heroes of the City: play worlds between TV series, social media and toys

For years, the toy industry has been observing how classic product lines are changing. Series formats, digital platforms and physical toys are increasingly converging. One example of this is City Heroes, a themed world that was deliberately not conceived from the shelf in the children's room, but has its origins in moving images.

The development of the brand shows how strongly play content today is oriented towards media usage habits and how this can result in a cohesive concept for children and parents.

From series format to play world

The origin of City Heroes lies not in classic toy distribution, but in the conception of an animated series. The production company behind it began developing content specifically for digital platforms at an early stage. YouTube became the central distribution channel. Instead of relying on national TV structures, the format gradually grew via international channels. The series is now available in numerous language versions and reaches children worldwide across national borders. This media starting point is crucial to understanding the brand. The toys are not the starting point, but an extension of an already established narrative world. Children are already familiar with the characters, roles and storylines from the episodes before they can re-enact them in play. This significantly shifts the relationship between content and product.

Characters with clear roles

At the heart of the series are three main characters who drive the action. Paul Police, Fiona Firefighter and Kasimir Crow form the core of the stories. They live in a small town, experience adventures together and take on clearly defined tasks. This role concept is deliberately kept simple and easy for children to understand. The characters do not act in isolation, but are embedded in a social environment. Together with other characters, they create scenarios that take up typical everyday situations and playfully exaggerate them. Injuries, minor mishaps or technical problems are just as much a part of this as rescue operations and relief efforts. This creates a recognisable framework that is suitable for both short episodes and free play.

Toys as an extension of the narrative

The toys are closely based on the series. Vehicles, characters and play stations pick up on central elements of the stories. Particularly striking is a compact play station that also plays an important role in the series. It serves as a starting point for missions and actions, thus forming a bridge between the screen and the children's room. The functions are designed to be age-appropriate. Rotating elements, buttons and simple mechanisms allow children to re-enact scenes or invent their own sequences. The focus is less on technical complexity and more on intuitive usability. The aim is to transfer the narrative understanding from the series into active play.

Multilingualism and digital expansion

A key feature of the product line is the integration of language. The vehicles are equipped with voice chips that use the original speakers from the series. This maintains the connection to the familiar sound world. At the same time, multilingualism is used in a targeted manner. German, English and French are integrated as standard and can be switched between via simple controls. The physical toy is complemented by a digital level. Each vehicle comes with a card that can be used to unlock additional content via a special app. This combination of haptic play and digital extras expands the range of uses without completely replacing the classic game.

• Animated series content as the starting point for the play world
• Clear character roles with recognition value
• Vehicles with integrated voice functions
• Multilingual implementation for international use
• App-based additional content as an optional extension

Control and everyday usability for parents

In addition to the play value for children, the perspective of parents was also taken into account. The sound functions can be deactivated if they are found to be disruptive in everyday life. This simple option for volume control is not a secondary aspect, but part of the overall concept. It shows that toys today must not only appeal to children, but also fit into family routines.

An educational approach without lecturing

Heroes of the City takes an educational approach without putting it at the forefront. Social skills are addressed through role models, cooperation and problem solving. At the same time, the game remains open enough to allow children to develop their own stories. The combination of series, toys and digital expansion thus creates a versatile play world that can be flexibly adapted to different age groups and usage situations. The involvement of Dickie Toys as the implementer of this theme world shows how classic toy manufacturers are responding to changes in media use. Dickie Toys is not acting as the sole source of ideas here, but as part of a larger ecosystem of content, technology and play. It is precisely this interconnection that makes the concept so relevant.