TOTS TESTING TOYS PICKING TOMORROW'S WINNERS AND LOSERS IS CHILD'S PLAY.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Dressed in a sharp blue vest and hat, brandishing a walkie-talkie and glowering with authority, Christian Doty is a member of a crack team of inspectors, ones absolutely essential to the survival of an industry.

Keep in mind, Christian is 3 years old, and his uniform threads are courtesy of Small Miracles Let's Pretend. The young chap is testing toys for Family Fun Magazine, finding out what's hot with youngsters for its Toy of the Year awards. Input from folks like him is a key part of whether a toy will ever see store shelves, industry insiders say, and he's performing an important business task.

Don't tell Christian that, however; he's got other tasks on his mind.

``I'm a policeman!'' he declared, booming in a tone that would have put Joe Friday to shame. ``Sit down! I need to ask you some questions.''

As Christian and his buddies play out their little drama, they're carefully observed by their teachers at the KinderCare Learning Center. Part of a three-week-long scrutiny, the youngsters are introduced to toys that major retailers are hoping to place in stores for the crucial holiday season. A positive vote from this police force in short pants can make the difference between this year's hot toys and flops, and these tots are on the cutting edge of 3-year-old cool.

``When they're voting for the Oscars, they don't ask people who hate movies to nominate films. Who better to vote on toys than the people who love them - kids,'' said Gregory Lauzon, a staff writer for Family Fun who's conducted the test for the past decade. ``It's straight from the source, and they're pretty reliable. We figured out Tickle Me Elmo way before Rosie had him on her show.''

For this particular test, more than 700 toy prototypes are shipped to Family Fun, which has an elite crew of 100 young-uns evaluate them. After a week of intense play, the toy group is whittled down to the 70-toy range, broken down into categories of age and play type. These finalists are sent in mass quantities to KinderCares across the nation, where 700 kids like Christian put the gizmos through their paces.

The tests, not surprisingly, are a favorite at the day care, according to Aimee Ward, director of the Santa Clarita location.

``Each morning, when the toys are brought in, their eyes light up,'' she said. ``They run over to the teachers and ask for them.''

What the kids are asking for is a key step in assessing a toy's viability, according to Sarah Buzby, a senior product manager in Mattel's Girls Division. The El Segundo-based firm conducts extensive tests during toys' development, working with children rather than grown-ups who know more about marketing and manufacturing than what's really cool with the young crowd.

``It's really critical for us to do that,'' she said. ``We go in with a lot of concepts with focus groups to see how our product stands up against the competition. It gives you the truest read of the effectiveness of the product, to put it in front of the kid who's actually going to use it. We want an independent opinion, with an impartial review.''

And if the kids find a flaw in the toy, they can actually veto a toy out of existence, outvoting project engineers and designers.

The toys that young Officer Christian and his fellow testers are looking at have already made it past the focus group stage, and should hit stores in coming months. A Toy of the Year award can be a key indicator of whether parents will pick them up, Lauzon said.

``A lot of times, parents have no idea what they're doing once they get in the aisles of Toys 'R' Us,'' he said. ``They make educated guesses, or not-so-educated guesses about what they think their kids want. This helps avoid a lot of Christmas morning letdowns.''

Though the range of toys tested can be on the expensive side - the John Deere Gator 4x2 is a hefty $299.99 - newfangled whozits aren't a sure-fire indicator of a toy's success.

``It's interesting, because we've seen a set of blocks going up against something that beeps and buzzes and win,'' Lauzon said. ``The older kids like the expensive toys, but a younger kid's just as happy to chew on a stuffed animal as they are to play with a little computer.''

Back in Santa Clarita, the testing team approached its task with zest.

``Make him fall down again!'' exclaimed Taylor Eidlers, a 6-year-old watching a remote controlled Tony Hawk skateboard figure wind its way across the floor.

Andrew Crudge, 7, was more than happy to oblige, sending the baggy- panted skater into a spectacular wipeout into the wall. Andrew righted the board and sent him hurdling back toward the gallery, which brought out a less-welcome response from Taylor.

``Oh no!'' she protested. ``Keep that thing away from me.''

The miniature Tony Hawk skidded past, avoiding Taylor by mere inches. His balance was short-lived, however, as Andrew sent him tumbling into a pile of boxes.

``Nice move, genius,'' Taylor laughed, compounding Hawk's problems by running over his hard plastic head with a radio-controlled Beetle. ``Tony Hawk's the funniest guy I know.''

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3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Dustin Engebretsen plays with the Goofy Jalopy, aimed for slightly younger children. Below, children in Kindercare in Valencia test the Rocket Roller.

(3) From left, Giancarlo Herrera, 8; Andrew Crudge, 7, and Taylor Rose, 6, test the remote-control Tony Hawk skateboarder.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer