The company, based in El Segundo, Calif., has been struggling for the last couple of years to broaden its offerings beyond dolls, cars and preschool toys.

He was instrumental in building Fisher-Price into the world's largest manufacturer of preschool toys.

In an era of life-size Muppets and mechanical dinosaurs, lowly hand puppets are often dismissed as preschool toys.

Among the items selling briskly, she said, are preschool toys, ride-on toys and girls' dress-up items like tiaras and princess attire.

Killashandra hid her shock, this emotion manipulator made the equipment at Fuerte look like preschool toys.

The companies extended their existing deal, under which Mattel sells a line of Disney preschool and infant toys, for 10 years.

It's a rather sophisticated little machine, but it looks like a preschool toy.

So in the reorganization announced today, all preschool toys will be sold under the Fisher-Price brand.

"Two years ago, we had 'Chicken Dance Elmo,' and that was the preschool toy of the year," Mr. Friedman said.

"Last year, we had Hokey Pokey Elmo, and that was both the preschool toy of the year and the overall toy of the year."