Children are very powerful consumers – as any whine-weary parent knows. So for the more that 1,500 manufacturers, importers, salesmen, and distributors that make the pilgrimage to New York’s International Toy Fair each year, child’s play is very serious business. When the 2005 Fair was unpacked at the Jacob Javits Convention Center last week, all the “grown-up” tastemakers of the children’s retail industry were on hand, combing through acres of stuffed animals, games, gizmos, and dolls, eager to uncover the most promising products of the year. Making sense of the maze of interactive baby dolls, magnetic erector sets, singing stuffed animals, and remote-control monster trucks was a daunting task, but a few playthings stood out from the pack.

Inspired by the matrix of pixels that make up images on video and LCD screens, Pixel Blocks are tiny, translucent, interlocking building blocks created by Jay Simmons, a Los Angeles television engineer. Like a high-tech take on the classic Lego, they are a link between the physical and the computerized world – allowing kids to create subtle, intricate works of 2-D and 3-D “digital” design without the aid of electricity. The results can be amazing: 3-D figures that evoke the world of anime or 2-D pixel “paintings” reminiscent of Chuck Close’s work. For parents looking for an innovative alternative to the traditional jigsaw puzzle, the complimentary “digital stained glass” program on the company’s Web site translates any uploaded digital image into a pixel block pattern, which can be printed out and followed while building. Complete sets of Pixel Blocks (1,400 pieces and all colors) retail for $34.90 and can be purchased at Gepetto’s Toy Box (10 Christopher St., 212-620-7511) or online at www.pixelblocks.com.

City Go: New York, a new game from the innovative New York-based company TLI Games, takes kids on an imaginary scavenger hunt through the city in search of a missing dog. TLI’s founder, Karen Young, herself a seasoned traveler and former triathlete, builds her products with the belief that kids learn best through action, experience, and discovery – so in “City Go: New York,” players are asked to sing, draw, rhyme, read, and dance their way around the city. Not only does the richly illustrated game board impart interesting tidbits about New York’s museums, parks, theaters, and architecture, it is also accompanied by coupon-laden travel guide, called a “City-Go Passport,” which encourages parents and children to get out and explore the city for themselves once the game is over. The game retails for $24.99 and is available online through www.tligames.com and in New York at many Barnes & Noble Booksellers (including 2289 Broadway, 212-362-8835, and 33 E. 17th St., 212-253-0810) as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art Children’s Gift Shop (1000 Fifth Ave., 800-662-3397).

Over the last two years, knitting has gone from being associated with gray-haired grandmothers to being championed by celebrities and trendy young women all across the country, so it’s no surprise that youngsters want in on the action. This spring, ALEX Toys – known for its array of arts and crafts supplies – is releasing two kits that promise to have kids knitting and crocheting in only a few hours. My Chunky Funky Scarf Kit ($13.99) comes packed inside a sturdy rubber tote, complete with three skeins of soft, bright, multicolored yarn, thick wooden knitting needles that are color-coded for the left and right hands, and a simple pattern for a 48″ scarf and stocking cap. In the Granny Squares Kit ($19.99), more than 300 yards of yarn in six colors, crochet hooks, an assortment of patterns, and easy assembly instructions arrive neatly within a pint-size turquoise suitcase. Both sets are available at KiddingAround (60 W. 15th St., 212-717-5300) and West Side Kids (84th St. and Amsterdam Ave, 212-496-7282) or online at www.alextoys.us.

Basic Fun Inc.’s XTS: Expandable Train System, aimed at children between the ages of 6 and 12, tries to bridge the gap between the plain Playmobile models of early childhood and the complicated train sets preferred by adult railroad hobbyists. Each XTS engine is fueled by a AAA battery “power core” that can be snapped apart easily and connected to an infinite number of diminutive – though very detailed – accessories. In seconds, using a simple dovetail joint system of platforms and tracks, children can assemble miles of working railway line, complete with train yards, trestles, blinking lights, and graffittied freight cars. “Themed” sets allow children to vary the scenery; the National Park set pushes passenger cars through mountain passes and the Refinery set sends chemical tankers rolling alongside oil drums and refinery towers. Starter sets retail for $15 and are available at Toys-R-Us (1514 Broadway, 800-TOYSRUS) or online at www.growingtreetoys.com.