The phenomenon of age compression is the tendency in recent years for children to express more sophisticated tastes at younger ages for commodities such as toys, clothes, and other consumer goods. Within the toy manufacturing and marketing industries, this is known by the acronym KGOY (kids getting older younger). The emergence of the age compression phenomenon has been a cause of concern in the toy industry and among educators, psychologists, and others with an interest in ensuring that children’s emotional, [Page 74]intellectual, and personality development occurs at a gradual pace.