Beginning today, kids are invited to check out the Walmart Toy Lab where they can interact with this year’s hottest toys through an interactive digital experience available online. (Photo: Business Wire)

BENTONVILLE, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)–Walmart and eko, the leader in choice-driven entertainment, today unveiled the Walmart Toy Lab for the 2019 holiday season at www.walmarttoylab.com. A free, online interactive experience, the Walmart Toy Lab invites kids to test this year’s most-wanted toys from their tablet or computer. The Walmart Toy Lab brings fun to holiday shopping, combining play for kids and convenience for parents in the rush of the season.

Starting today, kids can step into the Walmart Toy Lab and become toy testers within a bright, fantastical workshop. Alongside two hosts, kids will use a “Funtroller” and choose to test, look at, or play with the season’s hottest toys. From cruising around on a Hover-1 Kart hoverboard and keeping watch from the Paw Patrol Lookout Tower, to coaxing a creature out of the How to Train Your Hatching Dragon, kids can put toys through their paces before adding them to their wish lists.

The Walmart Toy Lab is an example of Walmart’s commitment to delivering convenience and fun experiences to customers this holiday season. Created in partnership with eko, the Walmart Toy Lab leverages eko technology to reinvent traditional catalogs and today’s YouTube “unboxing videos,” putting kids in the driver’s seat.

“Being a retailer isn’t simply about selling items anymore – it’s about creating an experience for our customers,” Anne Marie Kehoe, Walmart’s vice president of toys, explained. “The Walmart Toy Lab is a way for us to create a digital experience for kids to really see our hottest toys in action as we enter the holiday season.”

“KidHQ is filling a gap left behind by shuttered toy stores and old-school catalogs, and in the process is reinventing how brands connect with people,” said Ivy Sheibar, chief brand officer of eko. “I have young children and know first-hand that kids have grown accustomed to interacting and playing with technology. KidHQ fulfills these expectations by inviting kids to choose what happens next throughout the experience rather than passively consuming content. At eko, we believe it’s the future for entertainment and brands alike.”

Beginning today, kids and parents can interact with the following toys within the Walmart Toy Lab:

• Barbie Dreamplane
• Owleez
• Frozen 2 Elsa’s Enchanted Ice Vanity
• FurReal Cubby
• Frozen 2 Arendelle Castle
• Kindi Kids
• Myla the Magical Unicorn
• Juno My Baby Elephant
• Frozen 2 Forest Expedition Dolls
• Robo Alive Ice Dragon / Robo Alive Fire Dragon
• Star Wars Scream Saber
• Marvel Spider-Man Super Web Slinger
• Turbo Bot
• L.O.L. Glamper
• Simba Ride-On
• Peppa Pig Magical Parade
• Paw Patrol Lookout Tower
• Adventure Force NASCAR Crash Racers
• Hover-1 Hoverboard and Kart
• Huffy Torex

Twenty more toys will be added to the interactive experience on November 1!

This is the second year the Walmart Toy Lab has brought a new form of entertainment to the holiday season. After announcing a joint venture last year, eko and Walmart have partnered on a number of unique interactive experiences.

For more information, visit the Walmart Newsroom.

For more information on Eko, visit www.helloeko.com.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, over 275 million customers and members visit our more than 11,300 stores under 58 banners in 27 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2019 revenue of $514.4 billion, Walmart employs over 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.

About eko

eko is a pioneering interactive entertainment company that lets audiences shape stories as they unfold. eko’s technology allows viewers to affect, control, and influence interactive entertainment like never before. The company provides a platform for interactive stories and partners with media companies, independent creators and top brands to create deeply engaging experiences for audiences. Stories are distributed through Helloeko.com, affiliate partners, and social networks; available on desktop, mobile, and connected devices. The company has over 15 patents for its technology, including its proprietary player and authoring tools. eko Studio, the company’s suite of authoring tools, is also offered for free to a community of creators who craft their own interactive experiences using eko’s platform. For more information, visit www.helloeko.com.