A multilayer track board includes two tracks overlaid on each other in various patterns including an oval, a rectangle, a figure eight, a circle, and other various and popular track geometries. Props for various and popular imaginary and real city park scapes are included. Lights, trees, park benches, landscapes, buildings, bridges, railings, curb and gutter, etc are also included both for functional and for esthetic purposes. Digital and mechanical counters are included on the tracks at various and multiple points in order to track the race and chase of a vehicle on one track in relation to a vehicle on the other track. This prevents a hunch up of the vehicles on a one level track when one vehicle is faster or slower than the other one.

An improved toy vehicle playset contains a base, a tower, a launcher, and a housing structure. The tower may be equipped with a track disposed around the tower. An interactive object may be moveably coupled to the tower and equipped with a mechanism that is repositionable between an engaged position, where the mechanism is engaged with the track of the tower, and a disengaged position, where the mechanism is disengaged from the track of the tower. When in the mechanism is in the engaged position, the interactive object may descend the tower along the track. When the mechanism is in the disengaged position, the interactive object may descend linearly or fall along the tower without following the track. The launcher may be configured to launch toy vehicles at the interactive object to actuate the mechanism to be repositioned from the engaged position to the disengaged position.

An improved toy vehicle playset contains a base, a tower, a launcher, and a housing structure. The tower may be equipped with a track disposed around the tower. An interactive object may be moveably coupled to the tower and equipped with a mechanism that is repositionable between an engaged position, where the mechanism is engaged with the track of the tower, and a disengaged position, where the mechanism is disengaged from the track of the tower. When in the mechanism is in the engaged position, the interactive object may descend the tower along the track. When the mechanism is in the disengaged position, the interactive object may descend linearly or fall along the tower without following the track. The launcher may be configured to launch toy vehicles at the interactive object to actuate the mechanism to be repositioned from the engaged position to the disengaged position.

An information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information medium control motion of a moving body according to position information corresponding to a predetermined array pattern. An information processing apparatus includes an information acquisition unit acquires position information from a sensor configured to read a predetermined array pattern, and a motion control unit controls motion of a first moving body including movement in a real space based on the position information.

A toy system comprises a surface (1) provided with position encoding information; and a toy (2, 20) arranged to be movable across the surface (1), said toy (2, 20) comprising at least one sensor (4) for reading said position encoding information, and processing means (3) arranged to process the position encoding information read by the sensor (4) and to determine the position of the toy (2, 20) on said surface (1) on the basis of said position encoding information.

A toy system comprises a surface (1) provided with position encoding information; and a toy (2, 20) arranged to be movable across the surface (1), said toy (2, 20) comprising at least one sensor (4) for reading said position encoding information, and processing means (3) arranged to process the position encoding information read by the sensor (4) and to determine the position of the toy (2, 20) on said surface (1) on the basis of said position encoding information.

An improved toy vehicle playset contains a tower and multiple track portions coupled to the tower that provide a path for toy vehicles to descend from the top of the tower. The tower may include an elevator mechanism for transporting toy vehicles up the tower and an interactive feature that is configured to interact with descending toy vehicles along the track portions. The descent of the toy vehicles may trigger the interactive feature to also descend from the top of the tower, where the descending interactive feature may attempt to impede or stop the descending toy vehicles along the track portions. In some embodiments, the one or more towers may further include platforms configured to store and retain a plurality of toy vehicles, mechanisms that trigger one or more toy vehicles to be launched from the platforms, and mechanisms for diverting toy vehicles onto the platforms.

Provided is a self-propelled reading device to read cards more reliably. Each of the cards includes a first end part configured to be adjacent to another card in a predetermined direction; a second end part configured to be on the opposite side of the first end part and adjacent to another card different from the first end part; and a surface printed with a pattern in which are coded coordinates indicating a positional relation relative to a reference line extended in the predetermined direction indicative of a region in which a self-propelled device is to travel. Each of the first and the second end parts has a positioning part regulating how the other card adjacent to the end part is to be placed. The positioning parts and the reference line have a predetermined positional relation therebetween.

Provided is a self-propelled reading device to read cards more reliably. Each of the cards includes a first end part configured to be adjacent to another card in a predetermined direction; a second end part configured to be on the opposite side of the first end part and adjacent to another card different from the first end part; and a surface printed with a pattern in which are coded coordinates indicating a positional relation relative to a reference line extended in the predetermined direction indicative of a region in which a self-propelled device is to travel. Each of the first and the second end parts has a positioning part regulating how the other card adjacent to the end part is to be placed. The positioning parts and the reference line have a predetermined positional relation therebetween.

Provided are a versatile track block for creating a track that is capable of securing a more dynamic range of motion for toy mobile object, rather than merely a toy block moved around by hand, and a track plan in which the order of colors or patterns of blocks on the track is recorded as a program. Projecting parts 100, 100 and recessed parts 101, 101 capable of mating with the projecting parts 100 are provided clockwise around the four sides of a block 1. A step part 16 is formed on the upper face of the block 1, and a magnetic plate 2 is set into this step part 16. A track can be created using a plurality of blocks 1 of this sort. In addition, blocks 6 comprising curved magnetic plates 24 and the like can be used to create a three-dimensional track that can be traveled in three dimensions.