• by Aaron Baar , October 14, 2014

Move over, Barbie -- there’s a new favorite brand for kids. 

According to a new survey of brands among kids and families, Apple’s iPad is the top brand among kids 6-12, edging out mainstays such as McDonald’s (#15), Toys R Us (#24), Nickelodeon (#13) and Disney (#8). (Apple itself comes in at number 25, while the iPod is number 19). The annual “Young Love” study from Smarty Pants scores 256 brands, among the responses of more than 6,600 children and their parents.

“It’s iconic of what we see in the kids’ space. Tablets have taken over kids’ lives,” Wynne Tyree, president of Smarty Pants, tells Marketing Daily. “It’s a real wake-up call and a reality check.”

The iPad’s ascension among favorite kids’ brands has been very rapid. In 2010, the same survey listed the brand at number 109 among kids. It jumped up to number 25 the following year, and was number 8 last year, according to Tyree. The steady movement shows how important the technology has become in kids’ lives, she says. 

“It’s gone from ‘I’m going to borrow my parents’ iPad’ to ‘I’m going to need one of my own,’” she says.

The tablet’s influence has extended to other brands as well. IPad-friendly entertainment channels such as YouTube and Netflix are also in the top 25, underscoring how much kids’ entertainment has changed in a short time. 

“One of the biggest draws for the iPad and other devices is that kids don’t have to rely on the big kids’ [TV] networks any more,” Tyree says. “They can curate their own [interests].”

The top 10 kids’ brands, according to the Smarty Pants Young Love survey are: iPad, Hershey’s, Oreo, M&M’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Skittles, Disney and YouTube.