Disney Online debuted its exciting new virtual world and Internet-connected toys at the 2008 Toy Fair. I received a personal tour of the Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow virtual world, based on the wildly popular Disney Fairies franchise. Kids visiting the new Flash-based online world will be able to not only create their very own fairies, but also decorate their homes, explore the meadows, craft jewelry and clothes, earn badges, and play Fairy games.

In addition, kids can even play and chat with other fairy friends online by selecting from a list of preapproved phrases or typing messages of their own. And what's better than the bond of a fairy? For concerned parents, the online chat feature will feature a filtering system in which certain words are blocked from kids typing. For example, start typing the word, "Hell," and the words on the screen will light up in red, and that word can not be sent to another user. But finish the word with an "o," and the message will get sent.

The first phase of Pixie Hollow (www.PixieHollow.com) is scheduled to launch later this year, followed by a continuous roll out of in-game enhancements and product features. For now, users can visit www.DisneyFairies.com to create a personalized Fairy avatar, select clothing styles and colors, accessories, hair style and more. To date, nearly 5 million Fairies have been created at the popular Web site.

Disney Online and Techno Source also showed me its fresh line of Disney Fairies Clickable toys, including a Pixie Dust jewelry box and Tink friendship bracelet. Read all about them after the jump.

Disney Online and Techno Source showcased its fresh line of Disney Fairies Clickable, Internet-connected toys that link to online play within the Pixie Hollow virtual world and offer unlocked, exclusive content. Disney hopes that by offering these Internet-connected toys that it will teach girls to share their Fairies and create friendships. There are five products in the Disney Fairies collection, which range in price from $4.99 to $29.99:

• Pixie Dust eJewelry Collection: a jewelry box, charm necklace, and three exclusive Disney Fairies charms powered by Clickables technology. When a girl touches a charm to the Clickables center of her jewelry box, it unlocks a unique fairy gift at www.PixieHollow.com, including exclusive clothing and décor.
• Tink Friendship eBracelets: a Fairy Friendship Kit where a girl can select her fairy avatar, a special message, and a gift on the virtual world, and then save it onto her eBracelet to be shared offline with friends. When a girl touches her band to her friend's and presses a button, her band will glow to confirm that a Fairy Friendship has been made!
• Tink's eCharm Bracelet: a customizable charm bracelet and three themed charms. Each charm unlocks a unique, exclusive fairy gift at www.PixieHollow.com.
• Fairy eCharms accessory packs: Each pack contains three themed Disney Fairies eCharms powered with Clickables technology.
• Tink and Friends Fly with Me eLCD: an electronic handheld with five games, letting girls play as their favorite Disney Fairies characters Tinker Bell, Fawn, Iridessa, Silvermist, or Rosetta no matter where they are. Best of all, points earned during gameplay are turned into exclusive Tink Points in the virtual world to use toward clothes or décor.

Young girls obviously love Tinkerbell and other fairies, judging by the more than $800 million in global retail sales of the Disney Fairies franchise.

The future of toys is about connecting online and offline play, said Chris Heatherly, vice president of global electronics for Disney Consumer Products. Kids and tweens are quickly embracing virtual worlds and, while there are several Internet-related toys in the market today, the play ends when the computer gets shut down. With our new line of Disney Fairies toys featuring Clickables technology, we're bringing the fun of social networking, collecting, and trading into the real world so that girls can extend the fun of the enchanting online world of Pixie Hollow to school, the park, or wherever they may be.

Here are some screen shots of the Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow virtual world:

Fairies Meadow

Fairies Meadow Screen 2

Fairies Home

Pixie Hollow Map