Strollerderby : toys

New American Girl Doll Shares Name With Fugitive

Brett Singer — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:00:00 GMT

You've heard about the new American Girl doll. Rebecca Rubin. Nice name.

But it turns out there's another Rebecca Rubin out there. She's a fugitive.

Not just any fugitive. One of the FBI's most wanted fugitives. An eco-terrorist, if you will.

The real-life Rebecca J. Rubin was part of a group called the Earth Liberation Front. Perpetuators of "the biggest act of eco-terrorism in U.S. history," according to some. Here is a video report of one of their more notorious acts:

So why pick the same name as a suspected terrorist? (What's next? Barbie Bin Laden? The New York Times quotes American Girl spokesperson Julie Parks as saying that, “Rebecca was one of the most popular names for Jewish girls in 1905, when Rebecca [the doll] would have been born. When researching last names, Rubin was on a list of a handful of other names that would have been appropriate for a Russian-Jewish family but, honestly, Rubin rose to the top because we liked the alliteration and knew that girls could easily pronounce it.” (As opposed to one of those really Jewy names, like Schlemielowitz.)

To be fair, "the company originally applied to register the name [Rebecca Rubin] with the United States trademark office in 2004," according to the Times. Suspected eco-terrorist Rebecca Rubin was indicted by a grand jury in 2006. Still, maybe the next time American Girl is about to launch a new doll, they might want to Google the name. Just in case.

Source: New York Times

Image: FBI (first time that's ever been an image source for me)

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Mazel Tov! Meet Rebecca - The New ‘Jewish’ American Girl Doll

SunnyChanel — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:24:00 GMT

It’s a mitzvah! On May 31st a brand new American Girl doll will be available for purchase. Meet Rebecca, the Lower East Side dwellin’ Jewish-American girl who is the newest addition to the doll company’s historical roster. Rebecca Rubin is a 9-year-old living with her family in New York City in the year 1914 and whose debut has been much anticipated.

Rebecca’s coming out party will be held at the New York American Girl superstore and will include tie-ins with the Lower East Side’s Tenement Museum, paying tribute to the doll’s history. There are six books that compliment Rebecca and cover her back story which includes issues such as labor conditions, immigration into the U.S., the beginning of the film industry and includes Manhattan history as the backdrop.

An American Girl spokesperson stated to the Chicago Sun Times that, "A Jewish doll has been a top request from customers for a long time…our goal has always been to choose the pivotal periods that shaped the history of our country.” She continued to say, "Two million Jews from Eastern Europe immigrated between 1880 and 1915. Most came to New York City…this is an opportunity to talk about how this influx shaped us. We wouldn't be the country we know if not for their contribution."

Rebecca is the first American Girl doll with a strong religious affiliation, although the doll company’s spokesperson points out that Catholicism plays an important roll in the background of their Josefina doll (from Colonial New Mexico).

As with all the American Girl characters you can purchase era appropriate accessories such as a wood sideboard with a Sabbath Set. And although she comes from humble beginnings, her price isn’t. She goes for $95 for the doll and the first book in the series. Or $114 for Rebecca, the first book and her hat and scarf.

Would you buy Rebecca for your little girl?

Full review of the doll coming soon.

Breastfeeding Kids Scare Prudes

JeanneSager — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:32:00 GMT

OK, let me break it down for you folks, because apparently there are still some folks out there who don't get it.

Breastfeeding is not a sexual act.

So if toddlers are doing it to their dolls, do we REALLY give two hoots (or hooters?). A group of Brits with their granny panties in a bunch apparently do.

Staff at a hospital in Manchester, England hung a poster that shows a little girl "breastfeeding" her doll. It's something I know a lot of moms say their kids have done. Because, well, they saw a Mom (maybe theirs, maybe someone else's) doing it and they want to be just like her. That, they've decided is part of mothering their "baby" doll. It's actually pretty sweet if you think about it.

The staff were trying to make that point exactly - kids copy what they see, so why not give them a positive example? Except a grandmother visiting her grandson called the papers to complain because, she says, "The picture is shocking and it isn't normal. Children copy their parents but I don't think any little girls should be breastfeeding their dolls."

Why is it shocking? Because a little kid is playing mommy? Excuse me, should we send that message out to the hundreds of dolls marketed for giving kids ability to pretend to be "just like mom?" How about the toy strollers and little Mommy and Me outfits?

Of course, if she was holding a bottle to the baby's mouth, we can only assume Gram would be just fine with this picture, and everything would be right with the world. Er, OK, why? Because it didn't involve a boobie? Bingo! Because we're just parading back to the fact that breasts are not to be used for such nonsense as what nature intended.

What really bugs me about this story, however, isn't Gram. She might just be written off as old-fashioned and set in her ways (although at thirty-nine . . . ). But the healthcare worker quoted in the article calling the photo "offensive," is of even greater concern here. Because if someone working IN a hospital setting is freaked out by this picture, it's no wonder moms are still getting poor breastfeeding starts at many hospitals.

So let's get back to the beginning. Breastfeeding does not equal sex. Three-year-old pretending to feed their dolly breastmilk does not equal kinky perversion. Now, want to go tell your son or daughter they're doing something freaky? Didn't think so.

Image:Manchester Evening News

Cops Taser Toy Panther

JeanneSager — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:35:00 GMT

If you've ever been terrified by one of your kids' all-too-lifelike toys in the middle of the night, don't despair. At least you didn't call out a team of cops to Taser your daughter's stuffed animal.

The black panther lurking near a playground that set a father on edge, prompting him to make an anxious call to 911 turned out to be the work of a prankster. But cops didn't know until AFTER they'd shot the big fluffy toy with a stun gun (give them all the benefit of the doubt - it was dark, and there were kids around, which makes parents and police alike more nervous about dangers).

The response cost the city around $1,000, and they're searching for the prankster to charge him for making a public nuisance (and hopefully recoup the money). The question I'm begging to ask?

Who buys their kid a life-like panther? We're not talking your warm and fuzzy critter over here. Meat-eaters, they have been known to attack humans (although they try to avoid us), and with few predators they tend to reign supreme out in the wild. And, hello, they like to rip their prey limb from limb?

And this you want your kid cuddling with at night? Eeek!

Give me a nice stuffed puppy any day.

Image: NBC

Dumb Kiddy Product Makeovers

Cole Gamble — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:01:00 GMT

Dora the Sexy Explorer

As much as I understand a company wants to keep its product (I mean character) relevant to the audience, it’s not necessary to grow Dora with the kids. You see, new young kids come along to replace the old audience. I’ve yet to see Elmo grow up and wrestle with paying off college loans on his useless liberal arts degree. At five, my daughter is way past Dora, but my two-year-old boy is just getting into her. Though I’ll admit the sexed up Dora may really keep him hooked.

Premium M&Ms

Oo la, la. These are M&M you wouldn’t be ashamed to serve at your debutante ball. Sorry, I like M&Ms but I’ll never pay five bucks for them just for the gilded packaging.

Strawberry Shortcake

Okay, so maybe the old Strawberry Shortcake looks a little homeless, so perhaps it was high time to update the look. But look closer, notice anything startlingly different? The new SS is an anorexic twig. And the company behind SS promises to feature Shortcake spending a lot more time on the cell phone, to reflect modern girls. You know, just texting muffin recipes like girls these days do.

Have you seen old favorites (poorly) dressed up to keep their appeal?

More Good Stuff:

10 Great Books For (Traumatizing) Children

Eating Your Baby's Placenta

Disturbing Baby-Swinging PSA

What Would Jesus Build Out of LEGO?

JeanneSager — Sat, 02 May 2009 19:28:00 GMT

If your kids get this into LEGO, you might want to sign them up for the nearest seminary.

Proving the theory that LEGOs are good for the soul, a Protestant Church in Sweden has built a life-size Jesus statue . . . completely out of the itty bitty bricks.

Whether kids were actually part of the band of forty volunteers who spend a full year and a half on the sculpture, they don't say, but the kids in the congregation were allowed to run their hands all over the mega Messiah when he was revealed.

Extra cool? The church used donated bricks from families - and they managed to use all the colored bricks to build the core. I don't know about your LEGO collection, but white blocks don't play heavily into ours - so the fact that they found that many to make an all-white savior is kind of a miracle unto itself!

Image: AP

Mom Buys Nintendo, Gets a Box of Rocks Instead

JeanneSager — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:33:00 GMT

Somewhere in Florida, a kid is saying "aww, gee, Mom, you shouldn't have." No, really, we mean it. Because when a sixteen-year-old opened up his brand new Nintendo DS, all he found was a pile of rocks and some newspaper with Chinese lettering.

Someone was apparently watching Hotel For Dogs before they made their Wal-Mart return. There's a scene in the kiddie flick that features kids packaging up a box full of rocks and trying to sell it as high tech gear.

Wal-Mart said "don't look at us," and was reportedly refusing to give Mom her money back until a Florida TV station got involved. The store tracked the box . . . only to realize it had been returned to the store by another customer. Perhaps the one who grabbed the DS and ran?

The story comes with yet another reminder to always check boxes (this mom says she did - and nothing looked awry) and warns that if you're unsure you should always ask a store employee to open it in front of you to verify the contents. I understand caveat emptor, but how far do we have go to? Most kids products these days are so hard to get out of the box that having the store open 'em up and unpack them will mean never getting them back INTO the box . . . and all that protective packaging that's supposed to keep the item from breaking on the ride home is now gone. Plus the open box now makes it harder to keep all the pieces inside.

Of course, I'd hate to disappoint my kid by opening up her birthday present this June to find a box full of rocks. What about you readers, do you make the store open things before you check out?

Image: PBase

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles No Longer Teenaged

JeanneSager — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:21:00 GMT

Dude! Our kids are watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and we were around when they came out. Cowabunga, we're old.

The TMNT were on top of the Empire State Building this past week because apparently that's how turtles celebrate their twenty-fifth birthdays.

Wait, twenty-five? I know! Somehow, this one is really getting to me. It's only a quarter of a century, but I distinctly remember being sucked into my baby brother's TMNT sword fights (I was always April O'Neil, the grown-up, wisecracking reporter . . . go figure, huh?) and trying desperately to return the TV to something more my speed after he'd commandeered the VCR with yet another showing of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with an as yet relatively unknown Sam Rockwell.

A prankster to this day, his first "joke" came when he was three - about a turtle talking on his turtle-com. So unfunny it can ONLY be the stuff of family legend, it was rooted in his love of all things green and half-shelled.

So check out the picture gallery over at the Best Week Ever, and call in your kids. They'll be impressed when you can name all four . . . and their favorite food. Throw in a "cowabunga, dude," and you might even earn some serious street cred.

Image: Best Week Ever

Jimmy Kimmel - Toy Tester?

SunnyChanel — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:36:00 GMT

How much would you pay for a toy potato? And no, I don’t mean a fancy schmancy Mr. Potato Head. I mean the real thing - a real Idaho raised spud like the one above. In a recent segment on his late night show, Jimmy Kimmel asked a four-year-old how much she’d pay for what she said was the best toy she ever owned. Her answer? $1000. This was just one of the priceless reactions elicited from a variety of unsuspecting kids asked to participate in a toy ‘testing’ study.

Donning a white lab coat, Jimmy - in a serious vein - presented kids with “toys” such as a plain old potato, containers of “Play Don’t” (packages which are pert near impossible to open), and Superhero Costume sets that feature a white piece of fabric as a cape and a pair of plain white briefs.

Check out the amusing and adorable reactions of the kids here.

Lego Rock Band Video Game Announced

Brett Singer — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 03:00:00 GMT

People are excited by the news that a Lego Rock Band video game will hit stores soon.

PC World says that this new version of the popular pretend-to-be-a-rock-star game will likely be more "kid-friendly", which would fit nicely with previous versions of the Lego-whatever franchise.

The thing is, all of the Lego games haven't been hits. Lego Star Wars is a lot of fun and seems to be popular with every kid gamer I know. It's also the only game I know of where kids are likely to have more than one version of the same title, such as Nintendo Wii and also DS. Lego Batman is OK, but as far as I know it wasn't nearly as popular as Lego Star Wars. And Lego Indiana Jones didn't really catch on.

Lego Rock Band has a chance to be fun, but details are currently slim. PC World's Matt Peckham asks some reasonable questions: "How's the DS version going to work? Do you mean DS as in DS-original-only? Or DS-equals-original-DS-plus-new-DSi? How's the LEGO version supposed to be any more family friendly? Isn't the original already?" The latter I don't know if I agree with. Rock Band isn't exactly Halo, but it can be intimidating for a young game player.

Still, if Twitter is actually the bellweather that many technopundits believe it is, lots of folks will be buying the game as soon as it comes out. Lots of tweet-a-rific Lego Rock Band chatter today.

Source: PC World

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Will Ferrell's Landlord Retires From Comedy

Fox News Hates Kids In Political Videos Except When They Don't

Keep This Kid Away From The Dog

Morning News - Spring Break Broken?

The Mystery of the Toy Droppers

JeanneSager — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:26:00 GMT

Ever see a toy lying on the sidewalk and feel sorry for the child who dropped it? You might want to look a little closer.

A mysterious Australian group that calls itself The Toy Society has jumped across the ocean to the states, where they've started dropping their handmade toys for you to find.

"Nothing to it really just a bunch of handmade toys looking for a nice home," according to the society Website, but a look-see at the hundreds of toys dropped (they upload pictures and locations to their blogspot) and responses from excited kids who've found the toys show this is much more than "nothing."

What is simply is the premise. They make toys, attach a tag that says "Take me home. I'm yours," and drop them in random places around the world. Lucky finders have written in by the droves, some sending pictures of themselves, their kids and their finds with the happy news of little kids whose smiles got brighter thanks to a new toy and the kindness of strangers.

Although its creators are in Australia, their generosity has prompted mini sections to crop up here in the states, in Germany, Slovenia, Guatemala and a slew of other countries. As one recent finder noted, the Toy Society taught them a "priceless lesson in receiving." "I am going to hang the little toy somewhere so it can remind me every day about being open to the gifts of the universe."

Check out the society for a look at all the grinning kids and find out how you can get in on the giving. If only I was crafty enough to make my own handmade toys!

Image: The Toy Society - the new owners of "Lucky" the rabbit, with their real rabbit, Vickie

Ty Tries Again. Makes Bo -The First Dog Doll

SunnyChanel — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” This is the mantra that toymaker Ty must be repeating Ad nauseam in their attempt to cash in on the Obama families fame. Ty, the company that brought the world the Beanie Baby, recently released their Bo – The First Dog doll. They had recently tried to market a “Marvelous Malia” and “Sweet Sasha” Beanie Baby dolls inspired by the Obama girls, but the company ceased production after the First Lady complained.The Malia and Sasha dolls that did manage to make it out into the world are a very hot commodity on eBay.

Bo - The First Dog doll is based on the Portuguese Water Dog recently acquired by the Obamas. This plush representation of Bo hit the market on April 16th and sold out within hours. But in a move made to perhaps not incur the wrath of the white house, Ty are donating a portion of the proceeds of the sales of the dolls to be given to animal shelters. You can check out the REAL Bo in action here.

Do you think that it makes it okay to cash in on the Obamas since they are giving somehting back?

Babble Talk: When Your Kid is Always the Loser

Jen Chaney — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:02:00 GMT

Alyssa Giacobbe doesn't want her boyfriend's four-year-old son to be a winner. Well, at least not all of the time. And definitely if he hasn't earned it.

That's the subject of her Bad Parent essay, entitled "Tough Luck, Kid," in which she confesses that she never lets young Noah win at Candyland, Mario Kart, Memory or any other competitive diversion in which she and the boy may engage. What Giacobbe describes as her "firm stance on winning and losing" has ignited some heated comments on the Babble Web site, many from people who are fired up for reasons that have nothing to do with board games.

"The 'bad parent' isn't a parent at all but a live-in girlfriend who dislikes her boyfriend's child and sees their relationship as a competition," writes one commenter. "Yes, she's in a competition with a FOUR YEAR OLD, and she's going to show that kid who's the bigger, smarter, more awesome person. How impressive."

Another blames Babble for publishing the piece in the first place: "I also agree with the assessment that this woman is NOT a parent. In fact, I am deeply offended as an ACTUAL MOTHER that Babble would publish this. This woman has no idea how actual mothers feel (and hopefully never will because she is clearly too immature and cold to be a mother) and to publish this is just reckless."

Okay, all due respect: reckless is pushing it. Driving drunk is reckless. Playing Keep Away with a loaded gun is reckless. Posting an essay by a woman who frequently acts as a caregiver to a child even though she is technically not the child's mother may be questionable to some, but no one is going to die or have his or her life ruined as a result. (For the record, I think the issues Giacobbe describes relate directly to parenting, so I think it's totally valid to run this. But that's me.)

All that said, the fact that Giacobbe is not Noah's mother does raise some valid questions, namely whether she should be enforcing this "the kid stays on the losing side" policy when even she notes that his father doesn't necessarily agree with it. "Bob hasn't yet bought in, skeptical of what he calls my shameless competitive nature and minimal innate parental wisdom," she writes.

Obviously moms and dads -- or dads and live-in-girlfriend-caregivers, since everyone wants to get technical about this -- don't always agree about how best to teach their children a lesson. But the most important thing, in my mind, is to show a united front. If Dad (and perhaps his mom) often let little Noah win under false pretenses but Giacobbe doesn't, Giacobbe's effort to teach him about the importance of losing gracefully may be, well, lost. Consistency is important. Without it, she just seems like the bad guy. Or, possibly from Noah's perspective, the best Mario Kart player in the history of Wii.

Now, back to the larger point, which is really what this essay is about in the first place: Is the author right or wrong? I say yes, and no. Actually, I think I'm on Bob's side on this one. According to Giacobbe, her partner "practices a moderate halfsies approach to game-playing: Noah is guaranteed a win at least half the time." I think that at least while the child is only four, that's the right way to go.

I completely agree with Giacobbe that it's wrong to always let our kids win, or to lie to them about their failures just so they won't feel bad. It's one of the hazards of something Amy Kuras wrote about here in Strollerderby just last week: self-esteem focused parentings. Many moms and dads focus so intensely on convincing their kids that they can achieve great things that they never bother to teach them the importance of accepting disappointment with dignity. And that's just as crucial to being a success as actual success itself.

The truth is that over the course of a life, most of us win sometimes and lose sometimes. We get a sprinkling of both. And that's why I agree with Noah's dad in this case. At the age of 4, Noah deserves to know the truth: that sometimes luck isn't on your side. So you lay your head on your Thomas the Tank Engine pillowcase at the end of the day with the sobering knowledge that, yes, your father is better at Connect Four than you are. But then there are other, magical days when you reach your maximum potential, the world smiles and all those red, circular chips line up exactly right.

What They're Babbling About: Bring It On Home

JeanneSager — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:29:00 GMT

Want another helping of our trip around the 'net? As always, we offer up our Friday look at What They're Babbling About:

Tired of tripping over Legos? It doesn't take much convincing that a toy-free room in your house is good for mom and dad. . . if you can convince your kids. - ParentDish

Need a little something to get the girls going (and yes, that's a euphemism guys). Get the breastmilk a flowin' with this list. - LilSugar

Earth Day is every day, so get green with this global craft project - they'll have the whole world in their hands. - Momformation

We have ALL been there - we're finally parents and our parents want to step in and tell us how it's done. Back of Mom! - CafeMom

We've all been here too - moms are addicted to the Internet (er, guilty). So what is it doing to our kids? - Parenting

Get off the computer and get out to the sandbox - and fill it with what? They're building a list, they're making it bigger... - Apartment Ohdeedoh

Image: Momformation

Finish Line - Playmobil Gets Crucified

Brett Singer — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:30:00 GMT

Lots going on this week, as always.

Jeanne told us how Playmobil got all up in some priest's grill because he made a religious diaroma with their toys. Does this mean that companies could have sued my friends and I for putting our Tron action figures in the toaster oven?
Madeline politely told the breast pump banning contingent to shove it. That's a huge oversimplification, as well as my personal opinion. Madeline put it much better, so read the whole thing.
Mike told us that if your kids ever sue you because you grounded them, you can, as the song says, blame Canada. That's right -- a 12-year-old girl sued her dad because he wouldn't let her go on a class trip, and she won. Canada, you already gave us Celine Dion --wasn't that torture enough?
Hannah reminds us that the 60's were fun. And by "fun" we mean "incredibly sexist." “Boys can eat. Girls can cook.” Whoo-hoo! Read the whole thing here.
Shannon posts a video of one of the funniest toddlers on YouTube, and uses it as a starting point for a discussion on how kids deal with m-m-m-monsters.
Speaking of video, Cole brought us one that is either disturbing or a great big plate of who cares, depending on your point of view. Me, I'm wondering why the childbirth simulator model is so quiet. Watch it yourself right here.
As for me, it was all Peeps, all the time. Peeper Madness, folks. Catch it.

Don't eat too many jellybeans on Sunday. See you next week.

Read more:

Finish Line - April Fools And More

Peeper Madness - Supeep Court

Judge Sentences Families to Do Puzzles

JeanneSager — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:25:00 GMT

Riddle me this: how do you make parents and their teens work together to create something meaningful?

If you're Judge John Sholden, you assign them a thousand-piece puzzle to put together . . . or pay a $500 fine.

I'd be picking the puzzle, how about you?

With recent news about judges who require their parents to spank their children and judges who give the go-ahead for desperate mothers to collect their dead sons' sperm, it was nice to hear about a magistrate whose taking out-of-the-box justice seriously.

So what if it's out of the puzzle box? It's still sound reasoning - if parents and their teens are so disconnected that the kids are getting in the type of trouble that lands them in a courtroom, putting them in a room together to work toward a common goal puts them on an even playing field. And doing so with a pile of puzzle pieces instead of requiring the traditional "sit down and talk it out" method allows for an icebreaker, lets two people who might have been doing a lot of fighting instead of talking to focus on something outside themselves.

Sholden has a second motive - getting kids who are skipping school to understand that they can tackle major undertakings and come out on the other side. "When you open a puzzle up, it's a mess. But you get it in your head that you can solve the problem. Once student have a sense of accomplishment, it transfers to accomplishment at school also," the judge told a Dallas newspaper.

Some judges are hanging judges, but I'd take the puzzling judge any time.

Image: TheCincyBlog

Playmobil Sues Priest For Playing With Toys

JeanneSager — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:32:00 GMT

The idea of buying kids toys is to play with them, right? Even if you're an adult who happens to like playing with kids toys in order to amuse little kids?

Not according to Playmobil.

The toymakers known for their bizarre sense of what kids like to play with (the airport security checkpoint still blows my mind) are now suing a German priest who was using Playmobil's little people to recreate scenes from the Bible for little kids.

Father Markus Bomhard, from the Protestant Community of Eschborn, created the "Playmo-Bibel" (spelling is correct - this is Germany, after all) says on his site that he got the idea from his own daughters - who wanted to know why there was no "Playmo" minister toy. They used their own Playmobil toys to recreate everyday life, he said, so why not the Bible?

Broken down into the Old Testament and the New, his site is mostly pictures taken of his little scenes, from Adam and Eve to the last supper, plus scenes from church life, including a wedding.

But according to the Daily Telegraph, lawyers for Playmobil have told Bomhard he didn't get their permission for the project, so he must stop photographing the toys and using the name Playmobil. OK, the latter part I get - it's trademarked after all.

Here's the crazy part: the Telegraph reports, "the German firm is understood to be horrified that the scenes could offend people of other religion." This from the company that sells a Playmobil nativity set and an advent calendar set?

Their biggest gripe is apparently that Bomhard dared dress the characters up. As a Playmobil rep told the Telegraph, "We've got no problem with using the figures as they are in their original costumes. What we are on about is redesigning them and changing their appearance."

Isn't that what you make toys for? For people to play with, reimagine, redecorate and redesign? Because if we're not supposed to redesign toys, I imagine Fisher-Price will be coming for my daughter any day now . . . something about cutting all the hair off of Big Sister Dora.

Image: Telegraph - from Father Bomhard's Playmo-Bibel

Four Creepiest Animals Turned Adorable Kids Characters

Children's Laughter Bugs Pre-School's Neighbors

The Little People Turn 50!

SunnyChanel — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:30:00 GMT

I just had a wicked flashback. Suddenly I was three again and happily playing with my Fisher Price Little People Farm House. As a little person myself, I spent oodles of hours with the simple cog like limbless figures, farm animals and their home, the portable barn. I can recall vague memories of clutching the blue handle in my hand as I would take along my Play n’ Go farm to visit grandma’s. Those were the days.

What brought on this flood of memories? The current celebration of Little People’s 50th Birthday. Man, they are old! This past March 21st marked the 50th anniversary of the first Little People release, the Safety School Bus. Since that day, more than one and half billion, yes billion, Little People figures have been produced. Originally a wooden peg like character, the modern Little People are poseable figures with actual features rather than just simple lines to represent the face. “Parents and children alike have been playing with Little People toys for half a century,” said Bruce Fox, Fisher-Price toy historian and author. “Toys with longevity that bridge the generational gap are rare these days. We’re very proud of the fact that the Little People brand has stood the test of time for 50 years and foresee that the brand will continue to inspire creative, imaginative play for generations to come.”

The big people who make the Little People will be celebrating 50 years of play in a variety of ways. One of the things they’ve done a Limited Edition commemorative release of The Little People 50th Birthday Play ‘n Go Farm and School that reflects “the classic look of the original farm and school introduced in 1968 and 1971, respectively. The playsets feature retro-styled Little People figures and nostalgic, collectible take-along tins.” Along with the toys, they’ve released a Limited-Edition 50th Birthday CD that includes fifty popular sing-a-long classics that have been released throughout the years. And they’re also taking the Little People on the road. They’ve produced a Little People Live show which will be debuting on April 18th and will makes stops at the San Diego zoo, Zoo Atlanta, Brookfield Zoo, Tampa ’s Lowry Park Zoo, Toledo Zoo and the San Francisco Zoo. Plus they’re doing tie-ins with Loews hotels and the Royal Caribbean International Cruise line.

Yeah, they know how to party. You can check up on all the events, specials and celebrations here.

And if you wanna have your own flashback, just check out this old school ad below.

Power Ranger Toys For Babies And Adults

Brett Singer — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:05:00 GMT

While looking up Power Rangers movies on Amazon for this post, I saw something odd in the Toys section:

One product for "Birth to 24 months," and, more surprisingly, one for "Grownups." But only one for each.

So what are these incredibly age-specific toys?

For the under-2-year-old in your life, you can pick up this 6 in 1 Power Rangers SPD Wooden Puzzle.

Ironically, SPD is in my opinion the least kid-friendly version of the various Rangers' series, since it focuses on a team of law enforcement officers who are all "respect my authoritay!" [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=authoritay] That doesn't really matter much but I thought it was worth mentioning. Also worth noting is the fact that the packaging is in Japanese, although the one reviewer who shared their thoughts on the toy says "there's not many instructions needed for a puzzle but other toys may be impossible to assembly [sic] or know the rules if it's not in English." For the record, she also loved it. I guess the lesson here is that even if the writing on the box in Japanese, try it anyway. Or something like that.

How about for the big people? Well, Amazon says they can have a "3 1/2" Ultraman Marusan Mini Model Kit Replica Figure (One Model - Blind Box)".

No user reviews, but the description is revealing:
    * Brand new in sealed box!
    * Imported from Japan! Not sold in U.S. shops!
    * A must-have for any Ultraman or Japanese Monster fanatic!
    * **You are purchasing one random figure from this series**

So it's from Japan, best for an "Ultraman fanatic" and you don't know what you're buying. If I'm a true "fanatic" I think I'd want to know that. But it is new. That's something.
Only 3 left in stock, so order now!

There are dozens of toys for all other age ranges. Thank goodness. I wouldn't want to deprive anyone of a Ranger-rific lifestyle.

Source/Images: Amazon.com

4 Year Old Brings Pot To School, School Bans Backpacks

Jon Stewart and His Pal Dora

The Dr. Phil And OctoMom Show

Teen Dad's Father Wearing Halloween Mask In Public

Interview - Disney Princesses Toy Designer

TV Is Neither Good Nor Bad For Babies

Don't Let Your Kids Grocery Shop With Grandma

JeanneSager — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 21:24:00 GMT

Are there any four words in the English language worse than, "But Grandma lets me?"

In our case, it's technically Oma, but you get the point.

Because now, when you repeat the words "No, you may not have the plastic egg filled with candy that the oh-so-ingenius grocery store designers have placed at eye level," you will sound like the heavy. The meanie. The grinchiest grinch from grinchville.

Because Grandma - or Oma, or Granny, or Nana - bought them an egg LAST week on the trip to the grocery store, filled with little bunnies whose ears loop together like an Easter version of the barrell of monkeys you weren't allowed to have twenty years ago (but asked for, on more than one occasion).

So you try explaining, "No, you already have an egg."

"But I want anoooother one," they tell you (insert exagerated eye roll).

"You don't need one."

"But I want one. Please, please, pretty please." Which, you all know, works when you're informing them they cannot have another cookie until they say "please," so why won't it work this time?

I could relate the entire conversation, complete with the fit at the tail end, right near the cash register where the older women who work part-time during the day while the teen cashiers are in high school stand, clucking and whispering, "Oh, but she asked so nicely, and isn't she a doll?"

No, she didn't get an egg. I'm the grinchiest grinch from grinchville, and as soon as I get ahold of Oma, I'm cancelling all future visits to the grocery store.

Image: Slashfood

School Kids Get Exercise Balls Instead of Chairs

The Newest Form of Discipline: Licking

When Kids Toys are Dirty - And We're Not Talking Mud

JeanneSager — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:28:00 GMT

Why do they call it being childish when you figure out how to make your kid's toys say naughty words? You don't REALLY want a child doing it.

OK, so it's immature. But Ms. Stick up Your You Know What, it's kind of hilarious. Right? Right?

If you can ignore the hyper-annoying Billy Mays-style excitement of the guy from Jeepers Media ( just tune out whenever he's talking), his toy test of the Fisher Price baby grand piano has fodder for plenty of adult fun. Press the keys in the proper order, and they play out the basic musical notes - Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So . . . and so on. Play them in fast succession in the wrong order and Fa, Me sounds rather like . . . something you did to END UP WITH a bunch of kids' toys lying around your house.

He can't be the only one out there doing this. I clearly remember a Christmas gift exchange for two-year-olds where the fathers delighted in the alphabet toy, because pressing "S" followed quickly by "X" spit out a sound rather like . . . another word for what you do to end up with a bunch of kids' toys lying around your house.

Some parents get indignant with the toymakers over these kinds of things, but frankly, grown men will act like little boys. And grown women will act like little girls. We're going to have our own fun with our kids toys. And if we can't, please, please, send us back some pre-pregnancy senses of humor, stat.

What have you discovered playing with our kids' toys?

Image: Hollywood Diecast

Power Rangers Bite The Dust

Brett Singer — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Seems even The Power Rangers aren't immune to the economic downturn. Disney hasn't said anything officially, but according to the New York Post, "the cast and crew [of the Power Rangers TV show] were informed this week that the show has been dropped." OK, it doesn't have anything to do with the recession, it's just plain old economics -- the show doesn't have any ratings. (Interestingly, the toys still sell, according to the Post.)

It's sad, and yet, it's really not. The formerly Mighty Morphing heroes were always pretty awful. My son and I watched one incarnation, Dino Thunder, for a little while when he was, like, 3 years old. There was a Halloween costume, a red one with white puffy spikes on it. After that he seemed to lose interest in all things Ranger, preferring the far deeper storytelling of Justice League, Batman, Spiderman and other "real" superheroes. (OK, I prefer those too. Sue me.)

I know that there are some folks -- Generation WTF, or whatever marketing sobriquet they've been given -- who came of age in the 90's and feel a connection to the Rangers, although the Facebook group "I grew up in Australia in the 90s" speaks the truth to Power when a user recalls, "Power Rangers becoming cooler than the Ninja Turtles, even though the Turtles will always be cooler." The Turtles, by the way, are still on the air. Take that, rubber suited Japanese movie monster person.

Source: NY Post via Buzzfeed

Image: Amazon

Jon Stewart and His Pal Dora

The Dr. Phil And OctoMom Show

Teen Dad's Father Wearing Halloween Mask In Public

Interview - Disney Princesses Toy Designer

TV Is Neither Good Nor Bad For Babies

What They're Babbling About: Skanks a Lot

JeanneSager — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:23:00 GMT

Don't you ever get sick of being the good mom and dad? Don't worry; we're not the only families who go slumming . . . case in point, this week's What They're Babbling About:

With the funniest take on the Dora skankification yet to hit the 'net, Upper Case Woman's diagrams put it all in righteously hilarious perspective. Pointy shoes, she points out, are very bad for exploring. Somehow we get that Dora's new explorations are going to be at the make-up counter. Sigh - Upper Case Woman

We're naughty parents who lurv to eat raw cookie dough. Unfortunately, it's a sin we don't want to the kids picking up on. Or we didn't - until we found this egg-free recipe from another naughty mother. Yum - Cafe Mom

And now that you've gobbled that down, the bad news - how sweet is too sweet? Sugar's evil twin gets its own expose. - SuperEco

Remember those nights when you drank till dawn and still popped out of bed looking ravishing? We don't either. So it's a good thing motherhood inspires moderation. - ParentDish

Come on, admit it, it's easier to chop your daughter's hair than let her walk around with a rat's nest up there. Yeah, that makes you lazy. Deliciously, sinfully lazy. - Scout's Honor

We didn't think there was anything more disgusting than your average pageant mom . . . until we saw this. - Jezebel

Sometimes a girl's just gotta know - and in this economy, well, does it matter how much you spent on the little stick you're going to pee on? Take this survey and see where you fall on the dollar store discount. - Lil Sugar

Image: PerezHilton

Retro Electronic Toys

Brett Singer — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:36:00 GMT

Sometimes I think I might be psychic. For example, right now, you are reading this blog post. And you think the joke I just made wasn't all that funny.

See what I mean?

Anyway, I was talking to my son the other day about the handheld electronics I used to play with. Then I'm online, reading my email, and in my gmail toolbar I see the title of a Wired.com article: "Forgotten Electronic Games."

Hmmm. Maybe Google is reading my brain waves. Wouldn't put it past them.

But enough about my psychic ability. (I know that you don't want to hear any more about it. You see? You see what I mean?) What did Wired dig up? Here are some highlights:

Big Trak: Man, did I want one of these. You could program it to move around and stuff! And it had a laser! Well, it was just a little light that flashed, but it made a cool noise.

Vectrex: Another one that I didn't actually own. This little gem was a self-contained gaming system, complete with a monitor that displayed vector graphics (hence the name). The system is still popular with some folks -- Wired points out that there are even new games being made. http://www.classicgamecreations.com/

Microvision: This I had. And I wish I still did. The Microvision was really the first Gameboy, albeit a technologically inferior version. The controls consisted of a dial and a squishy membrane that became various buttons depending on which cartridge was inserted. The screen was a series of black squares on a gray background. But at the time, it was the coolest thing around.

Merlin: It seemed like everyone had one of these, except for me. I didn't care for it but it was hugely popular. Lots of beeping and more than one game to play. It looked (and sounded) like a futuristic telephone from a movie made in 1979.

Not on the list are some of my personal faves, like the Pac-Man knockoff Epoch Man:

"It's not just a game! It's a digital clock, with a musical alarm!" Things were much simpler in the early 80's.

Bring back any memories?

Source: Wired.com

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Rich or Rehab: Whatever Happened to Tia From 'Witch Mountain'?

Will Ferrell's Landlord Retires From Comedy

Breast Milk Cupcakes

Guitar Hero Camp

Brits Say Michelle Obama Cheaped Out on Gifts

JeanneSager — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:57:00 GMT

Somebody please remind the British press that the world's economy is in the dumps.

Their latest gripe about America? Michelle Obama didn't give "nice enough" gifts to the British prime ministers children. Or, to be precise, the first lady's gifts to Gordon Brown's boys were not as nice as the outfits bestowed on Sasha and Malia Obama by the prime minister's wife.

During her meeting with Sarah Brown, Mrs. Obama apparently handed over two toy models of Marine One, the Presidential helicopter, for the Brown boys, Fraser and John. Yes, toy helicopters for little boys. How dare she? (It should be noted that the Brown children are not the ones acting like prats here.)

Sarah Brown, by the way, went all out with dresses from Top Shop accompanied by matching necklaces and a series of children's books by British authors. Perfectly nice gifts, of course. But does that make them any better than some toy helicopters for little boys? My daughter would LOVE a toy helicopter.

The exact charge from the London Times was that Michelle Obama was "solipsistic" because the models of Marine One rubbed in the Browns' faces that her husband is president of the United States. Er, OK. But he is. And last time I checked, that's WHY Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Obama were exchanging pleasantries. If we're really going to put that spin on it, couldn't it be argued that a selection of British literature is a slam on the American lit the girls are used to? (Not that I'd agree, just playing devil's advocate here). Or perhaps I'm rubbing it in my southern in-laws faces that their son married a Yankee when I bring them jugs of fresh maple syrup from New York to Virginia?

Perhaps the British press could find something better to focus on than the toys given to two little British children by the first lady of the United States. Like, maybe, what their father was in town to discuss?

Image: London Times