Has anyone noticed the latest phenomenon? If not, you're out of the loop. The Nintendo WII is by far the hottest ticket on the market right now. The Nintendo Wii, which has been around for approximately a year, is gaining national attention. Yesterday I asked my boss what he planned on buying for his kids for Xmas. His kids are 7 and 10, so I was expecting him to say "Barbie", "Transformers". Instead, he informed me that he had purchased a WII. A Wii? Little 7 year olds are getting Wii's??? WOW !!I have to admit that I first interacted with a Wii three months ago. I didn't even play a game, I simply chose a character and selected features to make her look like me. That was it. But gosh that was a lot of fun. I probably would have had more fun if I had actually played a game !!!This is why the Wii is causing a lot of people to say "WIIIIIIIIIIIIIII !!!": The Wii is interactive. In todays society, children are overweight and adults are overweight. Many of the Wii games can't be played without the player moving some part of their body. What does this tell America?? That people DO like to exercise. However, poeple like to exercise without realizing that they are exercising. It has to be fun, which the WII is. It's even more fun when the WII is played with a partner. Don't scientists say that you are more likely to lose weight if you exercise with a partner? Same concept can be applied to the Wii.When I was growing up, I had a Nintendo, the original Nintendo.Amazingly, I was saved from Carpel Tunnel even though I played my game system for 12 hours straight every weekend. Back then, hand-eye coordination was vital. With the Wii, every body movement is important.The Wii is a great system. It keeps kids involved and it keeps them excited. But most importantly, it keeps them moving. I believe that the Wii is an answer to the public health epidemic concerning obesity. Don't be surprised if schools start ordering these systems for their P.E classes. Senior Citizens are enjoying the Wii's too because it gets them off of their feet and gets their blood flowing.Schools, retirement centers, and nursing homes, will all start ordering Wii's by the bulk. Mark my word !!Finally, we have a game system that both parents and children can enjoy. This Xmas everyone will be asking for a Wii, so when you call your grandmother to ask her what she would like for Xmas,be prepared to stand in line for a WII. With that said, I hope everyone has a Wii-Ful Holiday season.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Recalled Toys: How to Buy One
Today, Aqua Dots were officially recalled. They were one of 2007's hottest toys but they were recalled today due to the fact that they contain the components of a date rape drug. How a toy gets made with date rape drugs, I dont know, but they were. Being that the recall is so fresh, I decided to go to the store to see if I could get my hands on some Aqua Dots.
I went to a Target in Northern Virginia. I went to the toy section and the big Aqua Dots toy maker was gone. There was no sign, they were just gone, so it looked like they were sold out. Ok. But yet they had little Aqua Dot sets that you could buy, take home, and make one Aqua Dot piece. They had like 6 hanging. So I grabbed one. Yes, I got my hands on a recalled toy!!!
Then I picked up the red phone at Target and asked for assistance in the toy department. When the assistant came, I asked him if he knew anything about the Aqua Dots toys. He said he had heard something but he wasnt too sure. I informed him that the toy contained a form of a date rape drug and that if I were him, I would take every single Aqua Dot product off of the shelf before the store got into trouble.
So I watched him as he gathered the Aqua Dot mini sets and took them off of the store shelf.
I still wanted to see if I would be able to buy them though. I took one Aqua Dot set and took it up to the cashier, along with the rest of my items. Everything was going great- the cashier scanned my CDs, my scarves, my gloves, my uh oh, uh oh, she couldnt scan the Aqua Dots.
'Whats wrong' I asked her.
She informed me that the product had been recalled.
'If its been recalled then why do you still have it on your shelves?', I asked her.
She said she didnt know, but the cash register would NOT let her ring it up. I could see the computerized register and it said," This product has been recalled. DO NOT sell this product to customers".
I asked her if I could buy it anyway. She said no. Then the manager came out to inform me that I could not buy the product and that it was being recalled. The manager had come to my register because she had to punch something in the computer in order to let the cashier get rid of that recall screen.
So folks, I was NOT able to buy Aqua Dots, which is great!! Target has a great system set up.
Know that you should feel somewhat safe buying products from Target. Now I need to go test other toy retailers.
Just yesterday, I copied an article about a toy being recalled in Australia that looked like Aqua Dots. It is one of the blog entries. Gosh I'm good- who knew that they WERE Aqua Dots going by another name!!! Who needs CNN for toy news when you have me!!!
I went to a Target in Northern Virginia. I went to the toy section and the big Aqua Dots toy maker was gone. There was no sign, they were just gone, so it looked like they were sold out. Ok. But yet they had little Aqua Dot sets that you could buy, take home, and make one Aqua Dot piece. They had like 6 hanging. So I grabbed one. Yes, I got my hands on a recalled toy!!!
Then I picked up the red phone at Target and asked for assistance in the toy department. When the assistant came, I asked him if he knew anything about the Aqua Dots toys. He said he had heard something but he wasnt too sure. I informed him that the toy contained a form of a date rape drug and that if I were him, I would take every single Aqua Dot product off of the shelf before the store got into trouble.
So I watched him as he gathered the Aqua Dot mini sets and took them off of the store shelf.
I still wanted to see if I would be able to buy them though. I took one Aqua Dot set and took it up to the cashier, along with the rest of my items. Everything was going great- the cashier scanned my CDs, my scarves, my gloves, my uh oh, uh oh, she couldnt scan the Aqua Dots.
'Whats wrong' I asked her.
She informed me that the product had been recalled.
'If its been recalled then why do you still have it on your shelves?', I asked her.
She said she didnt know, but the cash register would NOT let her ring it up. I could see the computerized register and it said," This product has been recalled. DO NOT sell this product to customers".
I asked her if I could buy it anyway. She said no. Then the manager came out to inform me that I could not buy the product and that it was being recalled. The manager had come to my register because she had to punch something in the computer in order to let the cashier get rid of that recall screen.
So folks, I was NOT able to buy Aqua Dots, which is great!! Target has a great system set up.
Know that you should feel somewhat safe buying products from Target. Now I need to go test other toy retailers.
Just yesterday, I copied an article about a toy being recalled in Australia that looked like Aqua Dots. It is one of the blog entries. Gosh I'm good- who knew that they WERE Aqua Dots going by another name!!! Who needs CNN for toy news when you have me!!!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Toy Catalogues and the WoW Factor
Last week I got my toy catalogue from Fisher -Price. Yep, Im on their mailing list. I got the catalogue and I was quite impressed. It was nice and big and colorful. Then in the Sunday newspaper, I saw Target's Toy catalogue. And I must say: Target's toy catalogue was WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY better than Fisher-Price's catalogue. I don't know who made the catalogue for Target, but that person deserves a payraise- I absolutely love it.
As I sit here going through both catalogues, I want to give you a first hand experience of what its like to go thru the catalogue and pick the seasons hottest toys. Ive already told you what the hottest toys were going to be (check the earlier blog entry: F-P Arts and Crafts Studio, remember????)
Ok, lets flip through these catalogues:
I like the cover of the Target catalogue, because it has a real person on it. The FP catlge has the little people on the cover.
You know what I saw in the Target catlg: a toy puppy that grows and says your name.Now if you have a kid below the age of 8, thats kind of cool having a toy dog that can say your name and sing songs. F-P is really capitalizing on that "KNOW YOUR NAME" technology. I have the Elmo Says your Name toy and I love it ( my sister got it for me ). This puppy costs $40.
Sparkle and Twirl mERMAID dORA: $30 thru F-P ctlg and $25 at Target.
Vtech KidiZoom Camera- Because I hated the F-P Digital Camera so much, I'm thinking of getting the VTECH camera this year. Im going to call F-P to see if I can return the F-P camera I bought last year which was such a disappointment.
You know why the Target catalogue was better-Becaue it has a wider selection of toys in it.
BAsed on the catalogue, apart from my top ten list , these other toys look cool too:
- F-P King Car-NIVORE: which is an EXACT COPY OF HASBRO's TRANSFORMERS!! In this case, the truck turns into an animal, instead of turning into a Transformer type robot. This is SUCH A copycat of Hasbro's Transformers. Hasbro should sue over this, if its possible.How would Mattel feel if Hasbro created a doll named Maria who sang and spoke in English and Spanish, just like their Dora?
-Playskool's Bounce N GO Inch along toy looks neat. I might buy this and just keep it for when I have kids or someone I know has a kid.
--Lil Luvables Doll Factory: This is great for a rainy day when your kid wants to go to Build A Bear but you dont feel like going. This allows you to build- a -doll right in your own living room.
--This toy should be on my top 10: the Eye Clops Bionic Eye- its a magnifying gadget that allows you to see your objects on tv. So if you put a bug in your handand shine the eyeclops eye on it, you can see it magnified on your TV. This is a great toy for all of you who know little wanna be scientists. Can you imagine pointing this in your mouth and seeing a close up of your teeth and cavities-- YUCKY!!!! But cool!!! This is $45 at Target.
-I tried out this toy the other day: the I CAn play guitar system. The concept is cool but the guitar doesnt have strings. Arent guitars supposed to have strings?? I couldnt get over that fact, that why I wont buy it. But I would love to learn how to play the guitar and Ido think that this would work, but I would feel comfortable if it had strings.
For those of you who never read the copy of my Census analysis report dealing with the country's demographics and how that relates to the toy market- please let me know and Ill send you a copy.
As I sit here going through both catalogues, I want to give you a first hand experience of what its like to go thru the catalogue and pick the seasons hottest toys. Ive already told you what the hottest toys were going to be (check the earlier blog entry: F-P Arts and Crafts Studio, remember????)
Ok, lets flip through these catalogues:
I like the cover of the Target catalogue, because it has a real person on it. The FP catlge has the little people on the cover.
You know what I saw in the Target catlg: a toy puppy that grows and says your name.Now if you have a kid below the age of 8, thats kind of cool having a toy dog that can say your name and sing songs. F-P is really capitalizing on that "KNOW YOUR NAME" technology. I have the Elmo Says your Name toy and I love it ( my sister got it for me ). This puppy costs $40.
Sparkle and Twirl mERMAID dORA: $30 thru F-P ctlg and $25 at Target.
Vtech KidiZoom Camera- Because I hated the F-P Digital Camera so much, I'm thinking of getting the VTECH camera this year. Im going to call F-P to see if I can return the F-P camera I bought last year which was such a disappointment.
You know why the Target catalogue was better-Becaue it has a wider selection of toys in it.
BAsed on the catalogue, apart from my top ten list , these other toys look cool too:
- F-P King Car-NIVORE: which is an EXACT COPY OF HASBRO's TRANSFORMERS!! In this case, the truck turns into an animal, instead of turning into a Transformer type robot. This is SUCH A copycat of Hasbro's Transformers. Hasbro should sue over this, if its possible.How would Mattel feel if Hasbro created a doll named Maria who sang and spoke in English and Spanish, just like their Dora?
-Playskool's Bounce N GO Inch along toy looks neat. I might buy this and just keep it for when I have kids or someone I know has a kid.
--Lil Luvables Doll Factory: This is great for a rainy day when your kid wants to go to Build A Bear but you dont feel like going. This allows you to build- a -doll right in your own living room.
--This toy should be on my top 10: the Eye Clops Bionic Eye- its a magnifying gadget that allows you to see your objects on tv. So if you put a bug in your handand shine the eyeclops eye on it, you can see it magnified on your TV. This is a great toy for all of you who know little wanna be scientists. Can you imagine pointing this in your mouth and seeing a close up of your teeth and cavities-- YUCKY!!!! But cool!!! This is $45 at Target.
-I tried out this toy the other day: the I CAn play guitar system. The concept is cool but the guitar doesnt have strings. Arent guitars supposed to have strings?? I couldnt get over that fact, that why I wont buy it. But I would love to learn how to play the guitar and Ido think that this would work, but I would feel comfortable if it had strings.
For those of you who never read the copy of my Census analysis report dealing with the country's demographics and how that relates to the toy market- please let me know and Ill send you a copy.
Recalled Items and the U.S Reaction
An advisory committee wants to goive more power to the FDA to regulate items that may be dangerous. Well, isnt that what the FDA was supposed to be doing all along? If they werent doing that, then what have they been doing?
An official report is scheduled to come out next week.
Articles and news reports Ive been reading have stated that recalls are up to the manufacturers/companies, not the government. Thats why Mattel recalled their toys, not the government. Thats why Dole recalls their lettuce. So does this mean that if a company decides that they dont want to put out a "voluntary" recall, that they dont have to? Is that why the word "voluntary" is used? Does this mean there is no such thing as a "mandatory" recall?
The committee reportedly wants to give the CPSC the power to make it illegal for companies to "knowingly" distribute a product that has been recalled. Ok, so does this mean that it will be legal to sell a product if you dont know that the product is bad? So if Im Mattel, its legal for me to sell products that I dont know are bad but illegal to sell products I know are bad. So when something bad happens, I can simply say " oh, Im sorry, I didnt know the product was bad" and that alone will make the accident legal??
This doesnt make sense: if the committee wants to give the CPSC the power to make it illegal to sell known recalled items, then the panel should also give a government entity the power to make recalls, and not leave it up to the companies to make the "voluntary recalls."
The panel also wants CPSC and government officials to be in foreign lands inspecting vthe goods. So will all of the inspectors have lead inspection gadgets at the ports?? The issue of inspections needs to be dealt with by the toy companies and not the US inspectors. The Us inspectors can only do so much. And bribery will dilute the US inspectors roles. Dont think that all of the US Inspectors inspecting the cargo will be immune to take bribes- there are always a corrupt few. And those corrupt few will circumvent the system the US is trying to establish now.
Seal- there is the whole idea of having a certification type of seal on products so that people will know the products have been inspected. Fact of the matter is, no one is going to care. Doesnt our meat have a USDA stamp on it, but look at how many times meat has been recalled. And what exactly will the stamp prove- that its been thoroughly inspected, that its been inspected by US Customs, that the cargo was seen with the eye, what? So if Nixe Co has the seal, then am I supposed to trust everything they make because they are now a "trustworthy" company?? Give me a break!! People will know that Nixe Co is a "stamped " company and they will buy all of their products because they trust the stamp. But then there will be another recall and people will be put on the edge and wonder if the stamped goods are really safe. You kow whats going to happen, let me tell you. Our products will be stamped right? Then someone is going to find a way to steal the stamp, reproduce the stamp, and it will show up on products that were not truly meant to be stamped. Then we will run into the problem of real stamp vs. fake stamp.
And how will the stamping procedure work- how long does a company have to be in compliance before they are recognized as a certified company? And how long does that certification last? And will this mean that executives will no longer be able to go on trips sponsored by these companies that are all striving to receive the stamp of approval??
I dont think that the CPSC exec, Nancy Nord, should resign. Everyone needs to leave her alone.She was not the one ordering the toys to be made, she was not the one telling the Chinese companies what type of paint to use, she was not the one giving the orders. People always want to fire someone over something, but they are looking at the wrong person to fire. Noone was fired when drugs were recalled because the side effects were deadly (wasnt it the same FDA that was supposed to protect the consumers?? Its this same FDA that may be getting more power to regulate toys. OK, you think about it....its the same FDA that approved VIAGARA but then later asked the manufacturers to edit the labels because they failed to warn its customers about potential hearing loss that can occur ). So hopefully the FDA wont be approving toys and then later say, "oops, we messed up, can we please have all those toys back!" Thats not what the world needs. Toys need to be made and regulators have to know whether or not the toys are bad BEFORE it gets shipped out for mass consumption. Regulators have to be PRO ACTIVE rather than reactive. No one was fired when the bridge collapsed in Minnesota. No one was arrested for those wild fires in California even though they know EXACTLY who set the main one. So everyone needs to leave Nancy alone and let her do her job. Firing someone is not going to solve the problem.
Lets see what the future holds:)
An official report is scheduled to come out next week.
Articles and news reports Ive been reading have stated that recalls are up to the manufacturers/companies, not the government. Thats why Mattel recalled their toys, not the government. Thats why Dole recalls their lettuce. So does this mean that if a company decides that they dont want to put out a "voluntary" recall, that they dont have to? Is that why the word "voluntary" is used? Does this mean there is no such thing as a "mandatory" recall?
The committee reportedly wants to give the CPSC the power to make it illegal for companies to "knowingly" distribute a product that has been recalled. Ok, so does this mean that it will be legal to sell a product if you dont know that the product is bad? So if Im Mattel, its legal for me to sell products that I dont know are bad but illegal to sell products I know are bad. So when something bad happens, I can simply say " oh, Im sorry, I didnt know the product was bad" and that alone will make the accident legal??
This doesnt make sense: if the committee wants to give the CPSC the power to make it illegal to sell known recalled items, then the panel should also give a government entity the power to make recalls, and not leave it up to the companies to make the "voluntary recalls."
The panel also wants CPSC and government officials to be in foreign lands inspecting vthe goods. So will all of the inspectors have lead inspection gadgets at the ports?? The issue of inspections needs to be dealt with by the toy companies and not the US inspectors. The Us inspectors can only do so much. And bribery will dilute the US inspectors roles. Dont think that all of the US Inspectors inspecting the cargo will be immune to take bribes- there are always a corrupt few. And those corrupt few will circumvent the system the US is trying to establish now.
Seal- there is the whole idea of having a certification type of seal on products so that people will know the products have been inspected. Fact of the matter is, no one is going to care. Doesnt our meat have a USDA stamp on it, but look at how many times meat has been recalled. And what exactly will the stamp prove- that its been thoroughly inspected, that its been inspected by US Customs, that the cargo was seen with the eye, what? So if Nixe Co has the seal, then am I supposed to trust everything they make because they are now a "trustworthy" company?? Give me a break!! People will know that Nixe Co is a "stamped " company and they will buy all of their products because they trust the stamp. But then there will be another recall and people will be put on the edge and wonder if the stamped goods are really safe. You kow whats going to happen, let me tell you. Our products will be stamped right? Then someone is going to find a way to steal the stamp, reproduce the stamp, and it will show up on products that were not truly meant to be stamped. Then we will run into the problem of real stamp vs. fake stamp.
And how will the stamping procedure work- how long does a company have to be in compliance before they are recognized as a certified company? And how long does that certification last? And will this mean that executives will no longer be able to go on trips sponsored by these companies that are all striving to receive the stamp of approval??
I dont think that the CPSC exec, Nancy Nord, should resign. Everyone needs to leave her alone.She was not the one ordering the toys to be made, she was not the one telling the Chinese companies what type of paint to use, she was not the one giving the orders. People always want to fire someone over something, but they are looking at the wrong person to fire. Noone was fired when drugs were recalled because the side effects were deadly (wasnt it the same FDA that was supposed to protect the consumers?? Its this same FDA that may be getting more power to regulate toys. OK, you think about it....its the same FDA that approved VIAGARA but then later asked the manufacturers to edit the labels because they failed to warn its customers about potential hearing loss that can occur ). So hopefully the FDA wont be approving toys and then later say, "oops, we messed up, can we please have all those toys back!" Thats not what the world needs. Toys need to be made and regulators have to know whether or not the toys are bad BEFORE it gets shipped out for mass consumption. Regulators have to be PRO ACTIVE rather than reactive. No one was fired when the bridge collapsed in Minnesota. No one was arrested for those wild fires in California even though they know EXACTLY who set the main one. So everyone needs to leave Nancy alone and let her do her job. Firing someone is not going to solve the problem.
Lets see what the future holds:)
"Date Rape Drug in Childrens toy"- CNN
The following story was taken from CNN's site. These toys remind me of Aqua dots:
'Date rape' drug in children's toy
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/11/07/australia.toys/index.html?iref=newssearch
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Australian officials ordered a popular children's toy to be pulled from shelves Tuesday after scientists found it contained a chemical that converts into a powerful "date rape" drug when ingested.
Bindeez, which were named Australia's toy of the year, contain the "date rape" drug GHB.
Three children have been hospitalized over the past 10 days after swallowing beads from Bindeez, a craft toy sold by Australia-based Moose Enterprises.
The beads in the toy -- named Australia's toy of the year at an industry function earlier this year -- are arranged into designs and then fuse together when sprayed with water.
Scientists say the beads contain a chemical that the human body metabolizes into the so-called "date rape" drug gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB), also known as Fantasy. When eaten, the compound -- made from common and easily available ingredients -- can induce seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.
The New South Wales state minister for fair trading, Linda Burney, ordered the toys pulled from store shelves Tuesday after a 2-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl were admitted to a Sydney hospital in recent days after swallowing large quantities of the beads.
A 19-month-old toddler from Queensland also was receiving medical help after eating the beads, the state's chief health officer, Jeannette Young, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Don't Miss
Panel: FDA needs clout to mandate recalls
China cracks down on toy factories
More lead-paint toy recalls coming, source says
Naren Gunja from Australia's Poisons Information Center said the drug's effect on children was "quite serious ... and potentially life-threatening."
A statement from the New South Wales Fair Trading Department said the product was supposed to use a nontoxic compound used in glue, but contained the harmful chemical instead.
Burney said officials were investigating the Hong Kong-manufactured product.
"I am treating this matter very seriously," Burney said. "One of the considerations is how, in fact, such a substance, such a toxic substance, is actually used in a children's toy."
Moose Enterprises could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday, a public holiday in Victoria state, where the company is based.
The product was not immediately recalled, but officials ordered stores to pull Bindeez off their shelves and urged parents to hide the toys from their children. E-mail to a friend
'Date rape' drug in children's toy
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/11/07/australia.toys/index.html?iref=newssearch
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Australian officials ordered a popular children's toy to be pulled from shelves Tuesday after scientists found it contained a chemical that converts into a powerful "date rape" drug when ingested.
Bindeez, which were named Australia's toy of the year, contain the "date rape" drug GHB.
Three children have been hospitalized over the past 10 days after swallowing beads from Bindeez, a craft toy sold by Australia-based Moose Enterprises.
The beads in the toy -- named Australia's toy of the year at an industry function earlier this year -- are arranged into designs and then fuse together when sprayed with water.
Scientists say the beads contain a chemical that the human body metabolizes into the so-called "date rape" drug gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB), also known as Fantasy. When eaten, the compound -- made from common and easily available ingredients -- can induce seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.
The New South Wales state minister for fair trading, Linda Burney, ordered the toys pulled from store shelves Tuesday after a 2-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl were admitted to a Sydney hospital in recent days after swallowing large quantities of the beads.
A 19-month-old toddler from Queensland also was receiving medical help after eating the beads, the state's chief health officer, Jeannette Young, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Don't Miss
Panel: FDA needs clout to mandate recalls
China cracks down on toy factories
More lead-paint toy recalls coming, source says
Naren Gunja from Australia's Poisons Information Center said the drug's effect on children was "quite serious ... and potentially life-threatening."
A statement from the New South Wales Fair Trading Department said the product was supposed to use a nontoxic compound used in glue, but contained the harmful chemical instead.
Burney said officials were investigating the Hong Kong-manufactured product.
"I am treating this matter very seriously," Burney said. "One of the considerations is how, in fact, such a substance, such a toxic substance, is actually used in a children's toy."
Moose Enterprises could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday, a public holiday in Victoria state, where the company is based.
The product was not immediately recalled, but officials ordered stores to pull Bindeez off their shelves and urged parents to hide the toys from their children. E-mail to a friend
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Amy's Xmas list for 2007
I finally got a good connection of the internet at my house so now I can write weekly. Tis the season to start thinking about gifts. Gifts for friends, family, associates , you name it.
I am going to give you my own list of the toys I just KNOW are going to be hot this holiday season. Most people would use the word "prediction". I wont use that word because predictions can be wrong. I believe 100% in what I am saying and in what I know, so here is my list of " Toys that will be HOT during the 2007 Holiday Season".
" Toys that will be HOT during the 2007 Holiday Season":
1. The Fisher-Price Digital Arts and Crafts Studio- this thing is amazing. I HAVE TO GET ONE FOR XMAS!!! Who is going to get one for me?Hopefully my dear, lovely, doctor sister will because I love her with all of my heart. This studio is amazing!! It allows you to draw, color, everything- it hooks up to your computer and you can save your art. Do you guys remember the guy on PBS who had the afro- he painted "Happy Trees" - he would start with a blank slate and end up with a canvas that was absolutely amazing. Sometimes , while painting, he would dip his brush in some paint, and you'd be like," Hey man, what are you doing, now you KNOW that color isnt right!". BUt somehow, at the end of the show, everything would blend and his canvas would be amazing- he always drew landscapes. So having the Arts and Crafts Studio is like having your own PBS show.You can print and save everything you've created. Mark my world AMERICA- this WILL Be the best selling toy this season. Its only $44.
2. Aqua Dots - This is a device that allows you to create items using dots, then the dots bind and you have your masterpiece, voila. This is really neat too. Im going to buy this for myself. This will be a big seller.
3. The Fisher Price Light Sketcher - This is so COOL!!! Maybe somebody working for Fisher Price will send me one of these. This is like the Magna Doodle, but only better. It allows you to draw with light. So when you are in a car, and its dark, and you're bored, you can take out your Light Sketcher and draw-I love it!!! This is $29.99 at Target.You can draw in 3 different patterns - line, dotted line, or dashes. This is going to be a top seller.
So Fisher Price will definitely have at least 2 of the top 5 toys this season. Wow, Fisher Price is on a roll. They always are. F-P and the Sesame Street gang- I wonder what type of Elmo will be invented this season??
Now the rest are just dashed because I think they are interesting but I have not ranked them yet and I dont know if they deserve to be ranked.
- GI JOE Collection box- For all of us between the ages of 20-35, we all remember GI JOE. G.I Joe, American Hero. Hasbro has created a GI JOE Anniversary Collectors box that commemorates the 25th anniversary of GI JOE. The "gift box" is nice and simple. I like it. BUt if I got one , I wouldnt play with it. I would keep it nice and closed so it would be worth money at the 50th anniversary celebration. So if anyone buys one of these, I think they will have to buy 2: one they can play with and one they would reserve. This might make Hasbro some money. But not as much money as F-P's going to be making with that Art Studio.
- Nerf: Nerf has come up with a NERF Disk Shot that has 6 darts and 6 foam discs that can be shot through the air. The concept is neat but I dont know how safe it is. What happens if I shoot my sister in the face with it. Is the foam soft enough that it wont hurt anyone? Thats my only concern. But Nerf has really come out with some great products this season.
- Transformers- Transformers are a brand, not a company. Walking into the toy store, you would think it was the opposite.There are WAY too many Transformer toys. With the release of the Transformers on DVD, it will spark an interest in their toys. Lots of money has been spent on the trasnformer Toys. The Optimus Prime Voice Changer is cool. You know whats even cooler? The Transformers Projector System which allows you to project a stencil drawing on a sheet of paper, and then you can stand at your big piece of paper and draw whats being projected. This is really neat. You see how arts and crafts are really big this season? Kids like to do things with their hands and use their imagination. The F-P arts and Crafts studio uses the imagination more than this Transformers Projector System, but yet this Projector system is neat.
- Rose Art: Rose Art needs to be bought by Hasbro. They are always doing great things. I dont know how many times I need to say this. If Hasbro doesnt buy them, Mattel will. Mattel makes their money from acquisitions. This is what Hasbro needs to start doing. Rose Art creates a lot of "do it yourself" toys. I have their cotton candy machine, which works quite well. Rose Art now has a "Hover & Spin Paint Machine". This is so cool. You stick your paper on the machine. The paper spins and you drop paint on the spinning paper, different colored paint, which eventually creates a painted masterpiece. State fairs usually have this spinning art thing. Now you can have one in your own home, and its only $14.99. This is going to be a hot toy once people see it. Rose art toys dont get good diplays in toy stores. I should rank this- this is my 4th top pick.
Rose Art also has a deluxe pottery wheel and a on the Go Art cup which is ideal for little kids.
-- SpinMaster - another company that needs to be acquired. Spin Master is really making their mark, coming up with innovative technologies. The Spin Master Tech Deck and skateboards are quite nifty. So is the Girl Crush Air Brush Tattoo system, which allows you to airbrush a fake tattoo onto your skin or your friends skin. No longer do you have to rub fake tatoos on.
The following toys are interesting to look at and may interest you:
The Spider Man and friends toy collection. The toys have soft upper bodies, which make them ideal for little kids.
Playskool's Spider Man Sing Along - Now when I think of Spider Man , I think of a big tough guy. Who in the world created a sing along spider man?? HUH?? Thats like creating a sing along BatMan or a sing along Transformer?? Im surprised this toy made it through quality control at Hasbro. However, this toy is intended for kids 5 and below, in my opinion. At that age, kids dont know that Spider Man is supposed to be tough. So in actuality, this toy may work. All the kid wants to do is sing, so I think this toy may sell well, but the age group that likes this toy will be very specific- I say 5 and below.No 9 year old kid is going to want this toy. This Spider Man even has a soft soothing voice. When is Hasbro going to make a GloWorm that talks and can say goodnight in English and Spanish??
If I had a baby, I would buy the kid a Fisher Price learning DJ. The Dj has moving eyes and rocks to the beat of ABCS and 123. This toy is HOT!!! IF you know any kids below the age of 7, you really need to get them the F-P Learning DJ. Its interactive as well. Ill rank this as #5, especially for kids below the age of 7.
I like the Wish with Me little Cinderella & Little ARiel. It doesnt do anything. I just like the sounds it makes and the way the crown lights up. I really like the way the crown lights up. The Barbie Glamour Pup toy is okay too, if youre into Barbie. Im not.
Barbie is for Mattel what Transformers may be for Hasbro this season.
The Hannah Montana CD BOard game may do well too. DIsney knows how to make their money.
Toys that are just dangerous: The F-P Jeff Gordon Shake N Go. What happens if the car shoots into someone's face??
Summary: Buy the Arts and Crafts Studio for your young ones. And the light sketcher . Fisher-Price (which is owned my Mattel) will be the biggest money maker this season unless other toy companies come out with something between now and Xmas.Rose Art and Spinmaster will also do quite well. Transformers will give Hasbro a little boost and the GI JOe commemorative box needs better marketing so that people my age know about it. Put a commercial on MTV,VH1, and ESPN and then people will know about it. Do a commercial during "Dancing with the Stars" and have an ad at the baseball field where the baseball playoffs are occurring. Try placing them in the men's section instead of in the toy section.
There you have it, my picks for Winter 2007- AMY
Monday, September 24, 2007
TAGGIES - New toy,New Hazard
I was just doing what I love to do best: looking for toy news.
I was on PLAYTHINGS website because they are a toy magazine. They had an article on their site about a new toy called "TAGGIES". If you google it, it will pop up. Its a new toy that will be sold at Babies R Us, I believe. The idea is that babies love tags. So the company has created teddy bears that have tags on them. Its created blankets that have tags on them. See the picture below. The creators say that babies love to play with tags and somehow someway this will help the baby's coordination.
Now do u want to know what I think about it? The truth of the matter is, babies love to play with anything. Anything you give them they will play with. Some lady is going to make millions of dollars off of something so simple: connecting tags to toys?? Are you serious??
Here is my concern: I honestly believe that this toy will eventually be taken off the shelves- recalled.
Here is why: When you have a baby playing with a toy, they dont know what they are doing. So I KNOW that a baby will get this toy, stick their finger in one of the "tags" and start twisting it. As they twist the tag around their finger, the tag wil get tighter and tighter and tighter. What happens when something is too tight? It cuts off your circulation. What happens when circulation is cut off? There is no blood flow and it can lead to amputation.
So this toy idea is okay but I truly believe that it will eventually be recalled. So remember this article when you see that it is being recalled. The thing is, babies dont know the concept of twisting and untwisting, so thats what makes this toy dangerous.
Taggies, picture taken from the Taggie website.www.taggies.com
I was on PLAYTHINGS website because they are a toy magazine. They had an article on their site about a new toy called "TAGGIES". If you google it, it will pop up. Its a new toy that will be sold at Babies R Us, I believe. The idea is that babies love tags. So the company has created teddy bears that have tags on them. Its created blankets that have tags on them. See the picture below. The creators say that babies love to play with tags and somehow someway this will help the baby's coordination.
Now do u want to know what I think about it? The truth of the matter is, babies love to play with anything. Anything you give them they will play with. Some lady is going to make millions of dollars off of something so simple: connecting tags to toys?? Are you serious??
Here is my concern: I honestly believe that this toy will eventually be taken off the shelves- recalled.
Here is why: When you have a baby playing with a toy, they dont know what they are doing. So I KNOW that a baby will get this toy, stick their finger in one of the "tags" and start twisting it. As they twist the tag around their finger, the tag wil get tighter and tighter and tighter. What happens when something is too tight? It cuts off your circulation. What happens when circulation is cut off? There is no blood flow and it can lead to amputation.
So this toy idea is okay but I truly believe that it will eventually be recalled. So remember this article when you see that it is being recalled. The thing is, babies dont know the concept of twisting and untwisting, so thats what makes this toy dangerous.
Taggies, picture taken from the Taggie website.www.taggies.com
Results:Disney Princess Cool Oven
The Cool Oven: Remember how I bought the Cool Bake oven by Funrise?? Instead of using heat to cook, it uses" cool air". I had to buy it and try it to see if the results were worth bragging about and to see if HASBRO had any competition, Cool Bake Oven versus the Easy Bake Oven.
Result: The Cool Bake Oven did not work at all.
I actually RETURNED it back to the store I bought it from.
Why is this toy so bad? I thought you would never ask.
1) The food did NOT BAKE! AT All. I put my ice in the cubicle, mixed the food the way I was supposed to, with warm water I believe, stuck the food in the oven and waited for it to cook.
I sat there, for 15 minutes, opened the door and NOTHING happened.
So I made a new mix and tried it again. Maybe the ice melted some while I was mixing, I thought.
Waited exactly 12 minutes, as directed in the manual. Used my cell phone to time the 12 minutes.
When I heard the bing, bing, bing of the alarm, I opened up my pretty pink Disney Cool Oven and surprise, surprise, NOTHING!
Nothing! Its like that song in CHORUS LINE - Nothing , I'm feeling Nothing... I had been bragging to my parents about this gadget and how I was going to make dinner using this oven and NOTHING HAPPENED.
2) So I thought ," Hmm, maybe the food is cooked but doesn't rise. Maybe it truly is cooked.
So I took my cake mix out of the container it was in ( I didn't have to use oven mits to take it out because I used "cool technology") and bit into it.
I took one bite and nearly threw up. GROSS! The cake tasted like acid. No, I have a better analogy. You know that taste you get in your mouth when you lick an envelope??? Imagine that taste times 100-- that is EXACTLY what the Cool Bake oven uncooked cake tasted like. JUST GROSS!! Not only was it GROSS, but that taste stayed in my mouth until the next morning and I had cooked the cake around 6pm.
I eat raw cake mix all the time- like Duncan Hines and even THAT tastes better then my supposedly " cooked" coll technology cake.
I was so dissatisfied with this gadget, that I boxed it and returned it to the store .
Only one good thing came out of this: The cashier looked at the toy and stated that it looked like the Easy Bake Oven. I was like, 'Yeah, but the Easy Bake Oven is better. Go get one for your kid.' He replied, " I cant, those ovens have been recalled lately. " I informed him that it was the stove top ovens that were recently recalled, and not the original EZ bake ovens or the Real Bake Eazy Bake Ovens. He seemed happy to hear that. So I'm happy that I helped someone understand the toy recall and hopefully he'll be buying an EZ Bake Oven for his daughter.
Summary: This Cool Bake oven does not work quite well.
.
The Cool Oven: Remember how I bought the Cool Bake oven by Funrise?? Instead of using heat to cook, it uses" cool air". I had to buy it and try it to see if the results were worth bragging about and to see if HASBRO had any competition, Cool Bake Oven versus the Easy Bake Oven.Result: The Cool Bake Oven did not work at all.
I actually RETURNED it back to the store I bought it from.
Why is this toy so bad? I thought you would never ask.
1) The food did NOT BAKE! AT All. I put my ice in the cubicle, mixed the food the way I was supposed to, with warm water I believe, stuck the food in the oven and waited for it to cook.
I sat there, for 15 minutes, opened the door and NOTHING happened.
So I made a new mix and tried it again. Maybe the ice melted some while I was mixing, I thought.
Waited exactly 12 minutes, as directed in the manual. Used my cell phone to time the 12 minutes.
When I heard the bing, bing, bing of the alarm, I opened up my pretty pink Disney Cool Oven and surprise, surprise, NOTHING!
Nothing! Its like that song in CHORUS LINE - Nothing , I'm feeling Nothing... I had been bragging to my parents about this gadget and how I was going to make dinner using this oven and NOTHING HAPPENED.
2) So I thought ," Hmm, maybe the food is cooked but doesn't rise. Maybe it truly is cooked.
So I took my cake mix out of the container it was in ( I didn't have to use oven mits to take it out because I used "cool technology") and bit into it.
I took one bite and nearly threw up. GROSS! The cake tasted like acid. No, I have a better analogy. You know that taste you get in your mouth when you lick an envelope??? Imagine that taste times 100-- that is EXACTLY what the Cool Bake oven uncooked cake tasted like. JUST GROSS!! Not only was it GROSS, but that taste stayed in my mouth until the next morning and I had cooked the cake around 6pm.
I eat raw cake mix all the time- like Duncan Hines and even THAT tastes better then my supposedly " cooked" coll technology cake.
I was so dissatisfied with this gadget, that I boxed it and returned it to the store .
Only one good thing came out of this: The cashier looked at the toy and stated that it looked like the Easy Bake Oven. I was like, 'Yeah, but the Easy Bake Oven is better. Go get one for your kid.' He replied, " I cant, those ovens have been recalled lately. " I informed him that it was the stove top ovens that were recently recalled, and not the original EZ bake ovens or the Real Bake Eazy Bake Ovens. He seemed happy to hear that. So I'm happy that I helped someone understand the toy recall and hopefully he'll be buying an EZ Bake Oven for his daughter.
Summary: This Cool Bake oven does not work quite well.
.
Result: The Cool Bake Oven did not work at all.
I actually RETURNED it back to the store I bought it from.
Why is this toy so bad? I thought you would never ask.
1) The food did NOT BAKE! AT All. I put my ice in the cubicle, mixed the food the way I was supposed to, with warm water I believe, stuck the food in the oven and waited for it to cook.
I sat there, for 15 minutes, opened the door and NOTHING happened.
So I made a new mix and tried it again. Maybe the ice melted some while I was mixing, I thought.
Waited exactly 12 minutes, as directed in the manual. Used my cell phone to time the 12 minutes.
When I heard the bing, bing, bing of the alarm, I opened up my pretty pink Disney Cool Oven and surprise, surprise, NOTHING!
Nothing! Its like that song in CHORUS LINE - Nothing , I'm feeling Nothing... I had been bragging to my parents about this gadget and how I was going to make dinner using this oven and NOTHING HAPPENED.
2) So I thought ," Hmm, maybe the food is cooked but doesn't rise. Maybe it truly is cooked.
So I took my cake mix out of the container it was in ( I didn't have to use oven mits to take it out because I used "cool technology") and bit into it.
I took one bite and nearly threw up. GROSS! The cake tasted like acid. No, I have a better analogy. You know that taste you get in your mouth when you lick an envelope??? Imagine that taste times 100-- that is EXACTLY what the Cool Bake oven uncooked cake tasted like. JUST GROSS!! Not only was it GROSS, but that taste stayed in my mouth until the next morning and I had cooked the cake around 6pm.
I eat raw cake mix all the time- like Duncan Hines and even THAT tastes better then my supposedly " cooked" coll technology cake.
I was so dissatisfied with this gadget, that I boxed it and returned it to the store .
Only one good thing came out of this: The cashier looked at the toy and stated that it looked like the Easy Bake Oven. I was like, 'Yeah, but the Easy Bake Oven is better. Go get one for your kid.' He replied, " I cant, those ovens have been recalled lately. " I informed him that it was the stove top ovens that were recently recalled, and not the original EZ bake ovens or the Real Bake Eazy Bake Ovens. He seemed happy to hear that. So I'm happy that I helped someone understand the toy recall and hopefully he'll be buying an EZ Bake Oven for his daughter.
Summary: This Cool Bake oven does not work quite well.
Third World Countries and Toy Recall
There is so much news occurring about toys and how bad they are. They have lead, they have small magnets, they are just bad,bad , bad.
They are so bad that all of the toys have been recalled and stores are taking them off their shelves and allowing parents to return them all over the country.
These toys are so bad and dangerous that you would think people would be having bon fires to celebrate the destruction of these dangerous creations. However, I have never heard of anyone having a toy bon fire, which is kind of odd. When Milli Vanilla was discovered to be lip synching, there were bon fires everywhere across America, destroying their CDs. Is Milli Vanilli worse than toys that are laded with lead and small magnets – toys that can lead ( pun not intentional) to death??
So my question is: what is happening to these recalled toys?? Millions of these toys are being recalled!!! I take my toys to Toys R us and say ,"these toys are bad". Then I guess Toys R US sends the toys to the manufacturer- Mattel. Once Mattel gets the bad toys back, what do they do with them??? Are they burning the toys and having a private bon fire, releasing all of the burnt lead particles into the air???
Where are all of the recalled toys going??
Based on my experience, it always seems that all bad things get sent to third world countries-Africa,India, etc.
Is it possible that these "bad toys" are being sent to 3rd world countries??? After all, third world kids are poor and needy and should feel privileged to receive dolls and toys, right?? But should they be receiving tainted toys? What if the toys were being sent to 3rd world countries—who is checking? Im not checking, and you are not checking, so who is checking??If I buy a bunch of lead infested toys , box them up and ship them to Africa, will the port authority prohibit me from doing it? I doubt it.
When there is a story in the media, you need to follow it thru. There are bad toys- ok. They've been recalled- ok. But where do they go??
If the toys are being sent to third world countries, it will be a shame. Many of the children in third world countries are poor, dying from malaria, malnutrition, yellow fever, guinea worm, etc. Is it fair to intentionally send deadly toys to third world countries under the disguise of a "donation", " welfare", "gifts", "good will"?
It's not. So I encourage all of you to contact you Senators and ask them what their state/toy manufacturers are doing about the disposal of recalled toys. I contacted my senator last week and Im still waiting for a reply.I also contacted the Senator on the committe that questioned the Mattel President- still waiting. Because I seriously doubt that they are simply throwing them away. I'll be calling Mattel tonight since its a 3 hour difference.Children are children, no matter where they live. And being that only 3-5% of the world s children live in the US, this is a serious matter that needs to be addressed.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Looks like Mattel is in Trouble......
Uh oh!! I love toys but I never knew they'd be in the news like this. Mattel has once again had another recall. Now when someone says " Mattel", I hope you aren't just thinking about Barbie. When someone says Mattel, you should also think about the View Master, Fisher-Price (all those infant toys you have around your house and buy for baby showers), Sesame Street Toys (all those Tickle Me Elmos), Dora, Uno, Hot Wheels, and See n Say, because they all fall under the Mattel Brand.
Yep, how many of you have Mattel toys in your home?? I have a bunch. I have a bunch of Dora items, have the latest View Masters (yes, that's plural), have the Elmo Says your Name toy, and I have some Hot Wheels. So what's a girl like me to do??
Mattel has recalled more than 10 million toys during the past 1-2 months. 10 million. Do you know how much 10 million is?? Its a lot. I don't get it, if you're making toys for babies and kids, wouldn't you always take the extra precaution to ensure that your products were safe?? Why is it that now they are taking the precautions to ensure that their products are safe?? Isn't that backwards thinking?? Isn't that what they should have always been doing all along????
Can you imagine taking a vaccination, and then 20 yrs later, the manufacturers tell you that the vaccination was altered . Well, I personally think that some vaccinations lead to autism, but that's another story for another time. I'm talking about toys.
Ok, let's look at the problem: Mattel makes their toys in China because its cheap to do so. Now they have had to recall 10 million toys. Is it good that Mattel did another recall after the first one? Yes.
Did the president, Bob Eckert, know another recall was coming? OF COURSE HE DID. But he covered himself after the first recall by saying , "Parents, if I come across any other problems with our toys, I will make sure we let you know." Then what happened- there was another recall soon after. Its all politics. That's all the President of Mattel is doing. This way he can say, " yes, we had another recall, but its okay because I promised all the parents in the world that I would inform them." So he comes across looking like a good guy even though any recall in any industry is not good. Its reverse psychology. Plain and simple. And I'm sure other toy companies, such as Hasbro and MGA Entertainment are probably going through their inventory to double check their supplies. I wouldn't be surprised if toy companies stop shipping toys out to retailers such as Wal-Mart and Toys R US until they are 100% sure that the toy is safe.
What do I think about the recall.? I think its awful for toy companies in general because now NO ONE will buy a toy that was made in China. When I buy a toy, I always look at the back of the box, to see who the company is and to check out their products online because I'm a toy geek. No one else ever did that. But now, everyone is turning that box over, to see where the toys are made. If they are made in China, the items goes back on the shelf and the parent continues to look for a toy that is made in the U.S. Lets just say that a lot of kids are going to be receiving books and clothing this holiday season. I expect Scholastic Books to do quite well this holiday season.
I think that the toy company that makes most of their products in non-Asian countries will make the most money this holiday season. Trust me. No parent will buy a Made in China toy for their child and noone will accept Made in China items as gifts for their children. First it was food, and now its toys. What next- medication, bottled water containers, contact lenses, what???
Does any one know what kind of paint is used for Etch A Sketch? Because that big red toy is either painted or a chunk of big red plastic. Who's going to check???
Look at this site: http://www.mattel.com/safety/us/
Competitor: Easy Bake Oven's Cold Competition
Oh my goodness !!! You are never going to believe what I saw in the toy store the other day. Last week, I went to KB Toy Stores because I was strolling through the Mall. As I approached KB toy stores, I saw a new gadget through the window. “ Hmm, whats this”, I asked myself. I approached this “ thing” and upon closer inspection I discovered what it was: An Oven.
Its an Oven little kids can use to bake goods. And its Pink. Hmm, doesn’t this sound familiar?? Doesn’t this sound like the Easy Bake Oven??
Here’s the difference : This oven , the Disney Princess Cool Bake Magic Oven, uses COOL air to bake the goods. That’s right, its not a misprint, it uses COOL air , ice cubes to be exact, to cook the goods. So you mix the baking mix, put it in a tray, put your ice cube in the tray below and wait for the cold air to cook your cookie. So instead of getting a hot pie, you get a cool pie. Isn’t this interesting?? I wonder what the pie / cookie tastes like. I’m going to try it. How many of you really think that the cool air cookie will taste better than the hot air cookie??? I don’t think it will taste good, do you??
Do you think Hasbro knows about this copycat invention?? Well, I guess its not really copycat because the technology is different: cool air versus hot air.
The good thing about this Disney Princess Cool Bake Magic Oven is that no one will be able to say that they burned themselves. But yet, can’t a kid choke on an ice cube. Cant a kid get ice burn? Can’t a kid mistakenly smash their finger in the tray that holds the ice? Seems like this toy can be as equally dangerous as Hasbro’s Easy Bake Oven that uses heat, right???
Easy Bake Oven
Hi Guys!! I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long for a new update. Wow, toys are in the spotlight this month!!! What is going on !!!Everyone always thought I was wasting my time being a toy fanatic, but now it is evident how important toys are in our society.
Let’s talk about the Easy Bake Oven.
Who reading this does not have an Easy Bake overn? If you have never owned one, shame on you. The Easy Bake oven is a miniature oven that was created to occupy the time of young girls. It allows girls to “bake” cakes and oven like creations. Its great at a sleep over, birthday party. There is even a boys version of the EASY BAKE OVEN because boys don’t like pink. The Boy Version is called the “Creepy Crawler Oven” something like that, it allows guys to make creepy crawly baked goods.
Over the years, the Easy Bake oven has become iconic. I don’t know if its because of its “Barbie Pink” color or because of its use. I think its both. Hasbro has witnessed the popularity of this oven, and has adapted it over time. The Easy Bake oven, which looks like a microwave, has been adapted to look like a little stove top oven. It has four burners on the top and has a slot where you, the consumer, can stick your pies into and wait for them to bake.
The new stovetop Easy Bake oven was recalled this year because kids were sticking their fingers into the slots and getting burned/injured. My question is: What adult lets their kid play with a “toy” oven unsupervised? Would you let your kids play with scissors unsupervised?? No, and that’s exactly why scissors have not been recalled. Do you let your kids play with your pointy keys unsupervised? No, and that’s why keys have not been recalled.
So why are parents letting their kids play with Easy Bake Ovens unsupervised? I’m assuming that the kids are playing unsupervised. If they were supervised, the adult would have helped the child stick the pie in the oven and I do believe that there would have been less injuries.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
BARBIE PINK AND MCD'S
Barbie is known for being packaged in a PINK Box. When I am looking for a Barbie, I'm not looking for a Barbie, I am looking for the pink box and then I know where to go.
Its all about Packaging. I'm looking for the pink box.
So why doesn't Hasbro start packaging its dolls in PINK boxes? Theres no law saying that you cant use Pink packaging just because Mattel uses it. If Hasbro was smart, they would start using pink packaging for their dolls, in order to get more attention.
Did anyone see the report on packaging last week. Kids were tested. Food was put in a McD's packaging and the same food was put in a plain brown wrapper. The kids swore that the food in the brown wrapper was not as good as the food in the McDonald's wrapper. But guess what? The food in both wrappers was exactly the same. So are taste buds affected by the way food is prepared or by our minds perception of how it should be??
Back to Barbie: So if kids were walking down and aisle and saw dolls in a pink box, they would associate it with Barbie and like it. Its common sense. Packaging is all psychological. Its the same reason why we'd rather buy cereal thats in a Kellogg's box than in a plain box with no wording, even though its the same cereal. Little 3 year old girls can not read, but they do know their colors. So I advise HASBRO to match their packaging to Mattel and see what happens.
Its all about Packaging. I'm looking for the pink box.
So why doesn't Hasbro start packaging its dolls in PINK boxes? Theres no law saying that you cant use Pink packaging just because Mattel uses it. If Hasbro was smart, they would start using pink packaging for their dolls, in order to get more attention.
Did anyone see the report on packaging last week. Kids were tested. Food was put in a McD's packaging and the same food was put in a plain brown wrapper. The kids swore that the food in the brown wrapper was not as good as the food in the McDonald's wrapper. But guess what? The food in both wrappers was exactly the same. So are taste buds affected by the way food is prepared or by our minds perception of how it should be??
Back to Barbie: So if kids were walking down and aisle and saw dolls in a pink box, they would associate it with Barbie and like it. Its common sense. Packaging is all psychological. Its the same reason why we'd rather buy cereal thats in a Kellogg's box than in a plain box with no wording, even though its the same cereal. Little 3 year old girls can not read, but they do know their colors. So I advise HASBRO to match their packaging to Mattel and see what happens.
DORA IS HOT
Did anyone see the article on CNN about Dora and how she is the hot money maker in toy stores? Now was it a coincidence that that article came out AFTER my article about Dora or did someone read my article, edit it to their liking, and publish it on CNN?
Either way, this just shows that I know what Im talking about when it comes to toys. I knew I knew what I was talking about , but now you know that I know what Im talking about.
Am I a Toy expert = CONFIRMED!!!
CNN Article: Dora and the Doll Revolution - Multicultarlism
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/personal/08/13/dolls.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch
Either way, this just shows that I know what Im talking about when it comes to toys. I knew I knew what I was talking about , but now you know that I know what Im talking about.
Am I a Toy expert = CONFIRMED!!!
CNN Article: Dora and the Doll Revolution - Multicultarlism
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/personal/08/13/dolls.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch
The Future of Mattel
By now, I am sure many of you have heard about the million of toys that Mattel has had to recall. The first recall was due to lead paint. The second recall was due to the magnets that were in the toys, together with more lead paint recalls. All of these toys were produced in China.
Let us look into this:
1) China: Is there a law stating that all toys have to be made in China? No, people get goods made in China because its cheaper, and then the company sells the toys for 4X the price and makes a significant profit. All companies do this. Is it smart? Only, if you have Quality control and you are truly testing the batches to test for safety and quality.
2) Lead Paint: Ok, so the toys had lead paint. Has anyone asked China where the lead paint came from? Is it a paint that Mattel gave to their manufacturers? Everyone is talking about how the toys are bad because they had lead paint. BUt doesnt anyone want to know where that lead paint came from, and what other items it is being used on? I know I want to know.
3) How many other toy companies around the world do you think have used the same Chinese company? I bet you there are a bunch. Mattel and HAsbro are the biggest toy companies, but you have other companies like MGA Entertainment and other brands, like the people who make the Wal-Mart toys, KIds something, I cant recall the name. HAs anyone checked to see if those toys were made in China too? They probably were. Who was the Chinese manufacturer? You dont know ? I dont know either, but dont you think that is something that we should know?? Lead paint can be found on jewerly as well: Claires hada recall a year ago due to lead paint. No one walks around with a lead paint detector, so its hard for us to know whats contaminated and whats not.
4) WIll this recall hurt Mattel? ABSOLUTELY!! I went to the store the other day to buy a toy. And then I put it back on the shelf because I saw that it was made by Mattel and it had a surface that was painted. Yes , toy stores are supposed to take all of the contaminated toys off of the shelves, but who is really checking to make sure that the toys get removed? Its probably the law to remove recalled items, but who is checking to ensure that the law is followed?
5) Mattel and their behavior: Speaking from personal experience, the people at Mattel can be mean. Whenever I send letters to them, they always send the letters back to me unread and in the original envelope. I guess Mattel thinks they are too good to read outside letters. Thats a shame because I have seen the toys with the magnets and I knew they could be dangerous but I didnt bother to write to Mattel because I knew that they would send the letter back to me unread. You be the judge and tell me whats easier: reading a letter from a toy lover about a potentially dangerous toy ORRRRR refusing to read letters and having to deal with a world wide recall????? Maybe Mattel needs to start reading their letters.
I think Mattel is in for a shaky ride. I wont be surprised if Mr. Eckert resigns.
Should he resign? No. But will he be forced to resign? Probably.
Let us look into this:
1) China: Is there a law stating that all toys have to be made in China? No, people get goods made in China because its cheaper, and then the company sells the toys for 4X the price and makes a significant profit. All companies do this. Is it smart? Only, if you have Quality control and you are truly testing the batches to test for safety and quality.
2) Lead Paint: Ok, so the toys had lead paint. Has anyone asked China where the lead paint came from? Is it a paint that Mattel gave to their manufacturers? Everyone is talking about how the toys are bad because they had lead paint. BUt doesnt anyone want to know where that lead paint came from, and what other items it is being used on? I know I want to know.
3) How many other toy companies around the world do you think have used the same Chinese company? I bet you there are a bunch. Mattel and HAsbro are the biggest toy companies, but you have other companies like MGA Entertainment and other brands, like the people who make the Wal-Mart toys, KIds something, I cant recall the name. HAs anyone checked to see if those toys were made in China too? They probably were. Who was the Chinese manufacturer? You dont know ? I dont know either, but dont you think that is something that we should know?? Lead paint can be found on jewerly as well: Claires hada recall a year ago due to lead paint. No one walks around with a lead paint detector, so its hard for us to know whats contaminated and whats not.
4) WIll this recall hurt Mattel? ABSOLUTELY!! I went to the store the other day to buy a toy. And then I put it back on the shelf because I saw that it was made by Mattel and it had a surface that was painted. Yes , toy stores are supposed to take all of the contaminated toys off of the shelves, but who is really checking to make sure that the toys get removed? Its probably the law to remove recalled items, but who is checking to ensure that the law is followed?
5) Mattel and their behavior: Speaking from personal experience, the people at Mattel can be mean. Whenever I send letters to them, they always send the letters back to me unread and in the original envelope. I guess Mattel thinks they are too good to read outside letters. Thats a shame because I have seen the toys with the magnets and I knew they could be dangerous but I didnt bother to write to Mattel because I knew that they would send the letter back to me unread. You be the judge and tell me whats easier: reading a letter from a toy lover about a potentially dangerous toy ORRRRR refusing to read letters and having to deal with a world wide recall????? Maybe Mattel needs to start reading their letters.
I think Mattel is in for a shaky ride. I wont be surprised if Mr. Eckert resigns.
Should he resign? No. But will he be forced to resign? Probably.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
DORA THE EXPLORER
Im back. This past weekend I went to Toys R Us. I usually buy my toys from WalMart, but I went to TRU instead. I was waltzing thru the aisles and i came across a whole aisle of Dora the Explorer toys. Dora now has about 1.5 walls to show off her stuff. DOra is a cash cow for Mattel, simply put. Who cares about Barbie when you have Dora, or when you have both. Now who is buying these dolls?
1. People who have little kids
2. Latinos,illegal and legal
Has anyone stopped and thought about the link between Dora and illegal immigrants?? Many of the country's illegal immigrants are of Hispanic descent, based on statistics. What will happen to Dora's popularity if and when there is a crack down on illegal immigration? Many " illegals" are going into the toy stores and buying toys for their kids. Whether u are legal or illegal, you have to eat,buy food, get gas, and entertain your children, through the purchase of toys.
So what will happen to the market for Dora in the US if illegals are forced to go back to their country? Sure Walmart is in Mexico and Central America. But if Latinos are forced to go back to their countries, then they will have to give up the good money they were making here in the US. They will have to return to their families and work for lower salaries. After all, everyone comes to America because they are looking for greener pastures and higher pay. If a Latino is forced to return home amd face lower pay, do u really think they will have the disposable income to buy Dora dolls for their children? The answer is no. Hard earned money will be spent on paying for the house and providing food for the table. Toys are not a necessity, they are a want. No body needs a DOra toy, but everyone needs food. Economically speaking. toys are not a complimentary good, like peanut butter and jelly.
POINT: The case of illegal immigration in the US has to be looked at seriously, especially among the toy industry. I'm not saying immigratrion is bad or good, you be the judge. What I am saying, is that DORA the Explorer toys, the mass sale of the products will definitely be affected by illegal immigration laws. Perhaps toy companies should start lobbying Congress, in order to protect their sales, if they feel it is worth fighting for.Considering the fact that DORA takes up nearly 2 aisles, I think its safe to assume that she's worth fighting for.
Prince William County is trying to toughen up on illegal immigration and other counties are soon to follow. I bet you that the sale of Dora dolls will slowly start to decrease as immigrants start to feel scared and worried about their immigration status. I simply want you to think about the Economy and how everything is related,including Dora the Explorer.
1. People who have little kids
2. Latinos,illegal and legal
Has anyone stopped and thought about the link between Dora and illegal immigrants?? Many of the country's illegal immigrants are of Hispanic descent, based on statistics. What will happen to Dora's popularity if and when there is a crack down on illegal immigration? Many " illegals" are going into the toy stores and buying toys for their kids. Whether u are legal or illegal, you have to eat,buy food, get gas, and entertain your children, through the purchase of toys.
So what will happen to the market for Dora in the US if illegals are forced to go back to their country? Sure Walmart is in Mexico and Central America. But if Latinos are forced to go back to their countries, then they will have to give up the good money they were making here in the US. They will have to return to their families and work for lower salaries. After all, everyone comes to America because they are looking for greener pastures and higher pay. If a Latino is forced to return home amd face lower pay, do u really think they will have the disposable income to buy Dora dolls for their children? The answer is no. Hard earned money will be spent on paying for the house and providing food for the table. Toys are not a necessity, they are a want. No body needs a DOra toy, but everyone needs food. Economically speaking. toys are not a complimentary good, like peanut butter and jelly.
POINT: The case of illegal immigration in the US has to be looked at seriously, especially among the toy industry. I'm not saying immigratrion is bad or good, you be the judge. What I am saying, is that DORA the Explorer toys, the mass sale of the products will definitely be affected by illegal immigration laws. Perhaps toy companies should start lobbying Congress, in order to protect their sales, if they feel it is worth fighting for.Considering the fact that DORA takes up nearly 2 aisles, I think its safe to assume that she's worth fighting for.
Prince William County is trying to toughen up on illegal immigration and other counties are soon to follow. I bet you that the sale of Dora dolls will slowly start to decrease as immigrants start to feel scared and worried about their immigration status. I simply want you to think about the Economy and how everything is related,including Dora the Explorer.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
LAMONT MORRIS- TOY INVENTOR
For the rest of the year, I will be spotlightingt African American toy designers. So from now until 2008, Lamont Morris will be the person of the year. Mr.Morris (HASBRO) created the Real Meal Oven (new Easy Bake Oven) and has created Play Doh items. Does anybody else reading this eat Play-Doh?? Because I used to eat it all the time- thank God they made it Non toxic!!! I want to hear from the Play-Doh eaters. HOw many of you have the Travel picture maker? If youre going to buy a toy this year, please make sure its a HASBRO toy.
Please read the article below that I got from tidbit.com.
Also, try to go to Chicago. The art museum is having an exhibit on great African -American industrial designers. And guess what, my person of the year, Lamont Morris, is one of them. WOO HOO WOO HOO. GO Lamont, GO Lamont, go, go,go!!!
Heres the link to the museum: http://www.msichicago.org/temp_exhibit/bc2007/index.html
INVENTOR of the MONTH
Lamont Morris: Toy Innovator
Lamont Morris holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Cleveland Institute of Art. After graduation he was hired by the toy creation firm of Marvin Glass & Associates in Chicago. Two and a half years later in 1988 he was hired by Hasbro, where he has worked ever since. He is employed in the Advance Concepts Department as a product design manager.
Morris holds five patents for toy products that he invented or developed innovations for. Four patents are assigned to Hasbro and one is assigned to Marvin Glass & Associates:
An upgraded version of the Real Meal Oven by Easy Bake
The Travel Lite Brite picture maker
Play-Doh Compound Extruder
Interactive Dance Ring
Rotating Ring and Character Toy (Marvin Glass/Fisher Price)
Lamont Morris was born in 1958 in Shaker Heights, Ohio the youngest of three children. Morris’ early inspiration was the renaissance inventor and painter Leonard da Vinci and the musician and guitar player Jimi Hendrix. While in Chicago (1986-1988) Morris was inspired by the charismatic Oprah Winfrey. “I felt that I could make a difference in my chosen field the way she was making in her profession,” he says. And between these unrelated influences, Leonardo da Vinci, Jimi Hendrix, and Oprah Winfrey, I am grateful to have been inspired in some way by their talents and creative energy.”
http://www.tibit.biz/inventor-2006-5.htm
Please read the article below that I got from tidbit.com.
Also, try to go to Chicago. The art museum is having an exhibit on great African -American industrial designers. And guess what, my person of the year, Lamont Morris, is one of them. WOO HOO WOO HOO. GO Lamont, GO Lamont, go, go,go!!!
Heres the link to the museum: http://www.msichicago.org/temp_exhibit/bc2007/index.html
INVENTOR of the MONTH
Lamont Morris: Toy Innovator
Lamont Morris holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Cleveland Institute of Art. After graduation he was hired by the toy creation firm of Marvin Glass & Associates in Chicago. Two and a half years later in 1988 he was hired by Hasbro, where he has worked ever since. He is employed in the Advance Concepts Department as a product design manager.
Morris holds five patents for toy products that he invented or developed innovations for. Four patents are assigned to Hasbro and one is assigned to Marvin Glass & Associates:
An upgraded version of the Real Meal Oven by Easy Bake
The Travel Lite Brite picture maker
Play-Doh Compound Extruder
Interactive Dance Ring
Rotating Ring and Character Toy (Marvin Glass/Fisher Price)
Lamont Morris was born in 1958 in Shaker Heights, Ohio the youngest of three children. Morris’ early inspiration was the renaissance inventor and painter Leonard da Vinci and the musician and guitar player Jimi Hendrix. While in Chicago (1986-1988) Morris was inspired by the charismatic Oprah Winfrey. “I felt that I could make a difference in my chosen field the way she was making in her profession,” he says. And between these unrelated influences, Leonardo da Vinci, Jimi Hendrix, and Oprah Winfrey, I am grateful to have been inspired in some way by their talents and creative energy.”
http://www.tibit.biz/inventor-2006-5.htm
Thursday, January 18, 2007
The Fire in My Company Car (1.18.2007)
The other day I was at work driving the company car. Ok, Im driving. I get to a stop light and I thought I saw smoke. "Why would there be smoke in my car?" I thought to myself. SO im sitting at the light thinking it was my imagination. And then I turn around to look at the back seat and there is nothing but smoke. OH MY GOSH--Is my work car on fire???? YIKES!!!!!!!!! So while at the light, I put the car in park and get out of the car. If the car wants to blow up, go ahead, but its not going to blow up while Im in it. As I'm sitting on the curb waiting for my car to blow up, I call my company to tell them about the situation. They cant believe it. The company car key chain has a button to pop the trunk. Im asked to open the trunk. I open the trunk, from afar of course, and as it opens, a big cloud of smoke escapes. Im thinking,'Great my car is on fire due to something in the trunk." And people are walking by my car as the cloud of smoke escapes. Im screaming,' Ay, my cars on fire, get away from that smoke'. In stead, the guys walk straight up to my car, look at the smoke and say," Your car's not on fire. Its the fire extinguisher. It exploded. The smoke is from the fire extinguisher."
OH.
The company car has fire extinguishers that are supposed to be fastened in the trunk. The fire extinguisher in my car was NOT fastened, so it was freely rolling around in the trunk. While it was roolling around, the pin came out of the extinguisher, activating it.
So no , my car was not on fire, it was the smoke from the extinguisher.
Now we need to get rid of all the yellow gunk in the trunk but car washes dont want to do it because they say the extinguisher contents block up their vaccuums. I guess we'll figure that out later. ANyways, Im alive and well and so is my company car.
OH.
The company car has fire extinguishers that are supposed to be fastened in the trunk. The fire extinguisher in my car was NOT fastened, so it was freely rolling around in the trunk. While it was roolling around, the pin came out of the extinguisher, activating it.
So no , my car was not on fire, it was the smoke from the extinguisher.
Now we need to get rid of all the yellow gunk in the trunk but car washes dont want to do it because they say the extinguisher contents block up their vaccuums. I guess we'll figure that out later. ANyways, Im alive and well and so is my company car.
Problems with the Digital F-P Camera (1.18.2007)
Date: 1.18.2007
Happy New Year everyone. How is everyone. A lot has happened since I last wrote. Is any one interested in hearing about it?
Well.. let me talk about the camera first:
I do enjoy the Digital Fisher-Price Camera. Its nice. But the longer I have it, the less Im thrilled about it.Let me get straight to the point and focus on my qualms
1) How does the flash come on?? It never seems to come on when I need it to come on . Sometimes I have to point the camera at a light when its so dark in the room.With the original camera the camera hads a button you could push when you needed a flash. This camera needs a flash button.
2)It s very hard for me to print the pictures. I cant take the photos to Ritz camera because their computers dont read the F-P USB. Its very odd that their computers cant read the F-P camera. SO in order to print the pictures I have to download them, convert them, save them on disk and then go print them. Thats too much work.
3) The disk that the camera comes with is OKAY, but it places many limitations as well. Thats not F-P's fault though, so Ill move on
4) The quality of the image is not that good, not like the 35 mm camera I have by FP. These digital pictures come out looking smudged. As if they were printed when the negative wasnt fully developed yet, almost like that. They look fake in a strange smurfish kind of way.
5) This camera should have been built with a ZOOM feature which would have been very easy to add. You could have simply added it to the arrow keys that alreay exist: right arrow means zoom in and left arrow means zoom out. Without the zoom feature, its impossible to maximize the quality of the photos.
6) The ON Button: This camera does NOT stay on long enough. As soon as you turn it on, it turns off automatically like within 5 minutes. Advice to Fisher-Price: If someone is rich enough to afford this camera, they are rich enough to buy new batteries when the batteries die. Please get rid of the auto off feature, it cuts off WAYYYYYYYYY to soon. Ive seen other kids using this camera and it confuses them. Because by the time they are ready to take the picture the camera is turned off and they cant figure out why they cant take the picture. Either get rid of this feature OR expand the timer, dont let the camera go off until there's been 10 minutes of inactivity, not 5 minutes.
7) The sound effects: They are okay. It would have been neeat if you had allowed the kid to record their own voice so that whenever they took a picture their voice would be exposed.
IN a nutshell, the quality of he photos needs to improve and there needs to be a way to turn on the flash. Would I buy this camera again? No. Would I buy the 35MM FP camera again? ABSOLUTELY!!! SO I have gone back to using my 35 mm Fisher Price camera because it works very well and always produces top of the line photos. Im surprised about the quality of the Digital FP camera-It could have been better. Perhaps the producers were rushing to get it out for the 2006 Holiday season. I know it won many toy awards, etc. BUt I think the people who did the reviews had not had the camera long enough. If they had had the camera long enough, they would have viewed the negativities concerning the camera. Kudos to the person who invented this toy-its ingenious. It just needs a little tune up. Call me and we can talk.
Ok, thats my blog for today my friends.
Happy New Year everyone. How is everyone. A lot has happened since I last wrote. Is any one interested in hearing about it?
Well.. let me talk about the camera first:
I do enjoy the Digital Fisher-Price Camera. Its nice. But the longer I have it, the less Im thrilled about it.Let me get straight to the point and focus on my qualms
1) How does the flash come on?? It never seems to come on when I need it to come on . Sometimes I have to point the camera at a light when its so dark in the room.With the original camera the camera hads a button you could push when you needed a flash. This camera needs a flash button.
2)It s very hard for me to print the pictures. I cant take the photos to Ritz camera because their computers dont read the F-P USB. Its very odd that their computers cant read the F-P camera. SO in order to print the pictures I have to download them, convert them, save them on disk and then go print them. Thats too much work.
3) The disk that the camera comes with is OKAY, but it places many limitations as well. Thats not F-P's fault though, so Ill move on
4) The quality of the image is not that good, not like the 35 mm camera I have by FP. These digital pictures come out looking smudged. As if they were printed when the negative wasnt fully developed yet, almost like that. They look fake in a strange smurfish kind of way.
5) This camera should have been built with a ZOOM feature which would have been very easy to add. You could have simply added it to the arrow keys that alreay exist: right arrow means zoom in and left arrow means zoom out. Without the zoom feature, its impossible to maximize the quality of the photos.
6) The ON Button: This camera does NOT stay on long enough. As soon as you turn it on, it turns off automatically like within 5 minutes. Advice to Fisher-Price: If someone is rich enough to afford this camera, they are rich enough to buy new batteries when the batteries die. Please get rid of the auto off feature, it cuts off WAYYYYYYYYY to soon. Ive seen other kids using this camera and it confuses them. Because by the time they are ready to take the picture the camera is turned off and they cant figure out why they cant take the picture. Either get rid of this feature OR expand the timer, dont let the camera go off until there's been 10 minutes of inactivity, not 5 minutes.
7) The sound effects: They are okay. It would have been neeat if you had allowed the kid to record their own voice so that whenever they took a picture their voice would be exposed.
IN a nutshell, the quality of he photos needs to improve and there needs to be a way to turn on the flash. Would I buy this camera again? No. Would I buy the 35MM FP camera again? ABSOLUTELY!!! SO I have gone back to using my 35 mm Fisher Price camera because it works very well and always produces top of the line photos. Im surprised about the quality of the Digital FP camera-It could have been better. Perhaps the producers were rushing to get it out for the 2006 Holiday season. I know it won many toy awards, etc. BUt I think the people who did the reviews had not had the camera long enough. If they had had the camera long enough, they would have viewed the negativities concerning the camera. Kudos to the person who invented this toy-its ingenious. It just needs a little tune up. Call me and we can talk.
Ok, thats my blog for today my friends.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Fisher- Price Kid Tough Digital Camera
Last year, in late 2006, I was sitting down thinking, “Hmm, when is Fisher-Price going to update their camera?” Because those of you who have known me since 1997, know that I have that Big Red Fisher-Price 35MM Camera.
I love that CAMERA!!
That’s the best Camera I have ever had in my whole life. That camera means more to me than my Carl Zeiss SONY Digital Camera.
So I have had my Fisher-Price RED 35 MM camera since the winter of 1997, my freshman year in College. I know this because the first picture I took with it was a picture of my dorm room.
I’ve had this camera for nearly 9 years and I was like, “When are they going to upgrade this camera?” So I went onto Fisher-Price’s site the very day I had that thought and guess what: they had the NEW KID TOUGH FISHER PRICE Digital Camera. Those F-P people, they must have read my mind.
So in early November 2006, I call Target and Wal-Mart and Im like, “Do you have the new Fisher-Price Kid Tough Digital Camera?” Every single store was like, “Do we have the WHAT!!! What’s Kid tough, what Fisher-Price camera….um ,no, Im sorry, that must be an item that will only be sold online, that wont be sold in stores, weve never heard of it.”
Ok, so store representatives had no idea what I was talking about. Interesting. So I waited for the stores to catch up cuz they were obvioulsy out of the loop. So finally Toys R Us finally got the toy. There were many cameras sitting on the shelf. In fact, I stood in front of the cameras for like 20 minutes because the smell alone excited me and caused me to halt. I could not believe that the new Fisher-Price Digital Cameras were right before my eyes. They were right there, in arms reach, waiting to be adored and nurtured by me. I couldn’t believe it !! So I called my friend and asked him if I should get it, cuz it was going for the mid $60’s at Toys R Us. He convinced me to go to Target, because it’d be cheaper there. Fine. It was quite difficult departing Toys R US, but I just did it. I HAD TO !! I went to Target and they were there. WOO HOO !!! Once again, I was the only person standing in the aisle who cared about this product. People passed by and didn’t even bother to look at it. How dare people walk by this piece of work without even acknowledging it. I mean my goodness, have some respect for the new Kid Tough Digital Camera, PLEASE!!!!
As I stood before the cameras I had a very tough decision to make. It was one of the toughest decisions I have ever made in my whole life: blue or pink.
Should I get the blue version or the pink version of the camera ?? The pink was like Barbie pink, too pale, so I picked blue.
As I very carefully placed my fragile item in its undeserving carrier-the shopping cart- I looked at it with pride. Alas, Fisher-Price had finally updated the 35 mm camera . My baby had finally arrived. And what a beautiful item it was. With its 2 glass eyes, and its red nose, and blue and white skin, it was beautiful, just beautiful !! I then looked up, at the shelf for one last time, and something caught my eye. The carrying case. The New Fisher-Price Camera comes with a carrying case. WOW !!! Now why didn’t they make a carrying case for the 35mm camera ?? I could have used a carrying case for that camera. Well not really, that 35 mm camera has been dropped so many times and its still working perfectly. Anyways, I couldn’t buy the camera without getting the case, of course I bought the case…the case protects my precious Kid Tough Camera.
I took the camera home that night and just looked at it. No, no, I did not take the camera out of its case, I simply admired it from within the case. Wow, have you seen the packaging for this camera?? Its UNBELIEVABLE. Its in an oval case and its packaged beautifully. Thank God for Packaging Science.The packaging was and is ingenious. Quite beautiful. As I admired my camera, it kind of sparked a warm feeling within me. It was just so beautiful, this new Kid Tough Fisher- Price Digital Camera. Who needs friends when I have this camera.
I took the camera to work the next day to show off my camera, which was still unopened. People did not really ooh and awe over it because they weren’t aware of its existence. That’s fine, its not my fault if people are slow and not in the know. The people with kids glanced at it and continued to talk about how they were getting their kids other toys. I was like, ‘NOOOOOOOOOOOOO, you have to get them this new Digital Camera by Fisher-Price.’ No one listened to me. Why wouldn’t you listen to the toy expert ?? I can see a toy and tell you whether or not its going to be a hit. My co workers have me and my expertise for free, but yet they didn’t listen?????? OKAY.
In mid December, Fisher-Price finally introduced their Kid Tough Digital Camera commercial on t.v. And guess what? From that moment up to now, January 2007, that product remains off the shelf. The camera became SO HOT that it’s just not on the shelves at all…no one can get one. Its HOT, like FIRE !!!
Isn’t that funny how in November when no one knew about it, I was able to get one easily. There were PLENTY of cameras sitting on the shelves..PLENTYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!
And guess what, the same co-workers who couldn’t care less about my camera in November, well guess what?? In Mid December, they were BEGGING me to find the Digital Camera for them and their children. I was like,” I told you a month ago that this toy would be hot, why didn’t you listen to me???” This is a true story my friends, why would I lie to you ?. So I got the toy when no one cared and they were everywhere. Now, they are a hot commodity . It all goes back to demand and supply. Demand became equivalent and/or stronger than supply.
Either way, it does not matter- I am the owner of the updated Fisher-Price Kid Tough Digital Camera.
In my next blog, Ill discuss the pros and cons of the Kid Tough Digital Camera………….
I love that CAMERA!!
That’s the best Camera I have ever had in my whole life. That camera means more to me than my Carl Zeiss SONY Digital Camera.
So I have had my Fisher-Price RED 35 MM camera since the winter of 1997, my freshman year in College. I know this because the first picture I took with it was a picture of my dorm room.
I’ve had this camera for nearly 9 years and I was like, “When are they going to upgrade this camera?” So I went onto Fisher-Price’s site the very day I had that thought and guess what: they had the NEW KID TOUGH FISHER PRICE Digital Camera. Those F-P people, they must have read my mind.
So in early November 2006, I call Target and Wal-Mart and Im like, “Do you have the new Fisher-Price Kid Tough Digital Camera?” Every single store was like, “Do we have the WHAT!!! What’s Kid tough, what Fisher-Price camera….um ,no, Im sorry, that must be an item that will only be sold online, that wont be sold in stores, weve never heard of it.”
Ok, so store representatives had no idea what I was talking about. Interesting. So I waited for the stores to catch up cuz they were obvioulsy out of the loop. So finally Toys R Us finally got the toy. There were many cameras sitting on the shelf. In fact, I stood in front of the cameras for like 20 minutes because the smell alone excited me and caused me to halt. I could not believe that the new Fisher-Price Digital Cameras were right before my eyes. They were right there, in arms reach, waiting to be adored and nurtured by me. I couldn’t believe it !! So I called my friend and asked him if I should get it, cuz it was going for the mid $60’s at Toys R Us. He convinced me to go to Target, because it’d be cheaper there. Fine. It was quite difficult departing Toys R US, but I just did it. I HAD TO !! I went to Target and they were there. WOO HOO !!! Once again, I was the only person standing in the aisle who cared about this product. People passed by and didn’t even bother to look at it. How dare people walk by this piece of work without even acknowledging it. I mean my goodness, have some respect for the new Kid Tough Digital Camera, PLEASE!!!!
As I stood before the cameras I had a very tough decision to make. It was one of the toughest decisions I have ever made in my whole life: blue or pink.
Should I get the blue version or the pink version of the camera ?? The pink was like Barbie pink, too pale, so I picked blue.
As I very carefully placed my fragile item in its undeserving carrier-the shopping cart- I looked at it with pride. Alas, Fisher-Price had finally updated the 35 mm camera . My baby had finally arrived. And what a beautiful item it was. With its 2 glass eyes, and its red nose, and blue and white skin, it was beautiful, just beautiful !! I then looked up, at the shelf for one last time, and something caught my eye. The carrying case. The New Fisher-Price Camera comes with a carrying case. WOW !!! Now why didn’t they make a carrying case for the 35mm camera ?? I could have used a carrying case for that camera. Well not really, that 35 mm camera has been dropped so many times and its still working perfectly. Anyways, I couldn’t buy the camera without getting the case, of course I bought the case…the case protects my precious Kid Tough Camera.
I took the camera home that night and just looked at it. No, no, I did not take the camera out of its case, I simply admired it from within the case. Wow, have you seen the packaging for this camera?? Its UNBELIEVABLE. Its in an oval case and its packaged beautifully. Thank God for Packaging Science.The packaging was and is ingenious. Quite beautiful. As I admired my camera, it kind of sparked a warm feeling within me. It was just so beautiful, this new Kid Tough Fisher- Price Digital Camera. Who needs friends when I have this camera.
I took the camera to work the next day to show off my camera, which was still unopened. People did not really ooh and awe over it because they weren’t aware of its existence. That’s fine, its not my fault if people are slow and not in the know. The people with kids glanced at it and continued to talk about how they were getting their kids other toys. I was like, ‘NOOOOOOOOOOOOO, you have to get them this new Digital Camera by Fisher-Price.’ No one listened to me. Why wouldn’t you listen to the toy expert ?? I can see a toy and tell you whether or not its going to be a hit. My co workers have me and my expertise for free, but yet they didn’t listen?????? OKAY.
In mid December, Fisher-Price finally introduced their Kid Tough Digital Camera commercial on t.v. And guess what? From that moment up to now, January 2007, that product remains off the shelf. The camera became SO HOT that it’s just not on the shelves at all…no one can get one. Its HOT, like FIRE !!!
Isn’t that funny how in November when no one knew about it, I was able to get one easily. There were PLENTY of cameras sitting on the shelves..PLENTYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!
And guess what, the same co-workers who couldn’t care less about my camera in November, well guess what?? In Mid December, they were BEGGING me to find the Digital Camera for them and their children. I was like,” I told you a month ago that this toy would be hot, why didn’t you listen to me???” This is a true story my friends, why would I lie to you ?. So I got the toy when no one cared and they were everywhere. Now, they are a hot commodity . It all goes back to demand and supply. Demand became equivalent and/or stronger than supply.
Either way, it does not matter- I am the owner of the updated Fisher-Price Kid Tough Digital Camera.
In my next blog, Ill discuss the pros and cons of the Kid Tough Digital Camera………….
35MM Fisher-Price Camera - Red one with 2 Handles
HOMMAGE : FISHER- PRICE 35 MM CAMERA
I would like to pay homage to the 35MM Fisher Price Camera. The Big Red one, the one that has 2 eye-viewers and a handle on each side for each of my hands. This is the camera that has the child lock key which is yellow and supported by a knot. The child lock key has to be used to press the button that in turn opens the area where the film gets loaded. When I first got this camera, it took me 3 hours to figure out how to load this film. Its okay, it just caused a greater bond between us. This the Camera that has the flash button and uses 35mm film, not 110, but 35mm film.
THIS IS THE BEST CAMERA I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY WHOLE LIFE!!! EVER!!!!
Now I will be reflecting on my memories with the camera:
1.When I went to the White House and had to go through security, the guards were like, “What is this?” I said a camera. And they were like ok.
2.When I was interning with the US Justice Department, I had to go to the DC Courthouse. When it was my turn to enter the building I had to put my bags through the detector. The men opened my bags and were like,” What is this?” I said, ‘It’s a Camera!!!’ They were like, “Who carries around a red camera?” I was like, ‘I do, its Fisher Price and it’s the best camera Ive ever had!!’. Then they wanted me to open the camera to prove that it was really a camera. I was like, ‘I can’t do that. I have film in there, it will mess up my exposures’. They weren’t convinced. So they held on to my camera until I was done and ready to leave the courthouse.
3.US Embassy in Ghana, West Africa – I went to the US Embassy in Ghana to register as a US Citizen. The female guard was like, “Do you have any cameras on you?” I was like, ‘yeah, here.’ She laughed and was like, ‘ What is this?’ I told her it was a camera. She started speaking in her native tongue but didn’t realize that I understood every word she was saying. I think she was hoping that I would let her keep it. I was like, ‘Um no, this camera better be here when I return from registration.’ It was.
4.Do you know what its like being in a third world country and taking a picture with the red Fisher-Price Camera. Everyone is ready to take the picture and as you take out your camera , you catch everyone in the , “ Is that a real camera” expression. I love it!!
5.United States State Department- Washington DC – I was invited to ceremony that was being held in the State Department. After registering, the guard asked me if I had any film Id like to put in a tray, in order to keep it from being spoiled. I was like, ‘Yeah, my camera.’ So I handed him my camera. And he liked it. That guy had good taste.
6.Has anyone ever tried to get an odd looking camera into the Vatican-St Peters Basilica in Rome, Italy? Last November, well November 2005, I went to Italy for a month. I went to Venice and Rome. Venezia was beautiful, oh just lovely!!! Rome was okay. As I entered the security, before I could tour the building to view the Pope’s body, I was stopped. The beautiful Italian man was like, “What is this, you can’t bring this in.” I was like, ‘It’s a camera!! Es un macchina fotografica’ because by this time my Italian was pretty good). So then the guard called his co-worker over and asked him if he believed that it was really a camera. The guy took it, put it up in the air and spun it around very slowly and meticulously. Then he looked at me and reluctantly said, ‘Its ok, let her go’. PERFECTO !!! ‘CIAO’ was my response. My uncle was like, “Yeah, that camera is going to give you lots of problems.”
7.University of Virginia and Clemson University : My Fisher-Price Camera was with me during my four years of undergrad. It was with me when I visited the President of the University- good ole John Casteen-great guy. It was the official photographer of my graduation. It was also the official photographer of my graduate school ceremony. The Fisher-Price 35mm camera is a significant part of my life. Seriously.
8.The outgoing Mayor of DC, Anthony Williams, liked my camera.
9.Airports: I’m telling you, airport screeners get a kick out of seeing the Fisher-Price 35 mm Camera. Since I have had this camera, I have travelled with my big red 35mm Fisher-Price Camera to the following airports:
- Dulles and Reagan (Washington, DC)
- Hartsfield- Jackson Atlanta Airport (Atlanta, GA)
- Heathrow Airport (London, England – at least 2x)
- Kotoko International Airport (Accra, Ghana, West Africa)
- Schipol Airport (Amsterdam-what a beautiful airport)
- Toronto Pearson International Airport (Toronto, Canada)
- Milan Malpensa Airport (Milan, Italy)
- Trieste, R.Dei Legionari (Trieste, Italy)
10. Kids were always trying to take my camera. Everyone thinks it’s a View-Master, because it’s the same tone of red. It really does look like the Original View Master. But we all know that the View-Master has transformed and is now a projector. Anyways, kids always want to play with it and Im like NO,no, its not a toy, Ive got film in there. Im never worried about the film coming out, because that camera is built like a Tonka Truck-STRONG- but I do worry about kids rewinding my film the wrong way or taking unnecessary pictures. FILM IS EXPENSIVE. I do wish Fisher-Price would have come up with some deal with Kodak where the users of the Fisher-Price Camera could have received a discount or something. Oh well.
I would say getting the camera through the Vatican security was the greatest ordeal I’ve had concerning this camera. But oh, what a great camera it has been. Its met governors, mayors, officials, doctors, University presidents, lawyers, you name it, its done it. I love you , my red Fisher –Price 35 mm Camera. Without you, my life would have remained undocumented, and simply a vast array of memories contained within my mind.
LONG LIVE THE RED 35 MM FISHER- PRICE CAMERA!!!!
I would like to pay homage to the 35MM Fisher Price Camera. The Big Red one, the one that has 2 eye-viewers and a handle on each side for each of my hands. This is the camera that has the child lock key which is yellow and supported by a knot. The child lock key has to be used to press the button that in turn opens the area where the film gets loaded. When I first got this camera, it took me 3 hours to figure out how to load this film. Its okay, it just caused a greater bond between us. This the Camera that has the flash button and uses 35mm film, not 110, but 35mm film.
THIS IS THE BEST CAMERA I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY WHOLE LIFE!!! EVER!!!!
Now I will be reflecting on my memories with the camera:
1.When I went to the White House and had to go through security, the guards were like, “What is this?” I said a camera. And they were like ok.
2.When I was interning with the US Justice Department, I had to go to the DC Courthouse. When it was my turn to enter the building I had to put my bags through the detector. The men opened my bags and were like,” What is this?” I said, ‘It’s a Camera!!!’ They were like, “Who carries around a red camera?” I was like, ‘I do, its Fisher Price and it’s the best camera Ive ever had!!’. Then they wanted me to open the camera to prove that it was really a camera. I was like, ‘I can’t do that. I have film in there, it will mess up my exposures’. They weren’t convinced. So they held on to my camera until I was done and ready to leave the courthouse.
3.US Embassy in Ghana, West Africa – I went to the US Embassy in Ghana to register as a US Citizen. The female guard was like, “Do you have any cameras on you?” I was like, ‘yeah, here.’ She laughed and was like, ‘ What is this?’ I told her it was a camera. She started speaking in her native tongue but didn’t realize that I understood every word she was saying. I think she was hoping that I would let her keep it. I was like, ‘Um no, this camera better be here when I return from registration.’ It was.
4.Do you know what its like being in a third world country and taking a picture with the red Fisher-Price Camera. Everyone is ready to take the picture and as you take out your camera , you catch everyone in the , “ Is that a real camera” expression. I love it!!
5.United States State Department- Washington DC – I was invited to ceremony that was being held in the State Department. After registering, the guard asked me if I had any film Id like to put in a tray, in order to keep it from being spoiled. I was like, ‘Yeah, my camera.’ So I handed him my camera. And he liked it. That guy had good taste.
6.Has anyone ever tried to get an odd looking camera into the Vatican-St Peters Basilica in Rome, Italy? Last November, well November 2005, I went to Italy for a month. I went to Venice and Rome. Venezia was beautiful, oh just lovely!!! Rome was okay. As I entered the security, before I could tour the building to view the Pope’s body, I was stopped. The beautiful Italian man was like, “What is this, you can’t bring this in.” I was like, ‘It’s a camera!! Es un macchina fotografica’ because by this time my Italian was pretty good). So then the guard called his co-worker over and asked him if he believed that it was really a camera. The guy took it, put it up in the air and spun it around very slowly and meticulously. Then he looked at me and reluctantly said, ‘Its ok, let her go’. PERFECTO !!! ‘CIAO’ was my response. My uncle was like, “Yeah, that camera is going to give you lots of problems.”
7.University of Virginia and Clemson University : My Fisher-Price Camera was with me during my four years of undergrad. It was with me when I visited the President of the University- good ole John Casteen-great guy. It was the official photographer of my graduation. It was also the official photographer of my graduate school ceremony. The Fisher-Price 35mm camera is a significant part of my life. Seriously.
8.The outgoing Mayor of DC, Anthony Williams, liked my camera.
9.Airports: I’m telling you, airport screeners get a kick out of seeing the Fisher-Price 35 mm Camera. Since I have had this camera, I have travelled with my big red 35mm Fisher-Price Camera to the following airports:
- Dulles and Reagan (Washington, DC)
- Hartsfield- Jackson Atlanta Airport (Atlanta, GA)
- Heathrow Airport (London, England – at least 2x)
- Kotoko International Airport (Accra, Ghana, West Africa)
- Schipol Airport (Amsterdam-what a beautiful airport)
- Toronto Pearson International Airport (Toronto, Canada)
- Milan Malpensa Airport (Milan, Italy)
- Trieste, R.Dei Legionari (Trieste, Italy)
10. Kids were always trying to take my camera. Everyone thinks it’s a View-Master, because it’s the same tone of red. It really does look like the Original View Master. But we all know that the View-Master has transformed and is now a projector. Anyways, kids always want to play with it and Im like NO,no, its not a toy, Ive got film in there. Im never worried about the film coming out, because that camera is built like a Tonka Truck-STRONG- but I do worry about kids rewinding my film the wrong way or taking unnecessary pictures. FILM IS EXPENSIVE. I do wish Fisher-Price would have come up with some deal with Kodak where the users of the Fisher-Price Camera could have received a discount or something. Oh well.
I would say getting the camera through the Vatican security was the greatest ordeal I’ve had concerning this camera. But oh, what a great camera it has been. Its met governors, mayors, officials, doctors, University presidents, lawyers, you name it, its done it. I love you , my red Fisher –Price 35 mm Camera. Without you, my life would have remained undocumented, and simply a vast array of memories contained within my mind.
LONG LIVE THE RED 35 MM FISHER- PRICE CAMERA!!!!
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