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Show - Page B6 THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, 'Crooked' dolls to teach life? Monday, February 22. 1993 Toy Fair features great 'babysitters' By JONATHAN TAKIFF By ROSE DEWOLF Knight-Ridde- Would you give your child a or doll to play w ith? How about a dope dealer? Carolyn Clark claims that playcrooks ing with helps young children avoid becoming real ones. To that end, Clark and her partner. Rennie Resmini, both have designed "Thug-gies.- " a line of 17 dolls. Each conies packaged in a cardboard "jail cell" with a "rap sheet' describing his or her crime and the penalty being paid for little er purse-snatch- car-thi- ef s, " same. For instance, "Bonnie Ann Bribe" is said to be serving time by reading to senior citizens an hour a day. Bonnie, who did not read in first grade, wanted to bribe her way through school. "Dwight Collared Grimes," who wears a suit and a tie and, according to his rap sheet, used to have his hand in other people's cookie jars, is said to be pin-strip- "presently duty." on cookie-bakin- g According to Clark, the positive effect of cuddling these criminals comes from the notion that the doll's young owner plays a role in "reforming" them. She explained that the dolls, expected to cost about S35 each, have a report card that explains what they have to do to go straight. "And there is a gold heart to pin on them when they have been rehabilitated," she said. Clark and Resmini took a booth at last year's Toy Fair in New York just to introduce their con- cept. "We didn't have dolls to show or sell then." Clark said. "Wejust wanted toget reaction." TV Terrier needs to have an internal voice chip changed to vary his responses. Still, the d TV for tape program Krofft-produce- g NEW YORK parents will Find lots of babysitting help for their children at the toy store this fall, judging from the variety of "home s introduced at alone" this year's American International Toy Fair. Better still, no pesky income and Social Security taxes need be filed for any of these electronic parents' helpers. Just throw 'em a new battery every once in a while. Open through Wednesday in New York, the 90th annual trade show is awash with toys that interact with youngsters and their environment playthings producing physical movements and intelligent voice response. And beyond keeping company with the latch-ke- y set, most of these New '90s toys nudge the young 'uns to get active and improve their minds. Stealing this toy show are two cuddly creature companions who interact with special TV shows Tiger's TV Terrier and Yes! Entertainment's TV Teddy (both S60). Sit the doggie in front of the TV, "watching" special video tapes (developed by master puppeteers Sid and Marty Krofft), and the yappy little TV Terrier magically sits up and responds appropriately to the comic hijinks on screen. (He's actually responding to light signals hidden in the picture). Harder to set up, the TV Teddy system requires that a special signal transmitting box be wired between the VCR and TV. Thereafter, the toy bear receives his cues wirelessly via radio waves. His vocabulary is endless, while Hard-workin- play-pal- make-believ- Phila-delphian- Newspapers - Newspapers Knight-Ridde- r r Terrier set at TV station WOOF is much more amusing and likely to enjoy repeated plays than the bland Berenstain Bears videotape supplied with TV Teddy. "Your reflexes are subhu- man," bellows Megatron, the robot who sits fully-interacti- 2xh- - to to identify colors, shapes, numbers and letters in Texas Instruments' My Own Playphone ($55, available fall). This educational toy is smart enough to adjust automatically to the level of the child's ability, and will attempt to the child after several minutes of inactivi- ter.(Playskool,$30,July.) Talking Barney is way more cuddly. Squeeze this popular (via PBS television) plush dinosaur's hand and he suggests fun things to do, like "Let's walk like a duck!" Hug Barney's tummy and he offers comforting phrases: "Remember, I love you." (Playskool, $34.95, July.) Hasboro's Electronic Talk 'n Play Fire Truck responds appropriately when kids remove or re- ty. If your young 'uns are afraid to pick up a ringing phone, let the Talking Garfield Telephone from Tyco nudge 'em along with verbal commentary like "It's the Governor," "I'm not in" or (my favorite) "Yo ... Phone!" Six- - to can confide all to Casio Cool's Buddy Book, an electronic digital diary that's already a smash with Japanese youth. Not only does it store names, telephone numbers, addresses, birthdays and memos (with eye catching graphic symbols) and calculate numbers, but also keeps a buddy busy with Fun Face Maker, Fortune Telling and No pesky income and Social Security taxes need be filed for any of these electronic parents' helpers. Just throw 'em a new battery once in a while. atop Toy Biz' new Pinball Warrior. The first table ioppin' ball machine to Fight back, Megatron reacts to every rebound and flipper shot wtih sound effects, verbal responses and menacing movements. Whenever his angry fist slams down and hits the hot button, a siren wails and the anboard elevates to a gle to increase the challenge. ($125, available by fall). Inspired by that rammy little tyke on the Stainmaster carpet commercial, Tyco's Baby Gig- gles 'N Go races around the d house in her walker two-spee- bumping, running, turning around and giggling as she goes ($35, June.) A boy's best friend may be Big Frank, a talking Frankensteinlike monster who needs lots of tinkering with his mechanical parts. His eyes light and he thanks you when he's feeling bet- - place the accessories, playing out scenario: "Now a raise the ladder . . . Now attach the hose." If you dare drive off withall the pieces, the out truck announces what's missing. ($60, August.) A kid really calls the shots with fire-fighti- Electronic Match Making. Even board games, doll houses and play sets are talking back to kids this year. Parker Brothers' Sounds of Fun board games spin voice magic at Bird Bird's Birthday Party, with The Little Mermaid and Disney's Beauty and the Voice Command Crusher from Buddy L, a monster truck steered by voice recognition technology and radio control from as far as 50 feet away. ($70, avilable summer.) For oblivious types who never notice notes left on the refrigerator door, now there's "Get The Message," a colorful recorder mesthat stores two a be from can It hung sages. doorknob, with a flashing light that says "hear me out." ($35 from With Design In Mind). That Wascally Wabbit Bugs Bunny and his Looney Tunes buddies will endlessly coach your -4 the Beast, among others. And Tyco Toys' Talking Family Dollhouse eerily comes to life when Mom, Dad, Jen, Baby and the dog Spot are placed on "speech discs" in each room. The dialogue even reflects who else is positioned in the room and invites your child to help with the chores or take the dog for a walk. And should your young 'un dare turn on the doll house TV, the toy Mom will suggest "Let's read a book instead." Yeah, just like real life. ($100, fall.) Give a little girl something cuddly, a boy something ugly By KENNETH R. CLARK Chicago Tribune - Szymanski and Don Kingsbor-ougexperts who make their living prognosticating successes and failures in the $17 billion toy industry. Szymanski tests toys for 140 manufacturers in focus groups with children at a Marquette Unie center in Milwauversity kee. Wis., and publishes Toy Tips, a quarterly newsletter reporting results to parents. Kingsborough is chief executive officer for YES Entertainment, a toymaker, and the man who brought Nintendo to the U.S. and introduced Lazer Tag and Teddy Ruxpin. the storytelling h. day-car- high-tec- h bear. "All the toys come out on the market every year, and half of them fail." Szymanski says. "I try to get in as an intermediary beforehand, before you spend all this money for Christmas shopping, and tell you what's going to make a child happy." Kingsborough is betting that his company's TV Teddy will make even body happy. TV Teddy is not just "another talking plush toy like his predecessor. Teddy Ruxpin. w hose voice comes from an audi-ocassett- e. verThe new high-tec- h sion sits with a child in front of the TV set and responds to dialogue, laughing at jokes, singing along and frequently asking his human companion what various things mean. TV Teddy draws his input, via radio waves, from programmed videocassettcs. but Kingsborough says that when negotiations with women seem to die sooner Another bushel of bad news for women: According to another study in the Journal of the American Medical Association this one from the University of older women with Minnesota waist measurements that equal more than 80 percent of their hip measurements face higher overall death rates. Earlier studies by university researchers showed those same women thoe with apple rather face a than pear body shapes risk of developing brcaM greater cancer. apple-shape- already knows it will be a hit with parents. "I knew I had a real winner when parents in focus groups started saying, 'This is such an exciting thing because it involves my chi- over-the-a- ir NEW YORK Want to make a little girl happy? Give her something warm and cuddly with hair that begs to be combed. Want to make a little boy happy? Give him something really ugly. Want to make both of them happy? Add microchips and radio signals so the creatures in question can ask and answer questions, read books, watch TV, walk, fidget, laugh, cry and chatter incessantly. That's the formula offered at the 90th annual American International Toy Fair here from Marianne Pear-shape- d networks and cable programmers are complete, he will do the same and cable thing with TV, using cues implanted in the that vertical blanking interval line that can be seen between frames when the picture rolls. "Interactivity, where the child is actively involved in what's going on as opposed to simply that watching or listening to it has come," Kingsborough day says. "TV Teddy can say, in any language, any word that you can say, spontaneously. From a technological standpoint, it's a light-yeahead of Teddy Ruxpin." Szymanski, who checked out TV Teddy at the toy fair, along n with a host of other interactive playthings, has had no chance to test it with her focus groups, but she said it is likely to "They don't just sit there, passivewatching; they have to think about what's going on." Szymanski says toy guns and vio- action figures continue to sell well, despite the recent uproar over gratuitous violence on lence-prone chip-drive- is sit and read books all day, they're going to miss part of their childhood and it will catch up with them eventually." Kingsborough says that with advances in microchip technology, "Children are going to be able to generate their own graphics on TV programs. They're going to be able to participate in the program by doing something that interacts directly with it. Not only will they talk and sing and tell jokes and ask questions, they'll be able to pop up their own things on the screen: Cancer screening clinics scheduled family income and family size. Appointments are necessary. The phone number for each clinic is listed on the schedule. It is emphasized that, although some of these clincis are being held in church buildings, they are for all women regardless of religious affiliation. March 4, 1993, 8:30 a.m. to Lindon LDS Stake 3:30 p.m. Center, 610 W. 100 South, Lin- !Wr 1 " grants Ml WS POSED TO SUP CUT 1 GO SiCK, R. - wetK? tiHtRE'S GRW ? J i PiMatt . OUT LAST XT' i' OUR CLIENTS (WHAT ABOUT WHAT ARE WE G0W& TO 00 OUR CLIENTS ABOUT ?? SICK. WW THE LEFT DOM'T BCTM'S OUT IWITE THE things never change with children. "I haven't met one little girl who doesn't like to comb hair," she says. "Young boys like toys that are ugly. I don't know why. This year's toy fair accommodates both sexes. There is scarcely a doll on the shelf that doesn't have luxurious hair to comb, and for boys, gross and ugly is decidedly in stock. Toymax, which markets the Creepy Crawlers line, is out with Graveyard Ghoulies, which allows youngsters to craft plastic skeletons and stuff them with "innards." Of OUR COmPANV 6REATHE ' l 1 & SICK. W teel ill!) If perfect, WN 19): An older ARIES (March person begins to appreciate your friendship and generosity. You will find this person enduringly loyal. Indulge in happy memories when you need them. TAURUS (April 20): You may feel slightly out of kilter emotionally. Stick to routine chores early in the day. A financial situation improves with the arrival of the mail. A new friend displays fits of temper. 20): You may GEMINI (May be planning to do something special tonight. Your poise and charm will win you many compliments. Share expenses if dining out in a pricey restaurant. In romance, move ahead with confidence. 22): Be practiCANCER (June cal. Face up to the reality of an unhappy situation and take steps to remedy it. If single, you may be in for a pleasant surprise tonight. A change of scenery is favored. 22): Your powers LEO (July of observation will serve you well in a Mempuzzling work or family situation. ber of opposite sex seems overly materialistic. You learn about the future by looking at the past. 22): Others VIRGO (Aug. make new demands today. Influential people are willing to make concessions, but there could be strings attached. You g. TO WHAT'S 0NTHfm" BRIAN'S OUT SICK. V WE OfFICE A.D HflUE TEO'S OUT SICK.. :,' V sick.. Still, Szymanski says, some ly th out Parent Suptrying to organize a similar program for therapy equipment such as pediatric-siz- e Mid-Missou- ri is wheelchairs As children who are treated at the center outgrow equipment, therapists encourage parents to return it so that it can be used by other children, Meuli said. The support network hopes to increase the inventory and find room to store the equipment. It's anti-couc- potato h - CHICAGO "Lamb Chop's returns to public television stations for a second season beginning Feb. 22. The program features Shari Lewis and her puppet Lamb Chop and 10 children of various ethnic backgrounds, ranging in age from 7 to 11. The show features songs and activities that stimulate young viewers to actively participate in the program, benot just viewers. coming doers h Lewis calls it an potaPlay-Alon- g" co-st- T 1 Af. 1 1 - - '"'?irT . rxZik. 'W to" show. vou t. may wain to review the situation before committing yourself. LIBRA (Sept. 2MM. 22): Look before you leap! Even your best financial guess might not bridge the chasm now. Resist the urge to merge funds. Write letters, make key appointments and think positive. CORPIO (Oct. 21): Working partnerships are fine, provided you avoid forcing issues. Do not antagonize someone with radical ideas. Some inside information comes your way. Use it wisely. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 21): Unusual ideas or specialized knowledge could lead you to financial speculation. Avoid going overboard. Your work is serious yet enjoyable. Remain true to old values and routines. CAPRICORN (Dec. 19): You can boost your financial security by taking a complete inventory of your assets now. Work runs smoothly. You have a knack for recycling clever ideas. v. c. n. AQUARIUS (Jan. - Jj" THn I . I New. Behind-the-scen- START tr for meeting info coll in Salt Lake City 18): financial rewards are part of the picture. Share the wealth with your loved ones. Teamwork will provide much better results than solo endeavors. Be receptive to suggestions. PISCES (Feb. 20): talks could lead to new income for you, or land you an item of real value. The communication lines light up this afternoon and evening. in f- ar "anti-couc- THE MEETING. ' and write." By JEANE DIXON For Feb. 23 North, March 24, 1994, 8:30 a.m. to March 2, 1993, 8:30 a.m. to Provo North LDS 3:30 p.m. -L- ehiUtha West LDS 3:30 p.m. BuildStake Ward Center, 1750 W. 1100 Stake, Provo. Lehi. 200 120 W. North, South, ing. PHIL'S CUT The port Network Orem Cherry Hills LDS Stake Center, 4th-6t- h Ward Building, 1650 S. 200 East, Orem. March 10. 1993. 8:30 a.m. to Anyone w ith a disability requirAmerican Fork LDS ing accommodation to participate 3:30 p.m. in this program should contact the Stake Center, 240 S. Center, Cancer Screening Program at least American Fork. 10 days before the clinic date to March 11, 1993, 8:30 a.m. to request reasonable accommoda- 3:30 p.m. Pleasant Grove East tions. LDS Stake Center, 825 South Times and places for the clinics Loader, Pleasant Grove. are as follows: March 18, 1993, 8:30 a.m. to March 1. 1993, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. American Fork East MaGrove Pleasant 3:30 p.m. LDS Stake Center, 825 E. 500 W. 105 Stake Center, nila LDS North, American Fork. Pleasant Grove. 1800 war&o'S with the toys and see what we'd like to buy, instead of buying him all these toys and then we have all these toys that he doesn't use, " she said. March 9, 1993, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ? f Lisa Wynne of Whiteman Air Force Base borrowed toys several times last summer for her son, Tyler. "It's been really nice to get to experiment don. cathy" " make bridges, do math problems, teach themselves to read and glow-in-the-da- rk by Cathy Guisewite d Children's Therapy Center began therapy. offering Therapists wondered whether some children had any toys because they seemed uncertain as to how to play with them. "When we actually were able to go into the home and find out all the kid had was one little rattle to play, with, then we really saw that there was a real need," Meuli said. "Even families that have a lot of different toys for their kids, they'll still use it as a variety," Meuli said. long." ar - Meuli said the need for a toy library became apparent after the walkers, ly The Cancer ScreenPROVO Prevention and Program, Utah ing State Department of Health, in cooperation with the American Cancer Society and participating local health departments, will provide cancer screening clinics for women. Clinics will include a Pap test, pelvic and breast examination, blood pressure check, hemocult kits to tests for colorectal cancer, health education information on risk factors, signs and symptoms of cancer, and referral for approA mampriate medical follow-up- . is not provided. The exmogram aminations are given by specially trained registered nurses. All women 18 years of age or older, or who are sexually active, who have not had a Pap test during the past year arc encouraged to attend. A fee ranging from $5 to $27 based on annual w ill be charged Most SEDALIA, Mo. (AP) parents know the frustration of buying the perfect toy for a child, only to see it ignored. At the Children's Therapy Center, parents borrow toys from a library and take them home for several weeks. They select the toy they'd like to borrow from a photo album. Borrowers' names are kept on an index card with the photo. Most of the toys were donated by companies such as Little Tikes, and DiscovMattel, Fisher-Pric- e contains also The library ery Toys. donated by parents whose toys children have outgrown them. "Any good, used toys that anyone would want to bring in, we'd accept them," said occupational therapist Chris Meuli, who helped organize the library about a year ago. crutches. Such a program would eliminate the need to deal with the "red tape" of government-subsidize- d programs, Meuli said. "Usually the Medicaid process takes a long time," she said. "We've had it happen where a kid needed a walker. She was walking by herself almost by the time she got her walker, it had taken so ldren,'" Kingsborough says. TV, ranging from combative cartoons to Hollywood bloodbaths running, uncut, on cable. "Parents say, 'I don't want any toy guns for my child,' and I understand that," Szymanski says. "But boys still want toy guns, and if they don't have them, they'll use their fingers. Personally, I believe be a hit. whatever a child is playing, as long "When kids interact, it gets as it doesn't get out of hand, is not them giggling, talking and having a problem." "Parents don't want their chilfun," she says. "This really teaches sharing. You've heard of children watching cartoons; they don't dren who have an invisible friend? want their children playing with Well, it's here, and it isn't invisi- guns; they just want their children ble anymore. The kids might fool sitting on the floor, reading me. but I think this will test well. " books," Szymanski says. "That's TV Teddy will retail for about wonderful, but kids have to be $60. with cassettes at about $12 kids, and you can't limit a child each, and Kingsborough says he that much. If all they're going to do They check cut the toys at the library 5. Outside SLC Area |