toys

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Requiem for the View-Master
 Requiem for the View-Master 
Mar 14, 2009 6:30 PM CDT

Requiem for the View-Master

(Newser) - Fisher-Price isn’t stopping production on its 3-D viewer, the View-Master, but it will no longer produce the huge catalog of picture-wheels that have delighted and enlightened generations of Americans, laments the Economist. The company will publish just a small number of children’s reels for the device that gave...

First Daughters Soaring Over New Swing Set

Obamas' purchase a suprise for Malia, Sasha

(Newser) - When Malia and Sasha Obama came home from school Wednesday, there was a surprise waiting for them: a swing set from their folks, the Chicago Tribune reports. The excited girls played on the set, complete with four swings, a fort, and a picnic table with the names of all the...

W. Va. Considers Banning Barbie on 50th Birthday

Lawmaker seeks to switch emphasis from beauty to brains

(Newser) - A West Virginia lawmaker wants to boot Barbie and dolls like her from store shelves before the famous babe celebrates her 50th birthday next week, reports Fox News. Banning the dolls would send a message to children and adults that education is more important than physical beauty, said the lawmaker....

'Smash-Me Bernie' a Hit at Toy Fair

(Newser) - He may have crushed your savings—but for $99.95 more you can stomp on him, reports the New York Times. The hot ticket at this year's American International Toy Fair is "Smash-Me Bernie," a mini-Madoff dressed in a red devil suit that you can bludgeon with an...

Now-Rare Malia, Sasha Dolls Go for $3K

Toys off market after First Lady's complaint

(Newser) - Now off the market, Ty’s “Marvelous Malia” and “Sweet Sasha” dolls are going for $3,000 a pop on eBay, the New York Daily News reports. “"I've been selling Beanie Babies all my life and this escapes all reason,” says seller Richard Lee. The...

Rubik's Cube Gets a Makeover
 Rubik's Cube Gets a Makeover 
Feb 4, 2009 6:00 AM CST

Rubik's Cube Gets a Makeover

Inventor says Rubik 360 will be as maddening as the cube

(Newser) - Hungarian puzzle patriarch Erno Rubik promises his sphere will be as fiendish to tackle as his cube, the Melbourne Herald-Sun reports. The Rubik 360, which goes on sale later this year, features a transparent orb with colored balls that must be moved through spheres. Puzzle fans worldwide say they are...

Doll-Maker Renames Sasha, Malia Toys

Ty's Sweet Sasha, Marvelous Malia are now Sydney, Mariah

(Newser) - Doll-maker Ty is swapping "Marvelous Malia" and "Sweet Sasha" from its Ty Girlz collection for "Marvelous Mariah" and "Sweet Sydney." The original names, inspired by "this historic time in our nation's history," weren't intended to bear likeness to President Obama's daughters, the CEO ...

Sasha, Malia Dolls Not Modeled on Obamas: Maker

Newest Beanie Babies just have 'beautiful names'

(Newser) - It’s just coincidence that new dolls released by the makers of Beanie Babies are named Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia, and “there’s nothing on the dolls that refers to the Obama girls,” a company spokeswoman insists. Still, fascination with the real-life First Daughters will surely fuel...

Crime-Plagued Mexico Pushes Toy Gun Ban

Politicians take aim at plastic weapons in war on violence

(Newser) - A bill proposed in Mexico takes aim at the production, sale and use of toy guns to reduce aggression among kids inundated by news of burgeoning drug-violence, the Guardian reports. Despite an earlier ban on realistic replicas, plastic weapons are still easy to find on the streets and used in...

Mattel Plans Edgier Barbie
 Mattel Plans Edgier Barbie 
Dec 24, 2008 6:27 AM CST

Mattel Plans Edgier Barbie

Company aims to win back tweens by bringing Barbie back to fashion world

(Newser) - Barbie turns 50 next year and Mattel plans some big changes for the perpetual teenager, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company has been steadily losing girls aged 8 and over to video games, iPods, and racier rival dolls like the now-vanquished Bratz and the Hannah Montana line. The toy...

Economy Spells Weary Christmas for Toy Charities

Donations off as much as 30%, some say

(Newser) - Across the country, charities that dole out gifts to underprivileged kids have seen donations fall off steeply compared to last holiday season, USA Today reports. Some are reporting as much as a 30% decline in giving as the economy flags. “Families that would normally have been helping us by...

Barbies of the Future May Grow on Trees

Researchers use wood and wax to make biodegradable alternative

(Newser) - Wooden toys may not be so 1850s, scientists say. A bioplastic made from trees has been used to make everything from golf tees to car parts in recent years, but its sulfurous stink kept it out of the toy market. Now a sulfur-free version of "liquid wood" is available,...

Judge Gives Bratz Doll Line to Rival Mattel

Since MGA founder invented Barbie competitor while on payroll, Mattel owns it

(Newser) - Barbie maker Mattel landed a game-changing blow yesterday against the manufacturer of the hugely popular Bratz dolls, the Los Angeles Times reports. A federal judge ruled Mattel is the legal owner of the line and forbade rival MGA from selling Bratz products. The creator of Bratz was found in July...

Just in Time for Xmas: Lego Terrorists, Nazis

Company customizes brick figures—without permission

(Newser) - Ripping off a toy classic and tossing in al-Qaeda and Nazi themes just in time for Christmas might not seem like the best marketing strategy, reports the Sun, and sure enough, Jews and Muslims alike aren't happy. BrickArms has outfitted Lego figurines as al-Qaeda terrorists and Nazi soldiers, brandishing assault...

Court: Lego Can't Trademark Bricks' Shape

Competitor argued that blocks' shape served 'technical' purpose

(Newser) - A European Union court ruled today that Lego can’t trademark the shape of its iconic toy building blocks, Bloomberg reports. The court supported a 2006 decision by the EU trademark agency that said because the raised circles on Lego blocks serve a “utilitarian function,” they are ineligible...

She Coos, Giggles, and Promotes Islam

Fuming parents say Mommy doll utters 'Islam is the light'

(Newser) - Mattel’s Little Mommy Cuddle ‘n Coo doll comes complete with a rattle, pacifier, bottle, and Islamic propaganda—or so say some angry parents. Customers are barraging the toymaker with complaints that the doll says “Islam is the light," the Daily Telegraph reports. Noting “the...

Wal-Mart Launches $10 Toys, Stores Vow 'This 'R' War'

Rivals match Wal-Mart price cuts as retailers target cash-strapped shoppers

(Newser) - Toy retailers have commenced a fierce price war as a particularly tough holiday season bears down upon them, the Wall Street Journal reports. Wal-Mart cut prices to $10 on key toys including Barbie and Hot Wheels last week, a move quickly mirrored by rivals KB Toys and Target. Toys 'R'...

Super Sarah? Action Figures Go on Sale

Company attempts to cash in on guv's soaring popularity

(Newser) - Sarah Palin has become a household face, and as of today you can have a plastic representation of her face in your household. HeroBuilders.com is cashing in on Palinmania with three action figure versions of the would-be veep, the Daily Telegraph reports. Palin is available in a conservative blue...

Bratz Dolls Must Pay Barbie $100M in Copyright Suit

(Newser) - Barbie will get $100 million from her saucier cousins, the Bratz dolls, for copyright infringement, the AP reports. A federal jury ordered Bratz maker MGA to pay Mattel the sum, but it did not award punitive damages and gave Mattel only a fraction of what it sought. Last month, the...

Terrible Toy Makeovers
 Terrible Toy Makeovers 
OPINION
Aug 23, 2008 11:35 AM CDT

Terrible Toy Makeovers

(Newser) - Toy companies keep reinventing our favorite childhood playthings, but the new versions almost never stack up. Babble lists 20 classic toys that didn't need facelifts:
  • Monopoly: Give us our thimble back! The game that taught us to handle money has become an ad for SpongeBob, American Idol and the like.
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