Strollerderby : holiday season

They Say – Most Toys Are Toxic

Brett Singer — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:30:00 GMT

NYPIRG, which is an acronym for "New York Public Interest Research Group" and not an ancient Hebrew word meaning "bummer", tested a bunch of toys for toxic materials. And they found nothing wrong! Right?

WRONG.

A third of the 1,500 toys NYPIRG tested contained "'medium' to 'high' concentrations of toxic chemicals." Oh, but they didn't test any cool toys that you might actually want to buy. Right?

WRONG!

The Disney Fairies Fold Out Chair and Sleeping Pad had "dangerous levels of mercury and bromine," according to published reports.

Well I’m fine because I stick with more traditional wooden toys from brands like Melissa & Doug. Those are OK.

WRONG!

NYPIRG tested Melissa & Doug's Beginner Band Set, whose label declares that the toy wooden instruments "are handmade, non-toxic and exceed U.S. standards." Those Grinches at NYPIRG found "high levels of lead and arsenic." This toy, as well as the Disney Chair/Pad, were found on the shelves at a Toys R Us in Manhattan. Fun!

Now, I'm not trying to make light of this situation. But it really feels like the only way to fully avoid nasty substances to do is not buy anything. I mean, if you can't trust Melissa & Doug, who can you trust? (This may not be an issue, since, as Madeline put it, nobody's buying anything this year anyway.)

I should also state clearly that I am only reporting what NYPIRG found. I have no direct knowledge of the levels of toxins in any toy made by Disney, Melissa & Doug, Irving & Wendy, or any other manufacturer or individual, known or unknown, on planet Earth or planets yet to be discovered.

NYPIRG suggests that parents visit HealthyToys.org before they shop. Of course, that won't help if no one has tested the toy that you want to buy. But I suppose it's a start.

Still, I'll ask the parent gallery – when you shop for toys, do you think about whether or not they contain potentially harmful substances? For some reason I think most parents (and this is just off the top of my head, I haven't asked anyone other than me) are more inclined to avoid potentially nasty stuff in food or food receptacles, such as BPA-free baby bottles. Will BPA-free toys be next?

Source: Metro

Image: Amazon.com

Are You Cutting Back This Holiday Season?

Morning News: Congresswoman Slams Down the Phone on Obama ... Twice! (also some toy news)

Babble's Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide

Mini Baby Sculptures Not Edible, Selling Like Hotcakes

Make Your Own Religious Doll (maybe these are non-toxic)

Denis Leary Puts Autism Comments In Context

Autistic Girl Kicked Out Of Girl Scouts

Brain Wave Study Sheds Light On Autism

Nothing Says “Save the Children” Like a Sweet Stache

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Welcome to Mustaches for Kids, your chance to run a marathon for a children’s charity—“without the exertion, cramps, or dehydration.” Instead of actually running, you simply have to sit around drinking beer and letting the facial hair directly above your upper lip grow. Naturally, friends, family, and strangers on the street will appreciate your sacrifice so much they will be eager to give you donations for children’s charities such a Make-a-Wish Foundation and New Orleans Children’s Hospital. And you better get started now: the Growing Season is from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

If you’re wondering whether this organization is for real, apparently you’re not alone. The FAQ page of Mustaches for Kids’ Web site is filled mostly with variations of that same question. But, as outlandish as it seems, chapters of Mustaches for Kids do exist throughout the U.S., staffed entirely by volunteers. At the end of the annual growing season, Participants (official known as “Growers”) have raised more than $150,000 for charity since 1999.

Sorry, no Hitler staches or “Rollie Fingers handlebar.” And you must shave at least once a week. And you should also probably wear a "mustache-enhancing costume" to the annual Mustache Competition. This is no joke, people. We're talking mustaches, kids in needs, and high-stakes meaningless competition. You're gonna need to bring your A game.

Photo: Mustaches for Kids

Vonage Offers Free Calls To Santa

Brett Singer — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Voice Over IP company (for the uninitiated, that's "phone calls through your Internet connection") Vonage is offering free phone calls to Santa, as long as you call St. Nick from one of their lines.

Vonage is bringing Santa to life for its customers once again with its annual 1-700-CALLSANTA program. Moms and Dads can help their children call and leave a message for Santa, and the recorded message will be sent to their e-mail address so they know exactly what their child asked Jolly Old St. Nick to bring them. Additionally, for ten randomly selected children, Vonage will grant their special Christmas wish, delivering a toy from their list in Santa’s name.

So I guess the idea is that your kids tell "Santa" what they want and then you buy it for them. Plus a few lucky tots will get one of their wishes for free. (Actually, that sounds more like a gift for the parents in this economy.)

But wait! There's more! If you call after 5pm on December 24th, "your children will hear Santa share the tales of his journey as he delivers toys around the world." So Vonage will help parents shop for their children, and also aid them in perpetuating the illusion that an obese but jolly man flies around every year in a reindeer-powered sleigh to deliver toys to boys and girls worldwide – provided they behave themselves. (I kid. And for the record, I actually believed in Santa for a while despite being Jewish. But it's fun to be Grinchy sometimes.)

Full disclosure: I'm a Vonage customer; I like the service a lot, and recommend it to anyone who asks. There are some little quirks here and there but the price and feature-set more than make up for that. And it's not like my landline phone is perfect.

Back to the point: I think I would have preferred if Vonage had offered to buy something for children in need instead of making it a contest, or donated a dollar for every call made to "Santa" to Unicef or some other worthy organization.

I also wonder if a phone is better than writing a letter to Santa. Don't kids have enough incentives to use electronic means to communicate? If I were raising Santa-believers (I'm not) I think I would prefer that they communicate their heart's desires/greedy toy wishes to Chris Cringle using the good old United States Postal Service.

Of course, as sins of the season go, this one is far lower on the list than matching outfits on the family Holiday card. And probably even lower than sending a Chanukah card with a big ol' fir tree on the front. So if you've got a kid, and Vonage service, give Santa a call. You might even get one of their gifts for free.

Source: Vonage

Read more:

World Famous Atheist To Write Children's Book

Say Hi To Grandma Through the Screen

Seven Holiday Card-inal Sins

Santa Claus Can Call Them For You

White House Sends Chanukah Card With Christmas Tree On It

Make Your Own Religious Doll

Why Do People Still Hand Out Unwrapped Halloween Treats?

So Who's Got 60 Bucks for an Elmo Doll?

Jen Chaney — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:03:00 GMT

As Madeline mentioned in Friday's Morning News post, a new Elmo doll will arrive in stores on Tuesday. Called Elmo Live, the electronically-powered Muppet toy is touted as the most realistic Elmo yet, one that can flap his arms and wiggle around just like the Sesame Street character. But all that realism comes at a cost. Specifically, $60, the highest price tag ever for an Elmo doll.

In case you missed it, let me repeat that: Mattel is releasing its most expensive Elmo doll ever during what is, perhaps, the worst economic crisis in American history. Forget Tickle Me Elmo. Try "Slip Me a Couple Bucks, Elmo, So I Can Afford to Buy Your Orange Ass for My Kid at Christmas."

To be fair, as the Wall Street Journal's Tech blog reports, Mattel put this product in development back in 2006, when the economic picture was far rosier. The fact that it's now ready to hit the marketplace makes for some seriously unfortunate timing for the company. Retailers are already bracing for what analysts say could be the slowest holiday season in recent years.

Of course, the power of child persuasion often works even during hard times. If enough impressionable kids see ads for Elmo Live and beg their parents for one, the doll could still wind up selling pretty well. You know, assuming their parents haven't lost their jobs or decided to bail on the holidays altogether.

As Mattel CEO Robert Eckert told the Journal: "If you look at it against other sophisticated robot toys, $60 is not a lot to ask." That may be true. The question is how many people, exactly, will be looking at sophisticated robot toys right now?

Think you'll buy Elmo Live for your kid this year if it wind up on his or her holiday wish list? Or are you hoping that, um, Santa can somehow foot the bill on this one?