toys

Stories 121 - 140 | << Prev   Next >>

Girls Play Mom With Breastfeeding Doll

Spanish toy comes with halter top to simulate nursing

(Newser) - If urinating and burping toys aren’t enough, a Spanish doll provides simulated breastfeeding, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Bebé Glotón, which translates to Baby Glutton, comes with a halter top for the doll's owner, and it's equipped with a pair of flowers that take on the role of...

Brit Nursery Schools Ban Cuddlies on Swine Flu Fears

(Newser) - Teddy bears have been given their marching orders from British nursery schools and day care centers as the government seeks to stop the spread of swine flu, the Guardian reports. New guidelines say soft toys should be removed since they are hard to clean properly, and the sharing of pencils...

Build-a-Bear Toys Stuffed With $33M in Heroin

(Newser) - Bronx cops discovered that cute Build-a-Bears that children are supposed to fill with stuffing were packed instead with some $33 million worth of heroin, reports the New York Daily News. The brown teddy bears held glassine envelopes of brands of heroin with names like "Barack Obama," "Swine...

Boys Hardwired to Like Trucks
 Boys Hardwired to Like Trucks 
Jun 29, 2009 6:33 AM CDT

Boys Hardwired to Like Trucks

(Newser) - The gender stereotypes found in the toy aisle may merely be a reinforcement of genetic preferences, the Daily Mail reports. In a recent study of infants aged 3 to 8 months, boys expressed more interest in a toy truck, whereas girls preferred a doll—leading researchers to believe the predilection...

Toys 'R' Us Buying FAO Schwarz

(Newser) - One of the biggest names in toys is buying one of the oldest. Toys 'R' Us will announce tomorrow that it has struck a deal to purchase FAO Schwarz for an undisclosed amount, reports the New York Times. The store's name won't change. FAO has been a New York City...

Dollmaker Turns From First Daughters to Dog

(Newser) - Toymaker Ty couldn't resist another attempt to capitalize on Obamania, this time with Bo—the Portuguese Water Dog doll being billed as "inspired by the First Family's new puppy. It's spurring unprecedented demand, retailers tell the Chicago Tribune. But the dolls are unlikely to garner anywhere near the...

British Military Blasted Over White Male Toy Soldiers

(Newser) - The British Defense Ministry is under fire for backing a new line of all-male toy soldiers, reports the Guardian.The promotional campaign for the new toys is also all-white. The figures were created with the help of senior officials from Britain's army, navy, and the Royal Air Force. They carry...

Think Hard: Telekinetic Toys On Their Way

Concentration 'magically' lifts ball in tube

(Newser) - Two companies are set to release toys this fall that kids can operate using only their minds—and that’s just the beginning of a telekinetic revolution, experts say. To use one toy, intrigued individuals wear a headset and concentrate on anything. The toy senses the brain’s electrical activity...

Playmobil Demands Pastor Stop Crucifying Toys

(Newser) - Playmobil has demanded that a German pastor stop using its toys to depict Bible scenes, reports the Telegraph. One plastic human figure has been given breasts to be a naked Eve, and another has been nailed to a cross. Photos of the altered figures have been posted on the internet....

Relax, Parents: Tween Dora Still 'Wholesome'

New doll of beloved character had sparked short-skirt concerns

(Newser) - Dora the Explorer is getting a tween update in a new doll, which trades her baby fat for a more girly, urban look, Hispanic Business reports. After concerns were sparked by a silhouette preview of the doll sporting a very short dress, parents can breathe a sigh of relief: the...

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...

Stories 121 - 140 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser