Fisher-Price
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Joystiq E3 hands-on: Wii Music
How does an adult -- a gamer -- explain Nintendo's strongly touted Wii Music without conveying an overwhelming feeling of dread? It's like the Fisher-Price version of music games and in some dark nightmare it could become a major hit. The skill required to play Wii Music is comparable to putting a three-year-old in front of a toy piano and just letting them bang away, but no matter what key the child hits it continues to play the correct note to create a song. Wii Music is not a game, it's a toy; another glorified tech demo to keep Wii Sports and Wii Play company.If music snobs dismiss the skill required to play games like Rock Band or Guitar Hero, which do require talent to play and succeed, then those folks are going to have a full-blown aneurysm if Wii Music becomes a best seller. Our experience with the game was interesting, but we can't imagine spending more time with it beyond testing out the features or using it to entertain a child toddler when company comes over and the adults want to talk.%Gallery-27739%
When good toys go bad X: Elmo makes death threats to toddler
Sure, it seemed like after the years of hard drinking, petty crime, and run-ins with the law, Elmo had cleaned up his act -- but a shocking report out of Tampa Bay, Florida, says otherwise. A two-year-old's life has been turned upside down by vicious talk coming from his favorite toy, Elmo Knows Your Name. It seems that after a recent battery change, the PC-interfacing doll began spouting death threats of "kill James" at the toddler, with seemingly no explanation as to how the new phrase entered his vocabulary. The situation came to a head when the boy's mother heard her son repeating the twisted suggestion. Of course, what she didn't hear was Elmo's other threat: that he would "cut anyone who crossed [him] end-to-end with a Bowie knife," and, "dine on their internal organs." Fisher Price says it has a team of experts working on the case, and enough tranquilizer darts to put Elmo down, "For good."[Thanks, Jordan]Read - Toddler's Elmo Doll Makes Death Threats, Family SaysRead - Video of Elmo making death threats
Fisher-Price announces T.M.X. Elmo "eXtra Special Edition"
It looks like those in need of a new Elmo toy for one reason or another have a new model to put on their wish list this holiday season, as Fisher-Price has just announced the new and improved T.M.X. Elmo "eXtra Special Edition." This one apparently boasts all the "eXtreme" features of the regular T.M.X. Elmo, plus some "extra-special fun," including hidden surprises that can only be found if you "play, pose and tickle Elmo in the right sequence." If that sounds like the challenge you've been waiting for, you'll be able to pick one up on November 13th for the same $40 that the original version set you back.
Fisher-Price Easy Link controls kids' access to online thrills
Limiting your kids' access to the treacherous internet isn't exactly a terrible idea, and while we highly doubt your three-year old would put itself in the path of a MySpace stalker, the Easy Link makes absolutely sure. This kid-friendly gaming platform aims to provide "a safe internet experience that locks kids into age-appropriate sites and won't let them click into files on the computer," and enables the youngster to launch select web portals depending on the character key they place into the "launch pad." Of note, you will need a Windows-based computer with a spare USB port, a connection to the 'net, and Internet Explorer 6.0+ in order to get things running properly, and while this will probably just teach your kid how to circumvent adult-instituted boundaries sooner than usual, it doesn't look like a bad option for just $30.[Via USAToday, thanks Aaron]
Smart Cycle from Fisher-Price corrupts our youth, must be stopped
Alright Mattel, we see what you're trying to do here, and we don't like it one bit. Sure, cram a few "edutainment" titles down kids throats now and then, maybe even sneak some learning into an innocuous-seeming video game, but if you're going to make children go through all the trouble of freakin' exercise to obtain your sinister educational wares, we say you've gone too far. The new $100 Fisher-Price Smart Cycle, which we briefly mentioned other the day, plugs directly into a television and allows its unwitting pupils to hop aboard the bike, fire away at the pedals, and attempt to steer into items on screen such as letters or numbers in an arcade-style racing game. Mattel even trotted out Richard Simmons to show off the wares and encourage the children who were demonstrating the device: "There's an M!" Simmons said. "Get it! Get it!" The word on the street is that the Cycle did quite well for Mattel at the Toy Fair, and might even be an Elmo-esque success for them this holiday season, but at least our friend on the right in the picture above seems to be on to their game. It's alright, little man, we're on your side. Peep a press shot of the bike after the break.[Via The Raw Feed]
T.M.X Elmo debuts. The "X" is for "eXtreme", dude!
Oh, yes, our old friend Tickle Me Elmo is back, only this time he's totally to the EXTREME, dude! There's a good chance you're already stockpiling these for sale on eBay -- we understand that two or three should be enough for a down payment on that dream home -- but in case you didn't hear, Fisher-Price introduced the new T.M.X. Elmo today. The "X" in T.M.X. stands for both "ten" (the toy is ten years old) and "eXtreme"; the new doll does pretty much the same thing as the oiriginal version -- i.e. it gets all crazy when you tickle it -- it just does it in a more, uh, extreme fashion. Toy industry analysts are already predicting a massive shortage of the dolls, which retail for $39.99 should you be fortunate enough to find one actually on store shelves.
Fisher-Price unveils Kid-Tough camera and music player
We know more than a few preschoolers who seem more adept at technology than their still-trying-to-figure-out-the-VCR parents, but if for no other reason than the flashy colors, we think more than a few kids might dig Fisher-Price's new Kid-Tough digital camera and "FP3" player. Both devices are about as simple as they come, and feature certain kid friendly enhancements such as dual viewfinders on the camera and volume limited headphones so kids don't get that "iPod ear" too early. The camera shoots VGA stills and includes 8MB of included memory for 60 shots, and an SD card slot to add more. There's also a 1.3-inch color LCD for previewing photos, and a USB cable for offloading pics. The "FP3" player sounds a bit more fishy, since there's no mention of codec support beyond the kid-safe content at Fisher-Price's new Song & Story Online Store. We'll hope for at least MP3 support so your kids can start sticking it to the man, and luckily there is an SD card slot for cheap memory expansion. Both the camera and the music player will sell for $69, and will be available in June and July respectively.[Via Boing Boing]
