Screw G.I. Joe and Barbie, Gimme an iPod

Yale professor warns against becoming a 'click-vegetable'

(NEWSER) - The Internet and iPads and smartphones are great for adults—but we need to take a hard look at what they're doing to our kids, warns a computer science professor at Yale. It may be tempting to let them sit down with an iPad come June, but such technology is preventing their minds from doing what they need to do: "rest and work," writes David Gelernter in the Wall Street Journal . Rest means "wandering freely," while work requires a climb up a "mental rope." More»

Mattel will produce hairless doll for sick children

(NEWSER) - Barbie-maker Mattel is creating a special doll for children who have lost their hair to illness. The new doll will be bald and a friend of Barbie, and she'll come with fashion accessories including hats, scarves, and wigs. Earlier this year, a Facebook campaign that garnered 150,000 "likes" urged Mattel to produce a bald version of Barbie, reports ABC News . Mattel won't sell the dolls in retail stores or profit from them but instead distribute the figurines exclusively to children's hospitals in the US and Canada. More»

There was more to electronics show than TVs

(NEWSER) - This year's Consumer Electronics Show had the predictable high-tech TVs and other conventional items—but the 3,100 exhibitors also showed off some rather bizarre devices. A few highlights:

• Solowheel. An electric unicycle with no seat and footboards that allow riders to stand and lean in the direction they want to go. The 26-pound, $1,800 machine goes 10mph on its battery-powered motor, and has a 15- to 20-mile range.

Veteran Claus reveals kids' secret desires

(NEWSER) - A 28-year veteran of the Santa Claus role has finally revealed in a blog what we already knew: Kids can be hilarious and heartbreaking. But he's got some perfect tales to illustrate it. Beyond the expected requests for the latest Barbie and video game, kids have whispered into Santa Carl Anderson's ear their desire for world peace and their pain at their parents' breakups, notes ABC News . "Kids see Santa as someone they can confide in," observes Anderson, 57. One little girl simply wanted a chair so she could write in a "little diarrhea" at her desk. "Of course she meant diary, but the misspeaks are pretty funny," said Anderson. More»

If your kid absolutely needs one, you may be out of luck

(NEWSER) - Every year, there’s some toy that—often inexplicably—leaps off the shelves long before Christmas. This year, it’s the Squinkies. Toymaker Bill Nichols developed the tiny, squishy rubber characters (which come packaged vending-machine-style, in plastic bubbles) last year, figuring they would sell well in a struggling economy. And they did: The toys, which cost $10 for a pack of 16, are sold out at Wal-Mart and other stores, and Nichols is having a hard time meeting demand. More»