Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
| Subscribe to Newser's RSS feeds RSS | Follow Newser on Twitter Twitter

NEWS ABOUT: toys

toys stories: 57 news summaries

1 - 20 of 57 Stories | 1 2 3 Next >>

Switch to grid view »

 Plastics 'Feminizing' Baby Boys 

In utero exposure linked to different behaviors

Nov 16, 09 5:25 AM CST
(Newser) - Pregnant women's exposure to plastics is "feminizing" the baby boys they give birth to, researchers have found. Heightened in utero exposure to plastics is linked to reduced interest by boys in "rough and tumble" play and also to more typically masculine toys, like trucks, trains and guns, found... More »

MORE ABOUT:
toys • in utero • GE Plastics • phthalates • girls • boy • babies • masculine

 Barbie Braces for Doll Wars 

Upstarts move in while Mattel hits back

Oct 21, 09 2:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - Barbie remains the best-selling doll in the world, but she's in a dogfight. Mattel is banking on a new iteration—complete with 12 movable joints—called “Fashionista Barbie” to combat incursions from the likes of Spin Master's “Liv” dolls, and MGA’s “Moxie Girlz.” The Wall ... More »

MORE ABOUT:
children • toys • Mattel • Barbie • dolls • fashionista • Moxie Girlz

White House Doesn't Diss New Michelle Doll

Action figure seeks to capitalize on first lady's popularity

Oct 13, 09 4:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - The White House—which strongly objected to Malia and Sasha Obama dolls released earlier this year—declined to comment yesterday on an upcoming Michelle Obama doll. The 6-inch action figure seeks to capture the first lady's "muted, subdued, classy" style, says its maker Jailbreak Toys, which has been selling... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Michelle Obama • White House • toys • first lady • doll

 Fox to Yard Salers: 
 Unloading Wrong Toy 
 Could Cost You $15M 

CPSC launches push to stop the resale of recalled toys

Sep 19, 09 6:47 AM CDT
(Newser) - Selling the wrong toy at a yard sale could lead to a fine of up to $15 million under a new government policy, Fox News reports. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's "Resale Round-Up" aims to stamp out the sale of used toys that have been recalled due to high... More »

MORE ABOUT:
toys • consumer protection • consumer safety • Consumer Product Safety Commission • yard sales

 Toys R Us 
 Pumped Up 
 for Holiday 
 Offensive 

Chain plans to open 80 temporary stores in time for holiday shopping season

Sep 15, 09 1:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - Toys R Us is getting ready to go on the offensive in the battle for holiday sales, the Washington Post reports. The company—which snapped up the KB Toys and FAO Schwarz brands earlier this year—plans to open 80 temporary "Holiday Express" stores in malls across the country,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
toys • Toys 'R' Us • mall • retail sales • holiday shopping • retail stores • Wal-Mart

 Girls Play Mom With 
 Breastfeeding Doll 

Spanish toy comes with halter top to simulate nursing

Aug 5, 09 2:00 PM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Spain • toys • breast feeding • nursing • girls • doll

(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
children • toys • daycare • Britain • pandemic • nursery school • swine flu • H1N1 virus • stuffed animals

(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
New York City • heroin • toys • Bronx • drug charges • stuffed animals

(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
toys • gender roles • scientific study

(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
New York City • mergers and acquisitions • toys • Toys 'R' Us • FAO Schwarz

(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
White House • toys • Obama family • beanie babies • First Dog • Portuguese water dog • Bo Obama

(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
missing soldiers • toys • British military • Royal Air Force • Britain • navy • RAF • Ministry of Defense

 Think Hard: 
 Telekinetic Toys 
 On Their Way 

Concentration 'magically' lifts ball in tube

Apr 23, 09 12:24 PM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
technology • toys • mind • Mattel • neurons • gadget • telekinesis

(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.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Germany • religion • toys • Bible • Jesus Christ • pastor • pastor controversy • Playmobil • crucifiction

Relax, Parents: Tween Dora Still 'Wholesome'

New doll of beloved character had sparked short-skirt concerns

Mar 17, 09 2:52 PM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
television • children • toys • Mattel • Nickelodeon • teenager • children's show • doll • Dora the Explorer • tween

 Requiem for the View-Master 


Mar 14, 09 6:30 PM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
toys • consumer products • World War II • Fisher-Price • 3-D • View-Master • viewer

 First Daughters 
 Soaring Over 
 New Swing Set 

Obamas' purchase a suprise for Malia, Sasha

Mar 5, 09 12:12 PM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • Michelle Obama • toys • Malia Obama • Sasha Obama • President Obama • Obama family

W. Va. Considers Banning Barbie on 50th Birthday

Lawmaker seeks to switch emphasis from beauty to brains

Mar 5, 09 2:25 AM CST
(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.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
toys • Mattel • Barbie • West Virginia • doll

(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
toys • effigy • Ponzi scheme • doll • Bernard Madoff • American International Toy Fair • devil • hammer

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

Toys off market after First Lady's complaint

Feb 17, 09 12:53 PM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
eBay • Michelle Obama • toys • doll • Malia Obama • Sasha Obama

1 - 20 of 57 Stories | 1 2 3 Next >>


from our news partners