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Walking an elephant at the mall is still fun

My son loves the iPad. He has complex machines that make sounds, trucks with dozens of moving parts, electric trains, musical instruments, arts and crafts, tools and sports equipment, and more. My son probably has more toys now than I ever had in my entire life. But I’m pleased to report that a simple wooden…

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Are the machine guns really necessary?

My son was sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, playing with this tow truck. It looked cute, with large eyes in the windshield and a smile on the bumper.   Then he pressed down on the roof of the cap, and out popped a twin pair of machine guns from the sides.…

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The Wizard of Oz versus Star Wars

Late last week I “stirred up a hornet’s nest” by writing a piece arguing that the reason Hasbro markets Easy Bake Ovens solely to girls is because the vast majority of children who want an Easy Bake Oven are girls, and the company has no obligation to the minority of boys who might want one.…

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Cardboard boxes rule

The cardboard box was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 2005. The idea of a Toy Hall of Fame is fairly stupid, but if there has to be one, the cardboard box most certainly belongs there. I wrote a poem in honor of the cardboard box a few years ago, based upon a…

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