Why Do Children Love Those Fad Toys So?
Today it's fidget spinners, but soon it will be another little gizmo that children dearly, desperately want. The complicated social dynamics of childhood are one big reason.
toys
Toy Fair Shows Off What's New As Toys R Us Cuts 250 Corporate Jobs
A day before the International Toy Fair opened in New York, Toys R Us announced it was laying off between 10 and 15 percent of its corporate employees.
Banned In Germany: Kids' Doll Is Labeled An Espionage Device
The doll Cayla looks like an everyday toy and gives no notice that it collects and transmits everything it hears, German regulators say.
This Doll May Be Recording What Children Say, Privacy Groups Charge
Privacy advocates have filed a complaint with U.S. regulators about the Internet-connected doll called My Friend Cayla. They say the toy can record and transmit everything children say to it.
Dolls With Disabilities Escape The Toy Hospital, Go Mainstream
Longtime toymakers are broadening their horizons — offering dolls and other figures with hearing aids, wheelchairs and insulin pumps in city scenes, not just hospitals. That's a start, activists say.
Roundup: Here's What People Are Saying About Barbie's Diversity Makeover
Mattel is rethinking how the Barbie brand could represent women of all colors, shapes and sizes. Some are buying it. Others, not so much.
Pondering The Popularity Of The Pet Rock — And Other Fads
They were all the rage for a brief, mid-'70s moment, and they turned their creator into a millionaire. What was so special about rocks in a box?
Black Doll Show Inspires With Wakandan Heroes And Jazz Superstars
For 34 years, the William Grant Still Arts Center in Los Angeles has showcased diverse dolls for children. This year's theme, Jazz Superheroes, incorporates Marvel characters and musical giants.
Unhappy Toy Story: Foot-Powered Scooters Drive ER Visits
A look at injuries that sent kids to the emergency room shows an Everest-like mountain of problems with scooters. After falling slightly from a 2001 peak, the scooter injuries started to rise again.
Eyeing That BB Gun For Christmas? Don't Go There, Doctors Say
Sure as the season, some toys that turn up on the most-popular lists are also considered a safety hazard. So best to skip the LED crossbow, eye doctors say.