My Pet Robo
Like every kid in the Midwest, I lived for snow days. 5 or 6 times a year, snow blanketed our neighborhood, falling so hard and fast, that our school bus could no longer climb the steep, windy hills into my neighborhood. This meant one thing...no school! Me, my brother and our friends spent those glorious days sledding, ice skating and bunching up pillows of white bliss to be used for snowball fights. Eventually, chill set in, forcing us indoors where we flipped on the tube, checked out the Brady Bunch and fought over who got first game in Space Invaders. That game rocked.
I can just imagine the fights kids must have now with the Xbox, PlayStation, GameCube and other game consoles. Remember the smell of Silly Putty, and Play-Doh? We loved that stuff. Especially my brother, who occasionally ate some for fun! Snow days also meant that Christmas was close, and my life’s work was to score the newest Crissy doll. Even our fat little dachshund joined the fun, as we would dress her in dog clothing. Not sure if she enjoyed it. We did. She waddled through the house, sniffing around the oven, probably hoping for a black angus, when she really smelled freshly baked Shrinky Dinks.
Today, I miss having a dog and all the old toys and fun. My current habitat does not allow pets. However, when thinking of pets and toys, my mind did wonder as to where I could find the coolest new toys roaming planet earth. While checking out the National Geographic Channel, I saw the coolest combo of pet and toy…the Roboraptor. My jaw dropped when I discovered what this electronic toy could do. It has “artificial intelligence”, with realistic motions, 3 distinct moods (hunter/aggressive, cautious/nervous, playful/friendly), and traits, which are actually a few steps ahead of some of the guys I’ve met lately! How cool would it be to have a pet like that to greet you at the door?
This remote controlled pet moves his head and neck with realistic biomechanical action and also has a whipping tail that sweeps back and forth. This would be an awesome gift for anyone. You can find it at several stores including, Sharperimage.com and KlearGear.com.
I don’t think kids understand how amazing toys are today compared to what we had in the 1970s. I mean, we thought Sea Monkeys and a Rubik’s Cube were the most freakishly amazing things we’d ever seen.
Now we have the T.M.X. Tickle Me Elmo with incessant giggling and life-like movements that are honestly, impossible to resist. And don’t be surprised if your kid’s 2006 Christmas list includes things you’ve never heard of, or don’t understand, or can’t afford. This year, I might ask Santa to bring me a Roboraptor and some Silly Putty. Keep it simple. Old-school.
-Erin P.
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