Gifted Originals

As a rule, the Gifted Originals blog doesn’t make predictions, but on occasion it’ll make an exception, today being one of these. The prediction minus the crystal ball concerns TomKat’s little one, Suri Cruise, and comes after months of observation thanks to the Daily Mail.

I don’t know whether you’ve noticed, but Suri seems to go to all the places girls don’t get to see until they’re women. Nights spent on Broadway, lunches at the finest restaurants in New York, and trips to Burberry are all part of a days work for the four-year-old. Already named one of the best dressed girls in the world (which other toddler can boast such an accolade), Suri’s attire is followed and scrutinised almost as much as her ma’s and her wardrobe is said to be worth a stonking $2 million!

Just in case we all get carried away and forget she is still only four, the fashionista is armed with the ultimate tot’s accessory: a cuddly toy (or two if you’re Suri). Brown and white, the plush toys attend all the top shows and eat at the finest restaurants in town. With such cultured tastes, we predict these teddies are going to be coming to a TV screen near you as a way to introduce tots to all things cultured through the eyes of a toy!

My memory of the humble yo-yo is mastering the technique of walking the dog, and having yo-yo showdowns in school. Still proving to be popular, more than one-half billion yo-yos have been sold in the U.S. since they were first introduced to the general public in 1930.

Now though, it seems the therapeutic benefits of walking the dog have little to do with nipping to the park, and more to do with a cylinder on a string. Apparently, “Early historical documents suggest that the yo-yo held therapeutic, as well as entertainment value. In the mid 1700s, persons who had been sentenced to death were allowed to play with yo-yos on their way to the guillotine. Later on, Beaumarchais, a French playwright, would feature a yo-yo in The Marriage of Figaro, as his main character seeks to relieve nervous tension”.

Now this is not as outlandish as it first appears. Making us focus on the present is central to practicing meditation, so in a round about way, helps to calm the mind. Writing for the Philadelphia Bulletin, Mary Fran Bontempo writes about her husband’s new yo yo habit, and how he told her: “Look, life is stressful, and it’s only gotten worse over the last few years. Everybody needs some way to blow off some steam. You do yoga and run. I bought a yo-yo.”

A firm favourite with adults and children, the yo-yo is never going to be an unwanted gift and it seems its not only fun, but also therapeutic. So go on, have fun and relax at the same time. Priced at £1.49, it’s much cheaper than therapy and yoga sessions!

If babies could talk, one can imagine they’d say things like: “Mum, what does goo goo ga ga mean?”, or, “Yuck, what is this food?”, and, “You’re dressing me in this?”. The thing is, as we can’t remember our early months and years, grown ups have a hard time understanding what babies really want, much like men do about what women want.

Almost hearing your baby’s frustration, Manhattan Toys has created the award-winning Infant Stim Mobile. Featuring vivid colours and bold black-and-white images, this simple-to-complex images stimulate early visual activity and pre-reaching movement. Great fun and helps develop sensory and motor skills, the Infant Stim Mobile has been a huge hit with parents. Don’t just take our word for it, a reviewer on the Ciao website wrote:

“I was a bit skeptical at first as it’s quite unlike other mobiles. How wrong can you be – our son was fascinated by this mobile virtually from birth. He lies in his Moses basket giggling and “chatting” to the mobile incredibly happily, and we move it to his cot for overnight. If he wakes up before us, he’ll perfectly happily watch the mobile for ages before yelling for his breakfast! You can virtually hear his brain working as he looks back and forth at the different patterned discs. To see how engaged he is, and how much he loves this mobile, see my profile picture! We’ve been incredibly impressed with this mobile and would heartily recommend it. You can buy them at some toy shops and websites geared towards more “developmental” toys. It costs between 15 and 20 quid and it would be cheap at 10 times the price for the stimulation it gives your baby and the time it buys you!”

So go on, don’t frustrate the little one any more and give your baby what he/she really wants.

In April, we at Gifted Originals were pondering when does something that was once considered old fashioned become vintage. This metamorphosis is by no means an objective process that can be scientifically tested, oh no. Subject to the shift in attitudes and cultural habits, the Guardian has bravely published a ‘Guide to vintage‘, in a bid to pin down the rather fickle and lofty ideas regarding vintage toys.

In their guide, they list the following as toys which might be of some value:

1. Buzz Lightyear, “Mint and boxed he’s worth £30. Is he a collectible of the future? Possibly, although due to the frenzy at the time (1995), there are probably a surfeit of pristine Buzz Lightyears lurking in attics worldwide.”
2. Pez dispensers, “One of many variations of Batman Pez dispensers, this 1960s version of the DC Comics superhero, with a detachable cape, has remained a firm collector’s favourite. £70″
3. Pedigree bears, “Although this bear is from the golden period of English bears, his mohair plush, which has a small hump, is play-worn and the felt pads are replacement, so he’s worth about £100.”
4. Daleks, A “Codeg clockwork 117-22 Dalek in excellent condition with original box was introduced in 1964 and retailed at the massive sum of 17s 11d. Having been told it was too expensive at the time, 1960s children are now prepared to pay more than £500 to feel that same frisson of fear.”
5. A brunette Barbie, “The hairstyle of a brunette Barbie indicates a date of 1961-1967. With its original box and brochure, and in good condition, she’s likely to fetch upwards of £100.”
6. Eric the Bat, “It has also been suggested that not many people wanted Eric the Bat in 1959, which makes him rare and desirable now.”
7. The Avengers 1966-67 Corgi Toys Gift Set, “In mint condition it would be worth well over £300.”
8. Kammer and Reinhardt model 126 doll, “Realistic and rosy-cheeked, this somewhat spooky doll is worth £300.”
9. The Marx Merry Makers With Marquee, “one of the most recognisable and desirable, being worth around £800 in good condition (the clockwork must be in working order).”

There’s just one problem though, being toy mad at Gifted Originals, how can one possible resist the urge to tear off the packaging and play with the toy?

We’re forever being told how women have moved on from the days of our mothers, when being single and childless was the ultimate faux-pas. So then why are we still concerned with whether our fellow sister has a child and a man-friend?

Seen as the shining beacon in all things to do with parenthood, Lil Sugar asks the question: Is it rude to ask a stranger if she has children? They write, If you’re talking to a woman at a kiddie birthday bash and realize that she hasn’t mentioned having children, is it appropriate to inquire? Does the protocol change when adults are chatting at a cocktail party? Some people avoid all questions that put others on the spot like asking someone’s weight, age, or relationship status, while others believe a marriage and offspring inquiry is no different than asking a stranger’s name. What’s your protocol when it comes to the mom question? Of those who voted, 65 per cent say ‘no, it’s completely appropriate’ to ask, with 35 per cent saying ‘unless they are with kids, don’t ask.’

Being childless, I can honestly say it doesn’t bother me in the slightest if somebody asks if I have children. Perhaps this is down to the fact that I’m happy not to, and Lil Sugar is working from the assumption that every woman wants children, so if the answer is ‘no’ then it’s not through choice she is child-free. Already previously written about, many women now choose to be perpetual aunties, and save the warts-and-all child rearing for their mates and sisters, and relish buying all the cool gifts that mummy and daddy wouldn’t even think of!

Nearly all parents will encounter the pet problem with varying levels of intensity. If you’ve miraculously managed to escape the pet problem, then lucky you, or maybe you just don’t recognise the signs.

The pet problem begins when the child reaches the age of six and can last until their pre-teenage years. The relationship between animals and children is a Marmite one, they either love or hate one another. Seeing as animals cannot talk, it’s the children we’ll take an interest in. No longer scared of everything that has more than two feet, six seems to be the age animal-loving children actively start pet pestering their parents for a furry friend, but mum and dad are reluctant as they think Geraldine won’t look after Bingo like she says she would. They fear that their daughter will become bored, and leave the furry one feeling ignored and abandoned.

Well, Gifted Originals may have a way to test your child’s commitment, without becoming the poster child for the ‘A Dog is for Life, Not Just For Christmas’ campaign. The Triop World allows your child to grow a real living pet from the time of the dinosaurs, hatch in 24 hours, and grow to a visible size in 3-4 days, can grow up to 4cm long and have an incredible life cycle. You may also hatch other creatures such as Clam Shrimp, Fairy Shrimp and Daphnia. Following the care instructions included will maximise the life-span of the Triops, and can be a great way to prepare the little ones for the responsibility of owning a pet.

For more information about owning a pet, visit the Pets and Kids website.

May we present to you Mandeville and Wenlock, the official mascots for the London 2012 Olympics. They may not be household names yet, but if London 2012 organisers have their way then they are set to be huge must-have toys for all Olympic-mad children.

With a metallic finish, a single large eye made out of a camera lens, a London taxi light on their heads and the Olympic rings represented as friendship bracelets on their wrists, the pair are based on a short story by children’s author Michael Morpurgo that tells how they were fashioned from droplets of the steel used to build the Olympic stadium. The chairman of the London organising committee of the Olympic games (Locog), Lord Coe, said the mascots were aimed squarely at children and designed with the digital age in mind, but the initial unveiling at a primary school was met with mixed reactions.

While some children didn’t get the concept, others were more enthused, with one 10-year-old saying, “They remind you of aliens, which is really weird and cool.” Wenlock, named after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock that helped inspire Pierre de Coubertin to launch the modern Olympics, and Mandeville, inspired by the Buckinghamshire town of Stoke Mandeville, where the Paralympics were founded, carry the hefty burden of raising £15m into the coffers of the organising committee via dozens of licensing deals, part of an overall licensing target of £70m to £80m towards Locog’s £2bn privately raised budget.

But some commentators are asking how the mascot, which are supposed to relevant to the whole nation, are a reflection of “Britishness”, with one Guardian writer saying, “Mandeville and Wenlock appear to have been conjured from Japanese comic books and computer games. Where they are evidently Londoners is in the look of their cyclopean eyes, that may remind many of the lenses of CCTV cameras staring from pretty much every building, station and street corner in the city.”

Take a look at the London 2012 Olympic mascots video, and decide for yourself if Mandeville and Wenlock will bring home the bacon or sent to the animation scrap heap.

Firefighters in Maine, US, are warning parents about toy rockets after what they believe was a spark from such a toy touched off a brush fire on water district land earlier this month. Fire officials were called to the land near Chases Pond, the town’s water supply, at 11:30 p.m. May 1, when someone called the station reporting smelling smoke in the area. Firefighters spent and hour and a half looking for a fire, said Assistant Chief Dave Apgar, with no luck.

However, a week later a Maine Forest Service entomologist walking in the woods found a burned patch of land one-half to three-quarters of an acre in size. When Apgar and Gary Stevens, the water district’s resource protection manager, investigated, they found a toy rocket with a parachute attached that was burned and lying on the scorched area.

“We’re figuring it probably came from pretty close by,” Stevens said. “The fire marshal said he’s seen those rockets travel up to a half a mile, but we’re thinking it probably didn’t travel that far.”

Although the officials aren’t treating it as suspicious, they did say it’s important for people to think about the ramifications of the toys they give their children.

Finding out the sex of your unborn is a personal choice. Those who are against the revelation cite “it being a surprise” as the main reason, while those in the ‘for’ camp say they “just have to know”. Well, if they know, now we’ve all gotta know.

Sweeping across the US like wildfire, expectant parents are no longer content with a baby shower, but are also throwing gender reveal parties to find out their baby’s sex and share the excitement with family and friends.

Some “moms” and dads have the ultrasound technician write the child’s sex on a slip of paper that is placed in an envelope. It’s then dropped off at a bakery where a cake is baked in the appropriate color and iced to hide the news. When the parents-to-be cut into the sweet treat, they learn about their future offspring. The idea gained national attention when Josh and Anna Duggar cut into a pink cake on the Today Show to learn that they were having a girl. The concept is gaining momentum as more couples opt to hold soirees to celebrate their impending offspring, and also see it as a chance to get more toys and gifts for the unborn.

Is this going too far, or are parents entitled to make the most of the pregnancy progress?

It’s official: a county in California WILL ban toys in Happy Meals to help wean obese children of high-calories meals. Following Gifted Originals’s post a few weeks ago, we can now confirm that the proposal will be turned into policy.

We reported: It seems though one Californian politician has had enough of Ronald McDonald’s toy offering, and wants to ban them in his county because he thinks they make kids fat. “We’re talking a very serious health issue,” Ken Yeager, of the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors, said. “In Santa Clara County, childhood obesity is such a major issue.” SO much so, Yeager has asked county staff to draw up a law that would limit restaurants’ ability to offer a toy as incentive to buy a less-than-healthy meal.

Now, in Santa Clara County, an area of 1.7 million people that includes Silicon Valley, food outlets will be stopped from offering toys with meals that do not meet a set of basic nutrition standards. There will be a limit of 485 calories per meal.

Yeager said, “This prevents restaurants from preying on children’s love of toys to peddle high calorie, high fat, high sodium kids’ meals. It breaks the link between unhealthy food and prizes.” However, not everyone agrees.

Harlan Levy of McDonald’s said, “It substitutes the county’s judgment for the judgment of parents. It does nothing to address a holistic response to the problem.”

Well, you never expected McDonald’s, who introduced Happy Meals back in 1979, to be enthusiastic did you?