Family

Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- For parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles looking for an affordable gift for the teens and preteens in their life, the Zipit Wireless Messenger is a new instant messaging tool that kids and parents agree is "kewl."

October 2004– Parlez-vous a second language? Now you can! Kutoka Interactive announces the North American launch of "EazySpeak Spanish" and "EazySpeak French", the first titles in a series based on a unique and entertaining “Doki” language learning system. Portrayed in a comic cartoon style, the Doki game characters make language learning enjoyable by presenting scenarios that mimic the same communication challenges found in the real world.Read more

When talking on the phone is just too much and you can’t be tied to your computer’s email, there’s only one way to connect with Barbie doll – and your girlfriends – text messaging! I Message Girls Barbie doll comes with two “cell phones” one for the girl and one for the doll that lets girls send messages to Barbie doll …and get messages back! Read more

The Children’s Speller and Dictionary from Franklin is an elementary level dictionary for students ages 6 and up that aids in reading, writing, vocabulary building, spelling, and math.

October 2004 – Each year, nearly 40,000 children are injured by home fires that could be avoided if families took simple steps to protect themselves from common hazards that put their homes and lives at risk. The Sleep Products Safety Council (SPSC) and the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) have joined forces to help educate families on such hazards.

Poorly designed packs combined with heavy textbook load can cause back and shoulder problems, especially with the younger set. Be sure to spend a little extra and get an ergonomic pack. We like LL Bean’s Super Deluxe Book Pack. Designed for kids ages 10 and up its packed (literally) with features including an ergonomic padded shoulder straps, hideaway waist strap, cushioned lumbar pad, water resistant material and room for all your stuff including water bottles, cell phones, CD players and of course books and file folders. It also has a safety reflective material making it easy to spot at night. $49. Or kids can spend about ten bucks more and go online at llbean.com and design their own pack. Over 350,000 design options for $60. www.llbean.com

September 2004 - BOB, producers of the Sport Utility Stroller and the Ironman Sport Utility Stroller, are pleased to announce a new licensing agreement with Stroller Strides, a nationwide stroller exercise program. The deal is the first of its kind, and will offer consumers the opportunity to simultaneously purchase a customized Stroller Strides Fitness Stroller (manufactured by BOB) that includes exercise tubing and a Stroller Strides exercise routine.

For years kids have been creating wacky sidesplitting stories with the help of Mad Libs and a pencil and paper. Now Excalibur Electronics has taken that fun game and put it inside a handheld electronic game. The pocket-sized Electronic Mad Libs is packed with over 200 Puzzles (that’s equal to a stack of traditional Mad Libs books). Read more

Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time ever girls will play with Barbie as two characters, Barbie as Erika and Princess Anneliese, in Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper CD-ROM, which is now available in retail stores nationwide from Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) for girls ages 5 and up. The creative adventure title is a part of Mattel's entertainment initiative with a national television premiere and a VHS/DVD release this Fall.

September 2004 - Techno Source, a privately held toy company, and a leader in electronic toys, games, and learning aids, announced that it has signed a license agreement with Binney & Smith to produce electronic games based on the Crayola brand. The initial line, which features two handheld games and one TV play system, will be available nationwide in the fall.