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Call for Help - Transcript

Chris Pirillo (Host)

Tech TV

July 15, 2003

Chris Pirillo (CP): With all the toys on the market today, it can be tough to choose between them. Today we have Stevanne Auerbach, otherwise known as Dr. Toy here to give us her toy recommendations. Welcome Dr. Toy.

Stevanne Auerbach, PhD/Dr. Toy (SA): I have some great products for you today. It's sort of a sneak peak at our 100 Best Children's Products Program for this year. We have some great stuff to show you.

CP: Great! Now, you mention something in your book Smart Play. Exactly what do you mean by that?

SA: "Smart Play" means being smart about play. Children learn through play. The more playful you are the smarter, more responsive and more aware you are of all of the information that is available. The more parents and children play together, the better relationships they have. We want children to play and we want to provide a good variety of toys for them to play with.

CP: Maybe it's my age but it seems that toys have sort of evolved along with technology. Is that true?

SA : Absolutely. You know, it all started in 1989 with Teddy Ruxpin. Now look how far we have come. There is such an incredibly wide range of wonderful products out there.

The first product I brought to show you is: The Geosafari Talking Microscope from Education Insights is a fantastic product. It teaches children about insects and bugs and comes with 12 slides. It's $29.95 which is a great price. It will help your young biologist learn fast. By pressing the letter B, C, A for example, your child can learn all about the Black Widow Spider. This talking microscope stimulates language development and will help your child to gain a lot of information about science. The age group for this product is 5 and up.

CP: Now we have the Hot Wheels Laptop here. Tell us about that?

SA: This product is by Oregon Scientific. This is a $59.99 product that will teach children 5 and up about math, language development and there are lots of great games. It has a useful demo and a great range of programs.

CP: How is this different from a regular computer?

SA : Well, it protects your computer from little hands for one thing. It is a great introduction for your child to the computer. It will give them information that they are focused on learning in school. They can play games, enjoy animation, do math, language skills, plus it is a laptop so they can take it along with them.

CP: Next we have the Tangle. This is something that my wife actually purchased for me. I didn't think it was a particularly high-tech toy. Why does this fit with the tech toys?

SA: The Tangle is based on the DNA helix symbol. It was designed by an artist and is a great toy for the whole family to play with. When you are sitting at the computer all day, you need something for your hands to do to relax when you are away from the keyboard. The Tangle is great for exercising your fingers and hands and it helps to reduce stress and helps you to relax.

CP: This looks like a PDA. What is it?

SA: The Fisher-Price Pixter Plus is a combination of a Magna Doodle and a Palm Pilot. This is a fabulous product. Children can learn games, do art and discover that they can create animation. It comes with a drawing pen and light. Now children have their own little Palm Pilots to take along when Mommy and Daddy are using theirs. It's a really fun product and is also $59.99.

CP: This is not only a toy for kids but for adults who act like kids?

SA: You know, adults need to play with toys too. There is nothing wrong with having some of these products yourself. It is never too late and you are never too old to play!

CP: Can you tell us about the next product here, Dr. Toy?

SA: Next we have the Home Depot/Toys R Us Electronic Workbench . This is a great product for children because it helps them to learn about tools and construction without getting hurt. They can screw, hammer and bolt safely as the Home Depot voice guides them through it. It comes with safety goggles and a phone. This electronic workbench helps children with language development and listening skills. Your child will have to follow directions. When the child picks up a tool, it tells them where to put the tool back so that their tools will be safe and not get lost. It's a wonderful product and is also $59.99.

CP: And you have a website?

SA: Yes. My website is drtoy.com where you can view these products along with 2,000 other great products that I have reviewed over the years that help children learn and have fun.

Have a playful day!

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