European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 1, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday March 1, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 17 associated press if toy manufacturers have their Way it s going to be a very noisy Christmas in 1986. Toys whatsit silently on the shelves Are out. This year they Moo Giggle jabber scream and talk Back. The hottest area of toys in 1986 will be in electronics the marriage of traditional toys with state of the Art semiconductor technology said Paul Valentine toy Industry analyst for Standard & poor s. He s not the Only one excited by talking toys. Manufacturers displaying their wares at the toy fair in new York Are dreaming of a Green Christmas. The Industry s largest Trade show opened with More than 950 manufacturers introducing 3,000 new products. For 10 Days 14,000 buyers trying to predict this year s craze put in their orders. Valentine predicts a 10 percent to 15 percent growth for 86 in the $12 billion toy Industry largely from the revolution in electronics. Not Only Are the newest toys talking even an old stand by like etch a sketch has gone High tech. The Ohio Art company is introducing a new version that can store and animate the pictures children draw on the portable screen. To prevent kids from getting bored and to build on the Success of transformers action figures manufacturers Are making toys that More than meet the Eye. For girls Lewis Galoob toys inc. Introduces purse pals handbags that turn into cuddly pets and Sweet secrets radios watches and Erma Bombeck clocks that really work but also turn into tiny gymnasiums Beauty salons and dolls. Tonka s new Rock lords look like boulders but with a few twists they turn into Good Guy and bad Guy action figures. Thousands of children Are Likely to get the gift of gab this year. Teddy Ruppin gave birth to the electronic Plush category when he took the stores by storm last Christmas with a Mouth and nose that moved in sync when he talked. This year everyone s competing with Teddy Ruppin and some Are outdoing it said Rick Anguilla editor of toy and Hobby world. Animal toys inc. Has a line of six barnyard animals that Start to Moo oink Baah bark and squeak with the sound of a clap. Jibber jabber the $30 stuffed Monkey cabbage Patch doll makes friends with Man Reading outside new York toy fair from Galoob responds to Light motion and sound. Dim the lights and his eyes Light up swing him by the Tail and he screams talk to him and he jabber Back. For children tired of simply talking to their toys now there s Galoob s Smarty ear at about $120. The voice activated Bear comes with interactive video tapes and decoder. Just plug the tape into a Var attach Smarty ear to its smart Box and it talks along with an animated counterpart on the tape. Unplug it and it la answer any question you ask with hundreds of random responses. Need an answer it asks anxious to show off. The developers claim these toys use simple microchips and won t have the mechanical problems that stymied Teddy Ruppin because of faulty tape recorders. But Valentine says we be yet to see whether they can withstand the abuse of  some children still like toys without microchips and their parents Are bound to like the lower prices. Youngsters can cuddle up with a Newborn Pound Puppy which costs $6.99. And for those who love cats Pound purr Ries the feline version of the popular Mutt debuts for less than $20. The cabbage Patch phenomenon continues with col eco s latest cabbage Patch astronauts circus characters and kids with com Bable hair. Fur skins the country bears from Moody hollow go mass Market this year. The classic toys most parents remember Are still around fairy tale books Plush pets that Don t do anything but look cute and educational toys. But at toy fair As Well As on Christmas morning it s often the Glitz gimmicks and gab that get the raves. W Hen i Slit open the envelope a photocopy of a Check for $5 fell out. The not with it was simple and direct i made this from my poem entitled youth. Thanks for encouraging  five Bucks what can you buy with $5 these Days a pint of designer ice Cream one Rose a Home furnish Ings Magazine a pair of pantyhose four Gallons of Gas if you re Sarah who lives in Louisiana it can buy euphoria with Side orders of Pride Hope and self esteem and the discovery someone was willing to put a Price on your Talent. There s a lot of sarahs out there. Women who keep their dreams in a private Little Box hidden from the rest of the world. Occasionally they take the lid off and look at it just to know it s still there and then get on with their business of living. It takes a lot of courage to show your dream to someone else. They might laugh. They might not understand. Worse they might take it out of the Box and drop it and where would you get another one dreams Are fragile you know. Some people in desperation give up on dreams. They clean House one Day and decide this is ridiculous i m acting like a Small child who refuses to give up a favorite  so they toss out the contents of the Box the Short Story the idea for a business the College degree the Job they would love to have the child they want the trip they would love to take. Then there Are a few like Sarah who Are willing to take a risk. They take the dream out of the Box put it on and Start living it. They Lay Bare their ego to discover if they Are equal to the dream or if they Are equal Only to the fantasy. Dreams have Only one owner at a time. That s Why dreamers Are lonely. No one can help them with the struggle. No one can ease the pain of failure. There Are some things they have to do themselves. I understand the fears and apprehensions of the closet dreamers but of How i Admire the Mother Tere Sas the Geraldine Ferraro the Samantha Smiths the Christa Mcauliffee the Helen kellers and yes the sarahs who write poetry on the Kitchen table at night. Are they winners winning is not what they re All about. Neither Are the rewards. What is special about them is they re dreamers who put it on the line. They had the courage to admit that what they wanted was just beyond their reach but if they wanted it badly enough. Anything was possible. They gambled. And for the risk they were All re warded with a legacy for others to follow. For some it was a Trail that was blazed an attitude that was changed a place in history a thought a life that was touched. That s the difference Between them and those who never take their dreams out of the Box. They leave nothing. C 1986, los Angeles times Syndicate