European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 26, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes monday november 26,1990 tis season to buy a better Mousetrap Washington a if the current Batch of Christmas gift Cata logs provides any clues about the real Santa Claus it s easy to conclude that a he s the Patron Saint of Yuppie greed or b he a sloshed on eggnog. How else to explain the 14-Karat Gold Mousetrap baited with a Diamond crusted wedge of Quot cheese that Sells for $12,675, including an optional solid Gold mouse or the $3 million replica of Dorothy a Ruby red slippers studded with 4,600 rubies and 50 carats of Diamond trim to commemorate a the wizard of  for Economy minded merry makers there Are stuffed Reindeer Antlers for the family dog a one size fits All a on Sale for $4,98. Or the Santa toilet seat covers that read a who to How when the lid is Down and a ooh of ohm when its raised. There la be something for everyone a tastes when the Jolly old gent shimmies Down the Chimney with his sack of goodies this Christmas eve thanks to the marvelous ingenuity of the United states mail order hucksters. From one new York Catalon outfit comes every parents dream a $60 pair of electronic Sticks that their children can wave to reproduce the sounds of a rattling snare drum crashing cymbals a booming Bass drum and a head throbbing Tom Tom. If that Isnit noisy enough give the Little Darlings a $40 pair of a Earth shaking Dinosaur slippers a which resemble the Gigantic feet of the tyrannosaurus Rex. The slippers Are equipped with a Battery operated sound Box that emits a loud a a crash with each step. Gifts to pamper your pet and yourself Are hot items for the 1990 Holiday sea son. If fido and Tabby have been Good then for goodness Sake give them a $60 Cushion with an electrical heating element to keep them toasty warm on cold Winter nights. There Are automatic gadgets that will Wake you up and put you to sleep Shine your shoes answer your phone with dogs Barking on tape to discourage unwanted caller purify the air open your mail grind Peppercorns Massage your feet rub away cellulite trim nose hairs Monitor your blood pressure and make Quot perfectly formed snowballs without getting your hands cold and wet. Why not the $100 a talking scale a whose synthesized voice tells you if you re overweight and then says a have a Nice  if you re really heavy it shouts a a overload for All to hear. Parents get some helpful hints on picking toys for Christmas Hudson Ohio up a As America Heads into the Holiday shopping period the big question is what item to buy. A americans will spend some $12.75 billion on toys this year. But after purchasing a toy there often is the question of whether it was the right one. Pat Belby manager of research and child development for the Little tikes co., a Hudson based manufacturer of plastic toys offers tips on choosing the right one. Her years As director of the company son site child care Center has Given her several ideas on How to shop for the toys. A shop Early. Begin your toy search As soon As possible while the shelves Are still Well stocked. When the stores Are less crowded you la have More time to evaluate and compare. A ask around. Its helpful to talk to other parents and find out what toys their children enjoy most. A read Purchase consumer reports and write the Federal consumer products safety commission for a free brochure on toy safety a put safety first. Stay away from toys with Sharp edges protrusions and Pinch Points. Look for Well made toys. A comparison shop. Study similar products to determine the Best Quality one and compare differences Between them. Try to buy toys that will last Over time. A think stimulation. Select toys that stimulate your child a mind and body. Look for variety in shapes and color and the kind of activities that promotes. Multi purpose toys that allow for More than one activity Are Best. A pick the right fit. Judge whether the toy is the right scale for your child and use the age recommendations on the packaging As practical guidelines. A let kids mimic you. Toys based on the familiar objects Are always popular. Children love to copy what grownups Are doing especially if the equipment they use is a miniature version of the real thing. A who a the Boss a child tends to enjoy a toy More if he or she is in the Drivers seat and can make decisions while playing. A give proper supervision. Parents need to properly introduce their child to new toys. This provides the perfect Opportunity to set guidelines and parameters for play. A encourage masterful play. Toys should bring some level of Success when first tried. If a child does not have the skill or dexterity to make a toy work the first time he or she May become frustrated and abandon All efforts. A add on. Toys that complement existing ones will extend play opportunities. For example a new accessory will add another dimension to a doll House. A keep up maintenance. Check your child a toys regularly to make sure everything is in perfect order. Broken equipment must be repaired immediately or removed a Call direct. If you have any questions about a toy or where to buy it Call the manufacturer direct. Many toy companies have 800 numbers. Shoppers crowd Fao Schwarz a big new York toy store As the Holiday gift buying season  lets up in Washington f As Rivers surge Over Banks Seattle up a surge of Cool Day air brought some Relief sunday to flood beaten Washington state swamped by a tropical storm that dumped heavy rain melted Mountain Snow and drove More than 1,000 people from their Homes. The storm a a wayward collection of moisture from the South Pacific a struck Western Washington on saturday causing havoc in areas recovering from heavy flooding two weeks earlier. The storm melted Snow that had fallen in the coastal mountains earlier last week and dumped up to 5 inches of rain. Rivers on the verge of flooding for several Days poured Over their Banks and floodwaters put pressure on dikes. The storm later moved East. The National weather service said rainfall in Western Washington tapered off overnight As the cooler somewhat drier air spread in. A gov Booth Gardner activated the National guard on saturday to help control widespread flooding and evacuate residents. Farms were under water and livestock stranded. Mudslides brought Down at least one multimillion Dollar Home East of Seattle and witnesses reported a barn floating Down one River. Volunteer workers filled sandbags to stave off floodwaters and helicopters were on standby in Case emergency rescues were necessary. The water Levels of some Large Rivers were receding Early sunday but others were expected to Crest. Flood warnings remained in effect for the Yakima Wenatchee and Naches Rivers. The red Cross on saturday opened 14 emergency shelters to House those flushed out of their Homes on the Holiday weekend by the rising water. Included were two in whatcom county one in ska git county four in Snohomish county tour in King county and three in Grays Harbor county on the coast. Six counties were in a state of emergency a King Pierce Snohomish ska git whatcom and Lewis a but evacuations were occurring in at least nine. King county declared a state of emergency As 500 to 700 people were evacuated from the rising Waters in the Snoqualmie River Valley near North Bend East of Seattle. Included was the Snoqualmie police department which had to abandon its flooded office and move operations to the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital. The flooding was so bad in North Bend that Crews decided to punch a Hole in the local Dike to allow some of the water in the town to flow Back into the River. Wyte through rising