Free Republic

Sarah Palin creates action for Oxford toy maker3 versions keep the orders flowing BY LAURESHA XHIHANI | REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN Tuesday, September 16, 2008 3:25 AM EDT This undated photo provided by HeroBuilders.com shows "The Sarah Palin Action Figure," by HeroBuilders.com. (AP Photo / HeroBuilders.com) OXFORD — Sarah Palin has been keeping Emil Vicale up nights. Vicale, owner of HeroBuilders.com, and his of designers and manufacturers have produced three different versions of a 12-inch action figure depicting the Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential nominee. And he is selling so many of the Palin figurines that he has barely gotten any sleep since...

NEW YORK -- A Long Island pet supply company is recalling a chew toy after some dogs suffered serious tongue injuries while gnawing on the playthings. At least two dog owners say their pets had to have their tongues amputated because of the mishaps. One New York man says his 10-year-old Labrador mix got his tongue stuck in a hole in the ball. Veterinarians cut the chew toy off, but the dog's tongue became so swollen it needed to be amputated. Another owner says she had to have her dog euthanized after a similar injury. The company that made the...

A gun that fires variable speed bullets and which can be set to kill, wound or just inflict a bruise is being built by a US toy manufacturer. The weapon is based on technology used to propel toy rockets. Lund and Company Invention, a toy design studio based near Chicago, makes toy rockets that are powered by burning hydrogen obtained by electrolysing water. Now the company is being funded by the US army to adapt the technology to fire bullets instead. The US Army are interested in arming soldiers with weapons that can be switched between lethal and non-lethal modes....

U.S. Wary Of Small Boat Terrorism As boating season approaches, the Bush administration wants to enlist America's 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline and inland waterways. According to an April 23 intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press, "The use of a small boat as a weapon is likely to remain al Qaeda's weapon of choice in the maritime environment, given its ease in arming and deploying, low cost, and record of success." While the United States...

Gov. Jon Corzine signed a bill yesterday that prohibits the sale of a children’s toy called “Yo-Yo Waterballs” in New Jersey. The toy has been blamed for injuring hundreds of children nationwide and has already been banned in Canada, Britain, France, Switzerland and Australia. Violators of the New Jersey ban, which goes into effect in three months, face a fine of up to $10,000 for a first offense and up to $20,000 for all subsequent offenses. Yo-Yo Waterballs, which also are sold under various other names, are squishy toy balls on a bungee-cord string with a finger loop at one...

ALERT SYDNEY, Australia - The Australian company behind a popular Chinese-made toy found to contain a chemical that converts into a potentially fatal drug when ingested said Friday it was investigating how the toxin ended up in its product. An 18-month-old boy became the fourth child hospitalized in Australia in recent weeks when he collapsed after eating the toy. Retailers have pulled millions of the toys, known as Bindeez in Australia and Aqua Dots in the United States, from their shelves this week after scientists found the products contain a chemical that converts into the so-called "date rape" drug gamma...

Some Toy Makers Shun the China Label By MARK LANDLER and IVAR EKMAN FRANKFURT, Sept. 17 — Playmobil of Germany has long promoted its colorful plastic pirates, firefighters and farm animals as better-than-your-average plaything — toys to be handed down rather than chewed up. Now it can add another selling point: they are made in Europe, not China. The same goes for Lego, the Danish maker of toy bricks, and for Ravensburger, a German puzzle and game manufacturer, though it does produce small quantities of nonpaper toys in Chinese factories. With Mattel and the American toy industry reeling from recalls...

China toy boss kills self after recall By AUDRA ANG, Associated Press Writer 28 minutes ago BEIJING - The head of a Chinese toy manufacturing company at the center of a huge U.S. recall has committed suicide, a state-run newspaper said Monday. ADVERTISEMENT Zhang Shuhong, who ran the Lee Der Industrial Co. Ltd., killed himself at a warehouse over the weekend, days after China announced it had temporarily banned exports by the company, the Southern Metropolis Daily said. Lee Der made 967,000 toys recalled earlier this month by Mattel Inc. because they were made with paint found to have excessive...

11-Year-Old Arrested For Using Rubber Band Gun OCOEE (Florida), June 7: An 11-year-old Ocoee boy was arrested for playing with a toy gun. Police said the arrest was necessary, because it was a safety issue. The boy was using a rubber band gun and his father said the kid did nothing wrong, but police said they take it as a serious threat and the 11-year-old is facing felony charges. The crime isn't very common, but Ocoee police said it is serious. It centers on an 11-year0old boy and his toy short-barreled shotgun. The incident started Sunday afternoon, when the 11-year-old...

TOY soldiers, model war planes and wrestling figurines have been banned in schools across the state in a politically correct crackdown. Primary schools and kindergartens have declared themselves "war toy free zones" and outlawed traditional toys and playground games that have even a tenuous link to war. All schools contacted by the Sunday Herald Sun said they had a policy banning war toys. Principals said schools feared they could be sued by litigious parents if they allowed plastic weapons and war toys in the school ground. Children at primary schools and kindergartens are also forbidden from playing "war-like games" such...

Click here for a video demo of what apparently is going to be this Christmas's big toy: (Warning: Excessive Cuteness Ahead) TMX Elmo

Since Hurricane Katrina hit, New Orleans and its leaders have been in the national spotlight. But, a new toy pokes fun at Mayor Ray Nagin and his response during the Katrina crisis. News Channel 5's Larry Collins finds out if people think it's too soon to joke or if laughter really is the best medicine. video

8/4/2006 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Two Airmen deployed here are trying to further Iraqis' understanding of Americans through the simplest objects: children's toys. Staff Sgts. Scott Klobucher and Samantha Ross are volunteers at the Air Force Theater Hospital. The sergeants are two of about 600 people who volunteer at the hospital, providing services such as changing bed linens, answering phones and helping patients write letters home. They started volunteering shortly after their arrival, but soon discovered that helping at the hospital on their days off wasn't enough for them. Each experienced an epiphany when they saw an...

July 28, 2006 Chinese Workers Protest at Factory Making Toys for McDonald’s By JIM YARDLEY BEIJING, July 27 — A violent protest erupted last weekend at a factory in southern China that makes toys for McDonald’s and other international companies, a rights group said Thursday, and the local police were called to the scene to restore order. China Labor Watch, a New York-based labor rights group, described in a news release a riot by more than 1,000 workers protesting low pay and poor living conditions at the factory in the industrial city of Dongguan. However, a distributor for the factory...

Two more families filed civil lawsuits Wednesday against the maker of a popular toy that doctors say caused the death of a 22-month-old Redmond boy. The lawsuits allege that Magnetix, the construction toy blamed for the death of Redmond toddler Kenny Sweet, caused a 4-year-old Oak Harbor boy and a 3-year-old boy in Tacoma to be hospitalized. Both boys -- Kyle Booke of Oak Harbor and Marcell McNeil of Tacoma -- survived serious bowel obstructions caused by magnets that fell out of their Magnetix building pieces, but only after undergoing emergency surgery to remove the magnets and repair their intestines,...

NEW YORK - When he was a boy, Hiram Stewart took a bus to Virginia, put a puppy in a paper bag and cradled it all the way home to New Orleans.For more than three decades, he’s cared for dogs in the Big Easy. Usually champion dogs, the kind that will reach the Best in Show ring this week at Westminster.Still, nothing prepared him for what he saw happening to pets around town after Hurricane Katrina hit. Like that pair of little beagles with the pleading eyes, chained inside a garage.“Every time a car would drive by, they’d come out,...

...The 20th century saw the invention of dozens of much-loved toys as well. Still-popular board games like Tripoley, Sorry and Monopoly have been around since the 1930s, and Crayola Crayons are more than 100 years old! Twister, made by a division of Hasbro, sold more than 3 million games within a year of its release in 1966. With the help of our friends at the Toy Industry Association, we've put together a slideshow of some of the best-selling and best-loved toys of the past 100 years. Click here for some fun facts about these fabulous toys.

12 Ways of Christmas Toy Reuses Science author reveals ways to turn broken or discarded toys into innovative devices LOS ANGELES, CA -- Science writer Cy Tymony reveals simple methods to reuse damaged or discarded Christmas toys. After Christmas tons of damaged toys and packaging materials inevitably find their way into our already overflowing waste dumps. It's tempting to discard seemingly useless items but if you do, you'll miss out on some great adaptation opportunities, as well as a chance to help the environment. How? Convert them into other useful items in a "sneaky" way. Cy Tymony, author of "Sneakier...

<p>A 10-year-old boy was in critical condition Sunday after three toy poodles escaped from a home and went on a rampage, attacking six people before police shot and killed dogs, authorities said.....</p>

ELLINGTON FIELD, Texas -- The Texas Air National Guard stood up Task Force Compassion here to provide Hurricane Rita evacuees medical support and to evacuate non-critical patients from overburdened local hospitals. Task force Airmen and Soldiers began setting up a 10-bed medical treatment facility overnight in Ellington’s abandoned base exchange and opened for business Sept. 26. The treatment facility has 47 medics from the 147th Medical Group here, the 149th MG at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, the 136th MG at Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth and the Army National Guard Support Medical Battalion in San Antonio. “If...

PAWTUCKET, R.I., Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Mr. Potato Head seems poised to become a permanent part of Rhode Island's license plate lore, the Pawtucket (R.I.) Times said Thursday. The toy tuber with the changeable face, born at Pawtucket's Hasbro Inc., made what was supposed to be a cameo appearance on Rhode Island license plates two years ago as a fundraiser for the Rhode Island Food Bank. For each of the 1,364 plates sold, the food bank received $20 of the $40 charged, for a total of $29,280. The law authorizing the production of the Potato Head plates mandated they cease...

Euro scum!

10. "If the UN does not immediately withdraw support for the US occupation of Iraq, the Jihad Brotherhood will cut off one of Papa Smurf's three fingers" 9. "We have captured Rainbow Brite, and we will hang her as an infidel at dawn" 8. "Al-Zarqawi is pleased to announce new reinforcements in his jihad-- COBRA Commander and Megatron of the Decepticons (also, we may get that completely useless robot who can turn into a freaking tape-recorder)" 7. "If the American infidels do not depart Iraq immediately, the streets will run black with the ink of a thousand Etch-a-Sketches" 6. "I...

Just hours after Islamic militants in Iraq threatened to behead a kidnapped U.S. soldier doll, the camouflaged action figure was rescued in a daring nighttime operation by a toy George W. Bush action figure. The nine-inch-tall replica of the president left Andrews Air Force Base in a scale model of Air Force One within minutes after the Pentagon learned of the kidnapping from a picture on an Islamic website. The top-secret flight was reminiscent of the life-size president's Thanksgiving visit to Baghdad in 2003. During the long trip, the presidential doll was programmed to say intimidating things in Arabic, and...

19 January 2005: The Slinky betrayed us. I should have known. I never trusted him. He was an unstable character, always going back and forth, back and forth, never showing a shred of backbone. "Come, senor, I know the way to the insurgents' headquarters," he rasped. The fact that he was an Arab toy speaking with a stereotypical Spanish accent should have tipped me off. But hindsight is always 20/20. Literally. I can turn my head 360 degrees I only knew my men by their code names, but even in that short space of time we shared a bond...

Psy-Ops Behind "kidnapped" toy soldier?

By now we're sure you've heard about the Doll taken hostage by the terrorists, who threatened to behead it. This shows me the terrorists aren't very smart. They should have taken a French doll hostage. If they did they'd be occupying Paris by now and the French people would be assembling Peugeots to be used in suicide bombings at a record pace.

Just thought you guys would enjoy this: (2005-02-01) -- Just hours after Islamic militants in Iraq threatened to behead a kidnapped U.S. soldier doll, the camouflaged action figure was rescued in a daring nighttime operation by a toy George W. Bush action figure. The nine-inch-tall replica of the president left Andrews Air Force Base in a scale model of Air Force One within minutes after the Pentagon learned of the kidnapping from a picture on an Islamic website. The top-secret flight was reminiscent of the life-size president's Thanksgiving visit to Baghdad in 2003. During the long trip, the presidential doll...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi militants claimed in a Web statement Tuesday to have taken an American soldier hostage and threatened to behead him in 72 hours unless the Americans release Iraqi prisoners. The posting, on a Web site that frequently carried militants' statements, included a photo of what appeared to be an American soldier in desert fatigues seated with his hands tied behind his back. A gun barrel was pointed at his head, and he is seated in front of a black banner emblazoned with the Islamic profession of faith, "There is no god but God and Muhammad is...

February 01, 2005 US GI hostage story and photo faked; MSM falls for it--again Looks like this was a fake, now that we've seen the photo, and kudos are due to A Small Victory, Wizbang and Free Republic for calling it. It looks like this was a GI Joe-type doll on sale on the internet. Note the face, plus the gun and the fact that you don't see anyone's hands in the photo. In addition, the Pentagon has verified that no soldiers are missing presently. Score another one for the new media, as the MSM gets scammed again. Posted by...

A photograph distributed by the Associated Press appearing to show an American soldier held at gunpoint by Muslims terrorists in Iraq might actually be an image of a toy action figure, according to comparisons making the rounds on Internet message boards. A website often used by radical Islamic groups posted the photo along with a statement from a group called "Mujahedeen Brigades," which claimed it was holding other soldiers, the AP reported. Head of toy action figure resembles image in photograph released by terrorists. "Our mujahadeen heroes of Iraq's Jihadi Battalion were able to capture American military man John Adam...

Latest Mr. Potato Head: 'Darth Tater' January 19, 2005 PAWTUCKET, R.I. — A spud on the dark side. That's how toy maker Hasbro Inc. is promoting its latest Mr. Potato Head figure, Darth Tater (search). The toy spud will be available next month, ahead of the May release of "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," the latest installment in that film series. Darth Tater will come with a light saber, cape and helmet, in addition to the regular Mr. Potato Head (search) accessories such as eyes, mouth and nose. The Pawtucket-based toy maker says children will be...

This is a photo from a recent Chinese language publication. The fellow is ID'd as a major donor. Teresa's smile -- that's less coming out of her Heinz fortune -- and the prominence of the photo op indeed indicate this guy is a big donor. The blond is said to be big donor's wife. Big donor is described as a doctor and is named Cai Zihuang in Chinese. I think he's from the Southern California area but don't know. Maybe he is just a dumb fool or maybe he is this years John Huang or Charlie Trie. Kerry is in...

Yo, Joe! Collectors Want Iconic Soldier in National Toy Hall of Fame Mike Branom/Associated Press Jul 3, 2004 LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) - G.I. Joe fans think it's about time the iconic action figure took its rightful place with the likes of Barbie, Silly Putty and Mr. Potato Head. The little soldier's absence from the National Toy Hall of Fame prompted something of a war cry this weekend at the International G.I. Joe Collectors' Convention in Lake Buena Vista, where triumphant shouts of "Yo, Joe!" gave way to "Why no Joe?" "G.I. Joe has more name recognition than virtually...

MIDI - GILLIGAN'S ISLAND - scroll down to Television secion Sit back my friends, and I'll tell a tale...a tale of Botox Boy A gigolo like we've never seen...he's Teresa's toy He pays a grand to get his locks trimmed...this ordinary man And summertime in the Hamptons he will work on his tan...he works on his tan He voted no but first voted yes...I guess we have that straightLike Mondale so many years before, he's heading for his fate...he's heading for his fate He's shown it as clearly as can be, he is an empty suit Behind the scenes...the...

The Ann Coulter Action Figure was the most popular seller at Talking Presidents over the holiday weekend, outselling Presidents Bush (father & son), President Clinton, and Donald Rumsfeld. Irvine, CA (PRWEB) December 2, 2003 –- Political junkies shaking presents under the Christmas tree this year beware! According to this weekend’s sales figures at Talking Presidents, conservative political analyst Ann Coulter may be talking under the wrapping paper. The Ann Coulter Action Figure was the most popular seller at Talking Presidents over the holiday weekend, outselling Presidents Bush (father & son), President Clinton, and Donald Rumsfeld. Fans and foes of conservative...

FROM THE DRUDGE REPORT *************************************** McDonald's Corporation Issues Consumer Advisory on PLAY-DOH McNugget Fri Nov 21 2003 19:49:17 ET McDonald's Corporation today alerted retailers and consumers who purchased Hasbro Inc.'s PLAY-DOH McNugget Mini-tool to remove it from their shelves. Consumers should stop using the toy and call McDonald's Customer Satisfaction Department at 1-800-244-6227 for instructions on returning the toy in return for a McDonald's Gift Certificate. The product meets all federal, voluntary ASTM and Hasbro safety standards, but does not meet McDonald's specifications.

This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows. To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35633 Sunday, November 16, 2003 Wal-Mart covering up 'I hate you' baby toy?Mystery remains over 'subliminal message' heard by parents Posted: November 16, 20031:00 a.m. Eastern By Diana Lynne © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com Wal-Mart has yanked a baby-crib accessory from its shelves after parents all across the country complained it disseminates a subliminal message of hate, but you wouldn't know it unless you called the major retailer. "We felt it was an item that wasn't up to our quality of standards," Wal-Mart spokesperson Karen Burk...

Just discovered this doing some early Christmas shopping:click image for more information

<p>August 13, 2003 -- WASHINGTON - Meet GI George, a high-flying, helmet-carrying Navy pilot who should be strutting into a toy store near you by September. Blue Box Toys, a Chinese company that also produces "Little Kitty" products, is hoping to sell at least 5,000 of the 12-inch-tall Bush figurines commemorating the president's May 1 landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, when he declared that major combat in Iraq was over.</p>

PARIS (Reuters) - Armed with a toy pistol, a would-be robber picked himself an unlikely target in central Paris -- a gun shop. Staff at the Armurerie Gare de l'Est in the French capital immediately identified the weapon as harmless. The 26-year-old Mauritanian was subsequently arrested, Le Parisien newspaper reported on Friday. He was unlucky -- earlier this year a fake rocket launcher was successfully used in a break-out from a prison on the unruly Mediterranean island of Corsica. A member of staff at the gun shop confirmed there had been a robbery attempt, but declined to give further details.

THE CASE OF THE MISSING ELEPHANT The ruins and remains of Mexico's pre-Columbian civilizations enchant, intrigue, fascinate and puzzle. Of them the oldest and earliest, that of people referred-to as Olmecs, is the most enigmatic -- for they challenge present-day scholars to explain how had people from Africa come and settled and thrived in this part of the New World, thousands of years before Columbus. The Discovery We know how they looked because they left behind countless sculptures, marvelously carved in stone, depicting them; some, in fact, are stone portraits of Olmec leaders; colossal in size, they immortalize in...

Libertarians Launch 'Guns For Tots' Drive (CNSNews.com) - The Manhattan Libertarian Party has announced a "guns for tots" campaign, which it describes as "a new philanthropic program that will put toy guns in the hands of the city's youth while it's still legal." The Libertarians are making fun of the New York City Council's proposal to prohibit the sale or possession of any toy gun. "Playing with a water pistol is one of the most cherished rites of childhood," said Jim Lesczynski, spokesman for the Manhattan Libertarian Party, in a press release. "We want to give that experience to New...

Tuesday, January 14, the Palestinian Authority’s Al Ayyam daily published a message, approved by Yasser Arafat in the name of all the Palestinian groups, calling off attacks on Israeli citizens. This message, formulated by the Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, also endorses the continuing Palestinian struggle for a state whose capital is Jerusalem. Gen. Suleiman was to submit this text to the London Middle East conference opened by British foreign secretary Jack Straw Tuesday night, January 14, in the presence of representatives from the Middle East Quartet, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Palestinians are there via a videolink after...

Blunkett bans replica guns and air rifles JASON BEATTIE CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT THE government moved yesterday to deflect criticism over a steep rise in gun crime by announcing a ban on the carrying of replica guns and air rifles. The further tightening of the firearms legislation follows a fatal double shooting in Birmingham last week and comes ahead of figures to be released today which are expected to show a continued increase in violent crime. Announcing the UK-wide ban, David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, said the new legislation will make it illegal to carry a replica or air weapon in...

Monday, 5 August, 2002, 10:11 GMT 11:11 UK Soldier toy disarmed at airport GI Joe's gun "had to be taken from him" A doll caused a security alert at an American airport because its two-inch plastic gun was considered a dangerous weapon. Judy Powell, 55, from Walton on the Hill, Surrey, bought the GI Joe toy in Las Vegas and packed it in her hand luggage. But security staff at Los Angeles International Airport refused to let Mrs Powell on board the plane with the replica rifle. Mrs Powell had to put the gift - minus the rifle - in...