As a child, there was one doll named Barbie, but I had no interest in playing with her. Ironically, as an adult, I’ve met a couple of dolls named Barbie that I would have really enjoyed playing with, but none of them wanted to play with me. Back in 1997, I suddenly wanted to know [...]

Yo-Yos look easy to use, but require tremendous skill to master. I contacted the masters, Duncan Toys Company, to learn more about this tricky toy… Dear Yo-Yoers: The Yo-Yo is a lot like New York. It’s one of the few things intentionally named twice. I’m fascinated by the Yo-Yo and was hoping you would answer [...]

Glitter Glue is pretty eye-catching. How creative can you get with it? I ran some ideas by Rose Art, a brand of Mega Brands… Dear Glitter Glue Geniuses: Rose Art Glitter Glue colors are some of the glitteriest I’ve seen. That Royal Blue is exquisite! If I wanted to Glitter Glue the walls of my [...]

To succeed in business, it’s how you play the game. Playing Monopoly is one way you can prepare yourself. If you can survive having your closest friends, relatives and lovers transform into cut-throat psychopaths whose only reason for living becomes taking you down, you can probably handle whatever your competitors or the government can do [...]

If you’re a crayon connoisseur, you know Crayola. While they offer a cool collection of colors, I submitted a few of my own for their consideration… Dear Crayon Color Coordinator: Since Crayola Crayons always have the best selection of colors, I was wondering if you ever plan to offer a box of more obscure colors. [...]

There was a toy in Target that didn’t come with instructions, so I asked them for some guidance… Dear Target Toy Team: In your toy section, I came across a product called “Party Paratroopers,” — plastic Army men with parachute packs. Since this toy is marketed under the Target brand, I hope you will hit [...]

Mr. Potato Head has spent most of his life hanging out with children. That got me thinking. Would the most famous celebrity spud be interested in some new adult friends? I contacted Hasbro, his creators, to see if this suggestion might appeal to them (or, in this case, maybe it’s appeel)… Dear Mr. Potato Head [...]

Is it possible to make whoopee cushions even funnier and more disgusting? I wrote S.S. Adams, the legendary pranks, gags and magic company with my suggestions… Dear Whoopee Makers: Your whoopee cushions have always been a gas! It’s amazing how that noise always gets people laughing, even if they have no sense of humor. Any [...]