Pop Clutter

Its all about the debris that fills up every moment of your life.

Friday, November 03, 2006

People Buy This Crap: Fur Real



The other day Erin and I went to to Target to buy a few things. When we go there, we always take a few minutes to take a look at what new toys are out on the market. It helps to give us ideas for when we have to buy gifts for the kids in our lives. Well, on this trip we encountered a toy unlike any other we had ever seen. It was called the Fur Real Friends Butterscotch Interactive Pony. You can get a good idea of what it looks like at the top of this post.

Here's the product description from Amazon:

Butterscotch Pony is a life-sized plush pony that loves to be groomed and cared for. She has many features similar to that of a real pony, including moving eyes, ears and head, soft fur coat and a swishing tail. Through sensors, Butterscotch can feel when she is being groomed and will move her head toward you, and may whinny and snort. The more you touch her, the happier she becomes. Just like a real pony, Butterscotch loves carrots and can be "fed." Hold the pretend carrot to her face, and she will open her mouth for it, or shake her head "no" if she has had enough. Kids can even sit on Butterscotch and she will gently bounce. Measures 20" x 39" x 42". Requires 4 "D" batteries (not included). Holds up to 80 pounds.

It's a rather large toy. Its size is equal to an actual pygmy pony. It looks incredibly lifelike. In terms of price, its retail of nearly 300 dollars is somewhat cheaper than a real pony. It also doesn't require any real food which makes it even more appealing to our increasingly lazy buying public.

I know that every little girl says she wants a pony at some point. And every parent is supposed to respond with the classic " you can't always get what you want" speech. They're not supposed to compromise by buying them an electronic toy pony. Life doesn't work that way. Besides, I doubt if any little girl would be truly happy with this toy. I can't see someone playing with it for more than a half hour or so. This generation has an incredibly short attention span. There is no need to fufill a wish that will be forgotten as soon as they go to sleep that night.

My generation did have its own version of an interactive toy pony, It was cheaper and provided endless hours of pure enjoyment as I rode it around the house. I have no doubt that my generation's toy pony will be around longer than the Fur Real version.

1 Comments:

Blogger Maven said...

I can't see someone playing with it for more than a half hour or so.

All the more reason to do what my dad does: hold onto the receipt. He has been known to use something and repackage it and return it for cash or store credit.

If I were to do this, and the next day the child is looking for her pony, I'd be the bad parent and say, "See? I told you buying that pony was a bad idea... you misplace everything."

But hey, that's how I roll.

6:30 PM  

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