HOT TIPS : STICK 'EM UP ...Combine Barbie Barbie in full Barbara Millicent Roberts A plastic doll, 11.5 in. (29 cm) tall, with the figure of an adult woman that was introduced in 1959 by Mattel, Inc., a southern California toy company. and temporary tattoos A temporary tattoo is an image made of ink and glue, which is applied to the outer surface of the skin and remains until such time as the image fades away (typically after 3-5 days) or is removed. Temporary tattoos are not actual tattoos, although many are intended to resemble them. on a computer CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). and what do you get? A mild headache for grownups and a product that's a sure hit in the 4-year-old-girl market. That's the story on ``Barbie Totally Tattoos'' CD ROM CD ROM Compact Disk Read Only Memory . (Don't fret, boys, there's a ``Hot Wheels Hot Wheels is a brand of die cast toy car, introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Johnny Lightning and Matchbox until 1996, when Mattel acquired rights to the Matchbox brand from Tyco. Tattoo Designer'' CD-ROM, too.) WARNING: The Barbie box comes with a hard sell for a Barbie Photo Designer Digital Camera, which, of course, is sold separately. The CDs (suggested price: $19.95) allow kids to design custom tattoos on a home computer. Mom or dad can print the tattoos on special paper (on ink jet printers See inkjet printer. only), which can be cut down, moisturized and stuck onto the skin. Smaller tattoos are included for race cars and Barbie dolls. The tattoos are pretty cool. There's a lot of leeway lee·way n. 1. The drift of a ship or an aircraft to leeward of the course being steered. 2. A margin of freedom or variation, as of activity, time, or expenditure; latitude. See Synonyms at room. in the designs (including the ability to print your own photos on tattoos), and that's a hit with kids, especially our 4-year-old product tester. Barbie comes with bright hearts, flowers, rainbows and ponies for the girls. Boys get icky, spider-infested tongues, fire, snakes, skeletons and, of course, cars. Unfortunately, as temporary tattoos go, the stuff comes out pretty lame. The ones we made ended up looking a lot more like colorful bandages than tattoos. The tattoos that come out of gumball machines are a lot better. Advice from our test team: Let the grownups do the cutting and shave off as much of the sticker fringe as possible. This will make them look less fake. Overall, the results are pretty disappointing to adults, but who cares what they think? Kids love it. And it's good interactive fun for the whole family. - Phil Davis
Keeping lunch too cool for school Paper bags used to do the trick, until someone came up with the lunch box. These days, modern brown baggers arrive to school and work toting sack lunches in vessels worthy of the fashion pages. Makers of Arctic Zone ``lifestyle gear'' are riding the wave. Their newest line of soft lunch boxes - available at Target, Wal-Mart and K mart stores - are made of jewel-toned nylon, with shoulder straps, specialty compartments and all kinds of bells and whistles A slang English term for exceptional features in some product. In the computer field, it typically refers to functions in software that may be greatly appreciated by some users, even though they may not be necessary most of the time. . Their Expandable Cooler ($7.49 to $19.99) is one of their more impressive offerings. It comes in five sizes, the largest holding up to 72 cans. But after the big lunch, you can neatly fold the cooler into a compact, portfolio-size package. Very discreet. For lighter eaters, Arctic Zone's 2-Cool sacks ($5.99 to $7.99) feature two compartments - sandwiches and larger items go on top, drinks and smaller snacks can be stowed separately below. Another good reason to chuck the paper version for this fancy, nylon alternative: You won't have to go digging for dessert ... only to find it got lost through a hole in the bottom of your paper bag. - Betty Kwong It's a ZACH ZACH Zachary attack I recently discovered that my wife and I are ``Dinkwads.'' That's a ``Zachronym'' for a couple with Double Income No Kids With A Dog. Fortunately, we're not ``Poops'' (Pet Owners Outnumbered Outnumbered is a British sitcom that aired on BBC One in 2007.[1] It stars Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner as a mother and father who are outnumbered by their three children. by Pets) or ``Nebnos'' (New Baby, No Sleep). We've become a society accustomed to acronyms, growing up with Preppies who became Yuppies. But these new Zachronyms are the brainchild of David Zach, a 40-year-old futurist (Foolishly Unaware That Ultimately Reality Isn't So Trustworthy) who spends most of his time spotting trends and pointing them out to Greepies (Greedy, Rich Executives With Excess Perks perk 1 v. perked, perk·ing, perks v.intr. 1. To stick up or jut out: dogs' ears that perk. 2. To carry oneself in a lively and jaunty manner. ), and Grumpies, (Grim, Ruthless Upwardly Mobile Professionals). The 40-year-old resident of Milwaukee took those acronyms refined on the speaking circuit and published a witty book called ``Zachronyms, funny words for funny times'' (Innovative Futures Press), one of those little coffee table books that provide an evening or two of dinner conversation. But, like most gift books, the price - $8.95 - is a little steep for the 120 pages you get. Some samples: Nikes: No Income, Kids Everywhere. Huffies: Heavy Users of Fast Food. Yummies: Young, Upwardly-mobile Mommies. And if you can't think of a few to add to these Zachronyms, you're doomed to join this group: Spams (Stupid People Avoiding Mental Stimulation). - Phil Davis CAPTION(S): 5 Photos Photo: (1--Color) no caption (Children with tattoos) (2--4--Color) You'll be hot stuff at lunch time with cool coolers from Arctic Zone: From left, 2-Cool sack ($5.99 to $7.99), Bottle Wrap ($3.27 to $6.99) and the Expandable Cooler ($7.49 to $19.99). (5) huffies heavy users of fast food |
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