WHO'S TALKING NOW? LATEST HIGH-TECH DOLL UP FOR GABFEST.Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer It's only 10:30 a.m., but the little girl with her hair done up in blond pigtails This article is about the hair style. For the connectors, see Optical fiber. Pigtails (also known as angel wings and bunches, or Twin Tail(ツインテール/TsuinTe-ru) in Japan. is very insistent that she wants to eat. ``Mommy, it's lunchtime,'' Amanda says, blinking her enormous blue eyes Blue eyes are eyes that have blue irises (see eye color), and may also refer to:
``OK,'' nods Judy Shackelford, proffering what looks like a half-chewed Oreo. ``She starts lunch between 10 and 1 every day.'' Making noisy crunching sounds, Amanda's face is a picture of glee. Hunger satisfied, she requests a drink of juice and proclaims this has been ``the bestest lunch ever.'' ``Hmm, cookies and juice,'' Shackelford says, shaking her head with a parent's amused frustration. ``There's a great lunch for you.'' This is not Shackelford's real daughter; it's not even a real girl. Amanda is a doll, available for nearly $100 in the local toy aisle and expected to be a top seller for the holidays. On the outside, she looks pretty much like a regular little girl's play-toy, but inside she's loaded with high-tech gear that allows for ``conversation.'' Such is the odd contradiction of Amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. Amanda, conceived by Moorpark inventor Shackelford and manufactured by Costa Mesa's Playmates Toys Inc. The doll is so advanced, with her voice-recognition software, animatronic face and ability to recognize objects, that she seems to really be alive. She doesn't just cry when you turn her a certain way, she tells you why she's upset - and gives you a chance to talk her back to happiness. And that unusual dual role extends to her creator, as well. When Amanda's awake, demanding food, asking to go to the bathroom, singing songs, Shackelford seems very much the concerned parent, doting dote intr.v. dot·ed, dot·ing, dotes To show excessive fondness or love: parents who dote on their only child. [Middle English doten. on the doll like it was her own flesh and blood. But once her plastic and circuit progeny has been ordered to sleep, ``Mommy'' reverts to her role as chief executive officer of J. Shackelford and Associates, a savvy, longtime player in the ultra-competitive toy industry. ``It's hard to add all the changes in technology, but that's what I'm good at, knowing how to rearrange them,'' she said. ``It adds new dimensions in play. My gosh, we used to make dolls out of corn cobs. We've come a long way, but you can see where she came from.'' Amanda's the literal extension of Playmates' Amazing line, which had $180 million in wholesale business from 1998 to 2001. Shackelford designed them all, starting with Amy all the way through Ashley. Each doll got progressively smarter, more cognizant of its surroundings. ``Every little girl imagines talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to her doll,'' said John Sinclair John Sinclair is the name of several notable individuals:
The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. . ``Wouldn't it be great if the doll understood what she was saying?'' And to an extent, Amanda really does. After an introduction period that allows her to learn her owners' speech patterns, she begins talking like an inquisitive 2-year-old. She can tell time, remembers dates, even reminds when important events like Mommy's birthday approach. And when she asks to be taken to the potty, would-be mommies will quickly learn to take heed to be careful or cautious. See also: Take , lest they risk a saddened doll unable to hold her virtual lunch in any longer. Competing with gadgets like iPods and cellular phones, gadgets like this represent the tech-heavy tack the toy business has taken. As it faces kids trading in their playthings for video games See video game console. at earlier ages, the industry has fought back by incorporating more and more technological devices to make their products relevant. ``The electronics have to enrich the play experience,'' said Chris Byrne Chris Byrne co-founded the band Black 47 with Larry Kirwan in 1989. While still with the band, he created a side project - the "celtic hip-hop" band Seanchai & the Unity Squad. "Seanchai" is Byrne's hip-hop stage name, loosely translated from Irish as 'storyteller'. , a New York-based toy consultant. ``In this market, you have to really excite them, since there's so much different stuff they can be dazzled by.'' Shackelford's hoping that the difference between Amanda and toys that just beep gratuitously is the emotional component. Though at $100 a pop, she acknowledges it'll be a tough sell to tight-budgeted consumers, she's betting Amanda's big blue eyes and convincing pleas for attention will be enough to win them over. ``You know how you can tell a good toy for a girl?'' Shackelford said, as Amanda snoozed in silence on a chair beside her. ``When you get that yank Yank steamship stoker vainly tries to climb the social ladder, then fails in attempt to avenge himself on society. [Am. Drama: O’Neill The Hairy Ape in Sobel, 339] See : Failure (jargon) yank on your heartstring heart·string n. 1. heartstrings The deepest feelings or affections: a tug at the heartstrings. 2. One of the nerves or tendons formerly believed to brace and sustain the heart. , then you've got a winner.'' Brent Hopkins, (818) 713-3738 brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- color) The conversational doll, Amazing Amanda, was conceived by Moorpark inventor Judy Shackelford. (2) Amazing Amanda, conceived by Moorpark inventor Shackelford, is a computerized, conversational doll that is expected to be a top holiday seller. David Sprague/Staff Photographer (3 -- 5 -- color) no caption (Amazing Amanda) |
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