1. We were walking through a discount store the other day when the strangest plea caught our ear: Knock! Knock! Knock! ” ‘Scuse me! ‘Scuse me! Could you let me out of here?!?” We stopped
dead in our tracks, turned our heads – and cracked up. Here was this goofy toy – a plastic box with a pretend person and an electronic voice coming from inside. (Get a peek at that eye peering out!) We’ve been irritating people with this great gag for days. Not only can you make it talk and shake at the push of a button, but you can set it so it talks automatically every few seconds. Turn it on, stick it in a friend’s desk or locker, then walk away fast! Or come up with your own slick tricks. Look for the Let Me Out Of Here! box, by Sky Kids Inc., for $10-$15 at discount stores, drug stores, gift stores and selected Toys R Us and Spencer Gift stores.
-Devin Rose
We can’t let this dude out, but we can let you in! To hear this toy, go to chicago.tribune.com/go/box.
2. With the release of Topps’ Screen Plays Sound Chips card, the longtime trading card company ventures into multimedia. Sort of.
The “card,” about the size and shape of an audio cassette, consists of a moving photo that advances frames as you tilt the card. Press a button on the back of the card and listen to the play-by-play call of what’s being shown in the video, which is Cal Ripken slugging a homer in his 2,131st game. (Topps is waiting to see the reaction to this card before producing others; so far, we hear it’s a hit.) The card is out now at hobby and card stores. (Because it’s sold to stores as part of a box deal, prices will vary, but it was about $15 at stores we checked.)
-Daniel Rivken
Wanna hear this? It’s your call. Check it out at chicago.tribune.com/go/card.