Did Jimmy Kimmel Go Too Far Encouraging Parents to Deceive their Kids?

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Late-night shows are, by definition, irreverent, but Jimmy Kimmel may have taken it a bit far last week when he challenged parents to record themselves telling their kids that they'd binged on all their Halloween candy.

Last Monday, I took issue on Healthland with the mean parents who scheme to deny their kids of their Halloween loot: they collaborate with neighbors to hand out only healthy snacks, they let them trick-or-treat only to force them to hand out their stash to kids who ring their doorbell later in the evening; they whisk it away and leave books and toys in its place.

But Kimmel elevated the “trick” to a whole new level, instructing parents to title their kids' reaction, “Hey, Jimmy Kimmel, I Told My Kids I Ate All Their Halloween Candy!” and upload the protests to YouTube.

As a third-party viewer, the footage was hilarious — the dire parental declaration predictably followed by tears and wails. My fave: the toddler at the end who chastises his mother (who reveals her good taste in candy by saying how much she enjoyed the peanut-butter cups): “You sneaky mom!” he cries out. Babble delighted in the dad who upped the reality quotient by strewing candy wrappers all over the dining room table. And TIME's Newsfeed warmed to the “adorable pair of brothers at the end who turned the tables and lectured their parents for the faux-transgression.”

I think I have a pretty good sense of humor, but I found the vigor with which parents delighted in deceiving their kids a little jarring. Cruel might be another word for it. It's kind of hard to imagine intentionally trying to make your kids cry — even for a few minutes of late-night glory. As a Huffington Post reader noted, “breaking your kids' trust for your amusement at their reaction and hurt feelings…is not cool.” Others dubbed it “emotional bullying" and “sadism masquerading as humor.”

What the parents didn't film was their rapprochement with their kids, post-lie. What must that have been like? I asked my kids if they would have forgiven me had I answered Kimmel's call. It wouldn't have come to that, they assured me. Said my 8-year-old: "We never would have believed you."

Guess the joke's on me.

Bonnie Rochman is a reporter at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @brochman. You can also continue the discussion on TIME's Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.

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New Barbie Has Pink Hair and Tattoos, and Some Parents Aren't Happy

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Tokidoki

Barbie's got a bad new look.

Though you might not recognize the iconic doll at first, Mattel has released a $50 limited edition collector's item Barbie. Brought to you by the Italian-based, Japanese-inspired brand Tokidoki, this new edgy Barbie has a chin-length pink bob, punk-style clothing and tattoos running down her arm and around her collarbone.

(MORE: The All-TIME 100 Greatest Toys)

And, perhaps unsurprisingly, there are parents out there who are unhappy with Barbie's new look. The Daily Mail reports that the comment section on a parenting website for teens was already filled with complaints. Failing to appreciate that the doll was a limited edition item and not your run of the mill childhood toy, parents were quick to condemn the inked up look.

"I think it is horrible and sends the wrong message to young people. In no way should a tattoo be honored," read one message on the site Twixt, while others likened tattoos to behavior that's illegal for children. "Encouraging children that tattoos are cool is wrong, wrong, wrong. Mattel why not put a cigarette and a beer bottle in her hand while you're at it!"

Sure, parents, pretend that Barbie's scarily-skinny waist and pin-up proportions aren't sending a bad message. Focus on the perfectly legal and low-risk tattoos instead.

This isn't the first time that Barbie's gotten ink: in 1999, Butterfly Art Barbie received so many complaints from parents that Mattel pulled her from the shelves. And in 2009, Totally Stylin' Tattoos Barbie, also faced some backlash, but high sales kept her from being pulled.

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Missouri Parents Plead for the Return of Their Missing Infant

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Lisa Irwin, a 10-month-old girl who vanished from her Missouri home Monday night

Reuters

In a tearful televised plea, Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin begged for the safe return of their missing 10-month-old girl, Lisa Irwin, who vanished from their home in Kansas City, Mo. Monday night.

Bradley said she put Lisa Irwin to bed at 10:30 p.m, and by 3:30 a.m. when Jeremy Irwin, an electrician, arrived home from a late-night shift, the baby was gone. The couple appeared before cameras, imploring their daughter's abductor to return Lisa Irwin somewhere safe, no questions asked. "We just want our baby back," Bradley said.

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Local law enforcement and FBI agents used dogs to search the family's home and neighborhood, knocking on doors for any information on tips or sightings. "All we know is that there should've been a 10-month-old in that house and we are doing everything we can to find the kid," Capt. Steve Young of the Kansas City police department told MSNBC. Young said authorities are not ruling anything out but there are no suspects thus far.

Police are unsure about how someone broke into the house, but are considering a small window without a screen as a possibly entry point, according to the Today show. Police also discovered there are three missing cell phones from the household. Lisa Irwin was last seen wearing a purple shirt with white kittens and purple shorts. She weighs between 26 and 30 pounds with blue eyes and blond hair.

Along with local and federal law enforcement support, the parents have also been in contact with The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. According to the NCMEC,  since 1986, there have been 278 stranger kidnappings of infants and in all but 12 cases, the children have been safely returned, the Today show reports.

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Parents seek holiday toys with long-term appeal

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By Dhanya Skariachan

NEW YORK | Tue Sep 27, 2011 10:49am EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Toy companies trying to win over choosy U.S. shoppers are under more pressure than ever to offer parents something their children will play with after Christmas, according to two industry veterans.

"With the economy the way it is, they are still going to spend on their kids," said TimetoPlayMag.com Editor-in-Chief Jim Silver, "but they are horrified of buying a toy, spending $50, and having it tossed in the closet after 10 minutes."

Silver and Christopher Byrne, the website's content director, have been compiling a list of hot toys for about a decade.

Their closely watched "Most Wanted" list released on Tuesday mostly features playthings that they believe can hold a child's attention. Items range from iStar Entertainment's $10 yo-yo like FyrFlyz toy that lets kids put on a light show to a $100 learning tablet "LeapPad Explorer" by LeapFrog Enterprises.

"Parents want value, and value can come at $10 or a $100," Silver told Reuters, adding that toy companies are increasingly offering marquee brands at a wide range of prices to win shoppers at the high and low ends.

Many are also using technology to boost the perceived value of a toy.

For instance, Spinmaster put 3-D graphics and animation on the trading cards in its Redakai game, while a stunt car by Canada's Thinkway Toys is powered by light. Both made it to the top toy list.

The list, compiled for the website www.TimetoPlayMag.com, gets close scrutiny from executives and analysts ahead of the holiday shopping season, when some toy companies make about a third of their annual sales.

U.S. retail toy sales are up just 2 percent from a year earlier for the 12 months ended July, according to market research firm NPD Group.

With such modest growth, cut-throat competition is a given.

Toys R Us, the world's largest toy store chain, has already broadened its assortment of exclusive products and plans to spend more on television ads this year, while discounter Wal-Mart Stores cut prices on dozens of toys to $15 and resumed its layaway plan for them after a five-year break.

Sears unit Kmart is trying to win sales by revamping its website, offering layaway and carrying toys they expect to hold a child's interest.

"You want your child... to open up the gift and just smile ear to ear, but at the same time, especially if you are the parent, you want that child to be playing with the toy all the way through January, not all the way through dinner and over with it," Julia Fitzgerald, chief marketing officer for Sears' toy business, said in an interview.

IN BRANDS WE TRUST

Toys from prominent companies such as Mattel Inc, Lego, Hasbro and MGA also made Silver and Byrne's list.

From Mattel are "Angry Birds Knock On Wood," a tabletop version of the highly popular game app for the Apple iPhone; the "Monster High Dead Tired" doll line that features offspring of famous monster characters themed on a pajama party; and the Hot Wheels wall tracks.

MGA's "Lalaloopsy Silly Hair Doll" with bendable, plastic hair, and Hasbro's Nerf Vortex blasters that shoot plastic discs instead of foam darts also impressed Silver and Byrne.

Smaller toymakers also made their mark.

For instance, WowWee is betting big on Lite Sprites, a line of playsets that allow kids to play with color and light with the wave of a wand.

One of Byrne's favorites comes from Cepia, whose Zhu-Zhu pets were the hottest toys of 2009.

Asked why he was so taken with the company's new "DaGeDar" collectible toys for boys, Byrne said: "I loved collecting, I loved competition and I was always in detention for bringing toys to school."

(Reporting by Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

View the original article here

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Italy parents fight to evict son

Venice court may be asked to issue a protection order for the parents An Italian couple have sought legal help to persuade their 41-year-old son to fly the nest, Italian media reported.
The Venetian parents, who have not been named, say their son has a job but refuses to leave home and wants his clothes washed and his meals prepared.
They have sought help from lawyers at the consumer association Adico.
Lawyer Andrea Camp said a letter was sent to the son, advising him to leave home in six days or face legal action.
If he refuses, lawyers will ask a court in Venice to issue a protection order for the elderly parents against their son.
"We cannot do it any more," the father was quoted as saying.
"My wife is suffering from stress and had to be hospitalised. He [the son] has a good job but still lives at home.
"He demands that his clothes be washed and ironed and his meals prepared. He really has no intention of leaving."
Some reports said the son had also become aggressive.
The couple turned to Adico after hearing of a similar case earlier this month in which Adico persuaded a son to leave home. After he left, his parents changed the locks.
Adico says hundreds of Italian families face similar problems getting adult children to leave home.

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