TNP
AMBASSADORS
Blue and Pink toys This month the TnP Ambassadors discover that boys will be boys and girls will be girls!
The Ralhans: Do the Robot! Paul Ralhan is dad to Jaik (5) and Harry (3) and runs Glasstec Automotive, his own mobile luxury car windscreen replacement company in London and the surrounding home counties. You can get in touch with him on 0845 658 6545. “Robot (noun) a machine designed to replace a human being in performing a variety of tasks, either on command or by being programmed in advance.” I’m feeling a bit redundant. After putting the boys to bed last night, I used my ‘me time’ to watch the first Toy Story, alone. I
needed to identify with Woody, oody, especially in the scene where ere Buzz Lightyear makes his first appearance. “All right,, that’s enough! Look, we’re all very impressed with Andy’s new toy.” I quickly related fully to Woody’s sentiments, but in the real world, I currently find myself up against things. Firstly, this new “T-O-Y” is Jaik’s birthday gift from his godmother, Grace. The Playtech Logic Intelligent Robot is also remote mote controlled (read: real in Jaik’s eyes) which means it can dance, talk, walk, moonwalk, shoot foam discs (from its mouth!) and turn its head left or right, all at the push of a button. I’m beginning to question why I don’t have a laser! Only Woody’s echoing voice is keeping me from imploding with laser envy, “It’s a little light bulb that blinks!” Jaik used to love it when I did all those things, ALL those things, well maybe without the
WHAT THE KIDS SAY: Jaik’s best toy: Robots! Jaik’s wants: Batteries! Jaik sleeps with: LEGO Firetruck Harry’s best toy: WooWee’s Robosapien Harry’s wants: Fisher Price’s Octonauts Harry sleeps with: Golden Bear’s Iggle Piggle and six Mattel Disney Cars
44
remote control. OK, so my c moonwalk isn’t quite Michael moon Jackson, but it’s still ‘falling Jac with style’. w Let’s not forget who’s the grown up here, eh? I should be man enough to carry all this; I have the shoulders. Shoulders? Robosapien shoulders! Harry has his own robot! One with enormous shoulders. e Shoulders like giant Sh boulders, and a head as bou proportionately smaller to propo my existence is now them as m feeling to the boys. Oh look, Mini Robosapien, “can walk, has articulated arms, working hands and eyes that light up!” My eyes are beginning to ‘light up’ at the sudden increase in the number of triple ‘A’ batteries on our shopping list. Perhaps I need my own robot; I had a bit of a rummage to see what I could find. As the boys engaged their newfound conscienceless, mechanical devices into battle with each other, I found myself a dancing, ‘Party Animal’ amongst their stash of toys. I’m in a state of temporary turmoil; I need to reinvent some daddy coolness, and must do it quickly if I am to knock these plastic playthings off their perches. The ‘automated’ Panda professes to play and dance to the beat of my favourite music and requires three AAA batteries, which are, “not included”. I think I’ll go and make myself a cup of tea.
toysnplaythings.co.uk