Unfortunately, from Ms Oppenheim's point of view, toy producers are putting chips into toys not to make them better, but simply because they can. The kid isn't stretched,'' he said. Melissa Williams, a toy analyst with the investment firm Gerard Klauer and Mattison in New York City, said that the opportunity for creativity is enhanced when toys can sing, talk or move. And Terri Bartlett, spokesman for the Toy Manufacturers of America, said that toys reflect society and society is technological. What we as adults can identify with is very different from what children identify with,'' said Ms Bartlett.
Children are so computer literate.
There's always an age gap,'' she said. Furby, an interactive soft toy that responds to pats on its head and tummy tickles by speaking in its own language, was very popular in Singapore in 1998 and 1999. Certainly, with its huge investment in chip-laden amusements, the toy industry must believe this is so. Copyright 2000 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.