THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, December 6, 1994 TAG: 9412060063
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DIANE TENNANT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Justin Barnes of Chesapeake wants a White Power Ranger and Tigerzord for Christmas. And a Red Dragon Thunderzord. And Tor the Shuttlezord. And the Micro Machine Power Rangers. And. . . get the picture?
Justin, like millions of children, wants the entire cast of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television show under his tree. His zeal brings a smile to the corporate faces of the nation's toy retailers, where the White Ranger is this year's hottest toy, bar none.
The fact that the $50 superhero is unavailable in most stores does not faze youthful fans who trust in Santa Claus. Nor does it faze Justin's mother, Kimberly Barnes.
She's been shopping for Power Rangers since May.
``Now you can't find them,'' Barnes confided. ``They changed the show this year, added new characters. That changes everything. It's like an all new series, all new toys.''
Which explains why the Karate Action Red Ranger, Jason, is available everywhere. He's not on the show now.
Toys R Us says the Power Rangers buying craze outstrips the Cabbage Patch frenzy of years past. ``Phenomenal,'' the company says of the phenomenon that's fueling the $17.5 billion retail toy industry in the United States. Toy sales are expected to be about 5 percent higher than last year, according to retail analysts, and Power Rangers lead the way.
Kay-Bee Toys is predicting, hopefully, that Dreamland Babies dolls will blossom into the next Cabbage Patch. For $27.99 your little girl gets a doll and an 800 number to call ``Nanny Annie,'' who will ask what the doll has been named and mail a birth certificate plus personalized jammies. For the doll, not for your darling.
Then there's Barbie, the buxom beauty who now comes in swimming, gymnast, bedtime, camping and anything-else-you-can-imagine models. $10.99 for Gymnast Barbie, who comes with bendable, movable body parts.
Not bad, compared with $39.99 for Jennie Gymnast. Of course, you get a lot more doll - baby-doll sized - and playing takes no effort on your part. Jennie performs flips and splits by remote control.
Moving on up the price charts, the radio-controlled Python - Truck? Car? Off-road vehicle? Whatever - with a pop-up water-squirting snake head on top goes for $59.99. For $74.99 you can get the radio-controlled Ricochet, a car with wheels on top and bottom so it keeps on going and going and going even when flipped over.
Those prices make you shudder? Then you'll embrace another hot toy, Nickelodeon's Floam, an indescribable modeling substance that costs $7.99 for a 5.6-ounce bucket. The playset, with molding machine, is $14.99.
Let's get even more reasonable. Your child, assuming he/she is an average American, probably wants action figures. Rejoice. There are loads of them in the stores (excepting Power Rangers), and you can get X-Men, Spider-Man or Batman for $4.99 or $5.99. Oh, yeah, Auto Morphin Red Ranger Jason, $5.99, is available everywhere.
And how about that Lion King? Roaring Simba, straight from the Disney movie, retails for $26.99.
Licensed toys, such as Power Rangers, X-Men and Lion King, are expected to account for nearly half of all toy sales in 1994.
Another popular item that your kids will eat up is the Dr. Dreadful Food Lab and Drink Lab. For $24.99, you make gelatinous stuff that looks like brains and gunk and then eat it. No joke. It's along the lines of Creepy Crawlers. There is also, if you can find it, a Power Rangers version of edible molded stuff.
That's right, Virginia, there really is no escaping the Rangers this year. Which should make Justin Barnes happy, come Dec. 25th. ILLUSTRATION: JIM WALKER/Staff photos
The White Power Ranger, here with Tigerzord, left, is the year's
hottest toy.
Gymnast Barbie has bendable, movable body parts.
by CNB