TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children's Entertainment)
Contact: Diane Levin
617-879-2167(Office)
The 9th Annual Toy Action Guide produced by TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children's Entertainment), a national organization of educators concerned about the impact of media and commercial culture on children, provides a list of toys and trends to avoid as well as toys of value. It is online free at www.truceteachers.org.
TRUCE recommends avoiding toys that bring violence into rescue-related play, link non-nutritious food to play, lure little girls into focusing on teenage behavior, equate money and shopping with fulfillment and fun, use electronics to overstimulate babies, or promote young children's interest in inappropriate content.
Among the negative examples the guide lists:
- Hulk Hands with Electronic Sounds (Toybiz Worldwide, $20), marketed for children "ages 4 and up"
- Terminator 3 Movie: T-850 Teriminator Action Figure (McFarlane toys, $15), ages 5 and up
- Lil' Bratz Fashion Mall (MGA Entertainment, $70), ages 4 and up
- Leap Frog Baby Tad (Leap Frog, $27), ages 6 months and up
- Oreo Matching Middles (Fisher Price, $7), ages 3 to 7
- My Scene Chillin' Out Dolls (Mattel, $14), ages 3 and up
- Barbie "Shop with Me" Cash Register (Mattel, $40), ages 3 and up
TRUCE recommends toys that promote dramatic play and manipulative play with small play objects, encourage respectful, non-stereotyped, nonviolent interactions among children, allow children to determine play, and help children develop skills important for further learning and a sense of mastery.
Among the positive examples the guide lists:
- Boutique Bakery (Small World Toys, $42), ages 5 and up
- Superoctons (Galt, $20), ages 3 and up
- Solargraphics Kit (GeoSafari, $7), ages 4 and up
- Scrambling Squirrel (Ravensburger, $15), ages 4 and up
- Loopies (Small World Toys, $7 to $15), ages 2 and up
- Scratch Magic (Scratch Art, $5 to $15), ages 4 and up