Love-Hate Toysby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 19 Aug 2009 11:01 PM If I had to make a list of the toys I have a love-hate relationship with, Wacky WallWalkers would be at the top... the very top. As a child I adored the sticky, octopus-shaped goopy blobs that would "crawl" down a wall after you threw them against it. As a parent... not so much. Whereas I appreciate the fact that the toy is one of few that can actually survive repeated torture by unruly kids, I'm not fond of the way its sticky exterior attracts hair, carpet fibers and the occasional Fruit Loop, like flypaper. If you have never hurled a Wacky WallWalker across the room with all your might in hopes that it would stay up longer than your sibling's, then you are in luck. The ooey-gooey glob is making a comeback. But don't look for the popular toy at your local Wal-Mart. Rather, the slimy creatures are being featured as part of a kiddie peace plan to promote "toys not war." Ken Hakuta, the man who introduced Wacky WallWalkers to America in 1982, recently announced that he plans to dig into his secret stash of discontinued toy crawlers and give them to kids who send him their toy guns. Hakuta says he got the idea this past Easter after seeing colorful baskets filled with phony pistols and revolvers. Stunned by toy makers' audacity to pair violent hardware during a holiday that promotes peace, Hakuta devised his anti-gun campaign to get kids to take a break from destructive toys. Hakuta is collecting violent toys from kids around the world, including water guns, cap guns, rifles and even gun-filled videogames. The peace-promoting toy man will then destroy the violent trinkets and send out Wacky WallWalkers as replacements. If you want to rid your home of fake guns and get your hands on a mucilaginous blob that magically "walks" on walls, then send them to: "Kids Declaration 1441" c/o Jericho Communications 304 Hudson St. 7th Floor, New York, NY 10013. Personally, I love the idea. What about you? Related Articles: Would You Buy Your Toddler a Breastfeeding Doll? Bratz Gets the Boot from Schools Are You A Part Of The "Bratz" Universe? Dora the Explorer is Getting a Makeover: What's a Parent to do? Obama Girl Dolls Making Headlines Again Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantparenting tags User Comments Samual (11722) 20 Aug 2009 04:38 AMI think it is a good idea, our children aren't allowed toy guns, knives or swords, we don't mind swords but giving a manic child a two foot long destroying stick, not such a good idea! We take the kids to play school once a week, a little boy there has a toy knife and he goes around stabbing people with it, his mum and dad think it is funny and even encourage him. I have a love hate relationship with lego, Jamie refuses to play with big lego pieces but he can't put the little ones together, so you have to spend ages putting pieces exactly where he tells you. Then it all ends up smashed up all around the house, so you are pretty much guaranteed to tread on some at night or it gets mauled by the dog. Lego was my favourite toy as a kid, I have a little car that you had to save tokens to, there were only 100 made and to get one I couldn't spend any of my pocket money for months.  Michele Cheplic |
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