Abstract: A remote control toy includes a remote land vehicle which is controlled by a hand controller configured in the shape of a flying vehicle. The hand controller includes a switch for controlling forward and rearward movement of the land vehicle and a photoelectric tilt switch for controlling steering of the land vehicle wherein tilting movement of the flying vehicle hand controller causes steering of the land vehicle. The tilting movement of the hand controller for steering creates that appearance that the flying vehicle is following or chasing the land vehicle.

Abstract: A device for dispensing and holding artificial fingernails for decoration includes a housing having an upper work platform, and a plurality of magazine assemblies disposed within the housing. Each of the magazine assemblies includes a body for storing a plurality of artificial fingernails in stacked relation, and a spring biased plunger disposed in the body for urging the artificial fingernails upwardly within the body. The device further includes a slide having a plurality of slide members which are slidable through the respective magazine bodies for engaging the rear edge of the uppermost fingernail in each of the magazine assemblies and advancing the fingernail outwardly through an exit opening in the body of each of the magazine assemblies. The exit openings are disposed on the upper work surface of the work platform.

Abstract: A toy projectile launcher includes a body portion, two pairs of launching assemblies on the body portion, and a trigger assembly for actuating the launching assemblies for launching projectiles from the body portion. The trigger assembly includes a single trigger element which is alternatively operative for actuating one pair of the launching assemblies for simultaneously launching two projectiles or for actuating both pairs of launching assemblies for substantially simultaneously launching four projectiles.

Abstract: A collapsible playyard for an infant includes a pair of frame subassemblies and a plurality of collapsible connecting members which normally maintain the frame subassemblies in spaced substantially parallel relation. The frame subassemblies include knuckle joints which cooperate to maintain the frame assembly in an erected position, but at least a portion of which are reoriented as the connecting members are collapsed to allow the frame subassemblies to also be collapsed. The width of one of the frame subassemblies is smaller than the width of the other frame subassembly to allow the two frame subassemblies to be at least partially nested together and then folded in half to form a compact collapsed structure.

Abstract: A hand toy for improving the fine motor skills of a young child includes a central hub having a plurality of angled openings passing therethrough such that the openings do not intersect one another. The hand toy further includes a plurality of elongate rods each respectively slidably received within one of the openings in the central hub. The terminal ends of the rods extend outwardly from the hub and the rods are slidably movable relative to the central hub without noticeable friction. Each end of the rods has an enlarged stopper element mounted thereon to limit the sliding movement of the rods relative to the hub to prevent the rods from becoming disassembled from the hub during use. The hand toy still further includes a plurality of differently shaped and differently colored ring members which are received on the rods and slidably movable between the central hub and the stopper element at the respective end of the rod.

Abstract: A treehouse play set for use with action figures includes a tree-shaped base having a hollow trunk portion and a treehouse platform attached to the trunk portion, and further includes an elevator which is slidably movable on the exterior surface of the trunk portion between a first lowered position wherein the elevator is adjacent a supporting surface and a second raised position wherein the elevator is generally co-planar with the treehouse platform. The play set further includes a tree-growing mechanism disposed within the trunk portion to simulate growing action of the tree when the elevator is moved from the lowered position to the raised position. The tree growing mechanism includes a plurality of elongate branch members which are attached to the top portion of a piston which is slidably received within the trunk portion of the base.

Abstract: A packaging assembly for an item to be displayed, such as a toy action figure, enables a prospective purchaser to manipulate the item by means of an external actuator. More specifically, the packaging assembly includes a housing having a plurality of walls which cooperate to define an interior space, and an actuator assembly for actuating a movement of the item within the packaging assembly. The actuator assembly includes an actuator element which is releasably coupled to the item wherein movement of the actuator element causes a corresponding movement of the item to be displayed. A portion of the actuator element is accessible through an opening in one of the walls for movement of the actuator element. In a preferred embodiment, the housing includes a rear wall and a transparent blister which is mounted to the rear wall. The blister and rear wall cooperate to form an interior space in which the item is received.

Abstract: A device for propelling a game ball on a game surface includes an actuator arm which is manually depressible with a finger of a user for pivoting a pivot arm to engage the game ball and to thereby propel it on the game surface. The device further includes a restricting housing which extends around the actuator arm for limiting the degree of finger movement in a direction away from the actuator arm and for thereby limiting the amount of momentum which can be imparted to the pivot arm with the actuator arm.

Abstract: A talking electronic learning aid is operative for requesting one or more responses from the operator, receiving responses from the operator, and then automatically adjusting the level of difficulty of subsequent requests dependent upon the prior responses of the operator. The device consists of an electronic memory for storing a plurality of data sets, a speech synthesizer, a keyboard input device, and a micro-controller for controlling operation of the device. Each of the data sets includes speech data from which requests for operator response are derived, and further includes corresponding control data related to the appropriateness of operator responses to the requests. Each of the data sets preferably reflects a different level of intellectual difficulty. In operation, the micro-controller selects a first data set, and further randomly accesses a portion of the speech data of the selected data set from which a random request for an operator response is derived.

Abstract: A sound producing toy figure consists of a head portion including resilient opposing jaw members movable between open and closed positions, a sound producing unit including a speaker for outputting audible sounds, a push-button switch for selectively actuating the sound producing unit to produce audible sounds, a lever-type manual actuator for moving the jaw members between their open and closed positions, and a muffler movable between a first position wherein the muffler is spaced apart from the speaker so that the sound can fully emanate from the speaker, and a second position wherein the muffler substantially covers the speaker so that the sounds cannot fully emanate from the speaker. The muffler is pivotably mounted externally on the body of the figure and it is mechanically coupled to the actuator lever such that as the muffler is manually moved towards and away from the speaker, the actuator lever is correspondingly actuated to open and close the jaw members.

Abstract: A toy or educational device includes front and back covers, a spine, a plurality of pages, a plurality of pressure sensors mounted in the front and back covers and a sound generator connected to the pressure sensors. The pressure sensors are responsive to the application of pressure to an aligned location of a page overlying the corresponding cover for actuating the sound generator to generate sounds associated with both the location of the sensor which is depressed and the page to which pressure is applied.

Abstract: A device for launching soft foam balls includes a launcher body, a launching wheel having a circumferential gripping surface thereon and a restriction in the launcher body for urging a soft foam ball into compressed engagement with the launching wheel. The device further includes a manually operable rack gear assembly for rapidly rotating the launching wheel and a feed assembly for individually releasing foam balls so that they contact the launching wheel for launching them from the launcher body in rapid succession.