Abstract: An improved windsurfing catamaran type vessel. The illustrated vessel has an improved steering mechanism that includes a relatively stiff but bendable plastic rod that is directly received within one or more guiding passageways or grooves formed in the plastic hull of the vessel. The plastic-to-plastic interface between rod and groove provides relatively low friction interengagement as the rod moves. The groove is open to ambient water, which will further reduce the friction. The rod has stiffness/flexibility characteristics that allow it to turn around relatively large radii while still being able to span relatively short distances without significant bending. A manual operative control member is pivotally mounted on the hull and connected to the rod in a manner which multiplies the force applied by the use; this provides the magnitude of force needed to move the rod with minimum exertion by the user.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for limiting the loss of carbonation from a body of carbonated liquid such as champagne within a container. The apparatus includes a container that has an exit positioned above the liquid. A pouring portion defines a passageway from the interior of the container to the exit. The apparatus also includes a control device that includes an elongated control section and a support section for supporting the control section in the passageway. The control section and the passageway are sized, configured and proportioned relative to one another so that the control section can be within the passageway with a clearance space between it and the passageway wall along the full length of the control section. This allows at least some leeway or latitude in the lateral or transverse positioning of the control section in the passageway. This also allows a single control device to accommodate manufacturing variations in container passageway size, and some different specified size container passageways.

Abstract: A doll and an eye assembly, intended for use in a doll, wherein the assembly comprises a combined representational eyeball and eyelid movable mounted relative to a carrier or retainer, and weighted, in such a way as to tend to occupy a first positional relationship with the carrier or retainer (such as "open") in one attitude of the assembly to the horizontal but to occupy a second positional relationship with said carrier or retainer (such as "closed") in a different attitude of the assembly to the horizontal. The assembly also includes a fluid pressure actuable control operable to displace the combined eyeball and eyelid from said first "open" positional relationship to said second "closed" positional relationship.

Abstract: A preschool play apparatus comprising a base having a wall defining a plurality of different shape holes. There is a translucent viewing window in the wall adjacent each of the holes. There are also a plurality of plugs or inserts having shapes which match the shapes of the holes. The child-user attempts to insert the plugs in the holes of matching shapes. When he or she is successful at inserting a plug, the inserted plug engages a mechanism which moves a picture up to the adjacent translucent window so that the picture is visible through the window. The base may take the form of a play telephone switchboard, with the plugs being attached to telephone lines or cords secured to the switchboard. The windows are translucent such that the pictures are readily visible without backlighting when they are adjacent the windows, but are not readily visible when spaced away from the windows.

Abstract: Toy mother and baby animal figures which simulate the giving of birth to the baby animal. The mother animal figure includes a hollow body having an interior chamber with an exit opening. An openable door is provided over the exit opening. The toy baby figure which is representative of an offspring of the mother animal is disposed within the chamber. The baby figure is capable of being collapsed, as by having multisection foldable legs which fold up against its body, so it will fit within the chamber. A conveyor mechanism is included within the mother animal figure and is manually actuable by the user to move the baby figure toward the exit opening while also opening the door so that the baby figure may be pushed out through the exit opening and thus be "born". After it is born, the baby figure may be expanded as by having its legs unfolded and it may be self-standing. The chamber may also be openable to permit replacing the baby figure.

Abstract: A play set comprising a three-dimensional doll figure and a variety of flexible, resilient clip-on pieces representing clothing for the doll to wear, vehicles and animals for the doll to ride in and/or on, etc. The doll has an original appearance, i.e. original clothes, pose, etc. The clip-on pieces may cover over portions of the original appearance and replace them in addition to adding to them. For example, original arm positions and a shirt may be replaced by different arm positions and a coat. Similarly, legs of a standing figure may be replaced by a motorcycle and legs positioned astride the motorcycle. In preferred form, the figure is bias-relief, having a flat rear surface defining a peripheral shoulder and the clip-on pieces each conform generally to the front of the bias-relief figure and have retaining lips that engage the peripheral shoulder.

Abstract: A surprise action game apparatus comprising in a presently preferred form a game board defining a plurality of pathways, one for each player, and each having a starting end and extending longitudinally therefrom to a finish line. There are a plurality of play pieces, one on each player's path for longitudinal movement therealong. The play pieces are adapted to be knocked over when engaged. The game apparatus further includes a knock-down unit which may be positioned at the starting end of any selected one of the pathways. The unit includes a movable wheeled toy striker vehicle and operating mechanism for propelling the vehicle along the selected pathway, but only after random or apparently random operation of the mechanism, to engage and knock down the play piece on that pathway. In play of the game, at each player's turn, the player places the knock-down unit at the start of his or her pathway and selectively operates the mechanism.

Abstract: A liquid activity toy having a housing with one or more reservoirs into which the child user can introduce a liquid, such as water, to operate one or more actuators to cause one or more actions or activities to occur. One of these activities is the rising of an object to a position outwardly of the toy housing and thereafter a dropping of the object back into the housing, and where this object may represent a growing of a toy flower. Another activity which may occur by the introduction of water is the rising up of another object such as a toy animal and which may thereafter drop back into the housing of the toy. A third activity which may occur upon the introduction of water into the toy is the movement of an object representative of a toy animal or insect in a circular path as to represent a flying bee. The various actuators which cause the activities to occur are designed so that only a small amount of water which may be free flowing water is required to cause the desired activity.

Abstract: A movable amusement toy in the form of a vehicle adapted for pulling, and which is also provided with a seat for a user to push the vehicle with his legs while sitting on the same. The vehicle could also be adapted for pedalling action. A "popper" or ejecting mechanism provides an action or ejecting or "popping" balls or similar objects into a chamber formed by a transparent cover on the toy vehicle during movement. The chamber transparent cover is highly visible to a child as the child rides or pulls the toy. The ejecting mechanism includes a head which is capable of simultaneously popping several of the balls or similar objects from a trough formed beneath the housing and is actuable through mechanical connection to the wheels of the vehicle so that rotation of the wheels during movement of the toy will actuate the mechanism to pop the various balls or similar objects.

Abstract: A competitive game device which comprises a frame having a rippled playing surface. The rippled surface is formed by a plurality of transversely extending spaced apart recesses separated by arcuately shaped transversely extending ridge portions. The various recesses are assigned scoring values and certain of the recesses also have higher scoring values than other recesses. Each player may have a plurality of balls bearing his indicia. For example, the balls of each player may be a different color. A ramp leads downwardly to the first recess and the players take turns releasing balls down the ramp and onto the rippled playing surface. In a preferred form, the values of successive recesses initially increase; however, if a player's ball goes past the highest value recess, he will get a lower score, by virtue of the ball landing in a lower scoring recess or other area such as a gutter.

Abstract: A three-dimensional toy representation of a figure such as an animal, e.g. a goat, which includes an outer body and a head pivotally mounted on the body which may be manually shifted between an upright and a lower position. The head includes an opening representative of a mouth and a conveyer mechanism inside the body extends into the head and has a portion located close to the mouth opening. Articles representative of solid or relatively solid "food," such as carrots, tin cans, etc., can be introduced into the mouth. The articles may be physically grasped by the conveyer mechanism and moved into an interior compartment. A portion of the path of movement of the articles may be upward or partially upward. The conveyer mechanism can be operated by manually actuating a portion of the animal figure, such as reciprocatively shifting a tail thereon.

Abstract: A competitive toss game where each player has tossable play objects such as bean bags and there is a target apparatus with one or more receptacles each having a pivotally mounted flippable lid. Each lid is provided with an opening large enough for a bean bag to be tossed directly into the associated receptacle. The bean bags of each player bear an encoding or indicia, with the indicia being different for each player. Thus, the bean bags of one player may be one color and the bean bags of the other player may be a different color. The lids have different indicia on each side, the indicia on one side matching the indicia of one player's bean bags, the indicia on the other side matching the indicia of the other player's bean bags.

Abstract: A toy milkable figure representative of an animal of the type capable of dispensing milk. The figure has a pivotally mounted head which may be pushed downwardly from an upper position to a lower position where a mouth opening in the head is immersed in liquid. The figure has a pivotally mounted tail which may be pumped up and down to create a liquid pumping action. The figure has an udder that forms a liquid holding chamber and has one or more flexible and squeezable teats. When the head is lowered into the liquid supply and the tail pumped, liquid is drawn into the mouth opening and delivered into the udder chamber. A liquid intake limiting mechanism causes the head to automatically raise out of the liquid after a predetermined amount of pumping.

Abstract: A game which includes a downwardly inclined primary pathway or track. The track may be serpentine and a first player attempts to roll an object such as a marble down the track. One or more interception devices are positioned along the track. These devices may take the form of a movable striker which will move, when actuated, into the path of a marble moving down the track. The striker may be operated by the opposing player through a manually actuatable control mechanism. The second player attempts to intercept the ball of the first player and divert it into a secondary pathway. The scoring of the game may depend on the ball reaching the end of the primary track or being intercepted and diverted into a secondary pathway. Preferably, the apparatus includes a pair of the inclined primary tracks leading and inclined downwardly in opposite directions.