Abstract: A hand held remote controlled toy vehicle. The toy vehicle includes a motor that can be activated by a wireless signal. The motor is coupled to a drive wheel by a drive gear assembly. Activation of the motor turns the drive wheel and propels the vehicle. The drive gear assembly can be de-coupled from the drive wheel so that the toy vehicle can be manually propelled in a free-wheeling mode.

Abstract: A toy system that can be used in a body of water. The system includes a plurality of toy accessories that can be placed in the water. Placement of a toy accessory into the water activates the accessory to generate a signal. The signal is received by a base station. The base station generates an output in response to the signal. By way of example, the base station can generate a speech pattern. Each toy accessory may provide a unique code to the base station. Each code may generate a different speech pattern.

Abstract: An electronic system that includes a working surface and a camera that can capture a plurality of images on the working surface. The system also includes a control station that is coupled to the camera and has a monitor that can display the captured images. The monitor displays a moving graphical image having a characteristic that is a function of a user input on the working surface. By way of example, the graphical image may be a character created from markings formed on the working surface by the user. The system can then “animate” the character by causing graphical character movement.