Abstract: A ground level water toy that can be connected to a garden hose and releases water when a player pushes down one preselected control member from a number of control members extending from the toy. The toy has a housing with an inlet that can be coupled to the garden hose, an outlet that can splash the players with water, and an inner fluid passage that provides fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet. The flow of water is controlled by a valve within the housing. The toy has a trigger which is coupled to the valve by a shaft assembly. The trigger normally maintains the shaft assembly in a down position, so that the valve is closed. When the trigger is activated, the shaft moves to an up position, which opens the valve and allows water to flow from the housing outlet.The toy has a plurality of control members that extend from the housing and are adapted to be moved between a first position and a second position.

Abstract: A hand held toy that releases a fluid when an external pressure is applied to a portion of the toy. The toy includes a cylinder typically shaped as a sword. The sword shaped cylinder has a handle portion that can be easily grasped by a human hand. The cylinder also has a blade portion that is covered by a soft foam material, so that the blade does not injure another participant when struck by the sword. Within the handle portion of the cylinder is a fluid reservoir filled with a pressurized fluid. The reservoir is connected to a valve and a valve piston located at the opposite end of the cylinder. The valve piston and valve are adapted to move from a closed position to an open position, when an external pressure is applied to the piston. Moving the piston and valve into the open position allows fluid to flow from the fluid reservoir, through the valve and into the ambient. The toy also includes a pump connected to the fluid reservoir, so that a user can manually pressurize the fluid.

Abstract: There is disclosed a football having an end appendage which is a long, narrow flexible sheet material, e.g., cloth or flexible vinyl, which functions as a tail when the ball is thrown or kicked and which provides directional stability for the football while in flight. When the football is thrown in a normal manner, the tail extends backwards, providing a slight drag to cause the back tip of the ball to align itself with the front tip, thereby resulting in the straight and accurate flight of the ball. The appendage can be fixedly or removably attached to the football, and for this purpose, can be attached with attachment tabs formed of hook and loop materials, commonly known as VELCRO.

Abstract: There is disclosed a racket having a perimeter frame with a tympanum stretched across the frame and formed of a flexible film tautly stretched within the frame, thereby forming a sound-reverberating and resonating ball impact surface, and a handle which extends outwardly from the frame. Preferably the film is transparent and bears graphics or printed matter. The racket is used in a game utilizing a soft plastic foam ball of an elastomer which is struck by the racket using one or more players who participate by striking the ball repeatedly during the game.

Abstract: There is disclosed a modified throwing object, such as a modified football or frisbee, and a corresponding glove or wrist strap or finger-band worn by each player. Both the object and the gloves or wrist strap or finger-band are covered with coacting elements which are preferably a limited amount of the material comonly called velcro. This material attaches to itself by its well-known design of fabric hook pieces gripping onto fabric loop pieces. The invention is so designed that then the object is held in a typical throwing position, prior to being thrown, there is interaction between the velcro on the glove and the velcro on the object. Upon release of the object during a throw, the bond between the velcro on the object and that on the glove, wrist or finger of the thrower is separated with a slight difficulty, thereby casuing the object to spin as it leaves the thrower's hand.

Abstract: An automotive doll that is activated by light. The doll has at least two moving parts, preferably the head, arms and torso of a girl like figure. Within the torso of the doll is a motor that is connected to a plurality of gears and cams that are attached to the moving parts. The motor is preferably powered by batteries that are connected to a light sensor attached to the doll. The sensor switches on the motor when light is directed toward the sensor. When the motor is activated, the torso, arms and head all move relative to each other. The parts move through predetermined cycles, such that the head, arms and torso rotate back and forth between two positions. The drive mechanism is constructed and arranged so that each moving part rotates through a different cycle. Such an arrangement creates a doll that can move into an almost infinite variety of positions, greatly reducing the mechanical appearance of the toy.

Abstract: There is disclosed a game where the players wear vests with Velcro.RTM. surfaced targets and are provided with soft elastic balls surfaced with complimentary Velcro.RTM. fabric. The players throw the balls at each other and attempt to stick the balls to the target areas, which can be assigned numerical scores depending on location and exposure. The players can duck or and try to avoid being hit and the player with the highest score wins the game. The invention also includes an elastic, soft ball formed of foamed elastomer which has a single through passageway along a diameter thereof and is partially covered with a plurality of bands of Velcro.RTM. attachment fabric which extend along great circle arcs on the exterior surface of the ball and pass through the internal passageway of the ball, thereby securely attaching the Velcro.RTM. bands to the ball. This attachment of the bands can be augmented by adhesive bonding between the Velcro.RTM. bands and the exterior surface of the ball.

Abstract: A toy car launcher includes a base which carries a combination of pulleys which cause a slide in an elongated track to be rapidly propelled down a track when a pair of handles are pulled. A car placed on the track is propelled by the slide down the track, gaining velocity until it exits the track and continues its travel. The track is hinged to ease transport and storage.

Abstract: There is disclosed a ball having a foraminous outer shell with an inner membrane which forms an interior closure within the outer shell and with a timer and a release mechanism operative to open the inner membrane and release its contents after the time on the timer expires. The contents spill through the foraminous outer shell, wetting the player who is handling or catching the ball at the moment of release. The timer is activated and the ball is used in a game in which it is tossed between participants who seek to avoid becoming wet when the timer releases the water from the interior closure of the ball.

Abstract: An outdoor game for a plurality of players who on a novel game mat having a flat playing surface which bears a plurality of position-identifying indicia. The mat also has a water distributor and a plurality of water spray orifices which are located at preselected positions on the surface of the game mat and connected to the water distributor whereby application of water under pressure to the water distributor forms a plurality of vertical water sprays about the playing surface. In the game, players call out particular commands to each other which are spontaneous or can be selected from randomly stacked game cards and which require the responding player to touch the location of the particular indicium on the mat, and to remain in contact with all previously identified indicia during the remainder of the play. The objective of the play is to disqualify players by causing an opposing player to become so tangled up as to fall, or to render performance of a command without falling impossible.

Abstract: There is disclosed an edge-lit multiple image display device. The device utilizes a plurality of internal-reflecting-light sheets which are provided in a stacked array. Images are formed on the surfaces of the sheets with a coating of a material that changes the density on the internally reflecting surface of its respective sheet. A light source is provided to illuminate the edges of the stacked array of sheets, with a light shield that can be moved to selectively direct the light to one edge at a time of the edges of the sheets in the stack. As the light shield is moved to selectively and alternatingly illuminate the edges of selected sheets in the stacked array, the images displayed on each of the edge-lit plates becomes illuminated, appearing and then disappearing as the light source is applied and then removed from the edge of its respective plate. This can be used to provide an animated display.

Abstract: There is disclosed a ball having a foraminous outer shell with an inner membrane which forms an interior closure within the outer shell and with a timer and a release mechanism operative to open the inner membrane and release its contents after the time on the timer expires. The contents spill through the foraminous outer shell, wetting the player who is handling or catching the ball at the moment of release. The timer is activated and the ball is used in a game in which it is tossed between participants who seek to avoid becoming wet when the timer releases the water from the interior closure of the ball.

Abstract: This invention is a game and a head piece for the game. The game is played by any number of players who take alternate turns wearing the head piece which is a hat-like device, that supports a container of water. Positioned in the base of the container are a number of identical removable pegs. The removal of one particular peg will release the water down upon the wearer's head. All the pegs are identical so the wearer does not know just which peg will activate the water flow. The wearer is rewarded one point for each peg he has removed without getting wet. The game is played in a series of rounds wherein each player takes a turn wearing the hat-like device and a game is won after one player achieves a predetermined score. The game score is kept on a score mat upon which each player has a movable token.

Abstract: There is disclosed a game board with playing pieces in which the game board is provided with a plurality of square bosses arranged in a waffle pattern. The playing pieces are each provided with a peripheral skirt about their lower edge and an offset shoulder about their upper edge. The bosses and playing pieces are square and are of the same shape so that the playing pieces can be stacked on a respective boss of the board and on each other.

Abstract: There is disclosed a power unit for twirling a jump rope about a substantially horizontal axis, as in conventional rope jumping, or about a vertical axis to provide an entirely new variation of the game. The power unit includes a stand with a vertical standard which supports a motorized drive with an output shaft on which is mounted a crank element. One end of a jump rope is attached to the crank element, which twirls the jump rope. The opposite end of the jump rope is secured to a stationary support, e.g., fence post, side of a building, etc. The power unit can also be removed from the vertical standard and seated in a recess in the base of the stand with the drive shaft vertically oriented, whereby the crank element is rotationally driven about a vertical axis. A short rope is secured to the crank element and a weighted element such as a foam plastic ball is secured to its free end. The players jump the rope as it swung around in a horizontal arc of rotation, thereby providing a new variation of the game.

Abstract: A toy slot car system which simulates off-track racing. The system includes a track, toy vehicles and remote, hand-held controllers to permit each player to control the performance of a preselected vehicle. The track has coextensive, deep slots which have their sidewalls lined with electrical strip conductors, and the toy vehicles have a posts that are received in the deep slots and that carry electrical wipers at their lowermost ends. The surface of the track is rough and uneven with severe undulations which simulate off road conditions and which cause the toy vehicles to be jostled and thrown upwardly, above the track surface during races. Since the slots are quite deep and the electrical strip connectors are quite wide, the cars can bounce over the track and loose all wheel contact with the surface of the track, without loosing electrical continuity with the track, thus creating a realistic simulation of off-track racing.

Abstract: There is disclosed a game for four or more players whereby the players are attached together by removably attached tethers, and then required to perform physical movements and maintain their attached relationships one to another. The tether straps provide a yielding restraint and the game challenges the players to perform certain physical movements without breaking this restraint.