Abstract: A housing supports a plurality of user depressible buttons including a question and answer button, a repeat or skip button and optionally a category select button. The housing further supports a multisegment liquid crystal display arranged in a linear arrangement. Within the housing, a microprocessor based circuit utilizes an associated memory and supporting apparatus such as display drivers to respond to the user pressing of buttons on the face of the housing to perform a series of question and answer operation. When the user presses the question and answer button, the microprocessor circuit assembles the next question from a stored list of questions and scrolls the question across the liquid crystal display. Thereafter, the circuit waits a predetermined interval for either the next pressing of the question answer button or expiration of a timed interval.

Abstract: A doll head supports a pair of retracting mechanisms which provide a rotating spool upon which a quantity of hair forming a hair bundle is wound. The retracting mechanisms are operated in response to the child user squeezing the extending portion of the mechanisms at the base of the hair bundles in a simulated hair-cutting action. Each squeeze of the simulated scissors triggers an incremental spring-driven retraction of the hair bundle thereby shortening the hair bundle and simulating hair-cutting. A releasable latch mechanism operative within the retracting mechanisms allows the hair bundles to be drawn outwardly to their maximum length to repeat the hair-cutting cycle.

Abstract: A recording and playback device that allows the user to record a desired message and then play back the message in either the order in which the message was recorded or in an order reversed from the order in which the message is recorded. The message is preferably stored in the proper, forward order and reversed only when reverse playback is desired. The message is re-recorded as desired, the previously recorded message being overwritten.

Abstract: An interactive toy in which a supercompressed sponge novelty item in an internal chamber expands or pops open a pop-open door when significant water is intoduced into the chamber. There is a water receiving device for water entry, which is connected to the interanl chamber so as to trigger a surprise expansion of the supercompressed sponge novelty items in the chamber. The supercompressed sponge novelty item, or plurality of novelty items positioned together or separately, expand to interesting size or pop open the door when the expansion becomes sufficient. The interactive toy may be in various forms, including a cookstove embodiment with expandible food novelty items including bread, rolls, cake, etc. or nonexpandible items such as a roast. Another form may be a guts-gushing monster with a belly chamber full of expandible entrail novelty items. Another form is a race car.

Abstract: A toy nursing bottle for simulating emptying of the bottle when the doll is "drinking" and "filling" the bottle from a can or the like. The bottle body is formed of outer and inner shells defining a liquid receiving chamber therebetween, a nipple member mounted on the bottle body and having a liquid receiving reservoir, and a valve that controls flow of liquid between the liquid receiving chamber and the liquid receiving reservoir. A rod extends from the valve member through the reservoir and into the nipple, so that it moves, when the nipple is depressed, to open the valve. Any surface on a container, such as a can, bottle or cardboard container or the like, may be used to depress the nipple to open the valve.

Abstract: A utensil which has a feeding end and a hollow handle. A holding element is displaceable within the hollow element relative to the feeding end between a revealing position, where an end of the holding element that is decorated with imitation food projects over the feeding end, and a hidden position, where the decorated end of the holding element is withdrawn and concealed within the hollow handle. A spring biases the holding element into the hidden position and a latch retains the holding element in the revealing position. The holding element enters the revealing position during withdrawal of the utensil from a toy container and enters the hidden position during insertion of the feeding end into a doll`s mouth.

Abstract: An impact-activated toy suitable for use in a child's crib which is capable of generating a series of melodies in response to successive impacts by a child spaced by more than, for example, ten minutes from the termination of the preceding melody. A momentary push-button switch for the mother's use is provided to cause the toy to generate a series of melodies in response to actuation by the mother when no melody is being generated or to stop the generation of any melody being generated at the time of the switch actuation.

Abstract: A mobile is rotated by an energy storage device to which energy is periodically transferred by a motor which is in turn controlled by an electronic circuit. The electronic circuit simultaneously controls a loudspeaker to produce a wide variety of music with variations in tune, tonal quality, key, tempo, and loudness.

Abstract: An educational toy for testing a child's ability to properly associate logically related symbols and teaching proper associations. The toy includes an area for displaying two groups of symbols in a predetermined array on a housing and two members movably mounted to the housing so that the child may move each member into alignment with a symbol from one of the groups. In response to manual actuation of a switch, the toy emits a first signal, indicative of a correct performance, if the members are in alignment with logically related symbols at the time of such actuation and emits a second signal, indicative of incorrect performance, if the members are not so aligned at the time of such actuation. In a preferred embodiment, the toy includes electronic detection and signalling circuitry, a programmed microprocessor forms a part of the detection and signalling circuitry, and the microprocessor may be manually controlled to act in other play modes.

Abstract: An apparatus for rotating a mobile. The apparatus has a drive means and a sound activated switch, operatively connected to the drive means for activating the latter in response to sound.