Back by popular demand: The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood's 3rd annual TOADY Award. Who will win this year's dreaded TOADY? It's up to you! Check out the nominees below and then click here to cast your vote.
Each year, the Toy Industry Association of America presents its annual TOTY (Toy Of The Year) Awards. So in recognition of the industry that has led the way in commercializing childhood, we have selected five nominees for the TOADY (Toys Oppressive And Destructive to Young Children) Award for the Worst Toy of 2011. From among the multitude of toys promoting violence and/or precocious sexuality and/or branded entertainment and/or electronic wizardry at the expense of children's play, we have selected these exceptional finalists:
Vinci Touchscreen Mobile Learning Tablet
Price: $479. Recommended Age: 4 and under
Can't wait for the day your child starts tuning you out for technology? Give your infant a head start with the Vinci, the first "iPad" designed especially for babies. The $479 may seem like a lot, but that's a small price to pay for the tranquility that comes when your infant is virtually lobotomized. Make dinner in peace. Better yet, go out for dinner. The Vinci's hypnotic apps are designed to guarantee that Junior won't even know you're gone. Plus, the Vinci makes lots of bogus educational claims, so you can join the company in pretending that screen time is great for your little one.
I Am T-Pain Mic
Price: $39.99 Recommended Age: 7+.
Worried that your seven-year-old is the only kid on the block who doesn't know the words to "I'm in Love with a Stripper" or "Take Your Shirt Off"? Remedy that with the I am T-Pain Mic. For just $39.99, this amazing microphone will transform the voice of your child to sound just like rap star and auto-tune aficionado T-Pain - and introduce him to T-Pain's lyrical world of misogyny, drinking and drugs. "A lot of kids don't have cellphones, (so) in order to reach everyone, I'm taking it to where it can be a toy," the rapper explains. Thank you, T-Pain, for your dedication and service to our children.
Monster High Ghoul Spirit Fearleading Doll 3-Pack:
Draculaura, Cleo de Nile and GholiaYelps
Price: 42.99. Recommended Age: 6+
Want to scare the pants off your six-year-old? Mattel's Monster High Ghoul Spirit Fearleading Doll 3-Pack will do the trick. And they're guaranteed to frighten the heck of you, too. Not because the dolls are ghouls and vampires, but because the company that gave the world Barbie packs so many damaging sexualized stereotypes into one creepy package. Behold the horrors of impossibly thin body types; recoil from the micro-mini-skirts, booty shorts, and fishnet stockings; shriek in frustration, because--in Mattel's world--girls are always relegated to the sidelines. Better yet, run screaming as fast as you can from these monstrous "fashionistas."
Monopoly - Coca Cola 125th Anniversary Collector's Edition
Price: $39.99. Age: 8-10 years.
Why give your kids the classic version of America's favorite board game when you can immerse them in an ad for Coca Cola? No more fighting about who gets stuck with the iron or the hat; choose from "collectible" tokens like a Coke bottle, Coke can, or a even Coke polar bear. Sign an agreement for exclusive "pouring rights" on Boardwalk...and collect 39 grams of sugar every time you pass "Go!" Recommended for ages 8 and up, even though Coke execs swear they do not target kids under 12. Type 2 diabetes sold separately.
So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen: Your 2011 TOADY nominees. Please click here to cast your vote help us determine which toy will join past winners Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Barbie (seriously!) and Nickelodeon's AddictingGames.com as Worst Toy of the Year.