A Phony Pony or a Big, Bad Bug?

Well, if you're the kind of parent who's looking for yet another something to keep the kids out of your hair, Hasbro Toys has come up with an answer, in the form of "Butterscotch". Be aware though, that the product is pitched directly at girls, so you're on your own if you need something for a boy.
This new addition to Hasbro's "Furreal Friends" is a pony that stands three feet high at the shoulder. If Mom or Dad pony up for the six "D" cell batteries required this fake equine can perform its endlessly repetitive tricks, including chomping on a carrot (fake one only), whinnying, turning its head in response to its name, and bearing the weight of your progeny, to a max of 80 pounds or approximately 36 kilos.
The part in all of this that goes zooming right over my head is why any parent would want to dump such a travesty on their kid. Where is there any connection to reality in this expensive sumpter? Where is there any concern for the environment in its endless appetite for batteries? Where is there any learning or imagination potential in this extravagance?
If, on the other hand, you're interested in fostering intelligence in you child, and you're willing to invest some time in them, there are so many wonderful toys available. I've written about others like The World's Biggest Piano Mat, and I've found another one to add to the collection. This one is for budding entomologists, or absolutely every kid who has ever looked in wonder or curiosity at an insect.
When my daughters were little, Santa brought them each a "bug house" one Christmas. Those houses were basically cylinders of fine gauge wire with solid bases and removable lids of bright orange. They were tucked away until spring and then they began housing residents. We played host to a variety of multi-legged guests, including several caterpillars that were given names and bade joyful farewells after they emerged from the cocoons they built in the temporary lodgings and flew away.
This year's latest version of the bug house comes from "LittleKids" and unlike the mind-numbing pony, it's a triple award winner. The "Big Bad Booming Bugs Electronic Observation Station" has won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award, Parent's Choice and The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval.
The bug de jour is placed inside the bug dome where a 3x magnifying lens allows your little scientist to see every detail of their guest. A microphone enables them to hear every sound made by the bugs, and if you put on the headphones, you'll hear leaf chomping like you've NEVER heard before.
The Station comes with a couple of drawbacks; one being in the form of the wait for spring. If you just can't wait that long, head off to the local pet store to purchase a grasshopper or two. You won't get the variety offered by the great outdoors, but it's a start. You also need to power this purchase with batteries, but in this case only two AA's will do the trick. Still, if the batteries on this one run out, you can still use it for viewing all the splendour that six-footed nature provides. If the batteries on the other travesty on nature run out, all you can do is sit and stare at a fake.