Get in on the action - What's new? Holiday gifts galore - action figures and playsets

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Nov, 2002

Children's action figures used to be roughly broken up among superheroes (Batman, Spider-Man, X-Men, etc.), sci-fi characters (mostly from the "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" stables), and fiercely battle-hardened military types (G.I. Joe, etc.). Post-Sept. 11, though, a new breed of heroes has captured the imaginations of today's youngsters.

The Rescue Heroes collection from Fisher-Price, Inc., East Aurora, N.Y., salutes the firefighters, police officers, and other rescue personnel who perform so valiantly and selflessly. The Body Force figures ($7.99 each) include firefighter Billy Blazes, in full bunker gear, who twists at the waist when the button on his back is pushed, enabling him to aim his water cannon at raging fires; police officer Jake Justice, who can swing a battering ram to break through blocked doors or other barriers; diver Gil Gripper, in full scuba regalia, who can kick his flipper-clad feet and use a gripping claw to get at people trapped in sunken vessels; construction expert Jack Hammer, who uses his sledgehammer and chainsaw to build platoon bridges for rescuing flood victims or digging escape tunnels to free trapped subway passengers; and mountaineer Rocky Canyon, who, with his pickax and searchlight, scales sheer rock faces to rescue stranded mountain explorers. Of course, there are appropriate vehicles to help them rescue people, such as the 2-in-1 Ultra Light ($9.99) helicopter/glider/skimobile that can get them into just about any sort of terrain and the Earth Moving Vehicle ($9.99) with a powerful claw to dig through debris to reach buried victims and a basket to bring them to safety. The big item is the Voice Tech Police Cruiser ($24.99), which can carry two Rescue Heroes in the front and one on the back; has flashing lights, a siren, and makes engine sounds; and, using the Voice Tech versions of the figures, lets driver and passengers communicate with each other.

As long as your heart is pumping through one adrenaline rush after another, you might as well keep the excitement at a fever pitch with Fisher-Price's Imaginext Rescue Center Playset ($34.99). Its interchangeable parts can be reconfigured endlessly, allowing kids to create a different set-up and new adventure every time they play, as the panels snap together and can easily be rearranged to adapt to a child's imagination. The figures and vehicles are highly detailed to enrich the adventure. For example, children can pretend to put out a fire and save the day. Included are three rescue figures, fire truck, trap door, working water cannon, winch, spinning fire pole, and windows and doors. The lights-and-sounds module can be used for the truck or building.

G.I. Joe, from Hasbro, Pawtucket, R.I. has departed from the well-armed, enemy-destroying image of a lean, mean fighting machine to take on the role of saving individuals from disasters--man-made or natural. As part of the Search & Rescue Team ($29.99), aided by his faithful search dog for locating people buried in the rubble (the descriptive copy on the box even cites the World Trade Center and Oklahoma City's Murrah Federal Building), Joe bristles with flashlight, fire extinguisher, shovel and pry bar, radio, and canteen, instead of the arsenal of lethal weapons he once carried. In his Emergency Crash Rescue ($14.99) guise, Joe comes equipped with hydraulic jaws of life to cut through twisted metal and a first-aid kit complete with dressings, adhesive tape, and even intubation equipment for an emergency tracheotomy!

For calmer, everyday activities, Construction Jack from Link Innovations, LLC, North Reading, Mass., salutes "working class heroes, the tradesmen and women whose skill and hard work have built our mighty nation from the ground up, one brick at a time." The figures ($9.99 apiece) represent an electrician, carpenter, plumber, iron worker, and painter, each fully equipped with the tools of his trade, accompanied by a detailed history of the craft and such workers' current and future roles spelled out on the back of the box. More figures are planned following this initial launch, including ethnic workers and Construction Jill, who will appear as a painter, although we're sure feminists will clamor for more-demanding occupations.