Youth and culture: In & out

Group, Nov/Dec 2002

neon colored duct tape family comedies hula hoops vespas

gray duct tape

edgy dramas

pogo sticks

designer logos return of the ring

Electronic Arts is debuting

video-game versions of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers just before the movie's December 18th release. The games include clips, music, sounds, digital effects, and settings from Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. On Sony's PlayStation 2 version, players can take the roles of Aragorn, dwarf Gimli, or elf Legolas, while Nintendo's Game Boy Advance offers players Aragorn, Legolas, Eowyn, Frodo, and Gandalf The adventure unfolds on 13 levels as players battle Sauron's evil hordes from the Mines of Moria to Helm's Deep.

imaginary friend

In Nielsen/NetRatings' list of top kid and teen Web sites, ActiveBuddy.com occupies the #2 slot. ActiveBuddy is the developer of SmarterChild, an Instant Messaging "bot" software that responds to users as if a real person were conversing. Once kids add this digital buddy to their Instant Messaging list (using MSN or the Web), they can ask about news, games, movies, or talk about how they're feeling, and they'll receive a chatty reply. Over time, SmarterChild collects and recalls personal information, allowing kids to foster the illusion that they're talking to a friend.

heads are rolling

Bobbleheads, those wobble-topped, miniature figurines from the past, are enjoying a skyrocketing comeback. According to Entertainment Weekly, "At any given time, more than 6,000 bobbles-including folks like Tiger Woods and 'N Sync--are bouncing around eBay." And now four-packs of Osbourne family bobbleheads are available... in nontalking and R-rated editions. What's next? Celebriducks-rubber ducks with three-dimensional faces of icons such as Charlie Chaplin, James Brown, and Snoop Dogg.