The toy industry sure isn't helping itself with some of the news stories that have taken place lately. Aside from the lead paint issues with Chinese factories, it's now reported that toys will cost more next year due to added safety measures – in addition to the usual markup from year to year.

Right now, analysts expect a 10 percent jump in retail prices after the holiday season. This is more than twice the government's measure of consumer inflation of 4.7 percent during the first seven months of this year.

If this is all in the name of safety, you really can't argue with the price hikes. Should these measures to ensure low levels of lead been taken of well beforehand? Of course. But it is what it is, and now we'll all be paying more. If you want a good grasp about why this lead fiasco started in the first place, Merry Dudley, editor of our sister publication Toy Cars & Models, has written a great editorial in the upcoming November 2007 edition. I'll get her to post it online so I can provide a link because I think she raises some good points.

And the holiday are fast approaching. There are some really cool toys already making a push to throw Elmo off the top of the list this year. We'll have our annual Christmas preview online in the coming weeks. I'll let you know when it's live.

So did you hear about the news from El Segundo, Calif.? It seems Mattel has decided to recall a high number of toys because of fears of high lead paint levels on the toys thanks to a factory in China.  The investgation is continuing as to whether the act was done intentionally or not.

Mattel has profusely apologized and stressed that it will get to the bottom of the problem so that it doesn't happen again. Here is what I don't understand. Are these toys tested before they hit the market? Some of these toys were available in April. It's August. Is testing done on the toys after they appear on shelves? Is there no self-testing done at Mattel? Are the factories free to produce them how they want and make the manufacturers check their safety levels? I have so many questions.

I would also like to know how much a kid would have to suck on these toys before the "high" lead content actually had an adverse effect. A lot of toys used lead paint in the past (not to mention paint used in homes) — was there a jump in health problems then? I'm not saying eating lead paint is a good thing, and I feel for those who have been affected. However, if the levels are small enough that it would take eight weeks of sucking on a toy for two hours a day to notice anything different, I wonder why that isn't mentioned in the news stories so people don't start a mad dash to the overreaction clinic.

Will my opinion change when I have kids? Probably. But right now, I see a lot of these recalls as a way to stay ultra-safe in an at-times unsafe world.

The winds of change in publishing are always blowing, whether it's a magazine changing formats, changing its angle of coverage of changing personnel. We've seen plenty changes at Toy Shop over its 20-year run, and I have another announcement to make.

My duties within F+W Publications, which is the proud parent company of Toy Shop, have changed. While I will still have some role with this magazine, the major portions of my dutues will have nothing to do with toys, as I will be moving to another division within the company. This move wasn't something I actively sought, though I am not dreadng the change. What I am hesitant about is leaving behind (again, not completely) something I have worked on for the better part of my professional career. I have learned a lot about toys, and even more about people in this job. The toy community is filled with excellent people, and I hope I find the same thing in my new surroundings, though it will be hard to match.

While I’m not sure just how involved I will be with Toy Shop in the days, months or years ahead, trust thatI  will guide anyone who follows to make sure the magazine is in good hands. Thanks for helping me learn so much about a great hobby over the years!

I was munching on my Cheerios the other morning when the Today show announced a massive recall of wooden Thomas the Tank toys from RC2. It seems the factories in China used a little too much lead when painting the toys. The ending of the short piece, however, revealed that one has been affected at the time of the recall. (But I’m sure someone is trying to get money now.)

Now I realize that lead-tainted toys is not the best thing in the world, but it seems as if today’s ultra-protective social watchers go a tad overboard with some of the toys being produced. What happened before all of these restrictions took place? Were kids developing massive ailments left and right in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s? Funny, my parents never mentioned anything of that sort. Heck, their homes and schools were supposedly death traps, too, but they seem to have survived.

I’m surprised that many of the plastic pieces found in play sets and as accessories for action figures haven’t had to be attached to large objects to alleviate swallowing concerns. And, boy, you sure can have any more toys featuring animals that “chew” their food.

I’m glad the world is a safer place, but sometimes I feel the powers that be are a little too controlling. In the meantime, I’ll keep playing with my blaze orange-tipped cap pistol so the neighbors don’t think I’m going hunting.     

So, did you hear the latest news surrounding toys that supposedly will be able to read brain waves? It's a few years down the road, but it's on the horizon nonetheless.

According to news reports, NeuroSky Inc. is hot on the trail in developing toys and video games that can read brain waves. One of the prototyes making the rounds at NeuroSky is a Darth Vader getup complete with mask, cape and lightsaber. However, behind the mask is a sensor that touches the person's forehead and reads that person's brain signals. These signals are then sent to a wireless receiver on the lightsaber, which glows or stays dormant depending on the user's thoughts. So I guess if you're thinking about taking down Darth Maul, it stays lit. However, if an ice cream sundae is on the brain, good luck protecting yourself against Stormtroopers.

This brain-reading technology has been used on athletes for quite a while. Apparently, this helps people maintain mental focus, and the idea with incorporating it into toys and games is to help those afflicted with hyperactivity disorder, autism and mood disorders. One of the first toy-related products using this technology is expected to debut in the U.S. at the American International Fall Toy Show in October.

Well, I've always been hesitant against people knowing what I'm thinking, but this could be rather fun. Many people have questioned my attention span, but now I can see the results for myself. While I'd rather there be a better way to improve mental focus than by playing games, if this can indeed offer some relief to those suffering from disorders, I'm all for it.

I'll be real interested to see how these technological wonders will work. I could be a test person. If I can keep my lightsaber lit up all day while at work, does that reflect my superior mental focus or the fact that I'll do anything to avoid any actual work? I suppose this is just the tip of the technological iceberg in toys and games. I just wonder when the teleporter will be ready.