Toys make it fun to be fit

It started with Dance Dance Revolution, that unusual video game that gets kids to drop their joy sticks, get off the couch and gyrate with abandon in front of the television.

Electronic toy companies, often criticized for fostering laziness that contributes to childhood obesity, are discovering that fitness sells. Some are creating products that encourage kids to exercise even while indulging their appetite for couch-potato entertainment.

One of the newest: Fisher Price's Smart Cycle, a stationary bike for the 3-to-5-year-old set that combines aerobic pedaling with educational video games.

Soon to come: miniature treadmills and pedometers for preschoolers. Even Back to Basics Toys, a catalog company that sells such classics as Pogo sticks and tumbling mats, will pitch a $55 item called "Get Off the Couch," interactive games for kids 5 and older.

"For better or worse, this is the future," said Jim Silver, editor of Toy Wishes Magazine. "It's your computer, TV and video system, and that is the road we are heading down. People evolve, and the manufacturers that are thriving are embracing the idea that this is the way people play, and there is no way to fight it."

Critics suggest these electronic toys hardly address the obesity epidemic, and may do more to promote sloth than fitness.

"These toys will not change childhood obesity or change lifestyle patterns," predicted Marianne Szymanski, founder and president of Toy Tips, a consumer publication that rates toys on four developmental skills: movement, thinking, personality and interaction. "Sitting on a stationary bike playing video games might give a child a few extra calories to burn but still encourages the problem to begin with."

What isn't debated is the public health challenge facing parents, children, doctors, educators and, yes, toy makers: Over the past 30 years, obesity rates among American preschoolers and adolescents have more than doubled, and more than tripled for children ages 6-11. Diabetes, high blood pressure and orthopedic problems in kids all are associated with the trend.

The phenomenon is complex, but cutbacks in school physical education programs and parental fears of letting children run, jump and ride bikes outside the home have played a role. Experts say the explosion of video games, which can keep children enthralled and inactive for hours, hasn't helped.

Fisher-Price recognized the dilemma, said Shehnaz Safiuddin, the company's marketing director. The toy giant behind award-winning Little People and Sesame Street toys developed the $100 Smart Cycle to combine learning with physical activity. The concept appealed to moms, young children and TV fitness crusader Richard Simmons, who has endorsed the toy.

With Smart Cycle, kids pedal the bike, watch TV and steer to maneuver around letters and numbers flashing on the screen. The toy also includes a joy-stick option so the child can stop pedaling and play games without getting tired.

"Sounds interesting," said Linda Mangum, a schoolteacher and mother of four who was shopping with her preschool boys at the Elk Grove Toys "R" Us store Friday morning. "But why not just ride your bike?"

Safiuddin noted that many parents like the idea of a toy that keeps kids occupied, especially on a rainy day, and that preschoolers like to emulate their older siblings and parents who play arcade and video games.

"This is not intended at all to replace the outdoor running around in the back yard, hitting the ball or riding your bike down the sidewalk," said Safiuddin. "There are different benefits to different types of play."

Szymanski, who tested the Smart Cycle, recognizes its potential as a hit with kids. Still, she said, the toy won't earn her top grade.

"It's a great option to a video game or any TV show," she said. "But with the money you are spending, think how many packs of crayons, chalk and Play-Doh you could get. Where is the imagination?"

Fitness-oriented video toys are not entirely new. Japanese video maker Konami debuted its Dance Dance Revolution in 1998, and has since created dozens of versions.

About the writer:

• The Bee's Dorsey Griffith can be reached at (916) 321-1089 or dgriffith@sacbee.com.