Willamette Week | Gift Guide 3

big kid toys
BY SUSAN WICKSTROM

Dude! I'm Ben Hurring
Dinky scooters look so ridiculous, especially when a grown person is riding one. But the California Chariot ($249, Thinker Toys, 7868 SW Capitol Highway, 245-3936, and 1626 SE Bybee Blvd., 235-2970) is a much more substantial rig that has platforms for both feet. The added stability lends the confidence to cruise down the steepest hill or even attack a skateboard park. The chariot has a hand brake as well as stoppers on the back of each platform: Simply pop a wheelie to stop quickly.

Speed-Tennis Anyone?
Many geezers can remember when ping-pong was a groovy way to pass the time. Others recall Pong, the very first video game, which featured a slow-creeping blip that you batted back and forth across the screen. Laser Tennis ($59.95, Sharper Image, Pioneer Place, 700 SW 5th Ave., 228-4110) brings the whole table-tennis concept into the 21st century. Now, the ball moves at the speed of light, backed up by electronic, tennis-like sounds and an announcer's voice that reports the score.

*A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Spying is totally against the laws of man and nature, but who can resist stalking the heavens? The EXT-125 EC Astro Telescope ($895, Discovery Channel Store, Pioneer Place, 700 SW 5th Ave., 223-0015) reveals details that only astronauts and astral projectionists can describe. See Saturn's rings, Jupiter's moons and Uranus. Even read the license plate on the car in front of your girlfriend's house a mile away--not that anyone would want to do that.

The Tribe Has Spoken
The biggest television hit of the summer was Survivor. Now your favorite Survivor fan can re-create the magic of the snake and the rat with a Playmobil Jungle Set ($64.95, Kids at Heart, 3445 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 231-2954). The fossil dinosaur dungeon cave makes a perfect spot for tribal council. Collect a group of Playmobil folk, name them after those annoying people in your life, then vote them out, one by one. Very therapeutic. Tiki torches not included.

Fly Me to the Playground
It's happened to everyone: You're taking a quiet, relaxing walk when you're suddenly attacked by a radio or gas-powered airplane operated by some maniac. If you know such a maniac, do the world a favor by giving Air Hogs Air Pressure Engines ($35, Bridges, 6559 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, 292-1311, and 402 N State St., Lake Oswego, 699-1322). These planes fly with good, clean air power--just pump 'em up and they soar more than 100 yards. Silence is not overrated when it comes to toys that fly.

If You Build It...
The construction gene runs strong in some people, but they don't always have a way to express it. Fill those fidgety fingers with the K'Nex Big Ball Factory ($157, Bridges, 6559 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, 292-1311, and 402 N State St., Lake Oswego, 699-1322), a huge construction set that presents a builder's challenge with 3,000 pieces. Amateur architects can build a structure over 5 feet tall; balls figure in somehow. This complex kit is a perfect gift for anyone who plans to quit smoking on New Year's Day.