Spike the Ultra Dinosaur from Fisher-Price a top seller for Toys R Us Black Friday

I've been reading on updates of the Black Friday phenomenon where all these buyers line up for great deals during the Thanksgiving weekend, and I wasn't disappointed. As expected - even with the economic slowdown, consumers still flocked to their trusted wholesale shops to find items on sale.

One thing surprisingly noted on CNN Money today was that one of the first things to go in ToysRus is the $139.99 Spike the Ultra Dinosaur from Fisher-Price, which is far from a cheap toy - if not it's pretty expensive. Parents must be getting ready with Christmas gifts. Taking the sale opportunity of Black Friday to get the best deals just before the holiday season



Here's a short description of Spike the Ultra Dinosaur from the Fisher-Price website

Meet Spike, the dinosaur that kids bring to life at the touch of a button! He walks, he stands on his hind legs, he blinks, his mouth opens and closes, his spikes light up—and you make it happen with the easy-to-use remote control! Spike makes lots of fun sounds, too. He growls, he snorts , he roars and more—he’s Spike the ULTRA DINOSAUR! Spike stands 27” tall. Requires 3 AA alkaline batteries. Rechargeable battery included (9.6 Volt) NiMH—a $25 retail value!

This makes me think, people do have money to spare when they perceive the value of what they are buying to be higher than the actual cost. Marketing and selling even in difficult economic times is still very important. Although it becomes more difficult for people to part with their money - for the right reason at the right time, they will.

Lego expands from Toys to Video Games

Lego usually partners with upcoming movies so that they launch the action figures or corresponding play sets just as the movie comes out. The advantage is that it piggy backs on the marketing campaign of the movie. The disadvantage is that when the movie hype dies down or when the movie stops showing in the theaters, the revenue from the toys also declines.

But video games have a longer shelf life and so in 2005, Lego expanded on its relationship with Lucas Films (it sells Lego’s brick sets based on Star Wars and Indiana Jones) by partnering with game developer TT Games to create Lego Star Wars: The Video Game, released at the same time as Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

United States Of America 2008 Presidential Election Results - Who Got Which States?

I don't think I've ever been this engrossed in any election, even one for the Philippines where I live. This has been one fo the best campaign runs. Both candidates were very entertaining. They both stood for something too. It's sad that the US economy is as bad as it is, I do hope the newly elected officials will live up to the standards of a world superpower as America used to be.

Mercedes Benz SCL600 - Drive With No Steering Wheel, No Pedals!

Here's the new Mercedes Benz SCL600



It's state of the art



The coolest thing about this new Mercedes Benz is that it has no steering wheel and no pedals either. It's driven with a joy stick just like one of those video games