Remember when you were a kid, and your favorite stuffed animal was just that–a stuffed animal? And chances are, it was a bear.  Maybe, just maybe, if your parents were particularly creative and looked really hard to find something special, you may have had a puppy, kitten, or monkey. Well, let me just tell you:  your childhood was lame.

The modern era is all about multitasking.  With all of the many roles and responsibilities we take on, we need tools to maximize our time and make things easier.  No longer do we have a TV and a separate VCR.  Nope–we can record directly from the TV with a TiVo or DVR.  We can play video games and even watch movies from our gaming systems.  We no longer have phones and cell phones.  We have mobile devices that can be used for talk, text, photography, video, internet browsing, and more.  We have things to do, and we need them done quickly.  All-in-one devices and tools save today’s multitasker both time and money.

Just like their multitasking parents, kids today want toys that do more.  Hand Junior your beloved but ratty stuffed bear from 1979, and he is liable to ask you, “But what does it do?”  Poor Teddy McStuffins will be cast aside while your precocious Junior scampers off in search of toys that do something.

As Seen On TV toys have heeded the call of today’s complex, busy child.  Perhaps the trend began with Pillow Pets.  Sing with me now, “It’s a pillow.  It’s a pet.  It’s a Pillow Pet!”  The Pillow Pet solved an interesting problem for the busy child and parent who do not have time for clutter.  The Pillow Pet is a stuffed animal that converts to a plush pillow.  Unlike the limited stuffed offerings of your pitiful, unitasking childhood, Pillow Pets are available in a wide variety of shapes, including farm animals, zoo animals, sea creatures, sports mascots, and even licensed Disney characters.

The success of Pillow Pets has been so sensational that other infomercial toy makers are seeing the need for stuffed animals that do more.  Other 2-in-1 plush toys launched in the wake of the Pillow Pet phenomenon include:

• Happy Nappers:  2-in-1 stuffed animal and pillow; differs from Pillow Pets in that the pillowcase is actually a “home” for the animal
• Pawggles:  2-in-1 stuffed animal and slippers
• BlanKid Buddy:  4-in-1 stuffed animal, blanket, pillow, and backpack
• Cuddleuppets:  2-in-1 blanket and puppet
• Bottle Cuddler:  2-in-1 stuffed animal and bottle cover

These multitasking As Seen On TV stuffed animals allow you to do more with less, which is the goal of any multi-purpose product.  Relegate Teddy McStuffins to a place of nostalgia and get your kids a toy that does more.  After all, you don’t want some future blogger telling your kids how lame their childhood was,  now do you?

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