Fisher-Price’s iXL is a learning tool for young’ns that lets them read interactively, draw, look at pictures and play games—pretty much everything your kids currently do on your iPhone but without you having to worry about jam-hands. OK, the chunky clam shell gizmo doesn’t owe much to the iPad in terms of physical design, but the applications it contains line up pretty closely with those of Apple’s tablet. While Apple has evolved past the use of any input devices besides the ones attached to your palms, the iXL is a stylus-based gadget, geared towards three- to six-year-olds. There are six programs that come loaded on the device: story book, game player, music player, art studio, note book, and photo album.

I thought these were lamps with built-in alarm clocks, but they’re actually speakers from toymaker Funko. Not much info about them, but they definitely look like a great match for that Darth Vader alarm clock. [ Fanboy via Nerd Approved ] Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.

It’s 2010 and everyone is dancing . Well, maybe not everyone but at least Donny Osmond and Mickey Mouse, as I saw this morning at the unveiling of Dance Star Mickey , the newest plush incarnation of everyone’s favorite rodent. Donny Osmond, reigning Dancing With the Stars champ, was on hand to unveil the new toy which, I’m glad to report, actually dances really well. Mickey stands about two feet tall and packs a lot of gear that makes him wiggle his tail with surprising fluidity. He gets down in six styles, including soul, disco, and techno, but sadly there’s no fist pumping in that last one. But he does squeak out some suggestions while dancing to pump up his audience.

It only took 126 career hops — the first one being a soulless teen model — for Barbie to land a job as a computer software engineer. All we know now is that she has a dual monitor setup and a picture of Ken at her cubicle. Oh, and she uses Linux on the world’s smallest netbook. Gallery: Computer Software Engineer Barbie Barbie slides into the cubicle, becomes a computer software engineer originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

Apps are here to to stay, so we might as well get our kids on board early. That’s the thinking behind Wild Planet’s Spy Video TRAKR, a video-enabled RC car that can be loaded up with free, kid-created programs. Making its debut at this weekend’s Toy Fair, the TRAKR sports a camera that beams video back to a small color LCD screen on the controller. That video, or still shots from it, can be saved to an SD card for later perusal. But the real twenty-first century touch here is the TRAKR’s ability to run kid- (or kid at heart-) programmed routines that will be available as free downloads from the Wild Planet website. Out of the box, the kit will include an app for using the TRAKR as a motion-sensing alarm system, sounding a warning to intruders with its built-in speaker, as well as one for recording night vision video

This is actually wonderful. Barbie’s had 124 careers since 1959, ranging from Stewardess to Paratrooper. Today she gets her 125th: computer engineer. You can tell she’s smart ’cause she’s got glasses, and reads nothing but binary. Barbie’s latest career move is also significant for being the first decided entirely by online vote. Though maybe it’s not so surprising that the internet community was especially inclined to see a Bluetooth-rocking geektastic Barbie.

If there’s one thing I love more than my vinyl toy collection, it’s merchandise from my favorite mobile OS. Designer Andrew Bell convinced Google to lend him their mascot, resulting in 12 blind-boxed variations. Oh, how I love a blind-box! They’re available in cases of 16, though presumably once they get picked up by stores they’ll start being sold individually, thus the perpetual crusade to collect every single one will start, and you’ll spend all your spare time searching eBay for pre-opened boxes to complete your collection. It’s a slippery slope, believe me. [ Dyzplastic via Recombu ]

Mattel’s super small ” Stealth Rides ” aren’t making their official debut until the Toy Fair later this month, but for all you know the guy next to you could be packing one… right… now. They’re about the size of a credit card and the width of a cellphone, and with the push of a button they unfold into a remote control car. Apparently the Stealth Riders will come in five models: a “Batmobile Tumbler,” and four others that I immediately forgot about once I heard “Batmobile Tumbler.” How it works: the folded up cards fit into a small case that also functions as the remote control. Just slide the car out, pop it open, and go to town for up to a half an hour.

We haven’t seen too many notable R/C cars since Takara Tomy’s wall-climbing AeroSpider RC turned our world upside down way back in late 2008, but it looks like Mattel thinks it might just have the next big thing with its new foldable Stealth Rides cars. Like a Transformer that turn into a box, these promise to spring into life at the push of a button, and should give you about 30 hours of playtime on a single charge. Naturally, Mattel also seems to have a number of licensing deals lined up, with a Batmobile Tumbler being one of the five models that will debut at next month’s Toy Fair in New York. You’ll have to wait until August to actually get your hands on them, however, when they’ll run you $25 apiece. Mattel rolls out foldable Stealth Rides R/C cars originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 03:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

Last week Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy claimed that they had a soda-powered RC car in the works , and they have delivered on that promise with the ” Ene Pocket .” The car runs on Sony’s Bio Battery which, in turn, gets its energy from breaking down sugars like those found in soda and fruit drinks. Therefore, the efficiency of the car depends on the liquid used (apparently, grape juice is the best). Obviously, a toy like this is intended as an eco-friendly alternative to electricity, but unless you are sifting through dumpsters for the residue in Red Bull cans, all you are really doing is wasting food. At any rate, the car is still in the prototype phase, so there is no word yet on when it might actually be available for sale.