back to basics...

three new additions to the toy hall of fame today: the skateboard, the baby doll, and the stick. though i love the simplicity of all the aforementioned items, the stick is by far my favorite. i mean, toys don't come more natural than a stick. no batteries needed. no small parts posing a choking hazard. no worries about toxic chemicals (as long as it doesn't come from a poisonous tree!) or concern with where it's made (grown?). and as an added bonus, the stick inspires creativity--from faux gun to magic wand we've seen kids of all kinds running around with them.

from the cnn.com article:

"it's very open-ended, all-natural, the perfect price -- there aren't any rules or instructions for its use," said christopher bensch, the museum's curator of collections. "it can be a wild west horse, a medieval knight's sword, a boat on a stream or a slingshot with a rubber band. ... no snowman is complete without a couple of stick arms, and every campfire needs a stick for toasting marshmallows."

careful of your eyeballs, kids!