Recession Spells Extinction for Pricy Dinosaur Toys

The American International Toy Fair is right around the corner, and pundits are predicting that next Christmas will see some less extravagant playthings in Santa's stocking. Experts aren't quite anticipating the tin trolleys and raggedy dolls of the Great Depression, but according to this article in Business Week, steep price cuts on now-unaffordable toys are being combined with large-scale cutbacks in R&D.

What does all this mean, dinosaur-wise? Well, to choose just one example, Hasbro has dropped the list price of Kota the Triceratops--a walking, talking dinosaur robot that toddlers can ride on--from $250 to a bargain-basement $99. Other robotic dinosaurs also seem to be in the cross-hairs of corporate budget-cutters, who figure cash-strapped parents would rather spend $10 on a pack of trading cards than $200 on an animatronic T. Rex.