Alexa, You're Scary

By C.J. Hirschfield

“Echo Dot Kids: It’s sturdy! It’s safe! It’s kid friendly! It’s transaction free!”

The Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) would add another line to that Amazon marketing copy: It’s a marketing device!

Amazon released the Echo Dot Kids Edition, a voice-activated assistant that the company calls “a smart speaker with Alexa for kids,” in May 2018. CCFC, which advocates for the end of child-targeted marketing, is countering with presentations to various groups and conferences around the country. I just viewed one such presentation, geared toward software developers, and I learned a lot.

A Gift Registry for Fairyland's Animals

By C.J. Hirschfield

Ever since we opened in 1950, animals have been an important part of Children’s Fairyland. Back in the day, we had alligators, monkeys, cows, pigs, peacocks, parrots, and sea lions. Now we have 18 animals, none of them carnivores: donkeys, sheep, dwarf goats, mini horses, chickens, ducks, rabbits, guinea pigs and a bearded dragon. They delight our regular guests as well as our field trip and summer camp kids. We even have a junior animal caretaker program that teaches foster kids to care for our gentle animals.

Today a special delivery arrived for the animal department: the very first items ordered from our new Amazon animal gift registry. We giddily opened the box containing one “Knotty Girlz Premium 9/16" braid polyester horse lead rope natural horsemanship w/loop” ($28.95, rainbow color) and one “Safari Soft Slicker Brush w/ Stainless Steel Pins ($7.88).”

Animal manager Melissa Tauber in her office with donated gift-registry items