Top 10 List | Top Ten Lists

There are always two sides to the same story and the perfect examples for this idiom are clowns. While some people perceive them as funny and the silliest form of entertainment possible; for others, the clowns are those downright creepily painted individuals who are constantly the prime fuel of their nightmares. However, clowns are not the only disturbing elements from the children entertainment industry and a glimpse at some of the toys and games available in the past decades stands proof of that. In fact, some of the Top 10 toys developed within this time frame are so unsettling that it makes you wonder what the designers were actually thinking. Let’s elaborate!

1. The man of 1,000 faces or Hugo, as friends like to call him

Could you imagine something creepier than a Laugh A Lot doll’s expression, Bank Face’s figure and the Russian Matryoshka dolls’ spine-chilling stare put together? If not, then meet Hugo the doll that looks especially built to incorporate the creepiest aspect of all figurines on the planet. And, since the facial expression wasn’t creepy enough to keep you up at night, Hugo also has some sinisterly atrophied hands that will do the trick.

2. The lookalike dolls, courtesy of Japan

When it comes to weird ideas and bizarre toys, Japan simply has no competition. One of their most outstanding “masterpieces” is the lookalike doll, a toy that imitates your voice perfectly and that also has your face on it. Frankly, unless you order a real size lookalike doll that you intend to use it as a decoy for a potential assassin, it’s hard to imagine the reasons why such an adult toy actually exists.

3. Binoculars in the form of a stuffed dog head

What would you do if the war was over and you had a whole pile of gas mask that you want to get rid of? Simple, you would just attach them to a stuffed animal head and sell them to children as toys. Since every parent loves to dress his child in animal-inspired clothes, why not take things to the next level an offer them the real deal: a pair of binoculars that look like a disembodied puppy head. At least, this is the only explanation I could come up with after seeing these “binoculars”.

4. Blippy, the alien that will scare the pants off any jack-in-the-box

In case your toddler has grown accustomed to the classic jack-in-the-box and he/she is not scared anymore whenever Jack pops out, then it’s time to move to next level and get him a Blippy. The purple color, the spine-chilling eyes and that expressive smile constitute the perfect cocktail to make certain your child will be traumatized for life.

5. Eviscerate-Me Erwin or the how-to-become-a-serial-killer doll

Well, the little patient known as Erwin is a great toy for any parent who would be proud to raise a sociopath or, if they’re “lucky”, a notorious serial killer. Granted, parents should encourage children’s talents and support them. However, provide them a toy that is basically saying it’s OK to cut something open and who knows, maybe you’ll find him/her operating on your cat one day. Wouldn’t you be swelling with pride proud when he tells the story of how he/she sliced open that hooker on a remote country road to his federal prison buddies?

Kids love taking things from their parents without permission. They sometimes forget to give the items back as well.

Alternatively, many parents never get rid of their kids. The kids keep coming back and taking things from their parents’ home.

Here are just 10 things kids steal (meant take) from their parents without asking. I hope many of you understand that when I speak of kids, I am talking about the kids that grow up and move out.

1. Food:

Many parents still find their kids crawling back into their house and taking food from the refrigerator. Many kids are used to having someone cook for them. When living on their own, the responsibility becomes theirs. Many are lazy and just enjoy eating out. The only problem with that is money. They then turn to their parents to help them.

2. Furnishings:

The motto here is…if they like it…they take it. If they like something they see at their parent’s house, they try to take it. From carpets to cup holders, kids love to collect furnishings from their parents’ house to their own house.

3. Appliances:

Kids love having parties. They thus borrow appliances such as barbecues and toasters from their parents. The only problem is that they become Homer Simpson and never return it or just forget about it.

4. Electronics:

The first thing kids take with them is electronics. From boom boxes to televisions to stereos, kids love taking electronics. They figure that their parents hardly would need them. They thus borrow the electronics for an unknown period of time.

5. Money:

There have been cases where kids would come to the home take money from their parents’ wallets/purses. They would not announce it until they are out the door. One parent quoted their son as saying “Mom I need $20, I’ll pay you back.”

Here is a list of 10 secrets kids/teenagers keep from parents. Kids and teenagers are becoming tactful and some of these do work.

1. Smoking:

Teenagers nearly always hide their smoking habits from parents. They would hate to know the consequences of their actions. One girl hid in people’s cars outside her house to prevent her mother from seeing.

2. Sex:

Teenagers almost never admit to parents when they have sex for the first time. I know one 15 year old who never told her mother she was pregnant until 7 months into her pregnancy. The mother never put the pieces of the puzzle together.

3. Bullying:

If children are being bullied, they will not always be read to admit it. In fact, many bullies threaten their victims to keep silent. You need to watch for signs of bullying to know when kids keep secrets.

4. Damage:

If kids/teenagers damage an item that is not theirs, they almost always fail to admit it. I know a 16 year old who scratched a kitchen table and only told his parents the year after. He wanted them to cool down.

5. Tests:

If a kid failed his/her test, they will never admit it. They would always try to hide the test. In fact many students would forge their parents’ signature to keep the secret even more.

Many parents leave it up to teachers and other educators to teach children proper manners. It is the job of the parents to do preliminary education with their children. Here are the top 10 things they would need to teach their children at a young age. The younger the better!

No insults intended, but the follow 10 things to teach kids should be made into laws across the world.

1. Respect for Elders:

How many times did we hear these statements from children: You’re not my mother! You’re not the boss of me. No matter who the individual is, children should have respect for them. It’s the role of the parent to teach that to their children. Otherwise, children would run into problems every time a child is being taught a lesson or two outside of the house or outside of the nuclear family.

2. Wash Hands:

This is very important to teach and to model to children. Washing hands could eliminate germs and can eliminate anyone being sick. With viruses such as H1N1 and SARS being deadly it is important for all children to know how to wash their hands. It should not just be taught at school, it should be emphasized and reinforced at home as well.

3. Please and Thank you:

The problem here lies sometimes in the parents and elder siblings. Children pick up on things quite fast. If for example, a parent forgets to say thank you, they child will find it is a useless word to use. Be consistent and emphasize politeness for children.

4. Table Manners:

This should be part of the grade 1 class curriculum and part of a child’s upbringing. When you sit at a table, do not use your hands to pick up food, chew with your mouth closed and wait for others to sit down before starting to eat. Constant nagging can be eliminated if children were taught table manners during their early upbringings. Teachers could reinforce this in the classroom as well.

5. Keep hands and feet to yourself:

Role-modeling is one problem parents face. Children are greatly influenced by parents and their elderly. If their parents or other elders use violence to solve their problems, children will copycat them. Parents should always emphasize “keep hands and feet to yourself at all times”. If they fail to see why they need to role model, they should examine the Bobo doll experiment by Albert Bandura.

Don’t you hate when your child does something gross? Which parent’s mouth would not drop to hear their child say something they never expected them to say? We all have. The reality is that many children pick up on bad habits and addictions. Here are just 10 worst habits children have. As parents, we should adjust our parenting styles to ensure these habits are eliminated.

1. Picking their noses

This is a disgusting habit children have and sometimes carry to their adulthood. North American children created a song for those who pick their noses, “circle, circle dot, dot, now I got the coodie shot.” Those coodies in the nose are there to protect the child/adult from viruses and infections. Always have a tissue to clean the finger and try to divert the child’s attention away from the habit.

2. Scratching behinds

There is a saying that stipulates that children have needles in their behinds. Something is scratching all the time and makes them move around. Scratching behinds, similarly, is another habit that is done in the home and on the street. Gross.

3. Thumb sucking:

This habit begins when the child is a baby. They usually gain this habit because of teething issues. If your toddler is still sucking their thumb, parents should gradually teach them not to. Otherwise, all the bacteria on children’s hands are going into their mouths.

4. Bad Language:

Children pick up cues and language of adults fast. Albert Bandura’s experiment with the Bobo doll is an example of that. If a child hears parents use bad language, they are prone to repeat it in their day to day conversations.

5. Eating junk food:

Children are prone to be addicted to fast food. Just look at the streets in Canada and the United States and you will see what I am talking about. Obesity is on the rise. Some children prefer burgers made by fast food restaurants over homemade ones. That is usually no fault other than the parents who spoil them.

Don’t you really hate it when you sound like a broken record, you say things without thinking and as soon as it is out of my mouth, you are tired of hearing it too.

We all do it. We repeat the same phrase over and over, and for some reason we expect the kids to respond. But they don’t hear us – they hear the teacher’s voice from Charlie Brown instead.

Let’s examine some of these popular phrases we need to repeat.

1. “You’re grounded”:

Name me one child who has not heard this phrase before. No one is perfect and everyone has made one mistake or two. Mistakes do come with consequences. The consequence may lead to 1 or 2 days/weeks/months without TV and other privileges.

2. “Money Does NOT Grow On Trees”:

Children are demanding…sometimes too demanding. Many parents do not have millions of dollars to pay for their children’s luxury items. They thus use this phrase to teach their children the value of money. In my opinion, the phrase hardly works.

3. “You are such a sweetie pie”:

I heard many parents use this phrase on their children under the age of 10. Many children love to hear this phrase. This usually is when the children could manipulate the parent to get what they want.

4. “Don’t touch this”:

Fearing things will break, parents use this phrase. Many parents also fear that children would hurt themselves, if they touch knives and other sharp items. This phrase is thus a precautionary measure which is in the child (ren)’s best interest(s).

5. “Use your Indoor Voice”:

Kids are parents’ pride and joy. When kids get excited, they forget that they are indoors. They would sometimes scream and shout without noticing the decibel level of their voice. This even happens when the person, they are speaking to, is standing right next to them.

Proper Term: “SHHHHHH….)

As kids, we all loved reading books. Books are the medium through which the thoughts of a child and his character can be molded. Therefore reading the correct kids’ books becomes very important. There are thousands and thousands of children’s books available in book stores and in libraries. It is a big task for parents to find the best book that can be a value addition for the child and can interest him as well. To make your task easier given below is a list of the top 10 children’s books writers. Be sure that your child will love reading their books.

1. Kevin Henkes:

He is a successful illustrator and author of children’s books who has won the Caldecott Medal and the Newbery Honor in these two fields. ‘Kitten’s First Full Moon’ was one of his most famous books ever written. He also writes for young – adult fiction and many of his stories are based on his own life experiences.

2. Patricia Polacco:

She too is an illustrator and author of children’s books. The books contain beautiful culture, simple language and great illustrations making her books a must read for children and young kids. Some of her works are Chicken Sunday, Thank You, Mr. Falker and My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother; to name just a few.

3. Eric Carle:

His most famous children’s book has been ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ which has been translated into almost 48 languages. His first story illustration was ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?’ which was a huge bestseller. The illustrations used by him were very different, normally made of hand – painted papers and converted into beautiful images. His books bring out his love of nature. His books are not only entertaining but also full of knowledge and learning.

4. Beatrix Potter:

She created the famous Peter Rabbit character from the book ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’. She had to stay at home and learn music and fine art, while her brother was sent to school. Her collection of books includes – The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher, The Tale of Two Bad Mice and The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle.

5. E.B. White:

This author of children’s books was born in New York. He has written many novels for children which include some famous names as Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan. As guessed correctly many of his novels have been turned into big animation flicks that have done exceedingly well at the box – office.

Deciding the top ten toys for kids can be a daunting task. Many aspects of the toy have to be kept in mind. The prime focus is on safety, then its educational value, the durability and of course the price. Boys and girls definitely have different choices. A normal decision would be Soft toys for girls and action heroes for the boys. It usually isn’t that simple. Weapons head the list although some parents frown upon these. Remote controlled toys are very popular. Construction blocks and coloring books for the younger kids are also hot favourites. Keeping all that in mind here is the top ten list of toys for kids:-

1. Lego City Airport

It is a wonderful toy from Lego. The Lego brand has been issuing brick based toys for the last sixty years. This new addition in the form of Lego City Airport is very popular with kids and parents. Parents can help their kids build the airport terminal, Control tower and the jet plane itself. The terminal has revolving doors and a check in counter. There is an X-ray machine for the luggage and five small figurines. The five figurines are a pilot, a passenger, a service man, flight attendant and steward. There is also a baggage car.

2. Power Wheels Jeep Rubicon and Power Wheels Barbie Jammin’ Jeep

These two models are the favourites of both boys and girls. The Jeeps are powered by a twelve volt battery. The Jeeps are two speed and also have a reverse mode. The Jeeps have large treaded tyres and have grab bars for easy access and egress. These jeeps can drive at the speed of 5 mph but can be set at a safer speed of 2.5 mph. The battery of course is rechargeable.

3. Syma S 107 Remote Controlled Helicopter

This is a very popular toy with both boys and girls. The helicopter has excellent take off and landing capabilities. It can go up, down, right and left. This helicopter has two rotors placed on top of each other. It is a coaxial helicopter. The toy comes in three bright colours of red, blue and yellow. The helicopter is very sturdy because of its metal frame. The helicopter can fly up to eight minutes after every charging. It is the perfect toy for both adults and children. The remote requires six AA batteries. The helicopter can be recharged in half and hour.

4. Sing-A-Ma-Jigs

Fisher Price has come up with this hot seller. This has received the Toy of the Year Award for the year 2011 by the Toy Industry Association. This is an interactive stuffed toy in animal shapes which children can use to replay songs at their own pace and volume. The toys come in bright colours including red, blue, yellow and purple. There are twelve different versions in all and identified by unique colours and individual songs for each colour. Thus the orange bear sings, ‘on top of old smokey’ and the purple dog sings, ‘Oh Susanna.” If held together these soft toys magically harmonize with each other.

5. The Nerf Blasters

Perhaps you frown upon the purchase of toy guns but these sell like hot cakes. These are extremely colourful machine guns with soft bullets. These plastic guns come in so many shapes and sizes that it is hard to make a decision as to which one to buy. These are manufactured by Hasbro. The guns can be single shot or automatic firing at sixty shots per minute. They are very popular toys for boys who like to pretend they are commandos out on a raid and tag each other with the bullets. The Nerf Blasters come as hand held guns or machine guns mounted on elaborate stands.

Baby Products are one of the most purchased products in the world. Baby product is a wider term which would include everything that a baby would likely to use. There are companies who specialize in the baby care products. When it comes to our kids or specially an infant, we tend to be extra selective and cautious to choose any product for them. This behaviour of us has led to the new and booming retail business, the Baby Care Product. There are a number of companies who manufactures and sell the Baby Care Products, but who do you think are the best? Here is a list pulled out exclusively for you to know the top ten Baby Care Products manufacturer in the world –

1. Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co. is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in Ohio. It is a conglomerate that manufactures a wide range of consumer goods. It is 5th in Fortune’s Most Admired Companies 2011 list. P&G is credited with many business innovations including brand management and the soap opera. Procter & Gamble is a leading member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a Washington D.C.-based coalition of over 400 major companies and NGOs that advocates for a larger International Affairs Budget, which funds American diplomatic and development efforts abroad. P&G is a leading manufacturer of baby products and is present almost everywhere in the world.

2. Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is a global American pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Johnson & Johnson is one of the leading baby products manufacturers in the world. J&J products are highly popular in the South East Asia and are hugely popular in India. The J&J baby product ranges from the baby soap to baby clothing. They manufacturer almost everything for babies and is indeed one of the top manufacturers of baby products.

3. Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. This is another big manufacturing company which produces baby products. The ace product of Kimberly-Clark Corporation in this segment is the Huggies. Huggies is probably the pioneer in baby dippers and is the leading baby dipper brand in the world.

4. Nestlé Carnation Infant Nutrition

Nestlé is one of the largest food and nutrition companies in the world, founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. The company grew significantly during the First World War and following the Second World War, eventually expanding its offerings beyond its early condensed milk and infant formula products. Today, the company operates in 86 countries around the world. Nestle’s baby food products are probably the best in the market and it has a high market share in the baby food sector.

5. Mead Johnson Nutritionals

Mead Johnson & Company is a company which was majority owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb after an acquisition in 1967 but in 2009 was spun off as an independent firm. Mead Johnson is a major manufacturer of infant formula both domestically and globally with its flagship product being Enfamil. The company was gaining a presence in such emerging markets in the People’s Republic of China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam and was starting to develop a presence in India.

Children are vulnerable in every way and it is our job to keep them safe and protect them from harm. However, there are children all over the world who aren’t as lucky and end up in situations that can only be described as horrifying.

1. Indoctrination

Children in the Palestine are made to learn how to hate certain religions, glorify holy war, indulge in violence and understand the basics of child martyrdom from a very early age. The guidelines are included in the curriculum and many television shows revolve around these concepts as well.

2. Poverty

Over 30 percent of children residing in developing countries are underweight and suffer from malnutrition because of which their growth is stunted. Over 25,000 children die on a daily basis because they live under the poverty line, according to UNICEF. They may die of starvation or from such diseases that are easily curable but sadly their parents do not have the resources to help them.

3. Refugees

There are over fifty million refugees all over the world and shockingly, 25 million are children. Child refugees come into being because of war which is also the primary cause of loss of parents and child death. 2 million children have died over the last 10 years because of war and 1 million have gotten orphaned.

4. Illiteracy

Illiteracy is a major problem all over the world and over 100 million children suffer from the problem. While some are forced to drop out, others are not given a chance to go to school at all because of paucity of funds. This problem is widespread in countries like Turkey, India and Nepal.

5. Child Neglect

Children are neglected when the parents do not know how to do their job or if the child is unwanted or the result of an accident. These parents do not care about keeping their babies clean or giving them warm clothes during winter-time. They also don’t care whether their child goes to school or not or if he/she has a problem.