You'll be tickled by what Elmo can do now. This fall, Fisher-Price will introduce a new talking plush toy based on the "Sesame Street" character that says your child's name, counts down to his birthday and lets him know when it's time for lunch. The technology is made possible through a memory card in the doll's stomach that receives information from parents. By now, adults have learned all about interactive toys like the virtual pet Tamagotchi. But the latest kids' gadgetry, unveiled this week at New York's American International Toy ate toys that look, feel and act like living creatures. Some child psychologists aren't crazy about the new trend—critics say it can stifle creativity—but kids are. The latest generation of tots, who grew up playing with their parents' cell phones and iPods, expect their toys to be just as wired. "By 2010," predicts Jim Silver, the editor of Toy Wishes magazine, "they're going to have a toy dog that does everything but poop."
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