As a young tyke I would spend listless hours drooling over the wares in theArchie McPhee catalog before settling down to my desk and letting my fevered brain run wild. The product of these fantasies was page after page of delirious marker drawings detailing made-up toys such as flying skates, a talking plastic parrot that would fight with other talking plastic parrots using its razor-sharp teeth and Lightning Wings™, and a putty that would change colors and taste like watermelon. I’d take these drawings to my dad and say, “Hey, pops, let’s buy these.” He’d rest his glasses on his nose, examine my art, and then tell me I did a great job. Never did we ever get to buy one of my inventions–which made sense because they didn’t exist. Well, if I were 8 again I would submit my drawings toWham-O’s Kid Inventor Contest, which gives kids a shot at creating the next toy made by Wham-O–best known for its Superball and Slip ‘N Slide. The contest ends March 31, so you have plenty of time to find your markers.
