Yoohoo, Mommies!

Cheryl Isaak wrote:

On 8/17/08 9:00 PM, in article , "Karen C
in California" wrote:


Jangchub wrote:

That's why I asked if this was the same version. Maybe I'm getting to
GOWly, but I really can't stand to see young women with those thongs
out the back with that tatoo on the small of the back which my husband
calls a slut brand like they brand cattle.

Tramp stamp


Means "this side down"

Nah. It means "this side up."

Elizabeth (as in "on top")
--
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~living well is the best revenge~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The most important thing one woman can do for another is to illuminate
and expand her sense of actual possibilities. --Adrienne Rich
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Karen C in California" wrote in message
...
Just talked to DBF who has even more kids in the family than I do, some in
the same age range as Cheryl's DD.

He's never heard of Webkinz, his first reaction was also "something that
exists only in cyberspace". He points out that there has been absolutely
NO advertising for them on TV or in the newspapers/magazines the two of us
read, so there's no way that he ever would have asked anyone in his family
"would little Susie like a Webkinz for Christmas?" And even now, he's
still not sure that he'd buy a Webkinz rather than a Barbie if he was
buying for one of the little ones in the family.

Reading him Mavia's explanation still didn't convince him that these exist
in 3-D form instead of only online. Given the choice, he'd buy Barbie
clothes for the nieces before he'd buy Webkinz clothes, and having been to
this event and seeing who attends, he agrees that this particular
clientele is not likely to turn down Barbie clothes for Webkinz clothes.
It's not a child-oriented event, there aren't a lot of kids there to be
yanking Granny's sleeve "I want Webkinz, not Barbie", so we have to go
with what the grannies are familiar with and not what kids would buy.

You (Mavia/Lucille/Sheena) are hands-on, technically-adept grannies. A
lot of people are not. My mother hesitates to even touch a computer for
fear she'll break it. Dad will push a button if I tell him "arrow moves
the page up so you can keep reading", but isn't interested in learning how
to use one without me there to tell him every step. They don't go to
websites; when I had a TV interview online, I dictated the URL to Mom,
told her to go to the library and have someone help them get it to watch
it on the library computer, and they couldn't be bothered. "Oh, just tell
me what you said. I know what you look like."

If you don't have in-person interaction with the kids, you may not have
heard of Webkinz; one of my grandmothers was a long-distance call and
didn't want to spend money talking to the kids, so we talked to her once a
year when we went to visit. If it wasn't advertised on TV during the
grown-up programs just before Christmas, she didn't know about it.

And although DBF and I have regular interactions with the mothers (and
grandmothers) of the children in our families, and occasionally with the
kids, no one has ever told us anything about Webkinz. So, just because
you three are familiar with them does not mean that every granny will know
what it is, or think that Webkinz clothing is preferable to Barbie
clothing. Nor that every granny's grandchildren are as gaga over them as
yours are.

DBF spent many years in retail and now does some sales consulting, and his
expert advice was the same as my instinct: for this particular event,
stick to Barbie clothes. He knows the event, he's seen who shows up, he's
listened to their comments at the other booths, and has a good read on
what this particular crowd will and won't spend their money on. They don't
do fads; they know Barbie is not a fad. You can only say what you'd spend
your money on, because you don't know this clientele as well as we do.

And, since the Barbie plan costs us absolutely zero upfront, if we sell
nothing, we have lost nothing. Whereas if we invest in the Webkinz and
Webkinz patterns, and sell nothing, we lose our entire investment.

--
Karen C - California
Editor/Proofreader www.IntlProofingConsortium.com

Good Morning Karen,

I just wanted to say that I live in an over 55 community and almost everyone
here has a computer. Some of us are fairly advanced users, some mediocre
and a few who are happy to send e-mail on AOL or WebTV.

We have a number of retired computer engineers, all of whom run classes
periodically to help beginners and an active computer club with lots of
experts who are willing to help. A new Staples opened just a few blocks and
there are two other Staples within a short driving distance and an Office
Max, an Office Depot, a Circuit City and a Best Buy nearby. Even Wal-Mart
is selling computers so a lot of people are apparently computer savvy.

Just FYI, the computers and technology that we consider ho-hum today have
been developed by the seniors that you seem to think are living in a
parallel universe.

That seems to me to mean that nearly everyone, and all age people, are if
not expert, certainly familiar with computers and, of course, every kid
knows how to use one and learns in school. As far as I know a major part of
the South fits this picture and I have a suspicion that unless you live in a
cave, this is true of most places, especially in an advanced state like
California.

I doubt that the people you are describing are typical.

Lucille

On 8/18/08 7:59 AM, in article ,
"Dr. Brat" wrote:

Cheryl Isaak wrote:

On 8/17/08 9:00 PM, in article , "Karen C
in California" wrote:


Jangchub wrote:

That's why I asked if this was the same version. Maybe I'm getting to
GOWly, but I really can't stand to see young women with those thongs
out the back with that tatoo on the small of the back which my husband
calls a slut brand like they brand cattle.

Tramp stamp


Means "this side down"

Nah. It means "this side up."

Elizabeth (as in "on top")

I've heard that too...
Cheryl
(who doesn't want to think about the mother of one of DS's buddies having
one - and showing it off.)

Karen C in California wrote:

He points out that there has been
absolutely NO advertising for them on TV or in the newspapers/magazines
the two of us read,

Ganz doesn't advertise them because they're selling out
on word of mouth alone.

Best wishes,
Ericka

Lucille wrote:
snip

That seems to me to mean that nearly everyone, and all age people, are if
not expert, certainly familiar with computers and, of course, every kid
knows how to use one and learns in school. As far as I know a major part of
the South fits this picture and I have a suspicion that unless you live in a
cave, this is true of most places, especially in an advanced state like
California.

I doubt that the people you are describing are typical.

Well, typical or not, those are the ones she's trying to sell to so she
has to consider their probable knowledge and interests when deciding
what to make.

My experience is actually quite different from yours - while I know
older people (let's say, definitely in the grand-parent age range and
up) who use computers regularly and have done so for years, I know even
more who don't own one and have no interest in one. In fact, I recently
spent a bit of fruitless time trying to convince an older relative of my
own that it would be to her benefit to learn to use email, at least, on
a computer that was going begging for a home (so the cost wasn't a
barrier), but no way, no how.

I'm also been surprised at some very recent high school (and even,
sometimes, university) graduates, who have somehow managed to avoid
attaining much in the way of computer literacy. I mean, *everyone* can
use a word processor, email, basic spreadsheet or database, do some
simple stuff with images and have the basics of how to find files even
when they aren't in 'My Documents', do backups, and scan for viruses,
right? Those 'Introduction to Computing' classes which begin 'this is a
keyboard' seem to be full of people of all ages, including those I'd
have thought must certainly had the chance to learn how to use a
computer in school.

Webkins are popular here, but I'd still bet on Barbie for a broader
popularity and familiarity.

Cheryl

On 8/18/08 8:55 AM, in article ,
"Ericka Kammerer" wrote:

Karen C in California wrote:

He points out that there has been
absolutely NO advertising for them on TV or in the newspapers/magazines
the two of us read,

Ganz doesn't advertise them because they're selling out
on word of mouth alone.

Best wishes,
Ericka

I think there are ads in some of the "kids" magazines. Or was that the
latest clone???

Hey Erika, what magazines would you recommend for a 9-12 year old girl that
isn't loaded with teen idols/celebrities. She loves her USA Hockey, but is
bored with Nat Geo Kids.


Cheryl

Jangchub wrote:
On Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:11:03 -0700, Karen C in California
wrote:

Trish Brown wrote:
Oh and BTW, the whole point about the thong showing at the back is that
Kim is a 'great strapping girl' with a 'muffin top' (flesh spilling over
her waistband) and 'fadoobadas' (flesh wobbling on her upper arms).


Not in the promos for the US version, where mother and daughter are both
hotties and very difficult to tell which is supposed to be the older one.

That's why I asked if this was the same version. Maybe I'm getting to
GOWly, but I really can't stand to see young women with those thongs
out the back with that tatoo on the small of the back which my husband
calls a slut brand like they brand cattle.

"tramp stamp" is another common name for those lower-back tattoos

Oof, so rank and some of the local girls ARE like Trish described with
the back fat flubbing out and their bellies hanging over the top of
their lowrider jeans and if they bend over an inch full crackage. The
worst things we did as kids was to run around with halter tops made of
a bandana and no bras!

v

On Aug 18, 8:10*am, Cheryl Isaak wrote:
On 8/18/08 8:55 AM, in article ,

"Ericka Kammerer" wrote:
Karen C in California wrote:

He points out that there has been
absolutely NO advertising for them on TV or in the newspapers/magazines
the two of us read,

Ganz doesn't advertise them because they're selling out
on word of mouth alone.

Best wishes,
Ericka

I think there are ads in some of the "kids" magazines. Or was that the
latest clone???

Hey Erika, what magazines would you recommend for a 9-12 year old girl that
isn't loaded with teen idols/celebrities. She loves her USA Hockey, but is
bored with Nat Geo Kids.

Cheryl

Cheryl -

American Girl magazine - really! Also there is an even better one -
Discovery Girls. My dd got it from about 9-11 and loved it. One of
the cool things is they show real girls who do real things - not just
cheerleader types, but also hockey, swimming, piano players and more.
My dd found it very much related to her life.

Linda

Another one I have heard is very good but did not subscribe to is New
Moon. One I DON'T recommend is "Girl's Life" - it is not appropriate
for the under 13 crowd.

Linda

Karen C in California wrote:
Jangchub wrote:

That's why I asked if this was the same version. Maybe I'm getting to
GOWly, but I really can't stand to see young women with those thongs
out the back with that tatoo on the small of the back which my husband
calls a slut brand like they brand cattle.

Tramp stamp


Ass antlers