You know the expression “going to the dogs,” right? It’s an oldie but a goodie.

I have a new expression, “going to the kids.” As in, technology is being aimed at younger
and younger children, and the parents who have to fork over all the money to
buy said technology. And how do I know
this?

It started out with kitschy Hello Kitty laptops covered in crystals. That’s obviously not
aimed at kids, but adults. After all, no
kid could afford a jewel-encrusted Sanrio laptop.

But then came a more manageable Hello Kitty laptop from
Epson. Then two more Hello Kitty laptop
styles, also from Epson (because one is never enough when it comes to
overpriced Hello Kitty gear). Gotta have
a Hello Kitty mouse to go with it.

Now Nickelodeon and Imation have banded together and
launched a whole slew of kid-themed electronics, pimping out everyone’s
favorite characters Dora the Explorer, Diego, and SpongeBob Squarepants. Parents, start your birthday shopping… now.

• Flash Jr. digital camera
       (available in both Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!
       models), $59.99
• SpongeBob Squarepants
       Flash Micro Digital Camera, with USB connectivity, $21.99
• SpongeBob Squarepants
       VGA digital camera, auto-flash, 1.1-inch color LCD, 8MB, $31.99
• SpongeBob Squarepants
       1.3-megapixel digital camera, auto-flash, 1.1-inch color LCD, 32MB, $49.99
• SpongeBob Squarepants
       Flash Mega 3.0-megapixel digital camera, auto-flash, 1.5-inch color LCD,
       32MB, $79.99
• Invision 7-inch Digital Photo
       Frame (Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! models
       available), $99.99
• SpongeBob SquarePants
       Digital Music Player, stores up to 500 MP3s and WMAs, 10 hours of playback
       on a charge, $39.99
• Fission Digital Music Player,
       $49.99
• Fission Digital Media Player,
       does video, audio, and photos, plus has on-board games, $99.99
• SpongeBob Squarepants
       15-inch, LCD TV, remote, $299.99
• SpongeBob Squarepants
       progressive scan DVD player, MP3 decoder, remote, $59.99

Photo Credit:  Anime.com