We love unusual treasures. Many of them, although they are uncommon, are monetarily worthless. One such case is this week's special find:
Yesterday D brought me home a gift. It was the "Desert Hero Camel", a brown plastic camel who was supposed to dance, make music, and light up. I was just as excited as a kid might be when they receive a gift like that. IT DANCES! I found the "on" switch and it did not dance. It did not make music and it did not light up. I figured the batteries were probably dead, and we had no batteries at home.
Since I have a stash of batteries at the office, this morning I brought it to work with me and tried several combinations of random AA's (this toy takes 3 batteries) and finally....
Yesterday D brought me home a gift. It was the "Desert Hero Camel", a brown plastic camel who was supposed to dance, make music, and light up. I was just as excited as a kid might be when they receive a gift like that. IT DANCES! I found the "on" switch and it did not dance. It did not make music and it did not light up. I figured the batteries were probably dead, and we had no batteries at home.
Since I have a stash of batteries at the office, this morning I brought it to work with me and tried several combinations of random AA's (this toy takes 3 batteries) and finally....
It danced! It made music! The lights lit right up! Given, the dancing was more like walking.... really fast, and the music was probably the most aggravating song they could think of, and the eyes lit up RED for some reason.... But it works :)
I looked up this item online to find out the year it was made, but could only find it for sale on a few Indian shopping websites where it was being sold for discounted prices between 250-700 Rs which is about $4.00-$11.00 American dollars. I guess it isn't too popular!
This is the kind of toy that I will never keep at home. I have had terrifying experiences with toys going off in the middle of the night and half expected aliens to come abduct me (Close Encounters of the Third Kind style). The worst were Furbies and Disney character straws that make noise when you drink through them. When you hear Tarzan yodeling in the night it truly is unforgettable even 15 years later!
Yes, this "Super Hero Conqueror" with its glowing red eyes has earned itself a permanent stay at my office today. More photos:
- S