Patent Application
20140273725
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stuffed toy adapted for lifelike movement under the direction of a child.
2. Description of the Related Art
Of all the ways that the joy of childhood reveals itself, few are as endearing as the delight of a child in a favorite toy. A good toy provides winsome memories that will endure long after the child has outgrown it. Whether big or small, loud or quiet, for play in the house or the yard, a good toy does not confine a child's imagination to a constrained range of possibilities, but gives the child opportunity to envision as many fanciful worlds as his imagination will permit.
Stuffed toys have long been part of a well-stocked playroom. Traditionally, a stuffed toy came in the form of an animal like a bear, cat, or dog, but nowadays a stuffed toy may also be in the form of a fanciful character from movies, comic books, or cartoons. Typically, the stuffed toy is a sewn outer material stuffed with a soft material having a predetermined form corresponding to the shape of the character or animal the toy is to assume. Some stuffed toys assume a fixed posture not amenable to alteration during the normal course of play. For instance, a stuffed puppy may be constructed in a seated posture that a child cannot adjust. Other stuffed toys provide a wider range of movement because they possess extremities easily manipulated by a child to assume different positions.
Even these more flexible stuffed toys, however, are not as enjoyable to a child as they could be because they are not lifelike enough. A child who regards such a toy as an imaginary friend will often be disappointed because the looseness of the limbs of the toy causes it to assume a splayed posture that lacks vitality. Such loose-limbed stuffed toys are difficult for young children to manipulate because one hand of a child is fully occupied holding up the toy while the other hand is not enough to fully animate all the limbs in that coordinated fashion that creates the appearance of lifelike movement. Because of these limitations a child at best is able to manipulate only one limb of the toy at a time, which usually makes for a disappointing play experience.
An object of the present invention is to provide a stuffed toy that enables a child to fully manipulate its limbs in such a way as to mimic lifelike movement.
In a stuffed toy according to the present invention having a torso, arms, and legs, the hands and feet are provided with fastening elements (e.g., elastic straps) that a child can slip over his own hands and feet. Once the child has strapped the toy onto his own hands and feet and starts to walk, the toy “walks” in tandem with the child, giving the child a fanciful illusion that the toy has come to life and become a companion capable of following wherever the child leads.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.
In the drawings:
The toy 10 includes a torso 15, arms 12, and legs 18. Hands 14 and feet 20 are respectively equipped with fastening elements, for example, elastic straps 16 and 22. The toy 10 may be manufactured using any textiles and stuffing materials appropriate for plush toys and sufficient to impart a degree of stretchability to the limbs. In the exemplary toy 10 of
A child would use the toy 10 by standing it up, inserting his hands through hand straps 16 and his feet through foot straps 20. With the toy 10 in effect “standing” on the feet of the child and “holding” his hands, the child could then begin to walk, and as he walks the toy 10 would track the movement of the child, giving the illusion that the toy 10 is alive and is playing with the child. If the child has the toy facing him, then the child can pretend he is dancing with the toy 10. If the toy faces away from the child, then the child can take a walk with his friend.
Because of hand straps 16 and foot straps 22, the child is able to simultaneously give all the limbs of the toy 10 a lifelike movement that creates for the child a deeply immersive play experience. A child with his hands and feet strapped to the toy 10 in the manner discussed above can believe he has assumed the identity of the toy 10. In the case of a toy 10 manufactured to resemble a super hero, the child can pretend that he is that hero, battling evildoers or rescuing the innocent.
Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
