Wham-O is wowsville

Have you ever seen kids have as much fun as they do on Slip 'N Slides? Seems to us about the last thing we would want to do is run and dive onto the ground to slide through ice cold water from the hose, but the children do it--with shrieks of excitement--all day long.

Leave it to Wham-O, Emeryville, Calif., to take one of their favorite activities and add a new twist with Batman vs. The Joker. This 16-foot water slide allows double the fun by pitting kids in a watery race with one acting the part of the caped crusader in the yellow lane and the other his arch nemesis in the purple. Both will feel like winners when they receive a supreme soaking in the massive Splash Zone pool.

Other favorites include the Slip 'N Slide Obstacle Course, where kids jump over a hurdle, bound through four water-filled inflatable tires, and dive onto the 18-foot water slide toward a soaking flag finish in the Splash Zone; and Splash Down, which combines football with the slide as they grab the inflatable pigskin, dive down the 20-foot field and finish in the end zone, complete with goat posts.

After all that slipping and sliding, a splash in the pool is in order. Not to relax, of course--they're kids, after all--but to jump in the Batman Batmobile Pool Float for more imaginative play. With a get-away bottom for easy access or escape, young crime fighters can make nick-of-time arrivals and daring escapes without the worry of flipping over. This comes in handy to avoid a sneak attack by the Battle Boogie, a boogie board with built-in water blaster capable of shooting 20 feet with water drawn from the pool or lake.

All these thrilling products go for $19.99 or less.

Back on land, the Hacky Sack is making a comeback and Wham-O has three new styles of footbags: Striker ($3.99), Impact ($3.99), and Freestyle ($5.99). Enthusiasts can learn more than 60 tricks at the beginner or intermediate level with the "Shred Like a Pro" DVD, packaged with two Strikers for $5.99.

These exciting Wham-O products are available at mass merchandisers, and toy and sporting goods stores, or visit www.wham-o.com.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group