For Immediate Release

For information, contact:
Maryann Palumbo
212 645 8642 or
Alison DeSena
212 645 6900 x125
Jericho Communications, Inc.

THE WAR MAY BE OVER IN IRAQ,
BUT SURVEY FINDS PERHAPS NOT FOR OUR KIDS

Survey Finds That Kids Who Play with Toy Guns and
Toy Soldiers Are More Likely to Show Post War Fear and Prejudice

(New York, NY—May 1, 2003).—The war in Iraq is nearly over, however the affects of Operation Iraqi Freedom seems to be in the forefront of the minds and hearts of our kids. A recent survey shows that 18% of kids who play with toy soldiers treat kids of Arab descent differently compared to only 3% of kids who don’t play with toy soldiers.

Additionally, 17% of kids who play with toy guns are more aggressive towards other kids since the start of the war, compared to only 6% of kids who don’t play with toy guns who are more aggressive towards other kids.

The survey of 536 parents was conducted by Dr. Fad, the man best known for bringing the Wacky WallWalker ®(a toy climbing spider) in our lives as well as the host of his own television show, is extremely well versed in play amongst kids. The survey shows that kids who “play war” may be living the affects of it for some time. The survey found that since the war began 23% of kids who play with toy guns are afraid to travel, while 18% of kids who don’t play with toy guns are fearful of travel. Also, 44% of kids who play with water guns are fearful of war, while 33% of kids who don’t play with water guns are fearful of war.

“War is no fun and games,” explained Dr. Fad a.k.a. Ken Hakuta. “Unfortunately, though our society accepts that it is alright for kids to play with toy guns and toy soldiers, what this survey found is that playing war, especially during a time of war, can magnify the affects it has on our children.”

Other results include that 68% of parents surveyed said that they told their children that we were at war. 33% of parents surveyed also said they would want their child to be in the military. When it comes to what kids want to be when they grow up, 24% said a soldier, which was the number two answer behind lawyer (29%).

Astonishingly, only 21% of kids could identify Donald Rumsfeld, compared to 60% who could identify Saddam Hussein and 56% who knew Osama Bin Laden.

Dr. Fad is available for interviews.

DID YOU KNOW THAT
According to a recent survey of children who play with toy guns and soldiers…

Fighting Far From Enemy Lines
17% of kids who play with toy guns are more aggressive towards other kids, compared to only 6% of kids who don’t play with toy guns who are aggressive towards other kids.

There’s No Place Like Home
23% of kids who play with toy guns are fearful to travel, compared to 18% of kids who don’t play with toy guns who are fearful to travel.

Racial Profiling in the Sandbox
18% of kids who play with toy soldiers said they treat kids of Arab-descent differently compared to only 3% of kids who don’t play with toy soldiers who said they treat kids of Arab-descent differently.

The Fear of War
41% of kids who play with toy soldiers are fearful of war compared to 34% of kids who don’t play with toy soldiers. 44% of kids who play with water guns are fearful of war, while 33% of kids who don’t play with water guns are fearful of war.

The Who’s Who of War
21% of kids surveyed knew who Donald Rumsfeld was, compared with 60% who knew who Saddam Hussein was and 56% who knew who Osama Bin Laden was.

Our Kids Artillery
31% of kids surveyed said they play with toy guns, 38% of kids said they play with toy soldiers, 45% of kids said they have a water gun and 26% said they have either a GI Joe or GI Jane.

Should Barney Be An Anchor on CNN?
57% of parents surveyed said they let their children watch the coverage of war on television.

To Tell The Truth
68% of parents surveyed said that they told their children that we were at war.

When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be…
33% of parents surveyed said they would want their child to be in the military and soldier (24%) was number two on the list of what kids want to be when they grow up – number one was lawyer (29%).

Giving the Monster in the Closet a Run For His Money
11% of kids who play with toy guns starting having nightmares since the war began, compared to 9% of kids who don’t play with toy guns who started having nightmares after the war began.