它们或简约、或时尚、或稀奇、或前沿,却都在历史的某一时期掀起滚滚潮流,引发各界讨论。或许你要问,它们因何流行?答案无人知晓。唯一能够确定的是,敢想敢做才是真理——连橡皮筋和石头都能风靡全球,还有什么是不可能的呢?
Silly Bandz 疯狂橡皮筋
Silly Bandz are just the latest inexplicable1) fad2) to take over3) the minds of children. Who knows why kids like these stretchy4) bracelets5)? Who knows why kids like anything? Maybe it's because they're loudly colored. Maybe it's because when they are not worn around the wrist, they can take the form of animals or dinosaurs. Or maybe it's 
because school is boring and anything—anything—is better than algebra. For that reason, schools in several states have banned Silly Bandz from classroom, calling them distractions6). Some schools have cited safety reasons for their bans—the silicone bracelets can be shot like rubber bands of yore7), and kids who wear too many around their wrists at once risk cutting off their circulation8).
疯狂橡皮筋是最近在少年儿童中兴起的一股流行风潮,流行缘由不得而知。谁知道为什么孩子们会喜欢这种有弹性的手环?又有谁能解释孩子们会喜欢上任何东西的原因?或许只是因为这些手环夸张炫目的色彩,抑或是因为它们从手腕上拿下来之后可以变成动物或恐龙的形状;又或是因为学校生活太过无聊,随便弄些什么玩具都比代数课有趣得多。针对最后一条原因,美国许多州的学校禁止学生将疯狂橡皮筋带进教室,声称这些东西会分散他们的注意力。有些学校为这一禁令提出了安全上的考虑——这些硅胶制成的手环像旧时的橡皮筋一样可以弹出去打人,而且,如果孩子们在手腕上一次佩戴太多这样的橡皮筋,会影响他们的血液循环。
Bratz Dolls 贝兹娃娃
For more than 40 years, Barbie ruled as the queen of tween9) fashion dolls—until the Bratz came along in 2001 and curb-stomped10) her back into the 1950s. Fans applauded the four original dolls—Yasmin, Sasha, Jade and Cloe—as the funky11), edgy12), multiracial alternative to Barbie's wholesome13) blandness14). Parents, meanwhile, deplored15) them as far too adult for kids, accusing the doe-eyed16), pouty17)-lipped toys of fostering18) unhealthy body images among young girls. California-based MGA Entertainment, the company behind the dolls, earned more than $1 billion from them in just a few years. In 2006 Bratz became the best-selling fashion-doll line in the U.S., displacing Barbie for the first time.
在四十多年的时间里,芭比娃娃一直是青少年时尚玩偶界的女皇,直到2001年贝兹娃娃横空出世,给了芭比一记迎头痛击,让她退回到了50年代。最早的四种贝兹娃娃(雅斯敏、萨莎、小玉和克洛)一出现就受到了爱好者的追捧,因为她们那时尚、性感、具有异域风情的造型代替了芭比娃娃矜持保守、缺乏个性的格调。与此同时,家长们却强烈谴责这种玩具的风格过于成人化,不适合孩子们。他们指责贝兹娃娃那天真无辜的眼神与性感娇嗔的嘴唇会让青春期的女孩建立不健康的审美观。在短短的几年中,贝兹娃娃的生产商——位于加利福尼亚的MGA娱乐产品公司——就已经靠这一产品赚取了超过十亿美元。2006年,贝兹娃娃的销量第一次超越芭比,成为美国最畅销的时尚玩偶系列产品。
Tamagotchi 电子宠物蛋
These days, Tamagotchis—the handheld virtual pets that took the toy world by storm in the '90s—seem almost laughably low-tech, made primarily of cheap plastic and old-school LCD screens. But some 70 million of the ovoid19) time wasters have been sold worldwide since they debuted20) in Japan in 1996. Tamagotchi pets require constant attention, including feeding, playtime, grooming and training. Neglected pets go hungry and pretty much die—or, in more kid-friendly parlance21), produce a "game over" for their keepers. Some young owners were driven to care for their pets around the clock22), even in school, prompting administrators to ban them.
上世纪90年代,电子宠物蛋(一种掌上虚拟宠物)曾一度以狂风骤雨之势席卷玩具界。虽然以如今的眼光看,其技术含量低得令人发笑,主要材质也不过是廉价的塑料和老掉牙的LCD屏幕,但自1996年在日本上市以来,这种鸡蛋形状的、用来打发时间的玩物已经在世界范围内卖出了七千万件。电子宠物蛋需要玩家经常照料,包括喂食、玩乐、梳洗和训练等。如果得不到重视,宠物会变得饥饿,甚至有可能死亡——或者用儿童用语来讲,即喂养者的“游戏到此结束”。迫于这个原因,一些年幼的玩家不顾劳累,一天到晚都在照管自己的宠物,哪怕在学校也不例外,使得学校的管理者对其发布了禁令。
Cabbage Patch Kids 卷心菜娃娃
Introduced in 1982 by Coleco, Cabbage Patch Kids were the doll of the decade. In their first year on the shelves, more than 2.5 million were sold—an industry record. Like any popular toy, the merchandise sparked riots23) and violence at malls around the U.S. One woman had her leg broken in 1983 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., after a crowd of 1,000 angry shoppers got out of hand24). But by 1988, interest in the dolls had waned25), and Coleco faced $300 million in debt. Toy giant Hasbro bought the brand and, in an effort to revitalize26) sales, introduced a line of dolls whose skin darkened in the sun ("Splash 'n' Tan") and another that came with hair accessories ("Pretty Crimp and Curl"). Other incarnations27) included a porcelain28) line, a talking line and a so-called Snack time version.
1982年,柯勒克公司制造了卷心菜娃娃。在随后的十年里,它成了玩具界的头牌玩偶。上市的第一年,其销量就超过了250万,刷新了行业记录。与所有的流行玩具一样,卷心菜娃娃在全美的商场引发了许多骚乱和狂热行为。1983年,在宾夕法尼亚州的威尔克斯·巴里市,一千多名愤怒的购物者失去了控制,一位女士在骚乱中摔折了腿。但到了1988年,人们对卷心菜娃娃的兴趣逐渐消退了,而柯勒克公司也面临着三亿美元的债务。后来,玩具业巨头孩之宝(Hasbro)公司买下了这一品牌。为了使销量得以复苏,孩之宝发布了新的玩偶系列,它们中有的皮肤会在阳光下“晒”黑(此款名为Splash 'n' Tan),有的则附送发饰(此款名为“卷发美人”)。其他的系列产品还包括瓷娃娃系列、“能说会道”娃娃系列以及所谓的“点心时刻”娃娃。
Rubik's Cube 鲁比克方块(魔方)
Erno Rubik, the Hungarian creator of the Magic Cube—as he originally called it—probably never imagined that the toy he developed in 1974 would become one of the best-selling toys of all time. Renamed the Rubik's Cube by Ideal toys, which acquired the rights to it in 1980, the brain-scrambling29) toy went on to sell more than 300 million units worldwide. Every year dozens of Rubik's Cube–solving contests are held, including the International Rubik's Championships that originated in Budapest, the creator's hometown. Despite its fame, the Rubik's Cube has yet to30) be inducted31) into the National Toy Hall of Fame, where other classic playthings such as the Slinky32) and the Etch-a-Sketch33) are enthroned34).
匈牙利人艾尔诺·鲁比克是魔方(他最初起的名字)的创造者。1974年他发明这种玩具的时候,也许从未想到它会成为有史以来最畅销的玩具之一。理想玩具公司于1980年获得魔方的专有权,将其改名为鲁比克方块。迄今为止,这种让人苦思冥想、头脑混乱的玩具在世界范围内的销量已逾三亿。每年都有很多魔方比赛在世界各地举行,其中包括源于布达佩斯(发明者的家乡)的国际魔方锦标赛。尽管魔方声名远播,但它尚未入选美国国家玩具名人堂,而其他经典玩具如机灵鬼弹簧和神奇画板都已榜上有名。
Pet Rocks 宠物石
Imagine owning a pet that doesn't need to be trained, walked, fed or groomed—ever. That's exactly what California ad executive Gary Dahl was after when he came up with pet rocks in 1975. Tired of the hassle35) and responsibility that came with animate house pets, Dahl developed a toy concept that was 1% product and 99% marketing genius: a garden-variety36) rock, packaged in a comfy cardboard shipping crate37), complete with straw for the rock's comfort and holes so it could breathe during transport. The Pet Rock Training Manual—a tongue-in-cheek38) set of guidelines for pet owners, like housebreaking39) instructions ("Place it on some old newspapers. The rock will never know what the paper is for and will require no further instruction.")—helped turn the scheme from an amusing gag40) gift into an inexplicable toy craze. By Christmas 1975, Americans were hooked. Although the fad was long gone by the following year, the rocks—which were collected from a beach in Baja Calif.41), for pennies each and retailed for $3.95—made Dahl a multimillionaire in about six months.
想象一下,你拥有一个宠物,却从来都不需要训练它,不需要带它散步,更不需要给它喂食或梳洗……这就是加利福尼亚广告经理加里·达尔在1975年发明宠物石时所追求的理想。有生命的家养宠物总是伴随着麻烦与责任,厌倦了这些的达尔因此提出了新的宠物理念。这一理念的1%源自其产品,99%源自他的营销天才。所谓宠物石,其实就是普普通通的石头,装在硬纸板做成的舒适箱子里,再垫上些稻草以保证其生活安逸,挖几个通风孔让它在运输中呼吸顺畅。附赠的《宠物石训练手册》是一本玩笑式的用户指南,例如,其中的“驯养说明”是这样写的:“把它放到旧报纸上。石头永远不会知道这些纸是干什么用的,也不会要求进一步的指导。”正是这样的《训练手册》把宠物石从搞笑的恶作剧礼物变成了莫名其妙的风靡玩具。截至1975年圣诞节,美国人已经完全上了钩。尽管这股热潮在第二年就长久地褪去了,但这些从下加利福尼亚的海滩上拣来的、一文不值的石头却在当年卖到了零售价3.95美元一块,达尔也因此在六个月左右的时间里成了千万富翁。
1. inexplicable [In5eksplIkEbl] adj. 无法说明的;费解的,莫名其妙的
2. fad [fAd] n. (一时的)狂热;(穿着、行为、言谈等方面)一时的风尚
3. take over: 取而代之;取得主导地位
4. stretchy [5stretFI] adj. 可延伸的,有弹性的
5. bracelet [5breIslIt] n. 手镯,臂镯
6. distraction [dI5strAkFEn] n. 分散注意力(或分心)的事物
7. yore [jC:(r)] n.<书> 昔日,往昔
8. circulation [7s\:kju5leIFEn] n. (生物体内液体的)循环
9. tween [twi:n] n. 原意为“在两者之间”,现指9(10)～14(15)岁的少年,介于孩童(kid)与青少年(teen)之间。
10. curb-stomp: 指踩着某人的头让其啃路缘;curb [kE:b] n. 路缘;stomp [stCmp] vt. 重踩;重踏
11. funky [5fQNkI] adj.<口> 时髦的;极好的
12. edgy [5edVI] adj. (绘画等)线条过于明显的
13. wholesome [5hEulsEm] adj. 审慎的
14. blandness [blAndnIs] n. 单调无味
15. deplore [dI5plC:(r)] vt. 强烈反对;为……而震惊(或愤慨),谴责
16. doe-eyed [5dEUaId] adj. (尤指女人)眼睛大大黑黑的
17. pouty [5paJtI] adj. 鼓起的
18. foster [5fCstE(r)] vt. 培养,促进,鼓励,助长
19. ovoid [5EJvCId] adj. 卵形的;梨形的
20. debut [5deIbju:] vi. 首次登台演出;初次露面
21. parlance [5pB:lEns] n. 说法,用语
22. around the clock: = round the clock,连续一整天(或一昼夜);日夜不停地
23. riot [5raIEt] n. 骚乱,大混乱
24. out of hand: 无法控制,不可收拾;不听话,不守纪律
25. wane [weIn] vi. 减弱,缓和
26. revitalize [7ri:5vaItElaIz] vt. 使新生,使得到复兴;使恢复元气,给予……新的活力
27. incarnation [7InkB:5neIFEn] n. (象征品质、概念或思想的)典型,化身
28. porcelain [5pC:sElIn, -leIn] adj. 瓷的;瓷制的
29. scramble [5skrAmbl] vt. 扰乱
30. have yet to [5slINkI] n. 有待于
31. induct [In5dQkt] vt. 吸收……为会员
32. Slinky [5slINkI] n. 机灵鬼,是一种螺旋弹簧玩具,由美国海军工程师理查德·詹姆斯在40年代早期发明和改进,入选美国玩具工业协会评选的“世纪最佳玩具”名单,迄今销售量已逾三亿。
33. Etch-a-Sketch: 神奇画板,是俄亥俄艺术公司开发的一种绘画玩具,其原理是用磁粉来作画,画完后可通过内置擦除系统擦除。
34. enthrone [In5WrEun] vt. 尊崇,推崇
35. hassle [5hAsl] n. 困难;问题;麻烦
36. garden-variety [5^B:dEnvE7raIEtI] adj. 普通的,平常的
37. crate [kreIt] n. 装货箱
38. tongue-in-cheek [5tQNIn5tFi:k] adj. 无诚意的,假心假意的;挖苦的;不可当真的
39. housebreak [5haJsbreIk] vt. 管教;驯服;使服从
40. gag [^A^] n. 恶作剧,戏弄
41. Baja Calif.: 下加利福尼亚,墨西哥西部的一个多山半岛,延至太平洋和美国边界南部的加利福尼亚湾之间东南偏南的地方。