Say Good-Bye To The Holiday-Travel Blues: Toy Experts Reveal Secrets for Keeping Small Holiday Travelers Happy

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More than 20 million holiday travelers across the country are about to board planes and trains and drive nearly 400 trillion miles.

Oh my! That can mean boredom for children; frustration for adults. Enter toy experts Joanne and Stephanie Oppenheim, who strongly suggest incorporating appropriate travel toys in your itinerary.

The right travel toys can help divert and entertain small travelers, whether the journey is long or short. A few of the Oppenheims' favorite travel toys include:

• Small huggables, soft rattles and teething toys for infants
  
  
• Musical toys and cardboard picture books for toddlers
  
  
• Lift-and-stick pictures and travel desks that store washable crayons and paper for preschoolers
  
  
• Brainteasing hand-held slide puzzles and magnetic story boards with thematic puzzle pieces for school-aged children
  
  

"Travel doesn't have to be boring for small passengers. Parents can make it fun by including several favorite toys to keep a child entertained and engaged," said Joanne Oppenheim, co-founder of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, a consumer organization that researches the best and brightest children's gifts.

"There's probably no better toy to make the miles fly than a tape player and supply of song and story tapes. Just remember to choose players with volume controls that parents can lock, and bring extra batteries along."

Battery-operated toys with sounds that can be turned off are key to peaceful holiday travel; so parents can breath a sigh of relief. Energizer(R) brand Batteries takes the worry out of holiday travel with its new on-battery tester, which allows parents to test battery power on the spot by pressing two green dots -- so parents can leave knowing the batteries in their children's toys are good. At full power, the word "Good" appears in the tester window. When the tester stays completely black, less than 25 percent of the power is remaining and the battery may soon need replacing. This lets parents know to bring a spare pack along. The on-battery tester is available in AA, C and D cell sizes.

The Oppenheims' travel toys and other great toy suggestions are profiled in a free consumer brochure, "Toys with Play Power: A Grown-ups' Guide to Great Kids' Stuff." The brochure also includes a special coupon for a free copy of the Oppenheim's book, "The Best Toys, Books, Videos & Software for Kids 1997" ($13.00 value), available with two proofs of purchase from any Energizer on-battery tester pack plus $1.50 shipping and handling.

To order the brochure, call 1-800-KIDS-450.

CONTACT: Kate Peters of Golin-Harris, 312-836-7272; Harriet Blickenstaff of Energizer, 314-995-3939, or Stephanie Oppenheim of Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, 212-598-0502.

NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 1997