back to article 'Get out of my office, you're being a pest!' Yes, son. Toymaker releases work-from-home-themed play sets

"Yes, very good, the balls are the same. Now stop distracting me and let me finish this job." Now imagine your little one shooing away pretend children of their own from their "work area". You don't have to imagine thanks to plastic landfill merchant Fisher-Price, which is about to roll its "My Home Office" play set on 28 …

  1. Alister

    My Home Office

    I was so disappointed, I thought it was so the kids could set themselves up as Priti Patel and manage immigration, security and law-and-order for the neighbourhood.

    1. Snake Silver badge

      Re: My Home Office

      We need to make sure that children follow in the footsteps that society has prescribed for them: be good little automatons and slave your life away in order to keep food on your table and useless items in your cupboards.

      And did we mention to make sure you vote to give us exclusive power to protect you from the Bogeyman, and just about everything else that isn't you?

      We knew you could.

    2. Jedit Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      "I thought it was so the kids could set themselves up as Priti Patel"

      The "My First Ministerial Portfolio" set will be coming soon. It will include an empty suitcase (for storing your empty suits), one way air tickets to a variety of destinations in Africa and the Caribbean, and large bundles of £50 notes to give to your friends and family.

      1. Kane

        Re: "I thought it was so the kids could set themselves up as Priti Patel"

        "The "My First Ministerial Portfolio" set will be coming soon. It will include an empty suitcase (for storing your empty suits), one way air tickets to a variety of destinations in Africa and the Caribbean, and large bundles of £50 notes to give to your friends and family."

        I thought the empty suitcase was to store the bundles of £50 notes?

        1. DJO Silver badge

          Re: "I thought it was so the kids could set themselves up as Priti Patel"

          I thought the empty suitcase was to store the bundles of £50 notes

          Plain brown envelopes as any fule kno.

  2. Peter Mount

    A meme going real?

    I wonder if they saw the various joke pic's of Fisher Price toys during the rounds during lockdown & though why don't we actually do that?

  3. cosymart
    Childcatcher

    Naff

    These look so naff they will probably sell like hot cakes :-)

    What other icon could I use?

    1. Anonymous Custard
      Trollface

      Re: Naff

      I might buy one for my boss. Would make a good replacement for his Etch-a-Sketch...

  4. Purple_Monkey

    Stuff that, I want one of these!

    https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Imaginext-Shark-Bite-Pirate/dp/B019RP6OE4?ref_=ast_sto_dp

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: Stuff that, I want one of these!

      Careful ... it's probably classified as an illegal offensive weapon in Blighty.

      1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
        Pirate

        Re: Stuff that, I want one of these!

        jake,

        Yarr! This just got put on my Amazon list for the nephew's birthday, me hearties! And I'll keelhaul anyone who disagrees!

        1. jake Silver badge

          Re: Stuff that, I want one of these!

          Did you note the saddle-broke Crocodile, nicely accessorized with a cannon? Who needs sharks with lasers?

          (Not sure I'd want that cannon firing if I was at the reins, though ... )

      2. Martin-73 Silver badge

        Re: Stuff that, I want one of these!

        Unless one is the police. Then it's fine.

        Sorry, side rant about 'stun guns'.

        They're dangerous says plod.

        Plod uses stun guns:

        Oh they're not dangerous

        1. jake Silver badge

          Re: Stuff that, I want one of these!

          To be fair, the police don't claim that stun guns are not dangerous. They say that they are "less lethal". Which is the absolute truth.

          How many people who are a threat to the general public and/or themselves have been zapped and taken into custody, none the worse for wear (and alive, good to waste everybody's time and/or hurt somebody, as soon as the 72 hour hold is up), that would otherwise have been shot and potentially killed with conventional firearms? Last time I looked, the numbers were in the high tens of thousands.

          1. Snapper

            Re: Stuff that, I want one of these!

            Bet there are a few police still alive or not medically retired because of them as well.

            1. Martin-73 Silver badge

              Re: Stuff that, I want one of these!

              Definitely not arguing against the use of the devices. But arguing against the general concensus that they don't kill.

          2. Martin-73 Silver badge

            Re: Stuff that, I want one of these!

            American Police call them 'less lethal'. Which is generally correct

            British plod say 'they cause no lasting harm'. Which is disingenuous

        2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

          Re: Stuff that, I want one of these!

          In the UK part of the police training for carrying a Taser is to be tasered first. So you know how it feels. Which suggests they are safe enough to be used in non-extreme situations - given that they don't make armed officers do the same thing in their training...

          I'd be prepared to bet that it's considerably safer than being hit with a big stick as well. What does a policeman have in his sandwiches? Truncheon meat*. ...Runs...

          Although I remember a few years ago trying to find actual figures for how dangerous Tasers were. And being disappointed. I couldn't find a single death properly attributed to them in the UK - there were too many reports to check through for the US - where it was also a more controversial subject. But also couldn't find proper figures on safety. I did find some reports from US police forces on how introducing them had reduced injuries to officers - but they didn't cover injuries to suspects. Although I'd expect those to improve as well - as less fighting should mean less injuries to all.

          *I wonder if you can still buy luncheon meat? I remember the stuff being truly horrible - like a lot of food back in the 80s. On the other hand, one of our local supermarkets was selling Sandwich Spread during lockdown. I wonder if that had been sitting on a shelf behind all the toilet rolls since the 1970s, and had only reappeared when they ran out. Ghastly stuff. God knows what it was made of - although even He may have his limits in this case.

          1. jake Silver badge

            Re: Stuff that, I want one of these!

            "I wonder if you can still buy luncheon meat?"

            Looks like it. Princes, of course. Not recommended, if it's anything like the product I sampled back in the '70s.

          2. jake Silver badge

            Re: Stuff that, I want one of these!

            Cops in this part of the US are supposed to sample the effects of the taser as part of their training, too. I have no idea if this is true in all jurisdictions nation-wide, but it ought to be IMO.

            I've tried to track down real stats for taser use, too. I can't find anything that isn't obviously tainted from either the pro or anti camp.

          3. Martin-73 Silver badge

            Re: Stuff that, I want one of these!

            Yes, I'd forgotten that detail. I do hope it is still true. It would mean the officer deploying said weapon would have SOME empathy with the victim/perp/recipient

  5. Sgt_Oddball

    <quote>And for all you work-from-home parents out there with patchy childcare, we see you. You're doing a great job.</quote>

    Thanks.. If only the wife thought the same (she's back at work 3 days a week but often has to go in more).

    Our Scottish road trip cannot come soon enough.

    1. Martin-73 Silver badge

      Taking in all the distilleries en route, i hope?

      1. Intractable Potsherd

        All!!?? That would be a very long and winding road (trip) even without the free samples :-)

        1. jake Silver badge

          Sounds like a plan. When do we start?

        2. Martin-73 Silver badge
          Pint

          I did specify en route. The route is up to the imbiber :D

          Icon coz a chaser is as close as we get to a tumbler of the good stuff

    2. RockBurner

      Scottish Road trips......

      Hope there's not too many people with the same idea.... I went to the trouble of hiring a fun car for mine! (Ford Mustang, had a similar trip planned for the Pacific North West in May, obviously still awaiting the refunds)

      1. Sgt_Oddball
        Windows

        It's been on the cards..

        For a while anyways at current reconning it's about 1,553 miles round trip not including detours.

        As for stopping at every distillery.. I wish, but we do have a few key ones we want to drop in on (Campbeltown's Longrow being one, Spayside's Longmorn and Inchgoer being some others. Haven't decided on the Highlands/Lowlands yet..).

        Thankfully after all this the wife has her driving licence so we can at least share driving duties.

        As for renting a car.. Tempted to rent a Volvo 122S that I'd seen (an uncle in law owns a barn find 123GT that I've taken a shine to and the 122S is as close as I've seen for rent), but her that much be obeyed pointed out that would impact the whiskey budget...

    3. MJI Silver badge

      Scottish Road Trip

      I am planning one too.

      Will take own car though.

  6. jake Silver badge

    Is this gonna be forever?

    No, not forever. But it sure seems that way to the short-atterntion-span-theatre YouTube Generation.

    1. Intractable Potsherd

      Re: Is this gonna be forever?

      No, not forever. Just until the next thinkquanaut has the great, completely revolutionary idea to have people "... working, like, in the same place!!111".

  7. jake Silver badge

    For a home office, set boundaries.

    I never had an issue with my kid "bothering me" when I was working. They key is in the setup ... Up here in the office, I have two desks. One is for the myriad of Ranch businesses, the other is for my computer consulting business. The wife, kid(s) & dawgs[0] know not to disturb me when I'm at the consulting desk, unless it's an emergency. Compartmentalization and teaching the boundaries to all and sundry is key in any home office.

    Household business happens down in the kitchen.

    [0] The cats even cooperate, at least for the most part. Go figure.

    1. Intractable Potsherd

      Re: For a home office, set boundaries.

      True, but you probably started that early on so it was normal for your family (as it us for ours) . Many people had to make that part of the new routine, though, so the whole family was learning how to manage expectations without any time for preparation.

      1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

        Re: For a home office, set boundaries.

        Plus it's even harder if you don't have a separate room for the office. Or if you need to get on with your own work, while also supervising the kid's school work. Or at least stopping them from wandering off and playing on the iPad or watching telly.

      2. jake Silver badge

        Re: For a home office, set boundaries.

        Yeah, we've had a long time to practice. Doesn't alter the concept I was trying to convey.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    For an extra $10, Fisher-Price can add some confcall audio versimilitude....

    Just add some typical WFH conference call audio soundbites, with confcall classics like:

    1. "The results of the user research study have arrived. Based on the findings, I recommend that we...bazup....cease de...ease asset...wonat....considera..... Harry!? Harry, we can't hear you. You're breaking up!"

    2. "Jane, unmute yourself! We can see you talking, but we can't hear you."

    3. "The client is ready to (DOG BARKING)......Yes, they're ready to (DOG BARKING)...Dammit, who's dog is that!?"

  9. VicMortimer Silver badge
    Pint

    Is what gonna be forever? This virus? No. Working from home instead of having to go to the office? You bet your britches. We're never giving that up.

    Beer, because drinking at lunch is a thing again.

    1. Joe Drunk
      Thumb Up

      Have an upvote.

      not just for drinking at lunch but the for absence of the 90 minute commute!

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Devil

    Kids these days

    Maybe at 3 but by 4 or 5 they'll want their own computer (or yours) and their own phone (or yours) so they can video chat with their friends because, they will swear to you, everybody else has one.

    1. DavCrav

      Re: Kids these days

      "...and their own phone (or yours) so they can video chat with their friends because, they will swear to you, everybody else has one."

      It has to be true. If everyone else doesn't have a phone, how could your child chat to them on theirs/yours?

  11. Antron Argaiv Silver badge
    Happy

    Been getting a lot more done.

    As far as anyone knows, I'm connected to the Teams meeting. The fact that my headphones are on the desk and I'm muted means that as far as I know, the meeting is not happening.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This looks more like "My first contact tracing job". The headset will probably contact the same number of people the real ones do. Not to mention they can use the same snappy branding on the box to teach the little ones to count to three, you know all the hits like - "test, trace, protect", "Hands. Face. Space"

    It's even got the Johns Hopkins map of cases in the UK.

    I'm totally sold if you press the spacebar and it plays happy birthday three times.

    Actually come to think of it are we sure this is really a kids toy? Looks to me more like Dido Harding's offshoring bits of the new "agency" already.

    On a serious note, the iphone app looks much better. The "slightly concerned" dog icon if you think you have covid, and the "happy labrador" icon if you don't have symptoms is absolute genius.

  13. Aging Hippy

    Stereotyping

    US version

    UK version

    (both straight links to Amazon)

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