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Chess Fever Swamps Toy Retailers, Frustrates Shoppers
First it was Tickle Me Elmo. Then Furby.
Now chess?
Every holiday season, there's one hot toy that every kid wants and every parent
has to find. This year's hot toy is the centuries-old game of chess
. "We can't keep it on the shelves," says Duane Calder, who manages the
tri-state area's largest Toys R' Us store, in Summerville. "We got some sets in
the first of the month, and people were lined up outside of the store when I
showed up that morning. Every set we had was gone by 9:40, ten minutes after we
opened."
Already, Toys R' Us has implemented limits of two sets per customer, but still
there are disappointed would-be customers. "I've been here three times to try
to buy a chess set," says Doris Phelps, a mother of two. "This game is all my
kids talk about. My daughter makes up stories about McQueen the queen and Wayne
Knight the knight. My son's favorite is Joey the Bishop."
What makes the popularity of chess so surprising is chess's long history.
Devised by ancient Sumerians, it's been around almost since the dawn of
civilization, but it's never enjoyed a craze like this one. Fueling the
interest is Nickelodeon's hit TV show, Got'ya Cornered TM, hosted by chess
grand master Gary Kasparov. Chess teams, once shunned by the "in" crowd in
school, now have to turn away applicants. And Chessmen cookies outsell Oreos
more than two to one.
"Today's kids want everything to do with chess that they can find," says child
behavior expert Tara Fields. "If it has a pawn, it's cool." In the News
Santa Claus Joins Starbuck's As Assistant Manager
Kris Kringle will become
the latest senior to rejoin the workforce when he joins the fast-growing
Starbuck's coffee chain after the holiday season.
In a press release, Starbuck's announced that Father Christmas will join the
staff of its new kiosk store on Baffin Island, just its 128th store north of
the Arctic Circle.
"Santa should be a wonderful addition to the Starbuck's team," said Jayson
Thorne, who will manage the store. "He loves people, he listens to customers
and he's quite jolly.
"He's already fitting in. Trinka was training him on the cappuccino machine
this morning and she called him Frother Christmas. When he laughed, he shook
like a bowl full of aspic."
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Believers Confident That This Year, Santa Will Finally Bring Presents
For Roy and LaVerne Tupper of Hickock,
Tennessee, this Christmas Eve will be like any other. They'll help their
children hang stockings on the mantle. Then they'll tuck their two children
into their beds, with warnings to go right to sleep so Santa will come.
And then Roy and LaVerne will hurry to fall asleep in their own beds. This
year, they hope that Santa will really come. "I just have a real good feeling
that this is gonna be the year," says LaVerne, 20. "He hasn't seen fit to visit
us the last four years, but I just have a hunch this year's gonna be
different."
The Tuppers were married in the summer of 1995. Son Tyler was born seven months
later. Daughter Amber came along two years after that. Since their wedding,
Christmas morning has brought no presents from Santa, only disappointment.
"I honestly can't understand it,"
says an obviously frustrated Roy, 21. "LaVerne and I were both living with our
parents when we got married, and Santa always came to both our houses. Our
parents would get all us kids into bed and we'd go right to sleep so Santa
could come. One year, my daddy even heard the reindeer on the roof. But ever
since we've been on our own, Santa hasn't brought us anything. He doesn't even
eat the cookies we leave for him."
Asked if Santa's absence is beginning to make them question the existence of
St. Nick, LaVerne is quick to answer for herself and her husband. "Lord no,"
she says quickly. "I think maybe we've just been naughty or something."
"If this keeps up," adds Roy solemnly, "we may just have to get presents for
the kids ourselves."
Holiday Headlines:
Prancer, Citing Y2K
Fears, Refuses to Fly
Clinton, Lewinsky
Remain Atop Santa's Naughty List
Nation's Retailers Begin Decorating for Christmas 2000
Co-workers Catch Woman Reusing Gift Bag
Not-so "Secret" Santa Revealed at Office Holiday Party.
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