Richard Simmons combines learning and physical fitness with the Smart Cycle. I think it's a great idea, but a bit expensive for some households. Here's a copy/pasted article and a picture:
Richard Simmons Gets Kids Pedaling towards a Healthy Lifestyle with Fisher-Price’s New Smart Cycle at Toy Fair
LIFESTYLE ALERT: 12 Million Children in the US Are Overweight
EAST AURORA, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Richard Simmons, one of the nation’s most revered fitness experts, teamed up with Fisher-Price®, the largest infant and preschool toy manufacturer and a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. (NYSE:MAT), to unveil Fisher-Price’s new Smart Cycle™, an innovative new toy that combines physical play with learning for preschoolers. Together, Fisher-Price and Mr. Simmons emphasized the importance of building an ongoing active, healthy lifestyle for children, and are working toward this goal in the future.
“It is important to recognize that America’s children are overweight and out of shape,” says Richard Simmons. “I have made it my personal crusade to bring physical fitness back into the lives of our children. By partnering with Fisher-Price, we’re able to bring attention to this growing problem and perhaps take a few minutes to lay the groundwork for a better, healthier lifestyle for our children.”
Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, 12 million children in the United States between the ages of 2 to 19 are overweight. An additional 12 million are at risk of being overweight. In order to bring attention to this growing problem, Richard Simmons has made it his personal crusade to return effective, enjoyable Physical Education to the nation’s children with his ASK AMERICA program.
The Fisher-Price Smart Cycle is a whole new way to provide learning to preschoolers. It’s an exciting encounter that brings the arcade experience home and allows kids to be active while learning. Using plug and play technology, parents simply plug the stationary bike into their TV’s A/V jacks. Now kids are ready to hop on the Smart Cycle and start pedaling and steering to play fun learning games right on the TV. Kids can even customize their “on-screen” vehicle.
The Smart Cycle comes with one software title, Learning Adventure, which includes three ways to play and learn: Driving, Learning Arcade Games and The Big Race. In the driving mode, kids learn valuable academic skills while pedaling through fun environments. In the Learning Arcade Games, kids can use the joy stick to play games while learning letters, numbers, shapes, colors, spelling, problem solving and more. Finally, in the Big Race, kids can time themselves and race against other vehicles on the TV or against a friend. Additional software is also available for Smart Cycle including Dora’s Friendship Adventure™, Sponge Bob’s Ocean Adventure, Hot Wheels®, Barbie Fairytopia™, Diego’s Animal Rescue™ and Discover the Dinosaurs. Each software title sold separately ($19.99 each). Requires 4 “D” batteries, not included.
The Fisher-Price Smart Cycle will retail for approximately $99.99, is appropriate for ages three to six years old and will be available in July 2007.
About the Richard Simmons Ask America Project:
The RICHARD SIMMONS ASK AMERICA PROJECT is an effort by Richard to reinstate Physical Education as a core subject in the school system. The first phase of the project involves asking the American public to complete a questionnaire about the state of Physical Education in their area. As a leader in the Fitness Industry for over 30 years, Richard is in the best position to give public voice to the issue. In collaboration with the National School Board Association and NASPE, and with very recent appearances on The Today Show, The Neil Cavuto Show, The Glenn Beck Show, Fox and Friends, The Howard Stern Show and Late Night with David Letterman, Richard has been able to collect over 35,000 surveys in just one month. For more information please visit
www.richardsimmons.com.
About Fisher-Price:
Fisher-Price, Inc., a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. (NYSE:MAT) and located in East Aurora, New York, is the leading brand of infant and preschool toys in the world. The Company has a 75-year legacy of high quality toys that enhance early childhood development. Its often-emulated Play Laboratory was the first child research center of its kind in the toy industry, allowing researchers to observe the way children play and how play benefits their development. Some of the Company’s best-known “classic” brands include Little People®, Power Wheels® and View-Master®. Fisher-Price is also a leading developer of baby gear products (nursery monitors, infant swings, high chairs) as well as a wide array of character-based toys inspired by high quality children’s programming such as Sesame Street®, Dora the Explorer™ and Winnie the Pooh. The Company’s web site, at
www.fisher-price.com, provides valuable information and resources to parents.
A Great Idea
