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In Search Of The Best Toys

Just in time for holiday shopping, Consumer Correspondent Herb Weisbaum is gathering the results of the 1999 CBS Toy Test. This year's Toy Test, our 10th, was bigger than ever. The results will be reported here on CBS.com and on The Early Show next week. Here's the background, and Herb's toy safety tips for parents.



Toys are expensive, so it pays to make sure you get your money's worth. That's why we conduct our annual CBS Toy Test -- to help you find toys that are fun, safe and durable.
Click here for Herb's Toy Safety Tips.
We asked toy makers from around the world to send us their best new products for 1999. In all, we got 308 toys, and we got six copies of each so that lots of kids could play with them. The retail value: more than $60,000.

The toys went to 57 child care centers around the country where 5,300 youngsters ranging from toddlers to school age tested them for us. During this month-long test, their teachers watched and rated the toys on a number of factors, including ease of use, fun, play value and long-term attraction. Those with the highest average scores made our Top Toys list.

For the software test, we set up our own one-of-a-kind arcade at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. During its three-week run, thousands of kids from all across the country played and rated the latest new video games -- 75 in all -- for the Nintendo 64, Sony PlayStation and the new Sega Dreamcast.

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They also got to test drive 30 new computer games selected for us by FamilyPC magazine. Our top-rated video and computer games are based on more than 15,500 total responses.

The Toy Test results will be revealed Nov. 15-Nov. 20 on The Early Show and the Saturday Early Show.

©1999, CBS Worldwide Inc., All Rights Reserved

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