Kids do like dogs, but..

One of the two Taffy sets.

I was checking out the toy section a few weeks ago, when I noticed a proliferation of dog-related sets. A dog spa set, a puppy-keeping set, and a dog walking set.  Cute, I thought, but then I looked more closely at the dog-walking one and realized that it's actually called the "Potty Trainin' Taffy" set, and spotted something ridiculous (but set-appropriate) on the accessory list: 5 little brown bits of plastic representing the dog's bowl movement.



I remember a similar release from Moxie about a year ago, but that one came with a more symbolic representation of the droppings - pretty little pastel eggs.  But this one is strangely realistic.

The other version of the "Taffy" set.

And even stranger to me is that this set is apparently very popular - I've been checking back regularly for the past month, and these sets are apparently hard to keep in stock.  The first time I went, they had five each for the two versions of the set (there's one that comes with with a white doll and one with a black doll), and less than a week later only one of the ten was still on the shelf.  And I've watched them be restocked and vanish from the shelves several times since then!

So while my first instinct was to wonder "Who on earth would buy this?", apparently the answer is almost everyone!  Even when I joked about it here a few weeks ago on the "My Life As" review, Farrah Lily (of Cozy Comforts and Dolls) immediately knew what I was talking about, because her daughter wanted one.

Up close with the plastic dog poo.

Now I'm not confused by the popularity of a set with a toy dog - I totally see the appeal there - but this is just one of the dog-included Barbie sets that are on the selves now.  Of course the other two don't feature dogs that can relieve themselves.

Still, a variety of dog sets I can appreciate. And yes, I can see how most of these sets look like they'd be great fun for a dog-loving kid (or an adult with a fondness for photostories, of course).  And sure, kids often love dogs - my nieces and nephews certainly do.  But what they love tends to be the playing and petting and walking.  When it comes time to pick up the poop they usually let out a loud "Ewwww!" and run in the other direction.

The kids look happy to be with my dog now, but just wait until nature calls.
They'll be running the other direction then!

So did I buy this set (or any of the dog sets)?  The answer is no.  But am I going to keep going back to that aisle to watch them fly off the shelves?  That's a yes.  Because while I don't understand the popularity of this thing, I am fascinated by it and wanted to share the phenomenon of these sets with anyone who might have missed it.

The Dog Spa set.  No poo in this one!