HitClips Pen

$14.99, Smart Toy

Teaches: music

CTR Review

This purple, oversized pen has a postage stamp-sized slot for HitClips, the little cartridges that play a minute or so of popular tunes. This one comes with "This Is Me" by Dream. The pen also has a jack and a one-earred headphone (its only speaker). A volume control allows for two adjustments (high or low). To play a song, you simply slide the little music chip into the slot, and press a button. That's it. The sound quality is lousy, and songs are short, but the kids don't care. The device is powered by a single button battery that can be replaced. Individual song chips are $3.99 to $4.99, and the player is $14.99.