The Times Herald from Port Huron, Michigan • Page 27

1D THE WEEK AHEAD: The musical You're a Grand Old Flag is being presented Thursday through Saturday and July 10 through 12 at the Barn Theater in Port Sanilac. For details, call 622-9114. SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 1997 llfTi Tt 1 PORT HURON, MICHIGAN 1D INSIUL' MNG '97 MARRIAGES: Blue Water Area nuptials3D CONVERSATIONS: Ann Landers3D ENTERTAINMENT: What's happening this week4D TRAVEL Visiting Connecticut's Lake Waramaug area5D Latest Japanese electronic import is virtual reality pet with an attitude 1 1111 fM-L. v. ti i rv TAMA-MAMAS: Crystal Lowrie, Amy Ward and Kari MacLean are well-versed in the Tamagotchi craze.

The Port Huron teens have shared the joys and sorrows that come with being an of these virtual pets. The toy, which originated in Japan, is recommended for ages 8 and older, but people of all ages are grabbing them up. By TRISH KINNEE-WEIS, Times Herald A -vv By TRISH KINNEE-WEIS Times Herald correspondent rn my Ward and fill Crystal Lowrie coo (J over the little chick lfm bouncing around in a tiny egg held by their friend, Kari MacLean. "My first one was just eight years old when it died," sighs Kari, 15. "I left if for only six hours and it died." "I fed mine, like, 15 snacks at one time," adds Amy, also 15.

''He weighed 99 ounces when he wasn't even one year old yet. Nothing bad happened to him." The three Port Huron teens were not discussing the progress of their 4-H poultry projects. They were chirping about the latest toy craze to hit the area virtual reality pets. Tamagotchi, Giga Pets and Nano Babies are their trade names. The most popular is Tamagotchi pronounced Tah-mah-GOT-chee by Bandai Co.

which was the first one to hit the market. Tamagotchis are battery-operated, egg-shaped toys that come on a key ring. Prices vary between about $15 and $20. They've been on the market in Japan since last November, where customers waited in line for hours just to buy a raffle ticket for a chance to buy not even win a Tamagotchi. The toy began selling in the United States in April and has been as hard to find as Beanie Babies.

More than 6 million have been sold so far. THE TOY tests your patience and your ability to nurture. You start by setting the time. For about five minutes, the egg pulses until a little round cyber face appears on the toy's miniature screen. For the rest of its life they live anywhere from 5 to 21 human days you must feed it, clean up after it and play with it.

One human day equals one year in Tamagotchi-land. Your goal as an owner is to see how long you can maintain your pet. It beeps three times when it wants attention, and one of six "maintenance" pictures appears. The more time, care and attention shown to Tamagotchi, the more years you add to its life. If your pet is going to sleep, you press the button to turn off the light.

If it's sick, you press the medicine button. If it "misbehaves," you press the discipline button. If it relieves itself, you press the flush button. Does it love you back? The screen does display little hearts when the creature is happy. And it likes to play a little game where you try to guess which way it's going to turn.

It you get it right, the character jumps up and down. If you're a good virtual caretaker, it'll grow up to be a cute, happy little cyber pet like the Mame-chi, which behaves nicely by going to bed at 10 p.m. and getting up at 9 a.m. If you neglect it forget to feed it, don't clean up after it TAMA GLOSSARY The Associated Press KEEPING COOL Straw hats are back this season. This natural breton in mylan straw is by Annabel Ingall at Apropo.

It retails for about $100. Beat heat with stylish straw hat By FRANCINE PARNES The Associated Press It's an old saw that a drowning man will grasp at straw. With the hot sun overhead, any woman who wants comfort and fashion will grasp at straw, too. Designers are weaving easy, breezy straw into everything from jaunty hats to traditional totes to stylish sandals but a touch of twine will likewise do. From head to toe, these lightweight, lighthearted natural selections have you covered.

Look for openwork cloches and big-brimmed sun hats in raffia, lightweight basket bags to replace leather, and wedges with cork heels or canvas espadrilles with braided rope soles. A classic brimmed straw in royal blue, orange, yellow, purple, black or red is 56 at Target that would go most places in the sun. For city slickers, there's nothing less than urbane about Salvatore Ferragamo's tote in natural raffia covered with slick PVC, $465, with matching wedge $210. The Milanese maker also has a bag with three tiers of straw, $265, with a black grosgrain top handle. Also prim and proper is Kate Spade's burlap top-handle bag trimmed with 3-D raffia flowers, $170.

Susan Gail handbags are about dress-up, too. But you don't have to drop a lot of cash for a lot of style. Corbin Seitz, style consultant for Target, the Minneapolis-based retailer, said the majority of straw accessories are under $15. A chocolate brown straw fedora with down-turned brim is $10. "Very Audrey Hepburn, very Breakfast at Tiffany's," Mr.

Seitz said. "It looks very mysterious, very sophisticated with big Jackie sunglasses." If vintage romance is more your mood, the store has a natural raffia cloche with small roll brim trimmed in faded burgundy and pink roses, also about $10. "You wear it low down on the head, and it's very '20s-looking," Mr. Seitz said. "Pair it with a flowing floral summer dress, and it has an antique feel to it that immediately says romance." Carol Hochman, president of accessories at Liz Claiborne in New York, said a woman's healthy respect for the sun is another reason for straw's popularity.

"We're having such a good season with straw hats because they make you feel like summer, but they also help prevent the sun from getting at you," she said. Choose from Liz Claiborne's natural-color straw visor, $14, or an up-brim in natural or black straw, $20, at Macy's, Lord Taylor, Famous Barr and Filenc's. WHO ARE THESE GUYS? Depending on how you care for your Tamagotchi, it can turn into one of six adult characters. They are: Mame-chi: is diligent, loyal and in good health. It is awake from 9 a.m.

to 10 p.m. Ginjiro-chi: an average, healthy adult. It is awake from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Masuku-chi: also called "The Mask," is selfish, hard to care for and is rumored to be able to turn into a secret character.

It is awake from 1 1 a.m. to 1 1 p.m. Kutchipa-chi: is the main adult character and most common one. It is awake from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Nyoro-chi: has poor health and does not last long. It Is awake from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tarako-chi: has poor health and needs a lot of care. It is awake from 10 a.m.

to 10 p.m. 1 1 "Even for those of us working here, we had a hard time getting one because you had to know right away when they came in," she said. Ms. Dewey finally snagged a Nano Baby for her 12-year-old daughter, Anne. "She absolutely loves it," Ms.

Dewey said. "She got a little girl baby and named it Patty. It just turned of a year old and weighs 2 1 pounds. For Nano Babies, 12 days is equal to three years. Then, after it turns 3 years old, you get a new baby to raise and after that one turns 3, they go on to be a happy family." ALTHOUGH THE toys are geared toward girls particularly teen girls adults are getting hooked, too.

In Japan, where folks will pay as much as $500 for a Tamagotchi, the average buyer is 21 years old. Half the buyers are male, said Gene Morra, vice president of sales and marketing for Bandai America Inc. He expects U.S. trends to be the same. When Tamagotchis first came to Toys Us, some employees including Ms.

Soule bought one to see what the fuss was all about. "The first couple of weeks they were here, nearly everybody bought one," she said. "We were comparing them every day to see who could get their's to last the longest." Please see GOTCHA, Page 2, this section By TONY PITTS, Times Herald CLOSE-UP: Characters flash on a tiny screen. Tiger Electronics cost $9.99 and come in a variety of animals including cats, dogs and monkeys. Wal-Mart in Fort Gratiot has carried both Tamagotchis and Giga Pets, but has only received small shipments between 12 and 36 of each which sell out within a few hours after they are unboxed, staff there said.

Target in Birchwood Mall, Fort Gratiot, carries all three virtual toys and they sell out as quickly as they come in, assistant store manager Sue Dewey said. goes to the bathroom and let it get sick your Tamagotchi could turn into an ugly, selfish cyber creature like the Masuku-chi also called "The Mask" which is selfish and likes to stay up until 11 p.m. Eventually, each critter dies or, if it makes you feel better, "returns to its home planet." Once the pet departs, owners can reset the Tamagotchi and start the process again. THE TOYS have quickly caught on locally. "We can't keep them in the store," said Patty Soule, a merchandiser for Toys Us in Fort Gratiot.

"They haven't even been coming in on our regular trucks. They've been coming by UPS right through the front door." And when each shipment arrives, the little hand-held toys usually are gone within just a few days. The store also sells Nano Babies about $15 from Playmates Toys Inc. which are little virtual babies that need nurturing or they'll run away from home. Giga Pets, by KEEPING CORRENT YOUR TORN CRABBY ROAD CHART TOPPERS Help us salute businesses that drop barriers to disabled Bet I'd be a goocf sports agent, you hang around showers and collect a percentage? I coud do that CHILD'S PLAY: On warm summer evenings in the '60s, all the neighborhood kids would gather after supper and spend the next three or four hours playing dodge ball, statues or that relic from our parents' childhoods kick the can.

Back then, there were no video games or computers. Most televisions were in black and white. And beyond the Wonderful World of Disney and The Ed Sullivan Show, there was little to tempt us to stay indoors. Not when a raucous game of dodge ball and the chance to whip a ball at an.opposing kid's rump was in the offing. What do today's kids do for fun? Do the old neighborhood games of hide-and-seek still stand? Or has the computer age changed the face of play? The Times Herald wants to do a story on the games kids play.

If you can help, please call Jill Carlson at (800) 462-4057, Ext. 267 or 989-6267, or fax her at 989-6294. You also may write to Child's Play, Times Herald Features, P.O. Box 5009, Port Huron, Ml 48061-5009, Attn. Jill Carlson.

TOP SINGLE: Be Missing You (Puff Daddy and Faith Evans) COUNTRY SINGLE: It's Your Love (Tim McGraw with Faith Hill) MODERN ROCK TRACKS: Semi-Charmed Life (Third Eye Blind) TOP LP: Butterfly Kisses (Bob Carlisle) BOX-OFFICE LEADER: Batman and Robin VIDEO MOVIE RENTALS: Jerry Maguire VIDEO MOVIE SALES: Jerry Maguire BEST-SELLER (NONFICTION): Into Thin Air (Jon Krakauer) BEST-SELLER (FICTION): Plum Island (Nelson DeMille) BEST-SELLER (PAPERBACK): The Deep End of the Ocean (Jacquelyn Mitchard) From Times Herald wire senices Just how welcoming are area restaurants, theaters and other entertainment spots for people with disabilities? The Blue Water Center for Independent Living wants to know. The center wants to compile a list of local businesses from stores to theaters that are easily accessible to people with disabilities. Of particular interest are recreational venues. The center will be conducting a survey this summer throughout the Thumb to determine which businesses are accessible, This information will be made available to the public. The center plans to select one business a month for its Accessibility Award.

Each business will pass a set of accessibility criteria, be awarded a decal identifying it as barrier-free and will be included in the center's list of referrals to the public. The center which also has offices in Sandusky, Lapeer, Bad Axe and Caro can help businesses determine accessibility problems and find solutions. If you know of a business that is accessible, or not accessible, please contact the center at 310 Water Port Huron, or call (800) 527-2167 or 987-9337 (VoiceTDD). Or you may call the Times Herald ReaderLine at 989-6298. We will make sure the center gets the information..