For those of us celebrating lantern festival in Singapore, it is customary to buy the lanterns for the kids. During my days (a long, long time ago in a galaxy far far away), lanterns were made of paper and cellophane foil wrapped over thin strips of bamboo, which soon gave way to metal wire, the light source is the candle and I love to play with lanterns because that is the only festival in which you can literally play with fire as a kid and get away with it. But look at the lanterns these days! They are pretty sophiscated. The latest one features a battery operated fish with a flexi swishing tail, it can play music, change its coloured lights, detect obstacles and can be detached from the hanging rod and become a self-contained toy! It is made in China, but of course.
Look closely and it exactly resemble the I-Fish. A fantastic toy invented by Sega that reacts to I-Pod or any music. It costs about S$75 (US$49.95 in Amazon.com) but the China made replica (without the MP3 speaker function) cost S$7.50. Think for a moment. This means that if you have a bright idea, someone can modify it and make it into a cheap disposable toy! Someday, entrepreneurs in China will figure out they can hang a remote control car or a flying helicopter. After the festive season, the kids can modify it to become a real toy. And you, the original patent holder or whatever will be green with envy as the guy outsell you by a factor of 100. This is the new reality of commerce.
Harold
The Original I-Fish by Sega
The transformable lantern toy hybrid from China
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