KB Toys releases holiday "hot toy" list

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KB Toys predicts that toys like Furby here will fly off the shelves this holiday season
PITTSFIELD-KB Toys has unveiled its annual Hot Toy List for Holiday 2005, featuring a wide selection of the season's "must have" toys that will entertain, educate and challenge kids of all ages: Aquadoodle It's the no mess magic tabletop draw 'n doodle mat that only requires water! No ink, no markers and no mess! The Aquadoodle's 1, 2, 3 draw with me step-by-step feature makes it easy for children to draw over and over again. Ages 4 & up. Barbie(R) and the Magic of Pegasus -- Mattel She's a beautiful, adventurous princess starring as Princess Annika(TM) in the upcoming movie Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus. Create your own Cloud Kingdom(TM) and play along. Choose from various playsets and dolls. Ages 3 & up. Batman -- Mattel The movie Batman Begins has sparked a huge craze among kids for Batman action figures, vehicles and animated figures. Kids will love to recreate their favorite Batman scenes with a full line of detailed Batman Begins action figures and accessories from Mattel. Ages 4 & up. Bratz(TM) Rock Anglz(TM) -- MGA Entertainment Now that the Bratz have conquered the pop world, they're ready to rock out in style with a hot rock look of the 70s. With guitars in hand and tons of accessories, the Bratz invite you to join in the excitement and rock out to their exclusive 2-song music CD included with each Bratz doll! Ages 6 & up. CHATNOW -- Hasbro Now you can chat with your friends or send them text messages up to two miles away with no fees, no bills and no minutes to keep track of! With the CHATNOW communicator you can talk one-on-one with your best friend or chat with everyone in your chat zone at the same time. Access screen savers, saved buddy photos and ten different ring tones with the flip out keypad. Also, take pics of your pals with the built-in digital camera! Choose from a variety of colors including pink, green and blue or try out one of the fun carrying cases. Ages 8 & up. Disney's Cinderella -- Various For years, Disney's Cinderella has appeared in the dreams of children of all ages. Today, we bring dreams to life in role-play. Choose from a variety of figures and playsets including the Magic Talking Tabletop Vanity, Twinkle Lights Carriage, Cinderella Beauty Bag and Bag Sets all with enchanting Cinderella's styling. Ages 3 & up. Fantastic 4(R) -- Toybiz Working as a team, the Fantastic 4(R) use science, intellect and their new powers to stop the diabolical Dr. Doom in his tracks. Millions of Marvel fans waited for the Fantastic 4(R) movie and now there's a huge demand for toys it inspired. Toybiz has pulled out all the stops with the Fantastic 4(R) action figure, playset and vehicle replicas. Ages 4 & up. Furby -- Hasbro One of the best-selling toys of all time, is back! Driven by EMOTO- TRONICS, the all-new, evolved Furby features a wide range of emotions and motions, advanced recognition, and enhanced communication between kids and other Furby toys and an impressive "bilingual" vocabulary of "Furbish" and English. In fact, the new Furby has six times the memory of the original toy. Ages 6 & up. iZ -- Zizzle The ultimate fusion of music and toy with a personality of its own! Twist and turn iZ's ears to create new rhythm and trick combinations or press his belly to change-up the beat. iZ's eyes bounce to the rhythm and his horns glow in rainbow colors to the beat. You can even watch iZ move to your favorite tunes by plugging your iPod or any music source into iZ. Ages 8 & up. Plug It In & Play Games -- Jakks Here's a little bit of old school! Plug It In and Play Games bring the magic of arcade games to your TV without the hassle of a bulky game console. Plug the joystick directly into your TV and discover games like SpongeBob Dilly Dabbler, Star Wars, EA 2-Player, World Poker Tour and more. Ages 5 & up. Star Wars Darth Vader Voice Charger Mask -- Hasbro The ultimate headgear for any fan of the Star Wars movies! From the moment you put on this menacing gear, you become the ultimate villain of Star Wars. Strike fear throughout the galaxy by changing your voice to sound like Darth Vader's. Easy to adjust straps allow you to fit the helmet comfortably on your head. This realistic headgear and chestplate will make you the master of the dark side of the force! Ages 5 & up. Star Wars Lightsaber Battle Plug 'N Play TV Game -- Hasbro Put the power of the force in your own hands! This interactive plug n' play TV game lets you enter the world of the Jedi in your own living room. With a swing of the powerful lightsaber, innovative wireless technology lets your lightsaber interact with the TV screen and fend off the attackers and defeat opponents. Ages 8 & up. Star Wars Revenge of the Sith Lightsaber -- Hasbro Role-play your way into galactic adventure with this lightsaber replica that extends with a flick of the wrist. Fight with Separatists or defend the galaxy alongside the Jedi ... whichever it is, this is the most powerful weapon to have in your hands. Choose from various colors including blue, green and red. Ages 4 & up. Tamagotchi Connection -- Bandai The virtual best friends for girls and boys are back, with a brand new, interactive twist! Tamagotchi Connection features infrared communication abilities and can make friends with other Tamagotchi! They're perfect pets, without the mess! Choose from many cool colors and designs. Ages 6 & up. Tumble Time(TM) Tigger -- Fisher-Price Press Tigger's nose and off he goes! Watch as the sound-activated Tigger dances, cartwheels and stands on his hands just by clapping or signing for him (your child will never know what the energetic Tigger will do next). Ages 1 & up. V.Smile -- VTech The V.Smile TV Learning System is a dynamic learning platform that uses educational video gaming to make learning fun! With a comprehensive library of "smartridges" adapted to three age groups, children can learn many important skills including language development & phonics, basic math, visualization & memory, problem solving, science, independent play and much more. Ages 3 & up. World Wrestling Entertainment(TM) Figures -- Jakks With a powerhouse of licensed action figures and playsets, the WWE storms onto the toy scene this holiday. The detail is stunning, the play is thrilling -- it's like having the excitement of the WWE right in your living room! Be sure to check out the new Ruthless Aggression assortment. Ages 8 & up.
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Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Construction is underway to transform the former Harry's Supermarket into a restaurant

Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building. 

"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu. 

A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building. 

White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.  

He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns. 

Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot. 

A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use. 

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