Posted on Sun, Feb. 27, 2005




Hasbro launches singing toothbrush

BY RICHARD C. LEWIS

Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Toymaker Hasbro Inc. plans to turn jawbones into
headphones in an effort to tune out tooth decay.

The company announced Friday it's launching "Tooth Tunes," a
toothbrush that transmits music through the jawbone to the ear when
its bristles touch teeth.

"You can clearly hear the words and the music," said Brian Goldner,
president of Hasbro's U.S. toys unit. "You can hum right along if you
like."

For someone standing near a person brushing, the noise would be a
muted hum, Goldner said.

The battery-operated toothbrush contains a tiny microchip that stores
the song. When the user presses a button and starts brushing, the
sound vibrations pass through the tooth, to the jawbone and directly
into the inner ear. The song plays for two minutes, the amount of time
dentists recommend people spend brushing their teeth.

Hasbro executives say the music quality is akin to the sound from
personal headphones.

The Rhode Island-based company will offer the product, priced under
$10, beginning in September. It initially will be carried in CVS
drugstores nationwide, before being distributed more broadly, Goldner
said. CVS, also based in Rhode Island, is the nation's largest
drugstore operator.

Hasbro will market the product to all age groups, but sees great
potential in its interest to children, who sometimes need an extra
incentive to brush their teeth.

Goldner said the company was negotiating with various recording
companies and artists, such as young pop performer Hilary Duff, on
music rights. Disney has granted rights to a new rendition of the
1960s song "Do You Believe in Magic?" Goldner said. The toothbrush
initially will carry one song.

Cleveland dentist Matthew Messina, a consumer adviser for the American
Dental Association, doesn't see any drawbacks.