Endangered Species Grow Pal, Penguin Edition

While shopping recently at the Dollar Store, Nora and I came across the new frontier in climate change communication – inexpensive toys.

The Endangered Species Grow Pal, Penguin Edition, is apparently collectible, and was a bargain at just $1. (It’s the Dollar Store.) Its package includes this helpful background:

Penguin populations have decreased by nearly 80 percent in some areas, and the majority of scientists agree that rising temperature due to climate change is the primary culprit.

It does not cite a source, but I find the information entirely credible. What incentive would the maker of an inexpensive children’s toy have to be other than fully authoritative in its packaging?

As an added bonus, when one places the grow toy in a medium container full of room temperature water, it apparently will grow to several times its original size, but it can be shrunk again simply by removing it from the water and allowing it to dry. This will apparently provide hours of fun, though I’m hesitant to remove the penguin from its packaging, as it might reduce its collectability.

One note of caution, however. It is a choking hazard, with small parts, and is not for children under three years of age.