Child's play

Parents want toys that make their kids think. But all kids want are talking Barbies and Kens that can kill. So who will toy companies hire to fashion tomorrow’s toys? An educational psychologist, or a weapons designer? The choice is clear. They’ll go for someone like Ralph Osterhout. He spent his childhood making real guns and cut his professional teeth designing diving equipment for the US Navy Seals and Gulf War night-vision equipment. Osterhout has now been recruited by the likes of Mattel and Sega as a designer in the fiercely competitive world of children’s toys. Justin Mullins…