Kids Pick Favorite Features For Monstrous Creatures —T (NAPSA)—Imagine having the power to create the universe’s next great mythical creature. What features would you choose for your creature? A trading card game that’s the home to many battling creatures gives kids the opportunity in a search for the next amazing char- acter to add to the game. Children can simply write an essay of 250 words or less describing the mon- strous features they'd like to see in a creature. One winner will have his or her fantasy creature turned into a promo trading card. In addition, that winner—as well as nine other finalists—will receive original artist renderings of the character. To help ignite some creative spark, the trading card company, Duel Masters, partnered with Scholastic to conduct a survey among 8-to-12-year-olds to find out what elements makethe fiercest creatures. The results included the following: e Size doesn’t matter. Kids stated three to one that they like creatures that have stealthlike speed rather than those that are gigantic. Fight or flight? When given a choice between razor-sharp spikes on a creature’s back or a pair of wings, a majority of kids preferred the spikes. Curls are stylish...curled horns, that is. They overwhelmingly defeated pointed horns, antennae andantlers as the coolest appendagefor a creature’s head. Fur isn’t fashionable. Nearly half of all respondents named impenetrable, tanklike skin as A contest asks kids to create a new character for a trading card game. their preferred body covering for creatures,..fur came in deadlast. Teeth have more pulling power than fangs, as a whopping 70 percent of kids stated that 21stcentury creatures’ mouths should contain rows of sharp, jagged teeth insteadof giant fangs. Traditional attack methods are now considered old-fashioned, as today’s awesome creatures don’t rely on bone-crushing strength or flesh-ripping claws. Rather, youngsters prefer to see creatures use laser-eye weaponry and fire-breathing power on their enemies. e Finally, the hottest addresses for today’s up-and-coming awesome creature are found in jungles. More than half of kids said the coolest creatures live in wildernesslike settings. Lakes, sewers and outer space have lost their residential appealfor creatures. To enter the Create A Creature Contest, visit duelmasters.com for a complete set of rules and an entry form.
