Sky’s no limit in economics class

Want a flying bicycle? Kids’ sweatshirts with dinosaur spines, fairy wings or shark fins? How about a doll that teaches children math and comes with a built-in calculator?

Sound like great gifts for the upcoming Christmas season, right? Unfortunately, you won’t find any of these products in stores. Right now, they live only in the minds of the Marina High School students who dreamt them up. The only tangible earnings from their work will be a grade — preferably a good one.

At 8 a.m. Tuesday, six groups of students in Robert Rasmussen’s economics class presented ideas for toys suited for children mostly, although a few ideas would easily be coveted by consumers of all ages.

In his first year of teaching economics, Rasmussen has worked toward applying everyday situations and choices to the principles of economics.

The BikePod, from four classmates under the company name Mockin’ Bird Inc., appeals to kids and adults. For $300 — the price of an iPod — and with audio and power controls built into the handlebars, the bike is a hip alternative for the gas-conscious generation.

“A lot of us realize now, as we’re getting older, that prices are going up,” said 17-year-old Alexi Cobb. “This might give more people a reason to ride a bike.”

Instead of riding a bike, why not fly a bike, asked Mark Carll.

That was the idea behind the flying bicycle from It’s Possible Inc.

Although less practical than the other five presentations, the flying bicycle takes the idea of cruising to a whole new level. As gears shift, the bike flies higher and faster — although how the wings work to keep the bike in the air remains a mystery.

The flying bike was priced at $450.

For younger children, The Fuzz Factory designed hooded sweatshirts inspired by creatures real and imaginary. For boys and girls ages 3 to 6, the jackets include aspects of animals, such as the wings of a fairy or rabbit ears, the spikes and tail of a dinosaur, and more.

The company even offered customized designs for parents willing to call and pay an extra fee.

Groups like The Fuzz Factory and Mockin’ Bird Inc., also planned out marketing strategies, prime advertising age demographics and time slots on television and radio.

Rather than creating completely new toy inventions, almost every group took a product already popular with consumers and either tweaked something about it or merged the old idea with another old popular idea.

Some of the meat from the presentations was missing, but not due to lack of trying from the class, Rasmussen said. Many of the products could have gone on to actual productions, and that’s important, he said.

“My goal from the beginning was to bring economics to a level that was easily understood and could use real-life examples,” Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen was mainly concerned with three aspects of the presentations: what to produce, how to produce it, and who to produce it for.

Being in his first year teaching economics, Rasmussen has had a challenge getting teenagers interested in the principles of economics.

“When I was in high school, I was really turned off by economics,” Rasmussen said. “It wasn’t until college that I learned to appreciate it.”

In college, he took to the subject quickly due to creative instruction from professors who applied the economics to everyday life.

The entire class received a cap of $1 million to endorse some of the groups. On Wednesday, Rasmussen’s students — or board of investors — decided how much money each group would be allocated and whether certain groups would receive any money at all from the imaginary fund.

On Wednesday, the class awarded four of the groups start-up capital. Fuzz Factory, Fun Joy Toy (with the “Best Friend Betty” doll), Mockin’ Bird Inc.’s “BikePod” and Happy Go-Lucky Toys’ “Talking Hula Hoop” were each awarded $250,000.

Mockin’ Bird’s “BikePod” proposal was the only one unanimously accepted by the board of investors.