Costa Mesa toy company up to Duff...

Costa Mesa toy company up to Duff

Costa Mesa toy manufacturer Playmates Toys is capitalizing on the

many sides of teen star Hilary Duff with a line of dolls showing her

in each of her careers -- TV star, movie star and singer.

Playmates vice president of marketing Nancy Goldblum said the

company jumped at the chance to produce the 11 1/2-inch fashion doll,

which has been on the market since September.

While the doll aisles of toy stores are crowded, Duff has the

advantage of a huge media presence with a recently released album, a

movie due out this Christmas and her Disney TV show, “Lizzie

McGuire,” Goldblum said.

And the line of three dolls out now is only the beginning.

Goldblum said that this spring, the company will put out new dolls

with updated outfits, and next fall, three new dolls with more

clothes and accessories will highlight some of Duff’s personal

interests: animal rescue, fashion design and yoga.

The dolls can be seen on Duff’s Web site at

https://www.hilaryduff.com and are available at Kmart, Toys R Us,

Target, Wal-mart and Limited Too stores, Goldblum said.

Water districts earn statewide award

An urban runoff study by the Municipal Water District of Orange

County and Irvine Ranch Water District earned the agencies the

Theodore Roosevelt Environmental Award, given by the Assn. of

California Water Agencies to projects that highlight environmental

solutions to water quality issues.

The runoff study looked at the effectiveness of

satellite-controlled “smart” irrigation systems in residential

communities. Findings of the study included that smart irrigation

systems can reduce runoff from residential watering by as much as 71%

and potentially can save single family homes up to 41 gallons of

water per day.