Los Angeles, CA (WFN) -- Paul Winchell is known for throwing his voice. Now he's throwing out a new idea -- adding ventriloquism to the kiddie curriculum.

Winchell -- who created the voice of Tigger in the Winnie the Pooh cartoons -- says ventriloquism is becoming a lost art, thanks to computer games.

In his words, "Kids are used to seeing everything talk."

Winchell says ventriloquism doesn't get enough credit as a learning skill "because it teaches them to use both sides of their brain."

It also can have psychological benefits. Winchell says his mother was a cruel woman and, years later, a psychologist asked him to build ventriloquist dummy that looked like her as part of his therapy -- and then made her hack it to bits.

Winchell speaks about ventriloquism in his new autobiography, "Winch" (1st Books).

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