Ermanaric said:
WOTC changed the halflings to suit the newer players: end of story.
Think for 5 whole seconds about what you just wrote.
The new halflings came about with 3E.
The newest D&D players presumably started playing with 3E. If they aren't playing 3E, then WotC isn't selling any of the new material to them, so there goes that argument.
So you tell me, did WotC travel to the future and discover what players would want in a halfling, then change it during the creation of 3E? Doesn't sound right to me. The new halflings were on the scene before people were actually playing 3E...
The 3E playtesters that helped create 3E weren't new players (they sure as heck shouldn't have been), so explain to me who these new players were that WotC placated with the creation of these new halflings?
You could try to say that the people who began playing during the decline of TSR (they would sort of be new players, in some peoples' opinions) liked Kender better and their opinions affected the creation of the 3E halfling, but since there is no similarity between kender and 3E halflings except, vaguely, their appearance, that argument holds no water either.
I take it you came to your conclusion on a whim?