Sorry coleslaw, that's weird. You could try a different item to rename remote.png, like say the barbeque.png and see if you can pick up that item. Be sure to close the game entirely while you are renaming these files as it is possible you can corrupt the game if you try to overwrite the files while they are in use.

If this doesn't work then something is definitely corrupted and the only other option is to back up your familysave files (Virtual Families1.ldw, etc) and re-install the game, then copy your familysave files back to the newly installed game so you keep your same family info.

Good luck.
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WARNING: I cannot be held responsible for the above as apparently my cat has learned how to type.