Archive for the ‘Retro Toys’ Category
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
Bed Bugs (the game!)
Every time I turn on the tv, there’s a new report of where bug bugs are now…forget tacky hotels, they’re now everywhere it seems (stores, movie theaters). The old expression “sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite” doesn’t seem like a cute little thing to say to your kids as you turn off the lights. I’m itchy just thinking about it.
Bed Bugs are also in toyland! This week I got a new updated version of the classic game Bed Bugs (now from Patch Products). The game was first released by Milton Bradley in 1985.
The game is still fun (if you can get over the current hype about the real bugs). Comes with a bed that’s just hopping with bed bugs, literally (the bed is motorized so the bugs really do move about). The youngest player calls out a color and then it’s a free for all where all players are trying to get those colored bugs out of the bed with a tong.
Wonder if the current epidemic will help or hurt the sales of this classic game.
Tags: Bed Bug Epidemic, Bed Bugs, Patch Products, Retro Games, toyportfolio.com
Posted in best board games, Best Games for Kids, Gender Free Toys, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award Winners, Play Time, Retro Toys, toy trends, toys | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
After two very intensive weeks of looking at what seemed like a boat load of plastic toys…I finally decided we were ready for a treat. We opened the box from blabla kids. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against plastic toys per se – many are on our top list this year- but there’s something really special about this collection of dolls. They’re both deliciously retro and fresh in design and spirit.
Take a look at just two of the new dolls that we’re reviewing this morning.
Tags: best huggables, blablakids, Retro Toys, toyportfolio.com
Posted in Best Plush Toys for Kids, Best Toys for Kids with ADHD, Best Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Best Toys for Preschoolers, Best Toys for Toddlers, classic toys, dolls, Green toys, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award Winners, preschoolers, pretend play, Retro Toys | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
When I saw this toy at Toy Fair, I was psyched. Little Tikes made a teeter toy years ago so I was happy to see it back in the line. I used to love teeter toys as a kid — it is a toy that involved having a good friend. Someone that would not give you too rough a ride, calm it down if it was going too fast (clearly you can see that I had issues). Rollercoasters were never my thing – a good teeter ball ride was as adventuresome as I got. Lame, probably–but just how I’m wired.
I sent a sample of the new Teeter Ball to one of our go to tester families…they have two boys, 6 and 3, and they like active play. Last year they were big on water/sand toys–not afraid of water, dirt, mud, etc. either– my kind of family!
While the boys enjoyed the toy, their dad gave the toy low marks when it came to putting it together. While he said you didn’t need a power drill, he had one and used it where screws were required. The most challenging part was “attaching the yellow ring and the inflatable purple ball.” He warned that this could pose a problem for people not comfortable putting things together. I’m certainly in that category. While I know that lots of people do have power drills and are far more handy than I am with putting things together, I really question from a consumer point of view why such effort and skill should be necessary for a toy. I appreciate the cost-cutting opportunity that at-home assembly provides, but I can’t imagine that such assembly engenders a great deal of good will. For $69 it seems to me the toy should either come good to go or without a huge amount of effort.
Our family also noted that the toy did not hold the boys interest for long stretches of time. I think that’s true of most teeter toys–they’re the type of toy you run to on the playground…take a turn and then go onto the next activity.
So be forewarned, almost all of the big plastic toys we have received this year required a power drill and a certain comfort zone in reading complicated directions (and making inferences from the picture on the box).
I was happy to read that the older brother waited for his little brother to get back on his seat when he fell off …that’s a very good sign that while the toy may not be a home run, these boys already have a lovely relationship.
Our testers trying out Little Tikes new Teeter Ball
Tags: active play, Brothers, Little Tikes Teeter Ball, More Assembly Required by Parents, Teeter Toys, toyportfolio.com
Posted in active play, Gender Free Toys, Little Tikes, Outdoor toys, Play Time, Retro Toys, toy trends, toys, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, June 28th, 2010
Over the years we’ve testing many outdoor play systems. They have become so expensive that you really want to be sure you’re making a wise investment. This season we asked one of our testing families to try a set from Backyard Discovery — a mid-priced brand of wooden sets that is widely available. They tried the Highlander – it comes with a 10′ wave slide, a rock wall, ladder, two belt swings, a two person glider, a picnic table and a four level fort with a covered porch.
What they loved:
The three levels to climb. (This trend for super high climbers makes us a little nervous. It certainly demands constant adult supervision).
The accessories. The telescope, the steering wheel– all fun for pretend play!
Stability. This is super important when kids are swinging high and on the glider.
Rock Wall. The kids really enjoyed this aspect of the set.
Slide. The wave slide is super sleek and slippery–our testers liked that it was super high.
Hardware. Heavy and looks like it will hold up well.
Swings and Glider. A big hit…how high can you go?
Downside:
Swings and glider are a bit close for our parent testers’ taste. Our mom suggested that another three inches between the swings would make crashes less likely (yikes).
The rock wall is awkwardly close to one side of the picnic table underneath–making it almost inaccessible for even a small child to get into the bench on that side.
Overall–this family gave the set high marks. They noted that it took a professional installer 13 hours to put the whole thing together.
Safety First– please note that all backyard equipment needs to have safety material under and around it to help avoid serious injury if your child falls off the equipment. For a complete list of the CPSC’s playground safety recommendations, click here. Playground experts recommend that you have at least 12 inches of wood chips, mulch, sand or pea gravel or safety tested rubber mats. While this adds to the expense of your backyard playground, remember that 200,000 kids end up in the ER due to playground injuries…so buy the wood chips!
Tags: active play, Backyard Discovery Jungle Gym, Outdoor Play, Rock walls for kids, Safety First, Swing sets, toyportfolio.com
Posted in active play, classic toys, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award Winners, Outdoor toys, preschoolers, Retro Toys, safety for kids, toy safety, toys, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
Baby GoGo by Little Sib
If you’re about to bring home a new baby and you already have a preschooler at home, we recommend giving your new “big” sibling a doll of their own. Sometimes having their own baby doll can help them make the bridge from being only your baby to big brother or sister. (Now truth be told, some kids want no part of babies–real or otherwise. My older son was absolutely stunned to learn that his new baby brother was not going away when our beloved baby nurse was leaving. Adam walked into my bedroom with polar bear in tow “he’s staying?”)
In any case, baby dolls are just right for role playing…you may hear many of your own favorite phrases being used (crack out the video cam for these moments if you can…trust me, you’ll be happy to have them on camera!)
Here are two favorites that have just come in.
Baby GoGo from a new company called Little Sib started by a grandma–who recognized the upside of providing older sibs with their own doll, baby bag, cloth diaper, etc. The doll is gender neutral (if you agree with me that orange is a gender free color). Read our full review here.
And new from Manhattan Toy, a boy version of Baby Stella. Our favorite aspect of this one…the pacifier that attaches with an embedded magnet. Baby Stella has been around for a couple of years, but this is the first boy version (clothes only)…not sure why they couldn’t of renamed him Steven or something…but still very sweet.
Baby Stella - boy version by Manhattan Toy
To see our VIDEO REVIEW click here.
Tags: Baby GoGo, Baby Stella, Dolls for Big Siblings, Dolls for Boys, Little Sib, Manhattan Toy, New Baby in the House, toyportfolio.com
Posted in Best Toys for Preschoolers, Best Toys for Toddlers, dolls, Gender Free Toys, Gender Specific Toys, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award Winners, Play Time, preschoolers, pretend play, Retro Toys, toys, Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
Shrek Operation
One of my favorite games when I was growing up was Operation.
The Original Operation
Something so pleasing about getting those little pieces out without the buzzer going off! I’m not really sure how well I did it–but the game remains a fun hazy childhood memory. It’s probably those memories that always make me perk up at Toy Fair when they unveil the new Operation games of the season. 
Toy Story 3 Operation
So far we’ve received both the Shrek and the Toy Story 3 Versions. As my son Matthew pointed out this is not the first Shrek Operation — the folks at Hasbro confirmed that there was an earlier version to go with one of the first three movies. There is also a Buzz Lightyear–you’ll notice that this is the first break from the usual image of one large body image stretched out (a la on an operation table). You see all of Buzz Lightyear but now he’s in an action pose. Probably not earth shattering news–but worth noting. Each of these movie-based versions has you going after appropriately themed pieces accompanied by sound effects that go with their characters.
Watch our VIDEO REVIEW by clicking here.
Tags: board games, Classic Games for Kids, Disney Pixar Toy Story 3, Hasbro, Operation, Shrek, toyportfolio.com
Posted in Action Figures, Best Games for Kids, Best Toys for School Aged Kids, classic toys, Gender Specific Toys, High Tech toys, Retro Toys, toy trends, toys | No Comments »
Monday, May 10th, 2010
I headed up to the studio this morning with my intern Daniel — after putting toys together for us all semester, I thought it would be fun for him to see the studio and the end result of so many packages, emails and testing. I tried doing my hair this morning–and emerged from the building looking like a bad 1970s “before” picture. Happily, the hair and make-up people at the show are so terrific, that I knew it was going to be ok. I think they were even a little shocked by the sheer volume of hair. Thanks to high def tv, I also think make up takes longer (not to mention that I’m a little older!) than it used to. It really is amazing what professionals can do. Everyone emerges from the hair and makeup area a better, more polished version of themselves.
This morning we had about ten kids. One family has tested for us since their son was born five years ago. They moved to Hong Kong in between and as I traveled up to the studio I realized that we had never met–so that was fun! They now have two kids and I’m so happy they’re back from their adventure and can resume testing for us! Other kids were on with me about a year ago–so to see them now as full preschoolers was fun. A new group joined us – I have to say this was the most well-behaved group of kids in the green room. Their parents were really careful to hold off on the delicious donuts and cookies until after the segment. Smart move.
The challenge was to show toys and equipment for active play –indoors! The YBIKES were a hit and disappeared when we went to talk about them–but I think they got camera time later on. The Kazam Balance Bike – also great was on the pedestal–and may have been blocked a little by the fire truck. You really couldn’t see how amazingly high the Sky Balls bounce in the air–or the 3D bubbles…but trust me – there are fun choices this season.
A very polite "excuse me" in the middle of the segment
Half way through the segment one of our testers very politely asked if she could go play in the playhouse…one of those great real live moments…priceless.
Natalie, Finley and Stephanie...at the end of the segment
Segment over, chocolate donut enjoyed on the car ride home…a good day!
Taking a look at the indoor Hopscotch Rug from Alex
To read the full article about the toys featured, visit www.toyportfolio.com.
Tags: Active Play Toys, Alex, Crayola, Kazam, Little Tikes, Natalie Morales, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award Winners, Optrix 3-D Bubbles, Step 2, Stephanie Oppenheim, Today Show, toyportfolio.com, Wonderworld, YBike
Posted in active play, Activity Kits for Kids, Best Games for Kids, Best Toys for Kids with ADHD, Best Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Best Toys for Preschoolers, Best Toys for School Aged Kids, Best Toys for Toddlers, Gender Free Toys, Green toys, High Tech toys, hot toys, Little Tikes, Math games, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award Winners, Outdoor toys, Play Time, Retro Toys, safety for kids, Today Show, toy trains, toy trends, toys, Toys for Kids with Special Needs, Uncategorized, Vehicles, Wheel Toys | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
A bear to love from Steiff
Needed to share this face with you right away! So cute and amazingly soft. More to follow on this classic handmade line of huggables from Steiff.
Tags: Classic Bears, classic toys, Huggables, Steiff, Steiff Bear, Toy Fair 2010, toyportfolio.com
Posted in Best Plush Toys for Kids, Best Toys for Preschoolers, Best Toys for Toddlers, classic toys, Play Time, preschoolers, pretend play, Retro Toys, Toy Fair, toy trends | No Comments »
Sunday, February 14th, 2010
Tags: Classic Operation, Ironman Operation, Operation, Retro Games with a Twist, Shrek Operation
Posted in classic toys, Gender Free Toys, Hasbro, Retro Toys, Toy Fair, toy trends, toys | No Comments »
