Monthly Archives: May 2008

Don't Wake Hulk- Great fun!

Posted on by
Reply

Hasbro’s new version of the classic, Don’t Wake Daddy, now features the Hulk.  He reminds us more of the Friendly Green Giant actually!  The game play remains the same.  You have to push the button on the Hulk’s bed and hope that you don’t wake him- for if you do, he will pop up out of bed, much like a Jack in the Box.  The tension of not knowing when it would happen always made me twitch–but hey, that’s just me.  Most kids love the random, unknowing experience.

Testers also liked the addition of Spiderman and Friends to the game.  The game is designed for 3 & up (older threes in our view would be more likely).

Monopoly Town

Posted on by
Reply

We thought this was such a clever preschool version of the classic game.  Mr. Monopoly is in a little car (very cute) and he travels around the board on a little track.  All very age appropriate and fun so far.  He tells you how many spaces to move–which is also fun and interactive.  You know there’s a but coming….right?

The problem is that when you move him, he sometimes gets stuck and/or moves too quickly and when he does either, the count is off.  The whole concept of having a concrete moving “counting” experience is lost since it’s not always accurate. Too bad.  We hope they can address this issue — the premise of the game is fun.

Mall Madness meets Hannah Montana

Posted on by
1

“Hit the stores to see what bling bling you can cha ching with the stars of the Hanna Montana show!” – screams the box of this updated classic.  While I’ve never been a fan of Mall Madness, our younger testers do seem like the game play. For Hannah Montana fans–this will probably be a hit.

Thoughts?

Rainy Days

Posted on by
Reply

While it’s so gross and rainy outside, we found the perfect craft kit!  Scrap ‘n Stuff Umbrella from Alex is just right.  The see thru umbrella (with pink trim) comes with pockets all along the inside.  The kit also comes with fabric, ribbon, stickers, etc. to add your own art work to each pocket.  You can also add personalized pictures.  May just cheer someone up on a cold rainy day!

Razor Powerwing

Posted on by
Reply

Razor’s new Powerwing seems like the perfect variation on their popular scooters.  The wings on the back would seem to give more stability for kids that may have trouble with a traditional Razor.  So far our testers are having some tipping issues.  They may be taking the turns too quickly–it does seem like you should be able to just turn without fear of going over.  We will keep testing.  If you have your own Powerwing experience, please let us know.

Klutz's Bead Loom Bracelets Book

Posted on by
Reply

My brother Tony was really the expert on all things bead loom.  In fact, he had all those summer craft things down so well- my pitiful lanyard chain always looked meager compared to his twelve strand snaking creations!

I always perk up when a bead kit or book comes into the office. Maybe this will be the magical kit. My creations will finally look like the cool kids at Camp Winston…anyway.

This week we received Klutz’s new Bead Loom Bracelets book by Anne Akers Johnson.  As with most Klutz titles, it is beautiful to look at with handsome illustrations/photos…just makes you want to get beading.  The book is marked 8 & up which is usually pretty unrealistic when you’re talking about anything but the most basic beading projects–but that’s how most kits/books are marked–so we discount that as a rule.

Sydni, our trusty  and experienced 12 year old tester, gave this book several tries — she too wanted to love it. In the end she found  the projects way too difficult. She noted that she had trouble keeping the string in place. She also suggested that the author should have tried easier projects to start– before graduating to more difficult patterns.