Getting ready for tomorrow’s segment on How to Help Your Child With School Skills. I’ll be on in the 9 o’clock hour. The driving force of the segment is how to help without reducing your child to tears with flash cards! We’ll look at strategies and products if your child is having trouble with math, science, geography, writing, reading and sticking with a task! For the complete article, visit www.toyportfolio.com.
Groovy Girl Kitchen....
...and plates
Manhattan Toy’s award-winning line of Groovy Girls has been expanding into other realms of pretend play. Last year they introduced costumes (on our Platinum List). We look forward to testing their first kitchen and dishes.
Just received a new Early Reader from the Winnie the Pooh series. I love Winnie the Pooh–but I still don’t understand the need to add monsters (even if they are not real) to the Hundred Acre Wood.
From Winnie the Pooh Forever Friends
Dinosaur Train Dino Poop from Uncle Milton
Remember that episode of Seinfeld where George decides to do everything the opposite of what he would normally do…and his world turned around for him. I kind of feel like someone is playing George at the moment. Actually several people, since this is the second poop toy to reach my desk in the last month. Someone said what’s the best toy we can make about dinosaurs…and then let’s try to do the opposite!
Poop makes kids (and their parents laugh) and if you read even a small percentage of parenting blogs, you realize how many adults become obsessed with all things poop. So this toy may be a huge hit. I just need to share some of the hilarious slogans on the packaging. I would have loved to have been in on the brainstorming session for this one!
Dino Poop is part of the Dinosaur Train line from Uncle Milton. More specifically, the poop is from a Carnivore in this particular…toy.
ewww!
Here is what the package says:
“Collect them all”…because you can never have enough poop I guess.
“Play with it again and again!” …I have no words, I’m just laughing so hard.
“What’s in the poop?” …really?
A pile of "poop" with fossils to discover!
So in reality, it is a piece of clay with “fossils” buried in the “poop” for your child to discover. Targeted at four year olds, if you buy this product…I would suggest having the conversation about why we don’t explore our own poop.
Michael Jackson Dress-Up Set from Colorforms
We just received a re-issue of the Michael Jackson Dress-Up Set from Colorforms. The set was originally issued in 1984. Have to say, it makes me a little sad. Comes with four outfits. 
Colorforms (now owned by University Games) is celebrating its 60th Anniversary this year. They have also issued a limited number of Anniversary Sets…now this makes me very happy!
3D is everywhere — so it’s not that surprising that it will make its way to a new set of trading cards from Spin Master. They will start at $5.99 for a set of 11 in the Fall when the show launches on the Cartoon Network. I’m still waiting for the moving wizard cards from Harry Potter (there are trading cards but the wizards don’t move…yet!)
The new Sing-a-ma-jigs from Fisher-Price
I loved Sing-a-ma-jigs when I first saw them last year at Toy Fair. To me they look like claymation characters with their little round mouths and big eyes.
Wallace and Gromit
I love that they are able to sing (and even harmonize) together. This year– the new versions come with a little mini-me attached the larger doll. They sing together. The upside, you don’t need to buy two dolls to have them harmonize. I’m not sure I love the mini-me aspect. The smaller doll cannot be removed and somehow the smaller animal looks slighter meaner than the bigger doe-eyed larger being. Kind of reminds me of the character Masterblaster from Mad Max.
To watch a video of the new dolls, click here.
For video of past videos, click here.
Masterblaster from Mad Max
A few years ago toy land got really dirty. I’m not talking about toys that are in poor taste, but real dirt. Gone were all the classic clean-up toys. Our favorite – the vacuum cleaner was from Fisher-Price that had a light (friction activated) and little tiny balls (dirt). I can go on at great length as to why this was the perfect toy vacuum cleaner…no batteries required, cause and effect, pleasing without being too noisy, etc….but someone, somewhere decided to do away with this little marvel. This year we saw a renewed commitment to housekeeping! Interestingly, we saw many a toy iron. This one is a new setting from Step 2.
New Cleaning Station from Step 2
Razor USA's new Graffiti Action Scooter
The rain this morning made me hopeful that Spring can’t be that far away. And for some reason…when I think Spring…I think scooters. As I’m writing this I realize that many people probably don’t go directly to scooters…but hey, I play with toys.
I’m looking forward to testing the newest scooter from Razor USA…this one has a piece of chalk in the back. Wondering how it will work…without the chalk breaking. Last year they had a “spark” off the back end…something our testers enjoyed as a novelty. Even though this has been given an edgy name, it’s called the Graffiti Action Scooter, this is a kinder and gentler scooter that will probably appeal to a different audience. Stay tuned.
