Tag Archives: toyportfolio.com

Pick of the Day: Gamewright's Too Many Monkeys

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Gamewright’s new card game Too Many Monkeys is easy to learn and great fun to play. The storyline borrows from the classic story — one monkey is trying to sleep but other monkeys keep dropping by, not to mention the occassional giraffe or elephant.  The game play is to get your monkey sleeping all by himself–you do this by getting the cards in front of you in order by pulling from the draw pile.  Our testers loved that they were swapping cards until they had them in order. The rounds move very quickly-also a plus. Fun for 2-6 players. They say 6 & up.  Our adult testers also enjoyed playing this one!

Need to sit down? Check out the Elia Mini Chair

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2chairsAt toy fair this year there was a booth that caught my attention…while most booths are chockful of game/ dolls/toys/electronics/candy…this booth had a chair.  I was at the very end of toy fair–I’m pretty “toyed” out by then, but I stopped.

The cardboard chair from eliafun.com had a very modern appeal.  It comes undecorated (left) with big bold stickers (a la Marimekko)…that also looked like fun (and something a parent wouldn’t mind having around).  Our testers really enjoyed working on the chair….the directions were easy to follow and one of our testers was delighted that the chair is reversible giving her more options about decorating!  She and her mom are thinking about decoupage.  Their site has lots of creative ideas for decorating. The chair holds up to 200 lbs. – impressive.  Michael Gross, the President (and an architect/engineer), also points out that the chair is completely recyclable. Michael’s background is evident in the construction and design of the chair.  We’ve seen many cardboard products in the past – many with extensive pre-printing on them – making them more like 3D coloring books.  What I really liked about this chair besides the design–was the open-endedness of the project.   The chair retails for $34.99.  The site also indicates that a table is in the works.  eliaminichair1

Captain Kirk wouldn't be happy…

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41e2pn2jybl_sl500_aa280_I’m sorry to report that the promising new Star Trek Enterprise and Klingon Bird-of-Prey from Tyco RC really don’t fly very well. Since we are such Trekkies around here–we gave these multiple tries to see if by some chance we did something wrong…but they just didn’t work. Our younger testers were also disappointed with the actual  material – on the box it looks like you’re getting a solid plastic model.  The toys are  made of  thin styrofoam  (the kind  they use for toy gliders) and one kit broke when our tween tester inserted the propellers into his model.  The directions were not particularly clear. Very sad–we were really excited about this line–the first to feature a flying Enterprise.

Crayola 3D Chalk…what makes it 3D?

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One of our testers who really liked the 3D Chalk kits just raised a great question…is there something in the chalk that makes it 3D or will the 3D glasses make all chalk 3D…we posed this question to the folks at Crayola…

“Yes, the 3D glasses will work with any Crayola chalk and out sidewalk
crayons.  The ones that come with the Crayola 3D Sidewalk Chalk Kit allow for the best results
because we paired warm and cool colors together.”

Al Roker had a fun time with these glasses on our outdoor toy segment last year…click here to watch the segment.

Our favorite dogs…

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Now that Bo has happily arrived at the White House…here are some of favorite toy dogs just in case bringing home the real thing isn’t in the cards…

Biscuit was on our Platinum List last year and still keeps us company in the office.  He’s extremely sweet but still pretty pricey.

New for Spring, from the same Furreal line is a smaller and much more affordable Lil’ Patter Pup.  If  the Gabor sisters were going to have a  toy dog, this would be it…of course that dates me…so if you’re Paris Hilton…you get the idea. There is a Shih-Tsu and a Pomeranian…both bark and unlike Biscuit, they do walk!  At $29.99 they are  a good buy.

We also still love Lucky–who is bigger than Lil’ Patter Pup and does many of the same tricks as Biscuit. Lucky is from Zizzle.

And if a low tech pup will do the trick, we love the new Spot from Kids Preferred. This oversized delicious doll is $29.99.

And if you’re looking for a great book on dogs…I’m biased but I highly recommend my mom’s Have You Seen Dogs?

I Can Be…Barbie Gymnastics Coach

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Barbie is not the gymnast herself this time–but the coach – a welcome and empowering message for girls.  Set comes with Barbie’s kid sister Kelly who spins on the balance beam (a fun feature).  Of course there is a hairbrush, a medal and Barbie’s purse (with a bottle of water).  Will be a hit with young gymnasts in training…

Great new RCs for Preschoolers: Kid Galaxy Strikes Again

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Time for Bubbles…

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Spring time always meant new bubbles in my house. I’m a big fan of the Little Kids No-Spill line—probably because I can still remember crying over those plastic bottles of pink or blue bubbles–remember those?  You had to put your finger in the bottle to pull out your wand?  This Bubble Blitzer with a Dora the Explorer theme makes lots of little bubbles when you blow…Our testers had no problems making this one work.  The Bubble Blitzer Glitter Critters are very cute looking but required more air than our testers could muster.  If you’re worried about your child running with the Bubble Blitzer in their mouth (not a good idea)…stick with the original.

A perfect puzzle for Spring: Mudpuppy's Busy Bugs

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fp_busy_bugsThe actual Busy Bugs puzzle from Mudpuppy is really stunning…for some reason the artwork on the box doesn’t really convey how attractive this puzzle really is even though it’s the same image.  Kids will enjoy working on this oversized (2′ by 3′) floor puzzle that illustrates how busy all the bugs are in the garden. Comes with 24 large, sturdy pieces–lots’ to talk about as you work on this one.  Suggested retail $17 (3 & up–but of course 3s and 4s will need help to begin).

Pick of the Day: Hot Wheels Color Blaster

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If you have ever loved playing with Hot Wheels and/or you know a child that loves Hot Wheels, you have to go buy this toy! I’ve put off testing  the Hot Wheels Color Blaster–in part because I didn’t want to be disappointed.  I’m happy to report that this toy  is as much fun as it promised to be when we saw it at toy fair.   You fill the containers with some ice water and then one with warm water — it has a built in track but that’s the least of it.  The really fun part is spraying the “warm” car with the spray bottle filled with ice water.  The car CHANGES color just as it said it would.  You then dunk the car back in the warm water and you’re good to go!  It’s that’s fast and magical.  Of course it’s really very wet when you get done and there’s a likelihood that the spray bottle will be used on other things (like siblings)…but still so cool!   You can buy more cars–frankly I would do that right away…one car just isn’t enough. (We are awaiting the safety verification form for this one.)

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