Lilydolls from Manhattan Toy
Astrid, Josephine and Harper are the new Lilydolls from Manhattan Toy. They all have stitched faces, velvet hair, quirky outfits and an old fashion folksy feel to them. You’ll really either love them –or not. I didn’t really play with too many dolls as a kid–but I did have one from a folk art festival that kind of reminds me of the Lilydolls. At $49 each – they aren’t just an impulse doll.
Harper of the Lilydolls
Even though Disney PIxar Toy Story 3 does not open until June 18th, if you watch any type of TV you know the full court press has already begun. And we know from our testers, that they want their Toy Story 3 toys! So we have been super busy this week taking a look at a range of toys–with more promised to arrive next week.
Here’s what we’ve found so far:
1. Crayola Toy Story 3D Chalk – this is a deluxe set with stencils of the characters. Fun, but if you’re a four year old boy, this isn’t the toy you want. Read our full review. I wrote about this product before as a great product for outside play.
Woody and Buzz from the LEGO DUPLO set
2. LEGO DUPLO Toy Story 3 The Great Train Chaise Duplo Play Set – Love this set. The pieces are big and chunky and there’s something very satisfying about having small versions of your favorite characters–great for on the go play or to incorporate into your block play. This set comes with a train, blocks and four characters. Marked 2 & up–this set will most appeal to 3s and 4s. Your preschooler will need help putting the train together–making this a parent/child toy–but once put together this can be used for independent playtime as well. This would be a fun addition to a basic bucket set of DUPLO. Sometimes bringing home a new novelty set can renew your child’s interest in building– something you definitely want to encourage.
Comparison of LEGO and LEGO DUPLO train sets
LEGO Toy Story 3 Western Train Chase Set
3. LEGO Toy Story 3 Western Train Chase– Super set. This set is designed for kids 8 and up…the pieces in it are not for kids under 3–so even if you think it’s cooler, it really is meant for older kids. Take a look at the size difference in the characters.
Size difference between DUPLO and LEGO Buzz Lightyears
Toy Story 3 Action Links Buzz Saves the Train Stunt Set
4. Toy Story 3 Action Links Buzz Saves the Train Stunt Set – Really a one trick pony–actually there are a couple of ways to set this tracks up but the toy is still pretty limited. Not a lot to do here passed the first three minutes. Your child will probably play with the Buzz figure that comes with the set longer than the train and tracks. Watch our demo.
Buzz's motorized wings in the open position
5. Toy Story Basic Buzz Wing Pack– Here’s a really neat toy that makes us send out a big warning. The toy itself is super cool–you strap on the wings to your back and then there’s a control panel that makes the wings go up and down AND you can also hear Buzz say his favorite lines. All fun and the toy itself does work really well. BUT here’s our serious concern–the toy is design for kids 4 & up – at this stage children are working out the difference between fantasy and reality. While you may poo poo our warning-remember these are the same kids that take the Tooth Fairy as a real magical reality. If you can’t resist this toy–we would high recommend you have many a conversation about this toy with your child. The toy itself has a safety warning on the packaging–not really a deterrent to your preschooler. I also have a sense that this toy will be purchased for even younger kids. Ok, you get our point. Watch our video demo.
6. Fisher-Price Toy Story 3 Character Flash Lights. Pure novelty and great fun for kids that like noise. There’s Rex, Bullseye and Dr. Evil Porkchop. When you squeeze their tails–the flashlight comes on (their mouths open) and you’ll hear a sound or a phrase (they each say one thing and make one sound). Watch our video.
Toy Story 3 Rex Light
Fisher-Price Spiral Speedway
7. Fisher Price Toy Story 3 Spiral Speedway. Perfect toy for your two year old. Older toddlers LOVE making something happen over and over again–and this easy to activate spiral raceway gets it right. This toy has been in the Fisher-Price line before, but now it has Toy Story 3 characters racing (Buzz vs. Lotso)…and sound effects (it is a little noisy). This toy will have a limited time frame–but it will be a true hit when your child is in the zone of “again, again!” Watch our video demo.
Crayola Spira-Chalk Blaster
Crayola has a new Spira-Chalk Blaster. You can watch our video demonstration. It comes with five chunky pieces of sidewalk chalk and two spinner rings–that fit into the launcher. We loved the fact that the launcher does not require batteries and that it really does create a spiral design on the sidewalk. With the exception of one of our testers, we got positive feedback on this product. (One tester found the release mechanism difficult to work–we think she got a dud.) 
We wish that it came with two launchers so that two kids could use it as the same time…but for $15.99–it’s still a good add-on if sidewalk chalk is big in your neighborhood.
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.
I’ll be on the Today Show Monday morning to discuss great toys and equipment to encourage active physical play. We have kids coming from all over the tri-state area to help me out. Looking forward to sharing some of our best picks of the season. The article is on our website at www.toyportfolio.com. We have some really fun new 3D bubbles, ride-ons, retro games…get ready to play!
Guidecraft's Interlox
I’m big on things that you can put out on the family coffee table that everyone will enjoy. Interlox from Guidecraft is just that kind of toy. If you were in a classroom in the 70s, you probably played with something that looked very similar. The Interlox are pleasingly colorful plastic pieces that have notches on all sides- providing builders with an open-ended building opportunity. They connect with relative ease- making this a good choice for 4s and up. While many kids are happy to follow directions for building LEGO or KNEX models, there’s something to be said about building whatever you heart dictates. There’s room here for trial and error. For younger kids, this can start as a parent/child project–but chances are your kids will be building independently before you know it. The 96 piece set gives you enough pieces to really make something fun. We’re giving this set an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award. For the review of this toy and other building sets, visit www.toyportfolio.com.
3D seems to be taking over our entertainment world–so why not toyland? This year Crayola has new 3D Activity Sets that feature Toy Story stencils. The set comes with one pair of 3D glasses, 16 sidewalk chalk sticks in a really fun palette of colors…as well as 5 sidewalk crayons and a how to booklet. To me–this type of kit screams Spring Outdoor Fun. We’ve been fans of these sets since they first came out.
LEGO CITY FIRE BOAT
The CITY theme sets from LEGO are usually great fun to build. This year is no exception. While all things STAR WARS are big with the LEGO building crowd, we also recommend these more Earth-bound rescue heroes. The LEGO Fire Boat comes with 306 pieces–it has real heft to it and it floats! (Whether a boat floats is always one of our standard questions at toy fair–you’d be surprise by the number of boats that don’t float.)
The large red boat has a moving ladder and several water hoses. The set also includes a little yellow motorboat. Marked 5 -12. Younger builders will need assistance with this one. There is also a very spiffy LEGO Fire Station. Now while the Fire Boat seems big, the Fire Trucks and Station look a bit on the small size to us but the trucks and multi-level stations gives kids a lot to build. Both would make great birthday presents. 
We just got two new DUPLO sets which are lovely for preschoolers. There is the new Horse Stable that comes with two horses, a stable you build, two vehicles (one is a horse trailer), two play figures. There’s a lot of opportunities here for pretend play and a great introduction to building. This should be a parent/child toy to begin with as you put the set together and talk about the horses and what they need (hay, walking, taking a ride, etc.)
The other set is a basic building set called LEGO DUPLO Learning 
that includes big pieces that also have numbers on them. Again a great chance to talk about numbers, colors and other concepts right on target for preschoolers. How high can you stack the pieces, how many can you fit on the vehicle?
Here’s the continuing problem we have with these otherwise great sets. The age range is marked 2 & up and while all of the pieces fit current federal guidelines for small parts–many of the pieces are very, very close. And if you use a toilet paper roll as the CPSC suggests consumers use if they do not have a choke tube, many of the pieces go straight through. We discussed this issue last year and LEGO stands by their age range, see my earlier post and LEGO’s response.
Our point remains…since there is no educational or developmental advantage to giving toddlers such small pieces–and the downside is so much greater, why take a chance?
So while we would highly recommend these sets for 3 & up, sadly we can not give them an award with the current age labels on the box. And we will continue to lobby that LEGO either up the age label to 3 & up or up the size of the pieces so that they are a better choice for 2’s. Last year we were delighted when Step 2 up sized their toy hot dogs for much the same reason. We hope LEGO will do the same.
Star Wars LEGO sets are hugely popular with our toy testers in the 7-10 age range. As you know, we first build everything here to make sure that the directions are clear, that all the pieces are in the box…that it’s an enjoyable build. First up, Droid Tri-Fighter – with 268 pieces this is a good set for beginner to intermediate LEGO builders. The directions were very clear and the shape of the vehicle is very unusual. Comes with little droid fighters. For reviews of all Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award winning construction sets, visit our website at www.toyportfolio.com
