Reviewing Toys

The inventor of Playmobil, Hans Beck passed away at the age of 79. Hans created the toys made by Playmobil back in 1971, they hit the market in 1974 and have been a big trend amongst children. He had one rule, nothing horror, no trends and no superficial violence. This man wanted children to use their imagination and that is just what happened.

These toys are huge and they are global, if you visit the site alone the very first page you have a very long list of different languages the page can translate too.

Here are a few toys designed by Playmobil, my favorite will always be the pull string jet. What’s yours?

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The new dolls from the Maru and Friends collection just won the DOTY Award. The dolls are brand new and were introduced just this past October but they are already getting popular.

The Award was given to the Happy Twins Collection (boy and Girl), the other doll that was awarded was the Tanya. Tanya costs around $125 and stands at 21 inches and light brown complexion. The twins are newborns, they are tiny little things with blonde hair. She wears a pink outfit and he wears a blue one with a cap. Her hair is also in a tiny pony tail at the top of her head.

What are these Maru and Friends?  Maru (the doll) lives with an aunt and uncle and makes friends along the way. In a way it reminds me of the American Girl dolls. Each friend she makes, a doll and book are created.  These are dolls that are meant to resemble the childhood memories we all hold dear in our hearts.  Currently it is Maru, Jamie and Tanya, but now they have new twin arrivals joining them. 

They’ve got awards from iParenting Media, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold and the Doty.

A new Rubik’s cube is about to be made now that it has been a cinch for some to figure out. The latest record is 7.08 seconds. It was a Dutch teen that broke this record, his name is Erik Akkersdijk.

WOW! I won’t even tell you my score, fact is I can’t get the thing together at all. My 8 year old can, she’s been doing it since 5. I wonder if she’s ready for a challenge. Do you have any memories of the Rubik’s Cube? Chat about them.

Well everyone may soon find out, Erno Rubik has developed a 3 Dimensional puzzle just like the Rubik’s cube 360 so this should be a lot of fun and definitely challenging. I guess no one will know until it is out and Erik takes the test.

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LeapFrog is known for their educational needs of teaching any child phonics, math, etc. They are one of the top notch toy markets with the educational value around and yet every year they come out with something new and exciting. This year is no different, now they’ve made a Tag Reading System for Toddlers. This Tag system is normally geared for a child around the age of  4-8, but now they’ve made it for 2-4 year olds.

Woo hoo, while I haven’t picked this one up yet it sounds like something I’d love to get for my son. He’ll be two in March.

The device that helps the child to read is perfect for those little hands too. You scroll the green part at the bottom over the words and their hand grips the top that fits perfectly in their palms. Now they’ll be able to hear the story read to them, hear sound effects of letters and look at the pictures too. I even hear it has music to go along with the story.

If you get this before I do (not sure when that’ll be, maybe Christmas) please come back here and tell us all about it.  For those wondering you can get it at amazon or www.LeapFrog.com. It costs about $34.99 and the books are $10.99.

Oh, this is one of my 5-year-old daughter’s favorite tv programs, “Charlie and Lola” or as she says, “Lola and her brother.” Well besides the loveable toys they already have out, now they have …. errrr will have some new one for 2009. What are they? Keep reading to find out.

So far they’ve only had the books and clothing line with the exception of the entire bedroom sets. But now they are going to be introducing (through Golden Bear) the Bouncing Lola. I can totally picture this, since we always see Lola bouncing from one thing to another.

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If you purchased the Cranium game BEFORE October 2008 you may not want to call the number on the box. The company has got a new number and they are sorry. 

“Cranium apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused,” officials said in a statement.

The toll-free number that is listed is WRONG, it’ll lead you to an adult phone call. They suggest you call the company for the new number. (yeah I do see how that could be hard to do if the number is wrong)

But I did look it up and I found 206 652 9708, so hopefully that helps. The office is located in Seattle Washington.

Just to make sure that you are especially cautious when it comes to your kid and the toys they have, here is a list of those dangerous top 10 toys from last year. While some may be understandable, others are not.  This is the list that is put out by a group called WATCH, World Against Toys Causing Harm Inc.

Inflatable Giga Ball: Watch notes that this inflatable ball that kids can crawl into, tumble around, and bounce in could cause potential impact and serious injuries.

Sportsman Shotgun: This toy is made by Parris Manufacturing Co. and comes with rubber bullets that could cause eye injuries.

Animal Alley Purse Pet: WATCH is concerned that the hair on these, dolls made by Geoffrey Inc./Toys ‘R’ Us, can easily be removed and swallowed by kids, potentially causing aspiration and ingestion injuries.

Go Go Minis Pullback Vehicle: Made by Kid Galaxy Inc., WATCH is concerned that the toy truck’s back tires might come off and pose a choking hazard.

Spider-Man Adjustable Toy Skates: While Street Flyers LLC recommends that kids use knee pads, elbow pads, helmets, and wrist guards to prevent impact injuries, only the pads come with the skates.

Walk’n Sounds Digger the Dog: The toy’s dog leash is 2 inches longer than the toy industry 12-inch limit and may cause strangulation or entanglement injuries. This product is made by Hasbro/Playskool.

Pucci Puppies - My Own Puppy House Golden Retriever: This Battat Inc. toy comes with small parts that can pose a choking hazards to kids.

Meadow Mystery Play-A-Sound Book With a Cuddly Pooh: The Disney Pooh’s mask could pose a choking hazard to children if removed.

Extreme Spiral Copters: This slingshot-like toy can potentially cause eye injuries. Made by Toysmith Group.

Wow, now I’m use to seeing stores prepare for the holidays and even Barbie. But you would not have ever got me to believe Fisher-Price would make the Little People be holiday prepared. That’s just what’s going on this year though with all those "Little People."

Right now you can order your toddler their very own Little People Sweet Valentine set for $16.00. The set comes with a Flower & Candy shop Bakery (as we all know that’s what is popular on Valentine’s Day), 3 Little People (Sonya Lee, Baker Eddie and male friend). There are a few little items that come along like the red flowers, a plant, table and two chairs, etc. But you even get 6 Valentine Cards your little guy/girl can share with their own friends. Plus it all comes in a cute little red box, which after you take it all out can be used as a Valentine Card Mailbox.

Isn’t this sweet?

They’ve got a doll for everything don’t they, not to mention of every show that ever comes out. But this group of dolls aren’t exactly something to frown upon, these won’t inspire your little girl to wear too much make up or some shameful clothes. 

For those of you that think you remember them but need a bit more of a push this was a group of older women that all lived together. A mother and daughter, a widow and a single woman. But somehow they all managed to live together for years without strangling one another.

The Golden Girls was constantly watched in my house, I don’t think there was an episode we ever missed. Here’s the theme song for those trying to remember:

"Thank You for Being a Friend," by Andrew Gold, sung by Cynthia Fee

Thank you for being a friend,
Travel down the road and back again,
Your heart is true,
You’re a pal and a confidant!
And if you threw a party,
Invited everyone you knew!
You would see,
The biggest gift would be from me,
And the card attached would say,
Thank you for being a friend!

Now you won’t be able to get these adorable ladies because they’ve already been bought but you can still catch Rose, Dorothy, Blanche and Sophia from time to time on TV. If not you can always find them on youtube.

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Get ready for a toy review countdown. I have four children and each one got a ton of toys for me to review. I hope you enjoy the next few days.

Happy Holidays everyone!