The Toy Report » Toys For Kids

Fred Snack and Stack – “Lego” silverware!

mrstoyreporter — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:34:55 +0000

I was just looking at these and a couple of 7 year old boys walked by and immediately said “I want that! Can we get those!” So now we have a pretty good indication of the target user of this especially cool spoon, knife and fork set. It is made by Fred and Friends (I Love Fred and Friends). They are dishwasher safe and feature Lego like silicone handles for eating and stacking fun. Looks like a great lunch box set.

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Etch A Sketch 50th Anniversary

Remo — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 03:36:34 +0000

The Etch a Sketch is turning 50 years old! While it was invented a few years earlier in Europe and shopped around for investors and a manufacturer, the official birthday of the Etch-A-Sketch is July 12, 1960.

The Etch a Sketch was invented by Andre Cassagnes, an electrician in France and was originally called Telecran. It almost did not see the light of day.

Andre, who is also known for his kite designs, came up with the idea in 1955 after seeing an electrostatic charge make aluminum powder stick to a glass plate.

He didn’t have enough money for a patent, so he took a loan from an investor who applied for then had one of his employees apply for a patent. Thus the original patent for the famous Etch-a-Sketch is credited to Arthur Granjean, who is frequently mistaken for the inventor of the famous children’s drawing toy. He also came up with the name for the Etch-A-Sketch on the patent, L’Ecran Magique, which is French for Magic Screen.

The investor, Paul Chaze, took the toy to European toy fairs, no one was interested. The good folks from Ohio Art got a glimpse of it toy history was born.

And so, in honor of that famous invention, we give to you a sampling of some crazy good Etch-A-Sketch art:

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Has There Been A Silly Bands Recall?

Remo — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:38:22 +0000

Seems like with every super popular kids toy or trend, there are always rumors of a recall. The shelves empty, news reports that the popular toys are banned from schools, and suddenly everyone is asking if there has been a recall.

We get a decent amount of our readers from web searches like Google or Yahoo and can see a list of all the search terms people use to find our site. In this case, we’ve been seeing a bunch of searches for things like “is there a silly bands recall” and “silly bands recalled”

If you are impatient, as far as we know, there has been no Silly Bands recall. In fact, it would be hard to imagine a situation where they would be recalled. Most recalls involve something like a breakage hazard such as your kids scooters wheels falling off, or something intended for babies or toddlers that can result in strangulation, or something made of toxic metals or something inherently dangerous to all ages such as Jarts. Seems unlikely that there would be anything toxic about them, considering they aren’t intended to be ingested at all, but you never know.

With Silly Bandz we’re basically talking about rubber bands here, just not the traditional round shape. Yeah, it might hurt if you stretch them too far and they snap. Sure, you could hurt a person’s eye with them if you stretch and shoot them. But they’re essentially rubber bands, which have been around for over 150 years now. We don’t expect a Silly Bandz recall anytime soon.

That being said, you might have trouble finding them at you local toy retailer. As they become popular with kids, they tend to sell out quickly. And nothing serves to drive a toy’s popularity than to ban it as some schools have already done, citing the shaped rubber bands as a “distraction” to kids during the school day.

If you have trouble finding them locally, you can always order them at reasonable prices and shipping by clicking here.

Note that Silly Bands are marked as not for kids under three, as they do present a choking hazard when balled up. Also, remind kids that they should NOT be stretched and used as a necklace either.

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Silly Bandz Silly Rubber Bands

The best popsicle makers

mrstoyreporter — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:19:42 +0000

A friend (thanks E.!) just sent me the link to this popsicle maker from Williams-Sonoma and I felt the need to share. It seems to have a base that is frozen in your freezer like an ice-cream maker. Then you put in your popsicle ingredients and it freezes them in 7 minutes! Instant gratification and yummy home made popsicles all in one! Behold the Zoku Quick Pop Maker

For those of you who feel that $49.95 is too much to spend on instant gratification in popsicle form, I have alternatives for you. Tovolo makes amazing popsicle molds, but you will have to wait for them to freeze in your freezer at the normal rate. My favorite is the Tovolo Freezer Jewel Pops.

They are little, just enough for kids to eat before they melt. The popsicle bases are shaped like rings so they can be worn like ring pops while eating. We have these and they work great. Te base keeps them standing straight in the freezer and they come out of the molds easily (sometimes we run them under warm water for a few seconds). The best part is we only use juice that everyone likes so we don’t get stuck with a freezer full of lonely purple popsicles that no one wants to eat.

Also cool is the Tovolo Blue Rocket Pop Molds. Because juice pops are more delicious when shaped like a rocket. You could probably freeze in stages and make realistic replicas of the ice cream truck red white and blue rocket pops. If you are feeling like being more adventurous in your summer popsicle creations you can always try the book Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone. It looks quite fancy, as popsicles go.

Stroller toys

mrstoyreporter — Wed, 26 May 2010 01:00:15 +0000

I was thinking about stroller toys earlier today. I have absolutely no idea why, but the human mind is a strange place and so for no apparent reason I was thinking about stroller toys. We have never been big stroller people, not for any particular reason except I am lazy and carrying a baby seems easier most days than pulling the stroller out of the car. (As an aside – I loved that scene in Away We Go where one of their many crazy friends said “Why would I want to PUSH my baby away from me?!” – Hilarious!) Nevertheless, there are times when a stroller is important and stroller toys can make a shopping trip much more bearable. Well, I have discovered that cute stroller toys are difficult to find, but I have done to work for you and found not one but two cute stroller toys. The first is the Manhattan Toy Snuggle Pods Travel Toy.

It clips to a stroller, car seat, or just about anything else. The adorable snuggle pod baby comes out if your baby needs it to (and he/she will need it to come out for snuggling and possible chewing).

Also cute is the Tiny Love Sunny Stroll Arch.

I love the yellow sun prism and the crinkly butterfly. These toys do not detach so they might be better for babies than toddlers. The upside of toys that do not detach is that they also don’t get dropped or thrown on the ground.

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Beach Toys

mrstoyreporter — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:52:33 +0000

When you have three kids who each need their own sand toys the beach toy bags can get a little bulky. There are many toys that can be shared, but everyone realy needs their own bucket and shovel. I am seriously considering, in the interest of saving space in the beach bags, switching to collapsible sand pails. I especially like the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Cinco Starfish Collapsible Bucket.

Not only for the cuteness (but really, the cuteness!). Holds sand or water and can be smushed flat for ease of storage.

Honestly, this along with the Melissa and Doug Cinco Starfish Scoop and my kids can entertain themselves for hours at the beach. We often bring other toys too, but sometimes if I am the only grown-up and I can’t manage to carry more than the snacks and towels then we jettison all the toys except what the kids can carry themselves. We have found that with a bucket and shovel each, they don’t really need anything else.

For the days when we bring the larger collection of beach toys, I am thinking we may need one of these Melissa and Doug Sunny Patch Clicker Crab Hourglass Sifter and Funnel. Can be used with either sand or water, I can envision the boys timing beach races with this hour glass.

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More Melissa and Doug Sand Toys

mrstoyreporter — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:34:52 +0000

Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch sand toy week continues. I really like the general baking set.

Officially called the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Seaside Sidekicks Sand baking Set, it performs all the basic functions of any sand bucket set. It has a mixing bowl/bucket with a lid that doubles as a sifter. It has a mixing spoon/shovel and a whisk. Also includes three measuring cups, perfect for sand baking.

I am also a fan of the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Speck Seahorse Sand Ice Cream Set. It comes with an ice cream bucket, ice cream cones that you can scoop sand into with one of the ice cream sand mold scoops and a shaker for sand sprinkles. Because these toys don’t include the kinds of little molds that the cookie set and the cupcake set, I think they have a wider age range, fun for kids as young as one or two. The youngest kids may not get that they are scooping ice cream, but they will have just as much fun with scooping sand into different containers and dumping it out.

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New sand toys

mrstoyreporter — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:32:56 +0000

The Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch collection includes some great new sand toys perfect for the beach (or sand box) this summer.

Every year I like to put together beach bags for the kids. I salvage anything that can be saved from last yer and pickup some new sand toys. We spend a lot of time at the beach in the summer and some simple shovels and buckets see the most use. You can find past sand toy reviews like the sand sac here and sand wheels here.

Well, thus year Melissa & Doug have outdone themselves. I love their food themed sand toys and I know my kids will too since they frequently serve me sand cake and sand ice cream. The first is this Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Seaside Sidekicks Sand Cookie Set (that is a really long name).

It comes with a rolling pin, cookie cutters, plates and a sprinkle shaker for sand sprinkles. Best of all it comes in its own mesh bag (I love toys that come with bags to help keep them all together).

My other favorite is the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Seaside Sidekicks Sand Cupcake Set.

It comes with hinged cupcake molds, a “baking” tray, and different shaped frosting molds. It also comes with a handy mesh bag for storage. I can just see my kids digging out a sand oven to bake all their sand treats. I can also see Rainbow trying to sell his treats to other beach goers (he is on an earning money kick).

These toys look like so much fun, but the molds maybe a little fiddly for younger kids. I think four and older may have the most fun with these. Have fun digging!

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I really need one of these!

mrstoyreporter — Wed, 12 May 2010 03:09:58 +0000

Have you seen the pictures of the AMAZING (yes, if ever CAPS were deserved, there are deserved now!) replica of Bilbo’s Hobbit hole, Bag End? You must see them!

I first saw this on Ohdeedoh. This was made by a woman named Maddie in her spare time. You can see all the pictures at her blog, she even tells you all about how she made it. It is so incredibly detailed. See the round green door and there is a map inside and barrels of pipe weed and a fully stocked pantry (of course, Hobbits live here!) and a sign on the gate saying “no admittance except on party business” and Wow! Just wow. We are all big Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fans here at chez Toy Report and I am so very impressed by the beauty of this and the attention to detail. I really really want one.

More Sewing Kits For Kids

mrstoyreporter — Tue, 04 May 2010 12:51:26 +0000

Yes, I may be a little obsessed with The Little Experience lately, but their kits for kids are so great I can’t help it. There is nothing like that “I made it myself” feeling.

I gave this Create-it Flower Jewelry Kit to someone recently

and look at the cuteness of the Create-it Daisy Chain kit.

We gave this to the Princess’ friend for her birthday and she had to sit down and make it right away. The great thing about these kits are perfect for younger kids, like ages 3 to 7.

And if you have someone who is more into monsters than flowers, they have a kit for that too.

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Seven Year Old Girl Birthday Presents

mrstoyreporter — Mon, 03 May 2010 01:47:51 +0000

We attended a birthday party last week for two 7 year old girls and got them each the same thing. This stitch-it doll kit from The Little Experience.

Adorable and the box turns into a chair for the doll.

Also, a copy of Babymouse: Queen of the World. Everyone loves Babymouse.

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More Sewing Kits For Kids

Cool Kids Night Lights

mrstoyreporter — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:45:44 +0000

A few years ago the boys wanted night lights they could take to bed with them. We finally found some kids night lights at Ikea for their 6th birthday.

I recently saw these OXO night lights and I know what to get if we need new nightlights. I love these blue and green OXO Candela Tooli lights. They are rechargeable and have a safe recharging base that has no exposed electrical parts. They will light for 8 hours and can be lighted while recharging (in case you forget to charge it during the day). They also come in orange and pink. Having twins, a set of two is perfect for us, but you can also get a single OXO Candela Tooli.

Now, are you ready for the best one? The new OXO zoom light.

Awesome, no? I know so many kids who would love to take this light up rocket to bed. I think these sorts of things make great presents for kids when you don’t really know what to get them. Great for a wide range of ages and you don’t have to know whether they prefer pirates or dragons or princesses or baseball.

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Gardening with kids

mrstoyreporter — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:25:55 +0000

It is officially spring and after spending so much of the cold months stuck inside kids are eager to get outside and dig in some dirt! Put them to work with some garden tools their size. The Toysmith kid’s big tool set looks just like the grown-up version which will appeal to kids who love to help in the garden. If you want to “plant” something for the doll house garden too, try the Plan Toy doll house vegetable garden, We have this and boy is it cute. You can plant the wooden carrots and radishes and then pick them and serve them to the dolls for dinner.

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Hoppy Easter!

mrstoyreporter — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 02:22:20 +0000

I can’t resist a good bunny pun! This Wonderworld Hopping Bunny Walker is the most adorable bunny toy I could find, and the cutest walker ever. All my kids loved walking toys when they were learning to walk and they have all done double duty as shopping carts, doll carriages and wheelbarrows after their steadying influence was no longer needed. And look! Bunnies!

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Dollhouse for Boys

mrstoyreporter — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 18:08:26 +0000

I don’t know if this is new, of if I just missed it when I reviewed the KidKraft alternative doll houses a couple of weeks ago. It is also made by KidKraft, and it is perfect for underwater exploration enthusiasts (and I know a few kids who fall into that category). The KidKraft Fun Explorers Submarine Ship looks seriously fun. I think this submarine paired with the book The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino would make the perfect present for any kid who is fascinated by marine life.

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Passover Toys

mrstoyreporter — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:44:43 +0000

Passover begins today, and in honor of that I present the KidKraft Passover Set. It includes all the things you need to have a pretend or practice Seder. Looking for a book to teach more about Jewish traditions? I like the book Kiddish Yiddish: Jewish Traditions and Cultures in Rhyme for younger kids.

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Spinning Top Game

mrstoyreporter — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:15:26 +0000

I am kind of loving ImagiPLAY. This wooden spinning top set comes with 8 wooden tops and instructions for a game called Bambaram that is played by kids in India. From what I can gather using the magic of the internets, the game involves trying to push each others tops out of the circle. My kids (who enjoy all forms of sublimated violence) would love this!

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Space Toys

mrstoyreporter — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:54:48 +0000

This Zoom to the Moon play set may be the perfect present for a 3 or 4 year old who loves space. I discovered it when looking for the KidKraft rocket. It is made by a company called Imagiplay that makes lovely hand painted wooden toys. I know I am always trying to reduce the number of plastic toys in our play room (futile as that seems some days) and I know many other parents who are trying to do the same.

I especially love that the astronauts and aliens all fit in a zippered fabric rocket ship. Toys that double as their own storage container are the absolute best. Especially when they are destined to become favorites and have to travel on outside the house adventures. Looking for a book to go with it? Space Boy, by Leo Landry is my favorite space book.

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

mrstoyreporter — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:10:37 +0000

Thanks to the good people at Fisher Price, your Little People can have their own St. Patrick’s Day Parade!

Doll Houses for Boys

mrstoyreporter — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:39:10 +0000

I don’t meant to discriminate unfairly, really I don’t. Our two boys have never been troubled by playing with doll houses that look like houses. We have one and it has seen plenty of play. However, there are both boys and girls who might prefer rockets and fire houses to actual houses. And boy, does KidKraft have the toys for them. They are so cool that I am wiling to overlook the fact that they spelled craft with a K.

This doll house sized KidKraft fun explorers rocket ship is perfect for the exact sort for pretend play that goes on with a doll house – only in space!

know a kid who loves fire trucks? He or she would love this KidKraft deluxe fire rescue set even more.

My favorite pat is the little tub – fire fighters need to take baths too!

Thanks to our friends K. and J. who came to dinner last month with adorable baby M. – they told us about KidKraft’s alternative to traditional doll houses and for that we will be eternally grateful.

The Toy Report » Toys For Kids

Fred Snack and Stack – “Lego” silverware!

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Etch A Sketch 50th Anniversary

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Has There Been A Silly Bands Recall?

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The best popsicle makers

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Stroller toys

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Beach Toys

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More Melissa and Doug Sand Toys

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New sand toys

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I really need one of these!

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More Sewing Kits For Kids

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Seven Year Old Girl Birthday Presents

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Cool Kids Night Lights

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Gardening with kids

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Hoppy Easter!

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Dollhouse for Boys

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Passover Toys

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Spinning Top Game

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Space Toys

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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Doll Houses for Boys

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