We have some close friends that live down the street from us that we car pool with to school every day and the kids are over at their house a couple times a week to play.

And without fail, every single time one or both of the boys will spend at least half an hour trying to do this ball maze puzzle game called Perplexis.

Perplexis takes a great twist on the traditional ball in a maze games where you would tilt and turn a flat two dimensional board trying to coax a small ball around obstacles and brings it into the third dimension.  You need to slowly rotate or rock or very very very gently shake the ball to make the little marble inside move further along the track or jump an obstacle.

There are no batteries required, no beeping or flashing or other general annoyances about the game.  At first glance it appears to be one giant maze when in fact it’s a bunch of different mazes all in the same ball, and there are multiple marbles in there too so once you master a couple of the mazes you can attempt the impossible and guide multiple metal balls through at the same time.

There are three different versions for different age ranges:

• Perplexis Rookie for ages 4 and up
• Perplexis regular for ages 6 and up
• Perplex Epic for ages 8 and up

Of course, since the games are self contained with no exposed choking hazards you could certainly give the Epic version to a 4 year old, just don’t expect them to get very far toward solving it.

Note that your child needs to be old enough to understand that it’s not a ball to avoid breakage.  While not totally fragile, it’s not going to survive a toss in the air and a fall onto a tile floor without something breaking.   I know many six year old boys who probably would have a hard time controlling the impulse to throw a ball in the air or kick it across the room, so keep that in mind.

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I am always on the lookout for the coolest nightlights and look what the awesome people at boon made for us?

In addition to its sexy space-age look, the glowing balls can be removed from the base and taken wherever you need a little light (just a little, the word on the street is that the balls off the base are not very bright). Once separated from the base the balls fade after about 30 minutes.

If you leave them on the base they can change color (there is a sliding thing on the base to change the color) or you can have it cycle automatically through all the colors. You can also set it to white (the brightest setting).

As you would expect from a great company like boon, the base and lights are all BPA-free, Phthalate-free and PVC-free. There is nothing electric in the balls (they are just made of a glow-in-the-dark plastic) so they never get hot. I love this for a baby gift for parents who are into design or trying to be gender neutral.  It doesn’t have to for a kid’s room – I think it would be great as a hallway or bathroom nightlight. Fun enough for the kids’ rooms and yet interesting enough for grown-up rooms too.

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Have you heard of the Vinylmation figures? They are these little (3 inches) vinyl toys inspired by the Disney theme parks and collected by many. I am newly enamored of them, I think they are adorable and I love the element of surprise.

When you order them you get blind box, meaning you don’t know which figure is inside, making collecting them all more challenging. Also, each set has a mystery figure, one that isn’t in the picture of the whole set. I love Vinylmation Muppets, as you know, but the other Disney sets are pretty cute too – perfect for a collector or just a fan of Disney.

Theme park Vinylmation

Star Wars Vinylmation:

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We recently saw the new movie, The Muppets (Loved It! Grown-ups and kids alike!). I am really hoping that this movie sparks a craze for all things Muppet.

If you, or someone you love, is crazy for a particular Muppet did you know that you can have you very own plush version? My longtime favorite, Animal, is pictured above. But of course there is also Kermit The Frog

Miss Piggie

Fozzie Bear (wakka wakka)

Gonzo (“What is Gonzo anyway? He’s a little like a chicken, but not much”)

and many more. They range in size from 15 inches (Fozzie) to 19 inched (Miss Piggie – she wears some serious heels, you know).

Muppets make everything better.

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Our kids love hexbugs. We have had the bigger spider like hexbugs, but they never get played with as much as the little hexbug nanos. ANd the only way I can think of to make the hexbug nano even more fun is to make it Glow In The Dark!

I think what makes the nano so much more fun is the way it moves. Since it’s only method of locomotion is through vibrating, it moves in an unpredictable path. You can buy play sets with paths and ramps for them to move along or race through. There are even glow in the dark “habitat sets.”

There is a small starter set

And a larger Hexbug glow in the dark habitat set.

I have to tell you that the best play space we have found for our hexbugs is one of those flying saucer style sleds.

We discovered this last year on Christmas morning, when the hex bugs were put in the saucers to keep them from getting lost and because of the concave shape of the sleds they automatically went around and around in circles. Very fun to watch, actually.

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I adore doll houses. I can’t get enough of them. We have two and I would have more if I could justify the space they take up. I just saw this one, The Tutti-Frutti house by Le Toy Van and I am coveting just a little.

It is wooden, just about two feet tall and comes fully painted and furnished.

Yes, it comes with all the furniture, so it is a perfect play with it right away kind of present. Move in ready, so to speak.

I like that it opens so wide – dollhouses are much easier to play with when there is full access to the inside.

If you are looking for a doll house or just something that will be declared the Best Present Ever, you really can’t go wrong with this sweet tutti-frutti doll house. It doesn’t come with dolls, so you might want to get some to go with it. I love this set of seven bamboo dolls by Hape,

They are a little crazy looking but I can’t resist the wild red hair.

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Not just toy storage bins, but the most beautiful toy storage bins I have ever seen. And they are organic, did I mention that? Beautiful, organic toy storage. It is like a non-denominational holiday miracle.

They are made by 3 Sprouts, a small company made up of people with serious design street cred, and it shows. There are three different shapes and sizes, the Bin, the Box and the Caddy. The canvas is 100% organic cotton and the felt animals are made from recycled soda bottles.

The fox bin is pictured above, the raccoon bin below, but there are 8 different animals to choose from. The bins are are 17″ by 17″ and they are great for stuffed animals, laundry or dress-up clothes.

Next we have the 3 Sprouts storage box. Love the peacock!

The storage box is 13″ by 13″ by 13″. Perfect for LEGOs, cars, little dolls and action figures. Any little thing that you would like to scoop up and put on a shelf.

And then the caddy.

Oh caddy, I think I love you most of all. If you have a 3 or 4 year old you know about their love of putting things in bags and carrying them around the house. The caddy is perfect for anything that will be carried around like books, play food, hair accessories or doll clothes.

I am going to ask you to remember Christmas morning and all the new toys and the feeling you get every year when you look around and wonder where the heck you are going to put all these toys. My advice? Get a bunch of toy storage bins now and be prepared. Or give them as gifts to friends who are going to end up with more toys than they have places to put them.  You will be their hero.

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So we ordered the boys Star Wars LEGO advent calendars a while back because they always sell out before October (although you can still get them for the actual price, so they must have made a whole lot more this year or something). But what to get for The Princess who, while she can swing a light saber as well as any older brother, isn’t actually as enamored of Star Wars as they are. I searched for the perfect girly toy based advent calendar and I found it: The Playmobil Unicorn Fairy World advent calendar.  Seriously you say? Yes, seriously. Behold the Unicorn Fairy World awesomeness:

It is practically a Double Rainbow in a box right there and she will love it. It comes with 24 little boxes, each containing a Playmobil piece.  It also comes with a backdrop that can be played with once all the toys have been open or hung on the wall with the toy boxes attached and ready for opening.

I considered getting the Playmobil Christmas in the Forest advent calendar because I think all the little animals would be great to play with once the set is all open.

But then Remo reminded me that the other one is a Unicorn Fairy World and I knew that was the only option.

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I can’t say enough great things about the How to train your dragon books by Cressida Cowell. They are funny books sure to please any kid interested in dragons or adventure. And since I always like to give books and toys together, they make perfect gifts. There are a bunch of playsets that go along with the How to train your dragon movie.

There is a Dragon attack set

and a Flying dragon set

and my favorite, the bucket of dragons set.

There is also a really adorable mini talking plush night fury dragon.

It is only 5 inches tall and it talks, which would be a deal breaker for me (I have issues) but isn’t a problem for most people. I actually kind of appreciate it when great books are made into movies because then I can count on matching toys to go with the books as presents.

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Looking for a little something spooky for Halloween? Have a LEGO obsessed kid with an October birthday? This is a custom set made by Ender’s Ark. They ordered all the pieces directly from LEGO and then put together this charming headless horseman set.

LEGO also has a variety of Halloween themed minifigs, always a popular choice.

My favorite is the zombie minifig.

I love that he looks worried, like he feels relly bad about wanting to eat your brains.

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We have a bit of a stuffed animal storage problem at Chez Toy Report.  The fluffy overpopulation is reaching problem status.  There is a huge wooden chest filled with stuffed animals upstairs, boxes in the attic, an empty duvet cover filled with them downstairs, and all the current favorites on the beds, of course. Now, I would be happy to thin the herd but the boys switch favorite animals all the time and we periodically go on hunts for stuffed teddy bears or bunnies or brown puppies or whatever is needed. They would certainly notice and be distraught if they disappeared forever. I have done extensive research on storing stuffed animals and I have determined that there is only one truly good solution, the Boon Stuffed Animal Bag.

Stuffed Animal Storage AND A Bean Bag

That’s right, you jam all your stuffed animals into this plush and fluffy bag, zip it up and suddenly you have a fun chair and storage spot all in one.

Click here for the detail and size specification on the stuffed animal bean bags.

I am dreaming of them as the answers to all my problems. I think the single green one is cute, I may have to acquire one to see just how much of the plush menagerie fits inside.

The genius of these bags is that you end up with functional bean bag type seating in addition to stuffed animal storage. The bags zip open and animals get stuffed inside, but there are see through panels in the bags making it easier to spot a a favorite if needed.  Of course, having imaginative kids, there are always some unreal concerns here.  There are certain plush animals that really do not belong together.  You cannot put the plush manatee and plush seal in the same bag as the stuffed shark, and woe be to the parent who packs the tiger plush together with the plush bears.  You may wake up one morning to find a bag full of shredded fluff and stuffing.

Stuffed Animal Storage In All Sizes

Heck, there is even an awesome three section version as well.  That looks to be the perfect sized Boon bag for lounging around, but it might take up too much space in most living areas.

My only real concern is that we have three children and I’m not sure I can invest in three separate bags so everyone can have their own. I am tempted by the triple bag, but I’m not sure how if three actual children could sit on it together.    It would solve the issue with large stuffed animals fitting in the smaller bag though.

This is absolutely the best stuffed animal storage I have ever seen, and boy are there some terrible options out there. I’ll tell you about the unpleasant alternatives later.

UPDATE: We finally got our orange Boon Trio bag (the one pictured on the right) and it is awesome!  It holds more stuffed animals that I ever imagined.  Click here for the details on the Trio.

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I know! Coolest thing you have seen all week, right? LEGO has come out with alarm clocks in the shape of some beloved minifigs. My personal favorite is the Darth Vader mini-figure alarm clock, pictured above. But following at a close second is Buzz Lightyear mini-figure alarm clock.

The clocks are quite a bit bigger than a standard minifig, measuring 8 inches tall. The Buzz Lightyear one may be extra cool, because you set the time and alarm by pressing the buttons on his space suit.

Nevermind, I may love the Yoda mini-figure alarm clock most of all. Who doesn’t love Yoda? To snooze the alarm or light up the clock display, you press down on his head.

The minifig alarm clocks all have moving arms and legs, just like a real minifig, so they can sit or stand or hold things.  They also have Woody, Anakin, and Storm Trooper alarm clocks.

Trust me, whether for a birthday present or just a Back-to-school-please-get-up-on-time-in-the-morning present, you can’t go wrong with these LEGO mini-figure alarm clocks.

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There are quite a few pirate books out there, they are perfect for young pirate fans (and in celebration of International Talk Like a Pirate Day!)

My absolute, hands down favorite is How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long.

It follows the adventures of young Jeremy Jacobs who goes off with pirates to help them bury their treasure. He enjoys some of their pirate ways more than others (No Tucking!) but in the end decides to make it back home in time for soccer practice. Just as wonderful is the sequel, Pirates Don’t Change Diapers.

For picture books, my other favorite is Don’t mention Pirates by Sarah McConnell.

Follow the adventures of young Scarlet Silver and her family as they discover their true calling in their ship-shaped house.

For older kids you can’t go wrong with Pirateology.

A huge compendium of facts, stories and legends about pirates this is sure to be enough information to satify any swashbuckler interested in learning more about pirates. It includes information about knot tying, flags, sailing and boats and, of course, marauding.

My favorite pirate themed book is Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Scott Pearson.

It is a retelling of Peter Pan, but with more action and mystery and it is certainly as swashbuckling as it is possible to be. There is a whole series, and I recommend getting the first three to start, because they are addicting!

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Continuing our celebration of International Talk like a Pirate Day, we shall explore our pirate dress up options.  I love this Alex Pirate tent. While it isn’t technically dress-up, it does provide a home base for the pretend play that goes along with dress-up. And have you seen it? Adorable!

As for dress-up clothes – I like this pirate costume from Melissa and Doug.

Perfect for a little buccaneer. If you will be dressing more than one pirate, you might want to invest in this Pirate dress-up treasure chest.

It has a variety of costume pieces, so there is something to make everyone feel like plundering something.

And, lastly, what may be my favorite pirate toy of all time:

This dress up pirate doll from Manhattan Toy.

I just love him! You can button and zip and tie and buckle him and then undo it all and start all over. He is certainly the most adorable buccaneer I have ever seen!

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Happy International Talk like a Pirate Day! (It is so a real thing. The internets are never wrong!) In honor of this most festive of holidays, I am declaring this to be Pirate Week  here at The Toy Reporter.

We will open the festivities with the best pirate ship toys.

My favorite (and the one we actually own and has been played with by just about every child who has ever been in our house) is the Plan Toys wooden pirate ship.

It is simple, beautiful, well made and sturdy wooden pirate ship. It has a few pirates, a little boat, an alligator, treasure chest. Everything you need to play pirates. This one is suitable for preschoolers, not just the big kids.

If you want to go all out, I suggesting this KidKraft Pirate Ship.

Like everything KidKraft makes is it well made and amazingly detailed. I love how the sides open, making this almost a ship-shaped doll house than just a pirate ship toy.

I also really like this Playmobil pirate dinghy.

It is perfect if you want something smaller, or to add to an existing pirate set.

Don’t forget to talk like a Pirate today! Hoist the main sail! Swab the decks ye landlubbers! Or you can just say “Arrrrgggghhhh!” a lot.

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I have found that my older kids are suddenly refusing anything that they think is for little kids, and sadly this includes lunch boxes with adorable animals on them.

For older kids, I thinks these waste-free lunch kits from Kids Konserve are perfect. They come with a recycled cotton lunch bag (in a tasteful print, nothing little kiddish about it), a stainless steel water bottle, two stainless steel snack containers, a sandwich wrap and a cloth napkin.

Perfect for your recycling minded kid or anyone who feels they have outgrown their adorable robot lunch box (sigh).

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I just can’t stop with the animal themed lunch bags! I love these insulated bags by Dabbawalla. They are made of an insulating neoprene material that has met the stringent Oeko-Tex standard for fabric safety and they are sewn in a factory using fair labor practices – you can feel good about buying these lunch bags.

Dabbawalla makes adorable animals, like the monkey seen above or this ladybug.

They also have other cute designs, my favorite of the non0animal designs is the apple bag.

They are big enough for a whole lunch and a water bottle – a great way to carry your lunch!

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I have been searching for the best kids lunch boxes (although, they are almost always more like lunch bags than boxes nowadays). One of my favorites is the adorable Skip Hop Zoo Lunchie insulated lunch bags.  They come in adorable animal shapes and are roomy enough for a well packed lunch.

Some of my favorites are the Monkey, pictured above.

The pink mouse

The owl

and the zebra

They are all insulates to keep things cold and are PVC, Phthalate and latex free. And Skip Hop makes matching backpacks. So if your little one heading back to school is obsessed with Monkeys or just wants and fun way to carry their lunch, Skip Hop has your bags!

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Remember your lunch box when you were in elementary school? Mine was a Muppet Show lunch box, metal and by the end of the school year pretty banged up.  The world of cute lunch boxes has come a long way in recent years. There are many great choices it can be hard to pick just one (leading to a jam packed jam cupboard in our kitchen full of lunch toting options).  My top three cute lunch containers all be discussed this week, for starters I present my favorite smaller option.

For smaller lunches, or when you just need to take along a snack I adore these Built NY Munchler lunch bags. They zip open to lie completely flat, great for when you are spreading our your snack on a park bench or picnic table.

They are insulated and perfectly fit a small water bottle and a few snacks, I have filled it with a sandwich, an apple and a bag of crackers. While they could fit a thermos, it would be tight.  These bags are my go to bag for when the instructions at camp say to send them with a snack. We generally stick with something bigger if they need enough food to last all day.

These bags have the added bonus of being both darn cute and darn cheap – at only $10. Meadow the bunny if my favorite!

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Honestly, if you want to look your very best it’s not too early to start thinking about that Halloween costume.  And if you have a little Harry Potter fan in your house, you might want to pick up a Griffyndor scarf and tie set to go with your Harry Potter glasses and wizards cape while they are still in stock.

The 8th and final Harry Potter movie came out last month, and unless you are one of the few people left on earth who has not read the books, you’ll be hard pressed to avoid the films.  Honestly, the last one was really the best so far but if you haven’t kept up with the story so far, the last Harry Potter movie certainly isn’t the place to start.

So if you want to make your own Harry Potter costume this Halloween, here are all the pieces you will need:

Harry Potter Tie:

Griffindor Scarf:

Harry Potter Glasses: Gryffindor Robe:

Harry Potter Wand

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