Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Countin' Fun Piggy
Bank on having fun with the Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Countin' Fun Piggy. The piggy counts along as baby drops the included colorful coins in the slots, with rewarding sounds and music. Watch the video and then keep reading for the Amazon.com Parents' review:
5 Stars, “Every time one of my friends has a baby, my go-to gift is a custom designed ceramic Piggy Bank with the new baby’s name and a hand painted design that coordinates with the nursery theme or colors. So of course, Bam also has a Piggy and we practice putting coins in it all the time. The Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Countin’ Fun Piggy is one of those toys that you know is going to be a hit as soon as you see it. Bam was immediately jumping up and down as soon as he saw it and we couldn’t get it out of the box fast enough. The colorful coins are the perfect size and magically none of have managed to get lost yet. We are loving this one so much we are considering this as our go-to 1st birthday present to follow up the ceramic Piggys!”
If You’re Big On Puzzles...
Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen found the largest puzzle in the world.
I like puzzles. 300-piece, 500-piece, Even the occasional 1000-piecer. But Ravensburger’s wall-size 32,000-piece Keith Haring: Double Retrospect
knocked every other puzzle out of my mind. Holding the Guinness World Record for the largest commercially available jigsaw puzzle, it actually contains 32,256 pieces (what’s 256 pieces, more or less?), measures more than 17 x 6 feet when completed, and weighs in at 42 pounds. But don’t worry---it comes with its own hand truck for toting around, and is conveniently packaged in eight separate poly bags. The picture itself is pure Keith Haring—an array of 32 intensely colored Pop Art images of Haring’s work, paying tribute to the late artist’s view that art should be enjoyed by everyone. The pieces are sturdy, premium grade cardboard, made to withstand the many fingers that will inevitably handle them. According to the Ravensburger experts, the puzzle should take around 400 hours to complete. Obviously, this is not a quick distraction for a rainy day---it’s more like a project for monsoon season, a month-long family vacation, or a classroom challenge. In full disclosure, I haven’t put this puzzle together yet. I’m still looking for an empty room to hold it, and lots of helping hands to make 400 hours fly. Volunteers welcome!
Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen is co-founder of Sandbox Summit®, a series of conferences that explore the synergy between play and technology.
Think Outside of the Basket
With Easter approaching, some are seeking alternatives to ducks, bunnies, and eggs as Easter basket stuffers. So we’ve put together a list of some fun and unique petite toys for older girls and boys:
Plush and Vinyl Favorites from Funko
These adorable figures live up to their name and feature popular characters from Star Wars and DC Universe. Funko also creates an adorable line of music legends--Elvis, Run-DMC and KISS.
Relive adventures from your favorite Nintendo games. Squeeze and collect all your favorite Nintendo classic characters like Super Mario Brothers, Legend of Zelda, and more.
Zibits are cute two-inch-tall collectible robots that can rotate 360 degrees and are equipped with lights and sounds. Watch out -- Zibits are getting ready to take the world by storm!
There is a massive following for these high quality collectible miniature eraser sets. Use them as an eraser or simply a decorative piece.
Come along to the world of Squinkies where you will find a soft and squishy surprise waiting for you!
Miniature Toobs of Pirates, Dragons, and More
Discover a world of fascinating, award-winning miniature collectibles in a myriad of popular themes. Great for school projects or they're just fun to display in kids' rooms.
Wendy Smolen Uncovers The Newest Collectible Craze At Toy Fair
By Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen
As the allure of Silly Bandz fades into the annals of Fad-ville, a new affordable impulse buy seems to be on the rise. Erasers. Shaped, colored, crafty or classic, the aisles of last week’s annual Toy Fair were filled with irresistible options. From puzzle erasers that can be mixed and matched, to cupcakes, ice cream and sushi, from animals to aliens, minis to not-so-miniatures, the art of correcting a mistake has never seemed so appealing. Gomu, Spinmaster’s eraser collection includes over 100 different designs, including pets, and gadgets, shoes and accessories. Each pack also contains one of the rare Gomu gold or silver key erasers, worth G-Points for those who want to trade, priceless for those who just want to collect. There’s even a Gomu pencil case with peek-a-boo slots for storing and carrying a collection.
It’ll be interesting to see how collectible erasers play out at school. Unlike trading cards or fighting tops, which are often banned from classrooms, these are, after all, erasers, a basic school tool. No one ever said basics have to be boring.
Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen is co-founder of Sandbox Summit®, a series of conferences that explore the synergy between play and technology.
Easter Toys and Games Starting at Less Than $10
Get an early hop this Easter! Fill baskets and hearts with our egg-cellent selection of toys and games starting at less than $10.
Wendy Smolen Combats Cabin Fever With Cards
By Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen
We had so much snow in the Northeast that kids were sliding down mountains in the parking lots. But when the mountains turned to dirt mounds, and the parking lots became lakes, it was time to find an indoor activity. Check out RATUKI, a lightning-fast card game that reminds me of the addictive rounds of Spit I used to play with my best friend way back when. Using sets of cards with numbers, Roman numerals, dice, words and lines, all displaying images for numbers1 to 5, players try to make sequential stacks (numbering up or down) as fast as they can. Every time a player tops a pile with a 5, he wins it. The game ends when one player uses up all his cards. Honestly, it’s a lot easier---and more fun---to play than it is to explain. And, since it takes no batteries or electricity, it‘s the perfect activity around the fireplace when the power goes down during the next Nor’ easterner.
Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen is co-founder of Sandbox Summit®, a series of conferences that explore the synergy between play and technology.
Toy Fair Sneak Peek
Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen gives you a Sneak Peek before Toy Fair
Seems like we’re still recovering from December’s present overload, but the toy companies are already telling us what’s next. Toy Fair, the official season opener for the toy industry, begins February 13 in New York City. Hasbro let me look behind their curtain a little early and revealed some of the hot toys you’ll be seeing in this fall.
For the RC enthusiast, there’s the TONKA XT: RICOCHET STUNT PRO RC (Ages 8 and up/Approx. Retail Price: $79.99).The neat thing about this tough, two-sided trickster is that it allows kids to save up to three of their greatest stunts using the controller memory button and perform them again and again. No more “I can’t remember how I did that.”
In the game aisle, look for CRANIUM BRAIN BREAKS (Ages 8 and up/ Approx. Retail Price: $12.99). This would work ( and play) just as well on an office desk as in a kid’s room. Housed inside a purple plastic brain are cards, cubes, a timer, and pieces to play 200 (yes, 200!)1-minute games that will have enthusiasts of all ages guessing, acting, sketching, spelling, and sculpting.
For collectors of LITTLEST PET SHOP critters, there’s new MAGIC MOTION Pets (Ages 4 & up/Approx. Retail Price $7.99) These 12 new quirky characters walk and waddle across the table. Or…get together in the tri-level LITTLEST PET SHOP MAGIC MOTION Tree House Playset (Ages 4 & up/Approx. Retail Price $34.99). From the elevator, to the lookout tower, to the working slide, there are non-stop activities for both kids and their Littlest Pets.
It’s hard to re-invent the wheel, but the PLAYSKOOL BOUNCE ‘N RIDE (Ages 12 months & up/Approx. Retail Price: $29.99) came pretty close. With the kickstand down, this simple, primary colored toy is a musical bouncer. Lift the brake and it’s a classic first ride.
Stay tuned. Toy Fair starts is almost here.
Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen is co-founder of Sandbox Summit®, a series of conferences that explore the synergy between play and technology
Something to Scream About: Bandai’s Voice-Activated Skreemsters
By Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen
One of the great things about seeing products before the official opening of Toy Fair on February 13, is that you don’t have to share your time, space and toys with the thousands of other people who will be in Javits Center in NYC looking for the next hot new item. Actually playing with a toy to determine its fun-factor, is second only to watching a kid play with the same toy. Happily, at Bandai, I was the sole player. And I found a toy I couldn’t stop playing with. Skreemsters is a brand new line of voice-powered vehicles for pre-schoolers. Yes, you heard me: voice-powered. These mid-size (about 5 inches long) brightly colored plastic cars and trucks are driven by a patent- pending technology that uses the power of a kid’s voice to activate them. The longer (NOT louder) a kid talks, the more power gets generated, and the farther the vehicles go. Yes, they still have batteries, but all the motion comes from the “mouth.” A simple “go car go,” may send them a few inches. A paragraph on where they’re headed and who they’ll see could move them as much as 50 feet! Look for this simple, but clever product sold as individual vehicles as well as in sets with ramps, stunts, and multiple vehicles this fall.
Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen is co-founder of Sandbox Summit®, a series of conferences that explore the synergy between play and technology.
New year, New Toys
Check out what new toys and games await your home. See what's new from your favorite brands like LEGO, Mattel, Fisher-Price, Melissa & Doug, LeapFrog, and more.
Five-Star Toys and Games
See our top-rated toys and games, as rated by Amazon customers. Categories include Preschool Toys, Construction Toys & Blocks, Kids' Arts & Crafts, and Games.
