Toy Whimsy

Little Professor Calculator - Flash Back Friday

I am not, nor have I ever been, a math whiz.  When Barbie said "Math is hard!" instead of getting offended, I said "Yes Barbie, it sure is!".  My parents thought a good gift for Christmas one year in the 80s would be the Little Professor Calculator.  I guess they thought I could use a crutch and they were probably right. I don't remember playing with him too often, but I do remember that I could play some games on it, and I did like the red light up numbers for playing games after I was supposed to be in bed.

Here's some history on the Little Professor from Retroland.
"Texas Instruments, who had long been recognized as a leading calculator manufacturer, came out with the Little Professor in  1976. The front of the device depicted a kindly old professor that appeared to have his nose buried in a book. An LED display at the top appeared to be a window into the professor’s advanced brain functions and allowed users see what the professor was thinking. While it might have appeared to be a calculator, however, it didn’t actually give you any answers. Kids would do the grunt work, figuring out various math problems, then enter the answers into the device which would give them points for a correct answer or display a dreaded “EEE” when they had miscalculated. Packed with 16,000 individual problems, this simple handheld device tested them in the areas of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and offered five different levels of increased difficulty – ensuring that up-and-coming Einsteins had their work cut out for them if they wanted to please the old man."

You can check out other children of the 80's memories here on In the 80's.  I loved this quote from "dave":
"I had one of these as a kid, poor thing didn't last long. Every time I got a question wrong I'd smack it in the 'face' screaming 'I am right!'." 

that sounds like a future accountant, am I right?

I even found a classic commercial:

Have a great weekend!
--Laura McMullan

Candy Land Birthday Party - Toy Tips with Marianne Szymanski

Editor's Note: Marianne Szymanski is a leading expert in toy reviews, and the founder of the Toy Tips Research Institute.  She is the author of Toy Tips: A Parent's Essential Guide to Smart Toy Choices and also the editor of Toy Tips and Parenting Hints Magazine. 

Eleanor Abbott, who was recovering from polio, created the CANDY LAND Game as a lighthearted activity to entertain children affected by the disease. In 1949, Ms. Abbott sold the game to Milton Bradley, who marketed the game for $1.00 with the slogan, “a sweet little game … for sweet little folks.”  Since the game’s introduction , the distinctive red-and-white peppermint name has been printed on more than 40 million CANDY LAND games.
It was my daughter's 5th birthday this past weekend and we wanted to throw an all-kids backyard party.  Since her first word was "candy" she always asks for it and we barely give it to her, we thought  this may make a great surprise therme. So, we transformed our backyard  Candy Land!
Candy Land is the most classic board game I can think of that makes a great gift for any age. I mean, really,  who does not enjoy visiting Lord Licorice, Queen Frostine or Gramma Nut?  If you considering this theme for your child's birthday, here is how we did it:

Every tree is my yard had red and white crepe paper trunks with pinatas in every tree. The "Candy Bar" had tall glass ( I didn't have plastic)  containers filled with Twizzlers, Tootsie Rolls, Laffy Taffy,  Bubble Gum and every other kid-friendly candy you can think of.  Taped pieces of colored construction paper made the path from the driveway to the entrance and giant gumdrops made of ccolored poster board taped onto wooden stakes made a nice gumdrop pass down the hill to our yard.  The playset was King Castle and the kids had fun swinging, sliding, climbing and digging in the sandbox (sans sand) which was filled with dry dirt  for the "molasses swamp." Hand-passed chocolates were the hit of this station if you dared to listen to  the "scary story" of the swamp.
For games, we played pass the peppermint on a spoon (2 teams race to carry the peppermint to the finish line) and Gramma Nutt made an appearance for a special peanut shelling game (only if all guests are nut-free with no allergies)
We frosted Pepperridge Farm Ginger Men Cookis with colored frosting to make our own game piece (and then kids can eat it).
The younger guests  made candy necklaces from licorice string and Froot Loops  while  the older children made friendship bracelets.  The jumping tent let kids burn off energy and their sugar high!
Hula hoops hung from the trees (we called them gigantic lifesavers) and the parent-child the big hula hoop contest was a big hit. The finale was a bubble gum blowing contest.
I made a white sheet cake and decorated it like Candy Land. (well, similar)

Playing Candy Land with your child creates memories for a lifetime but there are many versions of Candy Land, not just one with a new version being introduced this Holiday Season. (Candy Land Sweet Celebration).

Candy Land - Milton Bradley Board Game
Hasbro Candy Land Castle Game
Candy Land - Dora The Explorer
Candy Land Retro Edition Board Game by Milton Bradley
Deluxe Candyland
Pooh Candyland
Candy Land Book Series
Candy Land DVD Game
Candyland Sweet Celebration
Candyland Carabiner Keychain

If you just can't get enough candy, try these toys too!

Scientific Explorer's Tasty Science Chemistry in the Kitchen Kit
Barbie Candy Glam Style Station Styling Head
Candy Matching Game
Grab It!
Thames & Kosmos Candy Factory
Junior 11" Classic Gumball Machine
Carousel King Gumball Machine
John Deere JR Gumball Machine
Make Your Own Gummies

For more toy ideas,  visit toytips.com and follow me on twitter.com/toytips for a daily toy tip!

--Marianne Szymanski

G.I. Joe Party Ideas - Guest Blogger Lisa Kothari

G.I. Joe Rise of the Cobra hits theaters this summer with another great toy-turned-movie story.  Do your kids love to play with G.I. Joe action figurines?  If your school- aged children love the toys, the movie would make for a fun summer outing with some friends.  G.I. Joe would also make a great character to build a party theme around, especially if you set up an Army Training Camp with the birthday boy playing G.I. Joe and the party guests are his team members.
For your party invitation, purchase small clip compasses and using camouflage card stock, write your party details directly on the card.  Hole punch the card at the top right-hand corner of your invitation and attach to the compass.  Hand-deliver your party invitations and request that your guests bring their compass to the party with them.
Choose traditional army colors for your party decorations: brown, green, and tan are excellent choices for balloons, streamers, and tableware.
Create a table centerpiece using your child’s G.I. Joe action figures.
Recruit an adult helper to play the Captain of the G.I. Joe Army and to lead the cadets.
When the guests arrive have them check in to the Army Training Camp and provide G.I. Joe gear for the kids to prepare for their army training.  Give them dog tags, temporary tattoos, camouflage face paint, a head bandanna, and any other items to get them into the party theme.  Also, you may want to give them an Army nickname to use during the party too.  They can create a special badge to wear during the party with their names so everyone remembers.

Set up an obstacle course for G.I. Joe training: have them climb through tires, balance themselves on a beam, crawl on the ground from one area to another, swing on a rope, do exercises, etc.
Blow up green balloons and fill with water, call these water grenades.  Have the kids toss their water balloons back and forth without breaking them as an additional challenge.  Later on, create a minefield in your yard where the kids must cross without being hit by a water balloon that the kids are throwing at one another.  Whoever isn’t hit, wins the game!
Provide the kids with model airplanes and/or helicopter kits for the kids to make together and then hold a series of flying contests with their aircraft.
Play Wrap the Soldier!  Divide the kids into two teams and designate one person on each team to be a soldier who is wrapped up by the other team members.  See which team wraps their soldier fastest!
Hold a scavenger hunt for the kids to find as many small G.I. Joe figurines that you have hidden around the party area.
Either at the end of the activities or after each individual activity, award the kids badges and medals as the Army would as they complete their tasks.  If you hold this at the end of all of the activities, have an official badge ceremony where everyone receives a Badge of Honor.
For the party menu, go to an Army supply store and purchase food packs that are served in the military.  Small packs of preserved foods placed into camouflage lunch packs would be a thematic way to serve up the grub!
For the party cake, bake a sheet cake and top with Oreo cookie crumbs that look like dirt terrain and filled with G.I. Joe figurines and tanks.
Send the recruits home with their dog tags, as well as green camouflage bandannas full of little items: compass, notepad, whistle, gum, etc.  Alternatively, provide camouflage water bottles with green and brown M&M candies.  Use a paint pen to write the kids’ names on each one.
A G.I. Joe party theme will be a great training camp party for your child and his friends.  After all, they are in the army now!  Have fun!

--Lisa Kothari
Peppers and Pollywogs, Inc.
www.pepperspollywogs.com

Small Summer Shutterbugs

Whether you are hanging around the house this summer or going on a family vacation far away, you'll definitely want to take pictures of your kids.  But kids want to take pictures, too. If you'd like to encourage your child's inner Scavullo (well, maybe not that -- how about their inner Ansel Adams?) there are lots of options.  For younger kids there's a whole range of digital cameras (made by Fisher-Price or VTech, for example) specifically designed for small hands.  Many have a large viewing screen so the child gets an easily-viewable preview before they shoot.  And, most importantly, the cameras are digital so you don't waste film.  These tend to be a bit pricier but are very kid-friendly (as well as impact-resistant) and you obviously save on film and film development costs -- but you can find a few for under $25.  And, keep in mind,  there are plenty of adults having fun with kids' cameras as well.  You can encourage a new hobby and get some great (and possibly quite funny) memories to share for years to come.  -- E. Christian Moore

Elmo's Tickle Hands - Tiny Toy Testers Review

One of the highly anticipated toys for this Christmas season has arrived for a test here at Tiny Toy Testers central. Elmo's Tickle Hands Check out our sneak peek video below and then keep reading for our review.
Elmo Tickle Hands...

Parents' Review: 5 Stars for Wonderful, 1 Star for Terrible:

Assembly: 4 stars, The Tickle Hands were out of the box in under two minutes. Just a couple of snips of the sissors to release them, and popping the DVD into the player. My son who is two needed a little help to put the hands on, and then he was ready to watch the dance.

 Fun Factor: 4 stars, The dance was cute, Elmo was very entertaining, and there were lots of laughs from the two kids. My only gripe with the DVD is that the last five minutes or so after Elmo shows the tickle dance are full of advertisements for other Elmo DVDs.  This was a little off putting as a parent. I do like that the dance gets kids up and dancing around- that's a very positive thing in today's world.  I also liked that the hands were fun to put on myself and tickle my kids- they thought that was hilarious. 

Educational Factor:  2 stars, I don't think this is very educational- but I do think it is great that kids get up and off the couch with this toy.  It's fun for them to do the dance with Elmo and his little friends on the DVD and then to play the song on the hands and dance along.

Novelty Factor: 5 stars, I can honestly say that my kids have no other toy like Elmo's Tickle Hands nor have they ever had a dance routine.  I am not sure if they will memorize the dance, but they did enjoy tickling each other with the hands on- and also liked to have my husband and I tickle them with the hands too.

--Laura McMullan

Barbie Shower & Show Horse - Tiny Toy Testers Review

What is it about girls and horses? I don't know what it is but my daughter has for sure caught the horse fever. I am sure she would love to combine her love of horses, Barbie, and playing with hair and water in this great set. The Barbie Shower & Show Horse looks to be a winner. Check out the video below from our Tiny Toy Tester and then keep reading for the Amazon.com Parents' Review...
Barbie Shower & Show Horse...

Parents' Review: 5 Stars for Wonderful, 1 Star for Terrible:

Assembly: 5 stars, "Assembly was complete  in less than 5 minutes with no problems.  The directions were pretty clear although somewhat tricky to navigate because of how many languages they were in.  Ideally, the directions would have been laid out better to make them easier to follow, although that hardly slowed us down.
I will give this a five for a couple of reasons.  While still in the box, it appeared to be similar to the many toys I have grown to dread opening because of excessive twist ties and rubber bands around many small parts.  I was very pleasantly surprised to find that this toy was packaged with what I would describe as “quick-release” twist ties.  Getting to the pieces was much easier than the standard children’s toy."

Fun Factor: 4 stars, "My daughter was delighted when she first saw the toy.  She spent most of the time squirting water on the horse and getting the hair and other parts of the horse to change color.  We initially had to show her where to get the water from and where to put water to get the color to change and images to appear.
I would give it a four.  My daughter already likes horses.  Adding in the water to give the horse a bath and have the hair change colors is a nice touch."

Educational Factor: 3 stars, "I don’t think it is primarily an educational toy but I do think that it can be educational by encouraging imagination and can help somewhat with teaching responsibility through brushing, cleaning and caring for the toy horse.  Her older sister has been learning to ride and care for horses this year so it provides an opportunity for her to pretend she is doing what she sees her sister do.
I do think that it will grow with my daughter.  She has always enjoyed playing with toy animals and I think this particular toy will interest her for as long as she continues playing with her other dolls and toys.
I would say the educational value is about a three.  It’s not going to teach her to read or do math or anything but it does stimulate her brain as she invents stories involving the horse.  When she tags along to her sister’s horse lessons, she enjoys brushing and petting the real horse.  I think that makes the toy a little more real to her as she can imagine playing and taking care of the horse as if it were real to her."

Novelty Factor: 4 stars, "The toy is certainly not the first toy animal or horse but it is unique in that it is color changing and uses real water to give it a bath.  It sets itself apart from other similar toys by adding the bath and color changing features. 
When we first tried to get the hair and body of the horse to change colors, it didn’t work too well.  We quickly figured out that the water wasn’t cold enough and added ice which made it work perfectly.  It really does need water that is ICE cold.
I will give it a four.  My daughter has a lot of horses and other animals that go with dolls but none that change colors or that you can bathe.  The special features are unique and exciting enough to raise it up to a two.
As an added bonus, she was thrilled to have a horse with hair that turns pink.  The day before she got the toy, she had part of her hair colored pink so their hair matches."

--Laura McMullan

UltraMan, ComiCon and You: Flashback Friday

With Comic-Con going on this weekend in San Diego, I know many of you are ready to get your sci-fi geek on.  Since I'm not there, I started thinking about what "they" could remake next and thought about a show I remember from being a little kid, "Ultraman."   (They showed re-runs of it in the 70's and very early 80's on American television.) With the success of Iron Man (and the internet abuzz with rumors about a new screen adaptation) it's only a matter of time before Hollywood makes an uninspired remake brings it to the big screen.  To get you up to speed, check out the ultra-groovy clip below.  If the movie is anywhere NEAR as good as the opening sequence of the original TV show, they just might have a chance. -- E. Christian Moore 

Breyerfest 2009 - Photo Gallery of Events (pt. 3)

I've posted two other posts on Breyerfest but I don't even think I have told you about half of the events.  My favorite part of Breyerfest was that it was an event for families and people of all ages.  When I greeted people at the gate on Saturday morning, it was really fun to see families, dads and daughters, moms and kids, grandparents and kids, and adults coming in all for the same event.  Everyone one was there for the loved of horses and Breyer models in particular. 
The evening events, just like the days events, were a lot of fun.  There was a big banquet with tons of great food.  To my delight, I was even asked to be a guest judge for the hat contest.
  
as you can see in the pictures, the decision of trying to chose the best 10 out of the 100+ entries was difficult.  People put a lot of time and energy into the hats and some people were even dressed as gigantic hats! Another cool contest took place at my hotel where people decorated their windows in Breyer scenes.  It was quite amazing.  Here is one of my favorites from Emily, age 11.
The end of the evening was a huge charity auction where rare Breyers were auctioned off.  The highest bid was $3,000.

Breyerfest was a fun experiance.  I would highly recomend it for any family who has a model horse lover. 

--Laura McMullan

Citiblocs: New Kid on the Block(s) -- Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen

When I think of blocks, I have two favorite types: LEGOs and those beautifully shaped wooden HABA blocks that let kids build the US Capital or the Coliseum or a Mayan Temple. Both sets invite structured or open-ended play and inspire creativity, imagination, experimentation, and even a little bit of math and physics. I recently played with a new product called Citiblocs. They come in just one simple shape: 14 5/8” x 15/16” x 5/16”. Think: squared off, super fat tongue depressors made of ecologically-sound New Zealand pine. I tested the box of 100 (sets range from 52 pieces to 300).  Each box comes with an insert of finished projects and ideas. However, there are no LEGO-like step-by-step instructions. Basically, you’re left to your own devices. This is the ultimate open-ended toy. I dumped all 100 pieces on the floor. The good news: I could make anything I wanted. The caveat: It was a little hard to resist falling back on the classic log cabin that I always made with Popsicle sticks. My teenage son, a physics geek, delved right in and built an elaborate structurally sound tower. My young niece made a 3-D butterfly. Inspired (awed?) by their creativity, I attempted an Empire State Building. It was harder than I thought to make even levels and straight walls. Unlike LEGO or even Popsicle sticks, there’s no glue or teeth to hold the blocks together. It’s balance or bust. For a young kid, the knocking down is as much fun as the building up, so this shouldn’t be a problem. For a “builder” like my son, balancing is the fun part of the challenge.  For me, I gave up perfection at level six, knocked my building down, laughed, and started all over again. -- Wendy Smolen

Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen is co-founder of Sandbox Summit®.  She has been professionally evaluating toys for over 15 years. Her three children have literally gone from crib to college proving (or dis-proving!) her theories on play.

You Can Do Magic!

With Harry Potter opening #1 this weekend at the box office, I thought we should talk about magic kits.  But before I even begin, you should probably put this song into you head first.  (Go ahead...I'll wait.  Did you enjoy the Spanish subtitles?  I knew you would.)  The Melissa and Doug Deluxe Magic Set (pictured) is sturdily made (like most of the toys from M+D) and is a great way to get a kid interested in magic. For adults and kids alike there's also the Toysmith Professional Magician Kit which looks more like what an actual magician might use.  Aside from the play value, magic kits can be a great way to help kids develop eye-hand coordination.  And, besides, every grown up should know at least one cool magic trick for the heck of it.  I know I loved the magic kit my parents got for me back in the 80's, endorsed by a magician named Marshall Brodeen (fourth pic down.)  Now, if you could only make that song I just put into your head magically disappear....  E. Christian Moore