Toy Whimsy

Live "Avatar" Action Figure at Sundance Film Festival

This past week I attended the Sundance Film Festival in Park City to get away from the toy industry for a few days and to catch up with friends from my previous life in the entertainment industry.  But it seems that, even on top of a mountain in Utah, the world of toys was still able to find me. 

On a short shuttle ride to a screening of the documentary, "Waste Land" (excellent, by the way), I struck up a conversation with a group of people from Los Angeles, one of whom was an actor named Sean Moran.  His friends informed me that Sean not only plays Private Fike in the mega-successful film, "Avatar," but his likeness was also made into one of the action figures for the film.  (They apparently even incorporated Sean's own tattoos onto the action figure as well.)  It didn't occur to me to interview Sean about the process until after I was already in the screening (Sorry -- I was on vacation, remember?) but I'll try to contact him and ask him about the experience of becoming an action figure.  Stay tuned.  -- E. Christian Moore.

Scooby Doo Scavenger Hunt Party Ideas - Guest Blogger Lisa Kothari

Who’s kids’ favorite mystery sleuth? Scooby Doo, of course! All of us know that Scooby is more interested in his Scooby snacks than the actual mystery (he is a bit of a scaredy cat, after all). Still, kids will love to solve a Scooby mystery with their own sleuthing skills. Invite your gang over for a Scooby Party, complete with a scavenger hunt full of mystery fun.

When all of the kids have arrived, read this message aloud to get them started:

I love taking presents from children! If you want them back you must follow my clues. First find the string that is the color blue.

Web Maze.  Create a web maze out of blue string that the kids must follow to the next clue. Weave long pieces of blue yarn around the party room, and tie white balloons with a ghost faces drawn on them to the end of each string. Attach the next clue to one of the balloons, and have the kids untangle the webs to find it.
By untangling the web you found my clue on a ghost. Now tie it around your ankle and see who can stomp the most.
Stomp the Balloons. Inside each balloon, place a piece of the next clue. After the kids have popped all of the balloons, have them put the clue pieces together (number the pieces to make this easier).
Yikes! To find the presents you must search high and low, and sit on the carpet where the next game is ready to go. When the game is over, the last one in the chair will look underneath it to see what is there.

Scooby Where’s Your Bone.  Have one child sit on the chair and place a bone under it. Have all of the other kids sit on the floor where the child in the chair can’t see them. Next, have everyone take turns quietly and quickly taking the bone from underneath the chair. The person in the chair has to guess who took it. After everyone takes a turn, provide the next clue, which is taped to the bottom of the chair.

Scooby’s hungry from all these games! The next clue will be found where you see his name.
Pin the Sandwich on Scooby Doo.

So you think you are getting close, but you’re not! Let’s see how good you are with the biscuits you drop.

Scooby Snack Drop.  Have the kids try to get three dog biscuits into a jar while standing over it and dropping them with their chins. Place the next clue under the jar.

Zoinks! I unleashed the mummies and they are all around. Wrap up your teammates in hopes you’re not found.
Divide the kids into two teams and have them race to wrap up their mummies.
Have some adult helpers dress as the phantoms to surprise the kids and get into the Mystery Machine where all the gifts are hidden. Deliver the final clue.

Well the mummies didn’t stop you, but they gave me time to get away. So, now it’s all on you! Talk it over and think about what I might use to drive away.

Have the kids run to your garage, but don’t have any cars in the driveway. Open the garage door and have the Mystery Machine inside. Have the kids run to the car/van open the back door. The phantoms hiding inside can say, “Hey, we would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for you meddling kids!”

What a creative way to celebrate with everyone’s favorite dog detective, Scooby Doo!

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

Valentine's Toys for Your Girls and Boys

The day of love is coming ever so close...are you looking for something sweet for your little pumpkins?  Something other than sugar-y treats?  Here's some ideas to get your brain in motion...

1. Ty Pluffie Kisser White and Red Giraffe

2. Barbie Valentine Wishes Doll

3. Valentine's Day Elmo

4. Shinning Stars Valentine Frog

5. Valentine Penguin with Rose

6. Tiny Love Follow me Fiona

7. Lava Lite Lava Lamp

8. Kid-O Bilibo - Pink

9. Scrabble Valentine's Day Card Kit and Game

10. Valentine Octopus Ring Toss Game

11. Mr. Potato Head Valentine's Day Sweetheart Spud

12. Alex Toys Heart and Crafts

I hope that dozen will give you some good ideas.  You can see here for more Valentine toys and games and then look here for more ideas for every loved one on your list in the Amazon.com Valentine's Store for Him and for Her.

Have a LOVE-ly day!

-Laura M.

Pippi Longstocking Party Ideas - Guest Blogger Lisa Kothari

Pippi Longstocking, a character in a series of books written by Astrid Lingren, is a children’s classic character. Pippi is an independent little girl who lives alone in a Tumbledown house with her pet monkey, Mr. Nilsson, and her horse. She is always doing things in an extraordinary way with a unique perspective.

I loved Pippi as a child and she lives on for all generations to enjoy. You may find that your own daughter reminds you of dear Pippi or that she is fascinated by the life of Miss Longstocking. Perhaps a party based on Pippi Longstocking would be extraordinary fun for your daughter and her friends. If the idea appeals, check out these ideas:

1.    Base your party on the tale of Pippi who has an adventure celebrating her own birthday with her neighbors, Aniika and Tommy.

2.    Send out a Pippi invitation with misspelled words, as Pippi sends to her friends.

3.    When the kids arrive, paint freckles on each of the kids’ faces.

4.    Either have the guests braid one another’s hair to look like Pippi or have adult volunteers braid the kids’ hair.

5.    Pippi won’t let her guests stand on the kitchen floor, and it becomes a game. Make different shapes and tape them all over your kitchen or party floor…make it a game that your guests cant touch the floor either. Play music and have the kids step on all of the different shapes. When the music stops, all the kids must be on a shape or they are out. Noone should touch the kitchen floor!

6.    Pippi takes great pleasure in giving her own guests gifts. Have your birthday kid give small trinket gifts to her guests.

7.    Have a scavenger hunt to look for penny candy ~ a favorite of Pippi’s. Provide little bags for the kids to gather their goodies…these can be the goody bag that they take home.

8.    Have the kids tell a tall tale together. Everyone sits in a circle, and the birthday kid can begin the tall tale, and the next person adds to the tale, and then the next person, and so on…by the end a tall tale will have been spun!

9.    Have the kids enjoy jump roping. Have a contest to see who can jump rope the longest.

10.    Have the kids make their own Tumbledown house using popsicle sticks, glue, markers, crayons, and glitter glue.

The ideas are endless, and you can find your inspiration just by reading Pippi’s adventures, and then using them in a way that brings her world alive for your party guests. It will be loads of fun to have a Pippi Party!!

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

Doll Parts

The long weekend is over and already you're thinking, "How can I get the kids out of the house during Spring Break?"  Well, something off the beaten path might be to take them to a place where they actually make toys.  One example:  The Madame Alexander Doll Company in New York City offers tours.  The 30 minute version of the tour is free (!) but for a mere $8 you can take the longer tour where you'll see how dolls are assembled, how hair is rooted in and even get a glimpse into the famous "Doll Hospital" where broken dolls go for rehab, er, mending.   Check out www.madamealexander.com for more details.-- E. Christian Moore

Lady Gaga Barbie and More News from America's Favorite Doll

What do you get when you cross a fan of Barbie with an uber-fan of Lady Gaga? 

This:

And this:

And this.  (and there is more here and here)

Also, in these economic hard times, Barbie, who has had 120 different careers, is thinking of switching jobs.  You can help.  She is enlisting the help of all her fans to help her decide on her next big move.  The choices are: an Environmentalist, a Surgeon, an Architect, a Computer Scientist or a News Anchor.  You can add your vote to the tally here on Barbie.com.

Have a great weekend!

--Laura M.

LEGO Yourself and More at LEGOCL!CK

The folks over at LEGO have a new, and very cool, website called LEGOCL!CK.  Billed as a "LEGO Social Media Tool" it is a place to bring LEGO fans together to swap ideas and hear more about what is going on with the brand.  And of course, you can tweet about it.  The twitter feed is mixed in with other posts from various sources, videos, and photos from fans as well as the LEGO-rati at headquarters.  (Speaking of the LEGO folks, just when I think I have the coolest job ever, and really- I do love my job- someone comes along to de-bunk that ever present myth.  How cool to work for LEGO and play with bricks all day?!?)

Anyway, there is also a super cool iPhone app that will LEGO your photos.  Check it out- I LEGOed myself.

Here's what the app looks like on your phone on the left, and some results on the right:

you can save the LEGO-ized pictures to your phone and then send them on. My only suggestion to make it easier is to have an email function, and a sync with twitter and facebook from the app itself, but other than that, it is a very fun distraction.  I took all kinds of pictures this morning and also converted my favorite picture of the space needle into LEGOs:

  

Pretty cool huh?  You can follow the new LEGOCl!CK on twitter here and see the new LEGOCL!CK site here.  Also very cool- the Amazon.com LEGO Store.  We have stock in many of the hard to find new sets with themes like Ben 10, Atlantis, and Toy Story.

And before we go, my favorite new LEGO commercial.

Enjoy!

--Laura M.

Bob the Builder Party Ideas - Guest Blogger Lisa Kothari

Can we fix it? That’s Bob the Builder’s question to which his friends always answer Yes, We Can! This TV show is a huge hit with small children who love to watch Bob and his gang do renovations, construction, and repairs with one another to help solve problems in Bobsville.
For a thematic party invitation, purchase plastic tools and tie your invitation card to the tool and hand-deliver these to your guests. Request that the kids bring their tools with them to the party.
Decorations

• Tape plastic tools to your front door.
• Hang some fun signs like Bob at Work, Fresh Cake, and Party Zone Ahead, which you can make yourself with some construction paper and markers.
• Hang balloons and streamers in Bob the Builder colors such as orange, black, yellow, blue, and red.

Games and Activities

• Greet the party guests as they arrive by giving them a carpenter apron and a plastic hard hat. Consider using a plastic hard hat for the birthday child, and paper party cone hats for the rest of the guests. These can serve as party favors.
• Construction Race. Break up the party guests into two teams. Give each team a bucket of plastic blocks and other construction toys. Challenge each team to build the best-looking Muck the Dump Truck. Give the teams ten minutes then have them race to make a Lofty the Crane, Scoop the Digger, or Dizzy the Cement Mixer.
• Fill the Bucket. Gather the guests into two groups and explain that the first to fill their bucket with sand wins, but they may only use spoons.
• Beanbag Rock Toss. Have guests stand in a line. Each guest gets several chances to toss a “rock” (beanbag) into the bed of the dump truck.
• Brick by Brick Relay: Before the party, save empty cereal boxes and other cardboard packaging to use as bricks. Divide the bricks into two piles and divide the kids into two teams. The first players grab a brick, race a specified distance, and lay their bricks down to begin the wall. Each player in line continues until one team builds their wall with all of the bricks. First team done wins.

Party Menu
Build a party menu based on Bob the Builder’s characters:

•     Lofty’s Grilled Tires: Burgers
•     Muck’s Mashed Potatoes
•     Wendy’s Bolts and Screws Salad ─ add raisins and nuts to the salad
•     Roley’s pasta ─ twist pasta to resemble screws.

   
Brownie Boulders. Prepare brownies according to recipe. Instead of cutting the brownies in equal rectangles, cut them in random messy shapes and serve them in the bed of a new toy dump truck, so the brownies look like boulders of dirt.
Party Favors

Use plastic hard hats and fill them with small construction vehicles, construction and Bob the Builder stickers and tattoos, miniature tool sets, carpenter pencils, bubble gum tape a ruler, a whistle, flashing lights, etc.

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

Selecting Toys for Special Needs Children -- Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen

It’s true, every child has special needs. (I, myself, have three “only children.”) However, some children's needs are truly more special than others. Buying toys for kids with particular disabilities takes a little more thought, but doesn’t have to cost more money or involve shopping at specialty stores. According to Elisa Mintz Delia, a trained play therapist and assistant administrator at Kennedy Krieger Institute, the key is "creating a realistic balance between the child's chronological age, and his or her cognitive and developmental abilities.”

In the same way that you look for age appropriate toys for any child, you can look for “age balanced” toys for a special needs child. This means finding toys that stimulate thinking skills, physical activity, or gross and small motor skills in ways that the child can manage, yet still be challenged. Family games, blocks, and get-up-and-go games are all good places to start. Parents Choice Foundation (parents-choice.org), which works with Kennedy Krieger, has a selection of toys for children with special needs on their website. Among the favorites are Curious George Beach Discovery Game, which comes in a sealed package (so you never loose the pieces) and encourages exploration and socialization. Elefun, a classic “catch the butterfly” game that’s been around for years, prompts physical activity and giggles. Oball, a hollow sphere to throw and catch, works gross motor skills and sensory development. The Silly Socks Game is a fun matching game that hones in on fine motor, visual and thinking skills. Block Buddies has double-sided picture cards & shaped blocks to combine puzzle play with color matching. As with any child (or adult, for that matter!) consider the recipient’s special interests---as well as their special needs---when selecting the perfect toy. -- 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.

Playmobil Sets I'd Like to See

Playmobil is one of those classic toy companies that just keeps making amazing sets year after year.  I guess after 34 years, they have it down to a science.  The sets are realistic and capture storybook adventures as well as everyday life in a whimsical yet often hyper-realistic manner.  Some of the Playmobil sets over the years have been covered by the blogosphere- such as the Airport Check Point, and the (not made by playmobil, but man, I wish it was) Wine Bar.  There have also been issues, like with the German Pastor who was not in Playmobil's good graces when he decided to tell biblical stories with Playmobil figures. 

The essential blog for anyone interested in Playmobil (or the one that I find to be the most interesting lately) is Millionaire Playboy (They have a tab just for playmobil but if you are a LEGO or action figure fan, and an adult with a sense of humor, you will probably like the site).  Mr. Stinkhead (yes, that is the nom de plume for the Playmobil dude) wrote a great list of 7 Essential Off-Beat Playmobil Sets.  This list includes the Drunken Hobo, the Devil, and Knights with a very large keg of beer. (How else do you celebrate the pillage and sacking of a neighboring fiefdom?) 

   

Another blog, Topless Robot, takes it even further with the top 17 Least Appropriate Playmobil Sets for Children.  An equally amazing list, it includes The Porta-Potty, the Haz-Mat Crew, and the Knife Throwing Circus Act.  

So all this got me to thinking, what sets would l love to see?  What are the sets I would love to have sitting on my desk or on my shelf while I sit here toiling over toys all day?  (You better believe these sets would NOT be played with by my children.  They would be for *me*, not those little toy-breakers I have at home.)

Anyway, I got to thinking of the Playmobil sets that I would like to see.  You see, I like to think I have a similar sense of humor and taste as the Playmobil folks, so I put together a list- and THEN went poking around the web to see if anyone had made my dreams come true (with out being sanctioned by the Playmobil folks, much like the awesome wine bar.)

So here's my list- not in any order- just in the order they occurred to my little brain:

1. What I want -Starbucks or some kind of coffee house:  Here in Seattle there is nothing more essential than coffee.  Starbucks abound, but there are also adorable drive through coffee shacks that dot the local scenery.  How great would a little Playmobil espresso machine be?  (These could be with or without the controversial Northwest Local News phenomenon of the "Bikini Baristas")

What the web turned up for "Playmobil Starbucks"  -

from Flikr user Chantoo, who has made my dreams come true.

2. What I want - Modern Architecture House:  They have the Victorian House, the suburban house, and even an A-Frame, but what I really want is a modern Playmobil doll house much like the Plan Toys modern house:

Open floor  plan, nice angles, and sweet skylights....that's what I want. Also, an eco-friendly house would be cool to.  Like the second one pictured- the manufacture (Also Plan Toys who are very awesome in the wooden-toy world) gives us this information. "The Green Dollhouse with Furniture is an amazing, energy conscious inspiration. The energy efficient design includes a wind turbine, a solar cell panel, and an electric inverter for generating electricity, a rain barrel for collecting rain. There is also a biofacade, which uses the natural cycle of plant growth to provide shading, and a blind that can adjust to the amount of sunlight and air circulation. Recycling bins are also included with the house." 
Bio-facade?  Yes!  That is the kind of thinking I am looking for from Playmobil.

What the Web Turned Up for "Playmobil Moden House"-

nada...I guess the A-Frame is as good as it gets:

3.What I want:  Playmobil Delivery Room:  This would be a special set that you could give your child when a little brother or sister is about to arrive to help with the explanation of "where-babies-come-from".  Don't wince too much- Playmobil has a history of medical sets. 

I would especially look forward to the figure with the removable baby from the tummy.  That, my friends, would be worth buying the whole set.

What turned up on the web for "Playmobil Delivery Room": nothing again, but I did see this sweet recovery room and all you would have to add is the baby in the incubator.  (yes, that one is really made).

4. What I want:  Playmobil Marie-Antoinette and guillotine.  I mean, if they are going to go all historical and deliver Vikings, Knights, Romans and more, why not give me the French Revolution?

What the web delivered for "Playmobil French Revolution":

gardenwargammer has some adorable little guys that they have converted over to the "tricorne" era of the American Revolution and the 7 Years War- not right on the money, but close and about as good as I could find.  Darn, I really wanted a functional head-chopper. 

5. What I want: Playmobil Modern Office (i.e. Cube Farm).  If you really want your kids to be able to see what mommy and daddy do all day at the office, then you should give them an authentic experience, no?  I think a Playmobil office, with cubicles and a break room is just the thing.  The kids could even recreate popular TV shows like The Office with a warehouse full off paper rolls.

What the web delivered for "Playmobil Office":

they have a post office (pictured below with the sweet DHL van), a dentist's office, an office for a construction crew (with a toilet even though the construction crew also has a portapotty that we mentioned before), and a home office (below as well).  But no cube farm. 

Those are just a few of the ideas that I had.  We tossed a few others out around the office today and these are some honorable mentions (obviously not for children, but fun ideas nevertheless):

Playmobil Morgue, Rehab Clinic, Playmobil Grave Digger, The Spanish Inquisition, and the Playmobil Cock Fighting Ring.

What are your ideas?  Leave us a comment and let us know what Playmobil sets you would like to see. 

--Laura M.