Toy Whimsy

Lots-o-Huggin' Bear - Flash Back Friday

Don't  you remember these commercials from back in 80's?

Oddly familiar isn't it? But WAIT!

There was a Japanese version as well?

Nope. This is a promotional stunt by Pixar...a pretty good one too.

Check him out, from the new upcoming movie Toy Story 3- Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear!

Have a great weekend!

--Laura M.

Top 5 Tips for Throwing a Laser Tag Birthday Party - Guest Blogger Lisa Kothari

Laser Tag is one of the most popular birthday party ideas for school age and tween boys.  It’s also popular with the parents in that usually this party is held at an outside venue that provides all of the equipment, entertainment, and fun for the duration of the party.

Keep these top tips in mind when planning a Laser Tag Birthday Party:
1. There is often a minimum age for a laser tag party. Due to safety concerns this minimum age will range from 7 to 10 years old.
2. When signing up for your laser tag party package, make sure to inquire what is and is not included. Decorations may not be so important, but hydration is during this game.  Make sure that either the facility provides drinks or you have them on hand.
3. Assure guests’ parents of safety precautions. In your party invitation you may want to note that lasers are actually beams of light like in a TV remote, and not actual lasers. Also, you may want to include a brochure of the venue that outlines their other safety measures.
4. Request a dress code for your guests. Most places will request that the kids are dressed in long pants and sensible shoes.
5. Hand out T-shirts and assign code names to the laser tag teams. This is a team sport party and two ways to distinguish the teams is with T-shirts (which can also serve as the party favor) and team code names.
Finally, for a menu, pizza and drinks will do along with a birthday cake to top it off.

Have a great Laser Tag Birthday Party!

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

Aquaplay Aqualand - Tiny Toy Testers Review

Summer play has always been my favorite, and I'm always looking for new ways for my kids to enjoy nature and the great outdoors.  When I saw the Aquaplay, I knew it would be something my kids would love to play with in the summer months.  Check out this really fun, different kind of water play in the video below and then keep reading for the Amazon.com parents' review:

Aquaplay Aqualand...

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

Assembly: 4 stars, I couldn't find the directions as they were rolled up in the stickers, but it didn't pose much of a problem.  Just by looking at the picture on the box, I was able to piece the toy together.  It was very sturdy, and watertight once together, and it snapped together well, and easily. I love that this set is expandable, as are all of the Aquaplay sets.  If I were to buy a couple more straight pieces and the red connectors, we could probably re-create Amsterdam on our back deck.  They also have sets that have locks, some that have more bridges, and even one that has a waterfall.  Folding the set back up, and keeping all the pieces inside was also very easy, and promotes easy storage. 

Fun Factor:  5 stars, As you can see in the video, both my kids, age 5 and age 3, had a great time playing with the set.  They used super hero toys, Playmobil people, and Polly Pockets to ride in the cars and the boats that came with the set.  The included cranes, bridges and gates really added to the set and made it a robust activity.  In the summer this can be used outside as a water toy, and in the winter it can easily be used as a set for cars- those that came with the set and also Hotwheels and the like.  

Educational Factor: 3 stars,  While not a true educational toy, experiential toys- like water tables, are great ways for kids to learn about the world around them.  The smooth sailing of the boats around the set fascinated my kids, and with the bigger sets, I could see us having a great discussion about how locks work and how ships move in and out of bodies of water. (especially here in Seattle where we have the great Hiram M. Chittam locks to see in action!).   

Novelty Factor:  5 stars,  You aren't going to find anything else out there like Aquaplay.  Made in Sweden, this very high quality toy is not like your ordinary water table.  It is much more robust in its play pattern and also the expandability of the sets. You can add on locks, waterfalls, ferry stations, and more to your set, or build your own with the various pieces. I also really like that the Aqualand set that we tested can be folded and stored easily with all the parts kept inside the small suitcase sized set. 

Overall Rating: 4 stars, This is a well-built toy that can grow and expand with your child.  It has many ways to play, and it easily stores in it's own container. Highly recommended toy.

Editor's Note: Amazon provides our toy testing families with free samples of toys that have been provided by our vendors. Amazon does not influence the opinions of our toy testers or their parents.

--Laura M.

Iron Man - Flash Back Friday

The new movie Iron Man 2 opens this weekend.  I will be attending an afternoon showing on Mother's Day. I know, I know...I should be getting pampered but nothing makes me happier than to see my little ones excited about something and they get up and cheer every time the commercial comes on TV so I just couldn't say no just because the only day we have time to see it happens to be Mother's Day. 

In honor of the new movie, I decided to study up a bit on some Iron Man history.  Here is a bit of what I was able to learn from Wikipedia:

Iron Man is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character debuted in Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963), and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby.

Iron Man's premiere was a collaboration among editor and story-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, story-artist Don Heck, and cover-artist and character-designer Jack Kirby. In 1963, Lee had been toying with the idea of a businessman superhero.[2] He wanted to create the "quintessential capitalist", a character that would go against the spirit of the times and Marvel's readership. Lee said, "I think I gave myself a dare. It was the height of the Cold War. The readers, the young readers, if there was one thing they hated, it was war, it was the military ... So I got a hero who represented that to the hundredth degree. He was a weapons manufacturer, he was providing weapons for the Army, he was rich, he was an industrialist ... I thought it would be fun to take the kind of character that nobody would like, none of our readers would like, and shove him down their throats and make them like him ... And he became very popular." He set out to make the new character a wealthy, glamorous ladies' man, but one with a secret that would plague and torment him as well Writer Gerry Conway said, "Here you have this character, who on the outside is invulnerable, I mean, just can't be touched, but inside is a wounded figure. Stan made it very much an in-your-face wound, you know, his heart was broken, you know, literally broken. But there's a metaphor going on there. And that's, I think, what made that character interesting".[4] Lee based this playboy's looks and personality on Howard Hughes, explaining, "Howard Hughes was one of the most colorful men of our time. He was an inventor, an adventurer, a multi-billionaire, a ladies' man and finally a nutcase". "Without being crazy, he was Howard Hughes," Lee said.

I had never heard the reference to Howard Hughes, but I do love it and it makes a lot of sense. 

My kids are both currently hooked on the cartoon "Iron Man: Armored Adventures" and I have to say, it is one of the cartoons that I don't mind watching.  Here's a clip.  (Also, the theme song is very catchy and sung by the popular band, Rooney- you can check it out here. )

There are also a lot of new Iron Man 2 toys as you would expect...here are just a few:

Have a great weekend Iron Man fans!  (And don't forget to tell your mom that SHE is the best super hero of all!)

--Laura M.

Radio Flyer Scoot 2 Skate - Tiny Toy Tester Review

When my three year old asked me for a skateboard, I knew I was in trouble.  He is a bit of a dare devil, and the prospect of him whizzing by on a skateboard was little much for mom.  Thank goodness for Radio Flyer's new product, the Scoot 2 Skate.  This great product satisfied both apprehensive mom, and dare devil boy.   The Scoot 2 Skate is an ingenious combination of a skateboard and a scooter.  Check out the video of my little guy and then keep reading for the Amazon.com Parents' Review:

Radio Flyer Scoot 2 Skate...

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

Assembly: 5 Stars, Four screws were included to attach the handle to the skateboard.  It went together in under 5 minutes (which was great because dare devil boy could not wait much longer!).

Fun Factor: 4 Stars, Although he is just in our driveway in the video, our little guy has enjoyed taking the scooter to the local school yard and park to be able to ride more.  He has even been insisting that he be the one to carry it up the hills on the way back to our house from the school.  It is very light weight, while still very sturdy and well-built. I would give it 5 stars, but he does seem to tire of it after 15 minutes, but that also could very well be because he is only 3.  I am sure we will get a lot of use out of this over the next few years.  (Although I did tell dare devil boy that he has to be 5 to ride it as a skateboard after he asked me about 10 times a day for the first 5 days we had the toy.)

Educational Factor: 4 Stars, While I wouldn't call this educational in the traditional sense, it is great for teaching my little guy balance, body awareness, and large muscle movement.  We try very hard as a family to teach our kids the importance of staying fit, healthy, and active.  The more I can get them up off the couch, the better it is for them and motivation is now even easier because all I have to say is "Wanna go outside and ride your scooter?" and dare devil boy is out the door before I can finish the sentence.

Novelty Factor: 5 Stars,  I love that this is a versatile product.  If I were to have given in and bought my son a skateboard, I have a feeling it would have ridden it twice, and then fallen, and then it would be in the back of the garage collecting dust for a few more years.  With the ability to serve him now as a scooter and later as a beginner skateboard, I am sure it will be in use for many years to come.

Overall Score: 4.5 stars- Very highly recommended for the versatility in use, the sturdy build of the product, and the years of use a child will get out of it.

Editor's Note: Amazon provides our toy testing families with free samples of toys that have been provided by our vendors. Amazon does not influence the opinions of our toy testers or their parents.

--Laura M.

Nerf Party Ideas - Guest Blogger Lisa Kothari

Does your child love Nerf toys?  Full of action, adventure, and running around, Nerf toys make an awesome toy to build a party theme around.  It also makes for an awesome summer party – given the space you will need to hold the Nerf activities.  However, if your party is in the middle of winter, you can rent out a large play space or gymnasium space and have your Nerf party there too

• Gather up all of your Nerf toys and based on what toys you have create party activities.  This is a good party to limit the guests based on the number of toys you have so no one feels left out playing and the guests don’t feel they must bring a Nerf toy that they may not have.  However, if you believe all of your guests have Nerf toys, then you can also ask them to bring them to the party.
• Target Practice. Designate one of the guests or an adult at the party to be a target tat must be hit with the Nerf guns.  Create an obstacle course that the rest of the guests must complete without being hit.
• Nerf Wars.  Divide the kids up into two teams and have a war using the Nerf toys.  Make sure you have plenty of space and adult supervision, and it can be played much the same way that Laser Tag is played.
• Wii offers a Nerf Gun Game that may serve as a great party activity too.
• Don’t forget to hand out sunglasses to protect their eyes during these games, and these can also serve as a party favor
• Make sure to ask parents of your guests if they are OK with a Nerf Gun party and being a part of war and target games.  Some parents have strong feelings against this type of a party and you would rather have them know in advance than afterwards.
• Play Capture the Flag using Nerf Guns.
• Of course, Nerf makes all types of soft balls for those favorite games, like bowling, basketball, and more.  What do you have in terms of Nerf Balls?  Play those games!
• Using a ball cake pan, make a Nerf Ball cake.
• For your Nerf party favor, send them home with their sunglasses and if you want to purchase inexpensive Nerf toys, that would also be right in line with this party theme.

Have a fun Nerf Party!

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

Fan Boy and Chum Chum Party Ideas - Guest Blogger Lisa Kothari

Fanboy and Chum Chum is a new cartoon series on Nickelodeon that follows two main characters, Fanboy and Chum Chum, who are super fans of science fiction.  Your son may be a fan of Fanboy and Chum Chum and given the antics on the show, it could inspire a wacky birthday party theme too.

For your Invitation, purchase purple felt and cut the material into an eye mask (just like Fanboy wears) and attach a green card with all of the party details on one side.  Request that your guests wear their purple masks to the party.
For your Party Decorations:

• Using bright purple, green, and orange colors for your balloons, streamers, and table ware all work very well given Fanboy wears a purple mask and a green suit and Chum Chum, his sidekick, wears an orange shirt.  Use bright colors to decorate!
• Hang a pair of oversized underwear on the front door to the party – just like Fanboy and Chum Chum would like!
• Make black and purple masks and hang them from the party room ceiling with fishing wire for additional decor.

For your Party Activities:

• This is a cartoon where the characters where loud shirts.  Have white T-Shirts on hand when the kids arrive to create their own Fanboy and Chum Chum T.
• Hold an Underwear Relay Race. Divide the kids into 2 teams and give each team a pair of oversized underwear.  Each member must put them on, run to the other end of the race, and back again, and hand off the underwear to the next team member.  First team done wins!
• In honor of Boog, who can blow the biggest bubble, like the boy in the bubble? You can either make this a chewing gum contest for the biggest bubble or using real bubbles to blow large bubbles.
• In honor of Janitor Russ Poopatine, hold a Trash Obstacle Course.  Using brooms, mops, dustpans, and easy-to-move furniture, set up a course that the kids must complete by cleaning in a silly fashion.  Alternatively, the Janitor also had a trash collection.  If you are looking to do something good for Mother Earth, have the guests scour the neighborhood for a trash pick-up.

For your Party Menu:

• Serve Mrs. Glops Specialty – since she patrols the school cafeteria so strictly and makes everyone eat their entire tray – serve up spaghetti and meat sauce and make them finish their plates!
• Serve up Chum Chum’s favorite: Ice Monster Bun Buns…cinnamon rolls will do!
• Alternatively, if your child loves Boog, then microwave burritos would be the hit of this party.
• Create a Frosty Freeze Treat – colorful slurpies, shaved and flavored ice, snow cones, ice cream, and anything else that is cold and sweet will do.
• A batch of cupcakes with outrageous and vibrant colors of frosting would be an additional fun Fanboy and Chum Chum birthday party treat.

For your party favor, send your guests home with yum yum gum, their masks, T-shirts, and a canister of bubbles.  Black capes would make an additional fun favor as well.

Octopus, I Love You - Finding The Perfect Toy

Here is the magic of Amazon at work.  My favorite animal is a bit of an odd pick, you see, I love Octopodes.  I love the eight legs and amazing brain of this underwater creature but would have never thought in a million years that there would be a plethora of little underwater friends to share with the kids in my life.  But check this out- we have everything from the cute and cuddly to the wildly accurate!

For Babies and Toddlers:

For Action Figure Fans:

Stuffed but Huggable:

For Summertime and Water-fun:

And, as if that is not enough cephalopod fun for one day, here is the cutest animated short EVER (well, one staring two octopuses that is for sure!)

Could anything *be* more cute?

Have a great Monday!

--Laura M.

Chatter Telephone - Flash Back Friday

I love the chatter phone.  I can remember pulling one around my babysitter's house when I was a child.  Here's some history from wikipedia:

The Chatter Telephone is a popular pull toy for children one to three years old. Introduced in 1962 by the Fisher-Price company as the "Talk Back Phone" for infants and children, the Chatter Telephone is a roll along pull toy. It has a smiling face, and when the toy is pulled, it makes a chattering sound and the eyes move up and down. The toy has a rotary dial that rings a bell, and was conceived as a way to teach children how to dial a phone. The original version was made of wood, with polyethylene receiver and cord. In 2000, Fisher-Price changed the rotary dial for a push-button version with lights in an effort to modernize the toy, but consumers complained and the rotary version returned to the market the following year.

From its introduction through the 1970s, the Chatter Telephone was Fisher-Price's best selling product. It has been cited as one of the company's offerings that helped save Fisher Price in the 1990s following a failed attempt to market toys for older children in the late 1980s,and enjoys continuing popularity. It is available both as an authentic reproduction and in a modern form.

Of course we have some available now if you have a little one who needs some classic fun!

Have a great weekend!

--Laura M.

Bakugan Party Ideas - Guest Blogger Lisa Kothari

Bakugan is an extremely popular cartoon series that school-aged kids are enthralled with ─ fighting to restore the universe.  This is a great game to build a party theme around for your own Bakugan Brawlers.

For your party invitation, purchase packs of Bakugan cards and on the backs of the cards, provide all of your party details. Invite them to attend a Bakugan Battle Brawler Party.

For your party decorations:

• Suspend Bakugan cards from the ceiling with fishing line.
• Hang large anime posters on the door or by the entry of the party room. If your birthday brawler likes to draw anime pictures, have him create some artwork and laminate for the party walls or tables.
• Create a Bakugan party table using orange, red, and black tableware. Place a large clear bowl in the center full of Bakugan cards for added festivity.
  

When your Bakugan Battle Brawlers arrive,

• have Bakugan cards fall all over the kids as they enter the party, just like Dan found to begin the adventure.
• While everyone arrives at the party, provide the kids with craft materials and pre-made masks to create their own Bakugan characters that they will play during their party adventure.
• Once they are masked and dressed in character, ask them to stay in character for the entire party answering only to their character’s name and acting like the character.
• Each Bakugan Brawler has a guardian that watches over them. Once the guests have determined their characters for the party, create the characters’ guardians using butcher paper and craft materials. Place their guardians on the backs of the kids for the duration of the party.
• Create a Bakugan Brawler adventure for the kids to play together. As an example, the Bakugan Brawlers must prepare for battle with Masquerade and fend off his spies and other hidden enemies. Put together an obstacle course for the Brawlers to complete and give them a series of martial arts exercises. Have an adult helper lead the exercises if you want the training to be more formal.

For your party menu, serve finger foods that look like (fake) sushi. As an example, make wrap type sandwiches using cold cuts and tortilla wraps. Cut the wraps in 2-inch thick pieces and lay flat to resemble sushi.
Bake up your favorite batch of cupcakes and frost with bright red and blue frosting (add food coloring to white frosting). Laminate Bakugan Brawler cards and place atop each cupcake for a thematic decoration.
Send the kids home with Bakugan Brawler packs of cards and bandanas paired off with their masks and character guardians that the guests made during the party.

Happy Bakugan party brawling!

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