Toy Whimsy

Ugly Doll Party Ideas -- Guest Blogger Lisa Kothari

Does your child have an Ugly Doll (one of those dolls that are actually so ugly, it’s cute? That’s what I always think.)  How about you?  Wouldn’t it be a creative theme to build a party around these Ugly Dolls? Like it?  Read on for some Ugly Doll party inspiration!

1. Using your favorite colors of card stock, cut out the invitation cards in the shape of the Ugly Doll.  Write your party details on one side and have the birthday child decorate the Ugly Doll invitation with craft materials.

2. Those same Ugly Doll cutouts that you used for your party invitation can also be used as part of your Ugly Doll decor around the party room.  Cut out a large Ugly Doll shape and place on your front door with a “Welcome to (Birthday Child’s Name) Ugly Doll Party!”  Place smaller Ugly Doll cutouts on the party walls, table, and suspended from the ceiling with fishing wire.

3. For a table centerpiece, place several Ugly Dolls in the center with balloons tied to them.

4. Have the kids make their own Ugly Dolls.

5. Play Hot Ugly Doll, just like Hot Potato.

6. Play Pin the Eye on the Ugly Doll, using a real Ugly Doll that you don’t mind getting pinned.

7. Let the kids free play with their Ugly Dolls.

8. Create small slips of paper with the Ugly Doll characters written on them.  Have the kids choose a slip of paper and act out the Ugly Doll personality for the rest of the guests to guess.  Give everyone a turn to play these Ugly Doll Charades.

9. Make Ugly Doll shaped cookies and have the kids decorate them with colorful frosting and candies to match their dolls.

10. The kids can take their Ugly Dolls home for their party favors. -- Lisa Kothari, PeppersandPollywogs.com

Summertime…when the playing is easy (Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen)

No batteries. No lights and sound. Almost no rules. Seems like 1970? Some of the newest toys I’ve played with this summer are also some of the simplest and most fun. Here are three to reach for when the hot sun and lazy days seem to zap your desire for battery-powered energy.

Rory’s Story Cubes by Gamewright literally keeps the good times rolling with nine die, each covered with six pictures instead of numbers. Roll ‘em then, starting with any image, begin to tell a story using all the face-up pictures. Players can take turns, share the plot, or play solo. The myriad “once upon a times” promise an open book of possibilities.

Stix & Stones by Educational Insights is a mash-up of Pictionary and Name That Tune. Players vie to see who can use the fewest sticks and stones to “draw” an object chosen from a deck of cards. “I can build this object in 6 stix!” Variations for team play, young kids, and 3 players make it adaptable to most situations. I also found it fun to challenge myself to make solo “prehistoric” pictures.

For the youngest (6 months and up) kids, the newness of the Stacker by Green Toys isn’t in the classic play pattern, but in the use of recycled plastic material; the non-traditional, non-primary colors (egg yolk yellow, orange juice orange, sky blue, and lime green) and the cleverly molded shapes that stack in any order, not just big-to-small. Each shape also has tiny holes that will probably fascinate a baby who watches water seep through them in the bathtub. -- Wendy Smolen

Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen is co-founder of Sandbox Summit®, a series of conferences that explore the synergy between play and technology. The most recent Sandbox Summit was presented by MIT’s Education Arcade in May 2010.

Club Penguin Party Ideas -- Guest Blogger Lisa Kothari

Club Penguin is a hugely popular video game for school aged children.  If your child is a fan, building a birthday party theme around Club Penguin may offer a fun and unique party theme. Club Penguin can also serve as a fun play date party for kids to gather together and play the games.

Create a Puffle Penguin Invitation using heavy card stock in bright colors that the Puffles come in: red, blue, pink, black, green, and more.  Further decorate with Penguin stamps and stickers.  On the reverse side of the Puffle, write all of your party details.

Currently, there are no Club Penguin birthday party supplies, so go the budget-friendly way and use your favorite solid colors to decorate the party area with balloons, streamers, and table ware. Club Penguin merchandise (if you have any) can also add to thematic decor.  Penguin posters, stickers, decals, etc. are also additional decor pieces to bring Club Penguin’s on-line world alive.

Play Club Penguin as a group!

Hold a series of Puffle Relay Races or send them on a Puffle obstacle course.

Create a Penguin Igloo using sugar cubes and vanilla frosting. This sweet craft could be taken home as the party favor.

Hold a Puffle Snowball Contest.  If it’s winter, real snow can be used in this contest to see how far the snowballs can be thrown.  White wiffle balls can serve the same purpose for warmer times of the year.

Using a penguin cookie cutter, cut out sandwiches, cheese, brownies, gelatin in the penguin shape for a Club Penguin menu.

Any Club Penguin merchandise would serve as a wonderful party favor, although other penguin merchandise would also be great.

Hope the kids and their puffles have a very happy Club Penguin Party. -- Lisa Kothari, Peppers and Pollywogs, Inc.

http://www.pepperspollywogs.com

Kool Houses for Kids

I saw these really cool playhouses for kids on MSN.com earlier this week.  (Yes, even the bug-thing pictured above is a playhouse...sort of.)  Though some can be a little pricey, they definitely capture one's imagination.  Click here to see the entire slide show.  Enjoy. -- E. Christian Moore

Having Fun When “We’re NOT Almost There Yet" -- Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen

As much as I love our tradition of spending long holiday weekends with best friends at the beach, I dread the thought of sitting in traffic (especially when it’s sunny outside and I’m sitting on sticky leather rather than soft sand). When my kids were younger, games and activities that kept them busy were a backseat must. Though iPods, iPads, and their own sets of car keys have now replaced the necessity of boredom busters, I’m still always on the lookout for great travel games. Zingo! To Go, by Thinkfun, is a simple variation of Bingo with some clever car-compatible twists. Each player gets 2 to 4 sets of plastic “traffic lights” as their Zingo board. The lights click together to make a flat game board that’s easy to hold on a small lap. Kids take turns shaking a dice-filled “smart car” that displays two pictures of objects that may or may not be on each player’s game board.  Like Bingo, the first player to get three objects in a row (in this case, complete his traffic light), wins. But unlike most travel sets, nothing in Zingo! To Go is loose -- or lose-able. The game board images “flip” to show a blank side when called; the dice are enclosed, and there’s even a travel bag to store everything when you’re done playing. No reading is required so you 4 year-old can play just as easily as your 7 year-old. Each game takes only a few minutes so, if one child wins first, the next game will hopefully produce another winner. All in all, a good option for families on the road this summer. -- Wendy Smolen

Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen is co-founder of Sandbox Summit®, a series of conferences that explore the synergy between play and technology. The most recent Sandbox Summit was presented by MIT’s Education Arcade in May 2010.

Get Your Game On...Together

We here in the Magic Land of Toy Awesomeness decided that we needed to start playing more board games at the office.  (Okay, Michelle, our Games buyer, did, but still...)  The first one we tried was "Forbidden Island" by Gamewright.  (They also make the new outdoor game, Boochie.)  The object of the game is to work together as a team (not against each other or other teams) and figure out how to help one another get off of a sinking island.  The game requires strategy and some luck, but it can be played by just about the whole family.  (The game is for ages 10 and up.)  I personally had never played a cooperative game before but I enjoyed the experience.  I'm sure your family and friends will, too. -- E. Christian Moore 

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.