The Toy Report

The Best Inflatable Water Slides

Remo — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:16:04 +0000

Looking for a way to help the kids beat the heat next summer? Create your own backyard water park with an inflatable water slide! You don’t need to drive for hours to get to a water park when you can set one up for yourself in a matter of minutes in your own yard? Depending on your budget and backyard size, there is an inflatable waterslide or slip and slide that will likely fit.

Yeah yeah, summer is almost over. But for many people the heat will continue for months to come.

We rented an inflatable bounce house a couple of years back for the boys 5th birthday party, and while it was great fun, the total cost to rent it for one day was around $200. Little did we know that if we had spent a little more money, we could have owned our own giant blow up slip and slide instead!

Here is a rundown of the best consumer grade slides out there at the best prices.

Wipeout Curve Backyard Water Park

If you’re looking for some seriously wet backyard fun, then the Banzai Wipeout Curve is the way to go. It’s designed so that you can slide down around the curve into a pool and then climb back up the slide without having to step out of the pool. If you’ve ever owned any sort of backyard inflatable pool, you know all about what I’m saying here. It doesn’t take many steps for little wet feet to pick up dirt, twigs, cut grass, and other junk that end up making the pool look like a mess.

At a slide length of 18 feet long, this is no wimpy waterslide. It comes with everything you need to set it up except for water of course. The included blower fan is all you need to inflate it. Although it has a weight limit of 200 pounds, adults and older teenagers should stay off it to help extend it’s life.

It’s not hard to put away if you do it the right way. Basically deflate it, which will drain the water, then re-inflate it and leave in the sun for an hour to dry. A little planning goes a long way here, and it will really extend the life of your slide.

While not cheap, it’s quite a steal considering the motor and fan to inflate it are included. When compared to a one day rental of a commercial grade slide or bouncy house, it’s really a no brainer.

Click here for more details on the Wipeout Curve Backyard Water Park

Check out this video below to see this water slide in action and get a good idea of the size:

Banzai Wave Breaker Water Park

For a little less money, you can have a slightly smaller slider than the Wipeout Curve featured above. The Wave Breaker comes in at a little over half the cost of the Wipeout curve (unless you catch the Curve on sale). Note, we couldn’t find a good picture or video of the Wave Breaker, and the stock image you see on most websites is certainly Photoshopped, making it look much larger than it actually is. No, ten kids cannot play on this thing comfortably at the same time. Two or three, no problem.

Click here for more details on the Banzai Wave Breaker Water Park

Go Cheap With A Slip N Slide

If none of the options above are in your price range, then go with the old standby, a good old fashioned Slip N Slide. Note that the extreme price difference between the backyard waterparks above and the old stand by Slip N Slide are with good reason. A Slip and Slide is basically a tarp with a leaky hose attached to it. Don’t expect a smooth ride, or for the holes in the hose to be aimed anywhere near the sliding tarp. But if $400 isn’t in your backyard water budget, but $20 is, the Slip N Slide is just the thing.

Click here for details on the good old Slip N Slide

Do Silly Bandz Cause Cancer?

Remo — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:14:02 +0000

Yeah, that's right. Justin Bieber Silly Bandz are coming in September 2010

As a follow up to our article on if Silly Bandz have been recalled (they haven’t by the way, check out http://www.cpsc.gov/ for a full list of current toy recalls), we’ve been seeing a lot of people arriving on our site from search engines when they search for things like “silly bands cancer” and the like.

First off, let’s state right off the bat. I don’t care what your friends says that their friends said who has an uncle that’s a doctor. Real brand name Silly Bands do not cause cancer any more than anything made from almost pure silicon causes cancer. Silly Bands are made from silicon, just like many cooking implements, medical devices, and also those Live Strong type cancer awareness bracelets people have been wearing for years. There have actually been long term studies on the effects of silicon breast implants and they were found to not cause breast cancer, despite many rumors and ideas to the contrary.

Somewhere between the cancer awareness bracelets, the fact that some Silly Bands glow in the dark, and some made up playground stories the rumor that Silly Bands somehow cause cancer was born. Tell that to the millions of people who wear the much larger silicon bracelets around each and every day to promote cancer awareness. They’d probably like to know.

Now here is what we know:

Wearing too many Silly Bandz for too long can cause skin irritation. Sweat, heat and rubbing of any kind will certainly cause skin irritation over time.
Wearing too many Silly Bandz could cause an impairment of blood flow and create blood clots. Do not wear them to bed and remove them if your hand starts feeling funny.
Silly Bandz are a choking hazard for children under 3.
Silly Bandz have not been recalled.
Silly Bandz are incredibly popular and may cause jealousy to prompt made up stories.

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Construction Plate and Utensil Set

Remo — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:14:37 +0000

Have a picky eater in your house? Looking for a way to make mealtime fun? Like building mashed potato mountains and itching for a little more realism? Grab a set of these construction themed utensils from the Constructive Eating company.

The utensil set comes with a fork lift fork, a front loader spoon, and a bull dozer… um… bull dozer for dozing food onto the spoon and fork.

The awesome plate made specifically for the utensils is sold separately. While the utensils are cool on their own, the compartmentalized plate with all the spots for construction eating really take it to another level.

Both the construction utensils and plate are FDA approved and are BPA, phthalate and PVC free. They’re also dishwasher safe, which is a must of course.

Click here to see the utensil set in pink instead.

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Lego Architecture Series

Remo — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:50:58 +0000

I thought I knew all things Lego, but I came across these Lego Architecture Series sets the other day and had never heard of them before. Probably the fact that our oldest kids are only 7 and they would never use up valuable shelf space at our local Toys R Us with such interesting toys. Yet there is no end of plastic junk toys, guns and weapons and movie tie in action figures. But I digress.

From simple structures for 10+ like a Lego Sears Tower or Lego Empire State Building, to complex structures for 16+ such as a Lego Fallingwater or Lego Whitehouse, the Lego Architecture buildings are probably better slated for a desk at your office than as a children’s toy.

These sets are too advanced right now for my boys, with the easiest ones being rated for 10+ and the most complicated sets for ages 16+. My nephew just turned 10 and these might be just the thing this Christmas.

Click on any of the images below for more details:

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Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo Tiny Little Fish!

mrstoyreporter — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 22:11:19 +0000

I wanted to see Ponyo in the movie theater, but it never came to any of the theaters near us so I had to wait until it came out on DVD. It was completely worth the wait. I love it! The kids liked it too. It is so beautiful to look at.

The story is essentially the little mermaid, but instead of romantic love it is about the love between Ponyo and her friend. Loving your friends is a kind of love that children can relate to. I never really understood why so many children’s movies end up with a wedding, it seems so beside the point. Anyway, it is now out on DVD and comes with an adorable little plush Ponyo for snuggling.

IMPORTANT NOTE FROM REMO – Do not under any circumstances click on this link and listen to the Ponyo soundtrack. It’s only two songs long, but both of them are so darn catchy that they’ll stick in your head for years to come. You have been warned.

Cool Lunch Boxes For Kids

Remo — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:15:57 +0000

It’s that time of year again, when our children begin to get schoolitis, that affliction that sets in mid-August when almost three months of summer vacation have worn out their welcome and it’s time for back to school planning!

Lunch boxes are weighing heavily on our minds right now. The soft sided insulated lunch boxes the boys have been using for the past year are starting to look pretty gnarly, both inside and out. Spilled yogurt, leftover banana peels, and general abuse have left them functional but not pretty in the least. The outsides are stained and worn, and the insides have some grey gunk in the corners that seem impossible to fully remove.

It’s time for new lunchboxes, and this year we’ve found some great ones to help you break out of the mold so to speak.

The Goodbyn

Imagine for a minute that you could eliminate all the plastic containers, lids, and disposable plastic bags that you waste every day, yet still keep foods separated and a lunchbox clean and fresh every day? Sound too good to be true? Mrs TR clued me into the Goodbyn, a plastic segmented lunchbox with a cover that keeps each portion separated from all the others. They come in two different styles, with ears on the style for the younger kids making it easier to open the box, and ones without ears for the older kids who might not want their lunchbox to look like it’s shaped like an animal.

Each lunchbox comes with three pages of hundreds stickers to decorate it with, and the stickers are dishwasher safe as well! Place your child’s name and any allergy information directly on their lunchbox, then let them decorate the rest!

The lunchbox is dishwasher safe, although many people recommend only putting the bottom portion in the dishwasher, as the top is flexible and needs to maintain it’s shape to close all the individual portions. It does take a little more planning to make sure a sandwich placed in the center compartment doesn’t become a mess when it’s carried upright, but it’s worth the extra effort.

Note that the Goodbyn is not insulated and each compartment is fairly small. If you live in a warm climate (we don’t) you might need to invest in some small ice packs to keep the cold foods from getting too warm.

Some users state that it’s difficult for younger kids to close and open a Goodbyn correctly. For those of you sending young kids to daycare, a three year old not being able to open their own lunchbox without help is probably a good thing, but for those with a five year old it might be frustrating. Keep the Goodbyn for kids under 4 and older than 6.

This gem of a lunchbox is BPA and Phthalate free and made out of #5 and #2 plastic so it can be recycled when your child grows out of it.

The Goodbyn lunchbox is available in multiple colors. See all the color choices and more details by clicking HERE.

Kotobuki Bento Box

While not as compartmentalized or easy to carry as the Goodbyn, the Kotobuki Bento Box certainly is cute. There are two main styles, one shaped like a panda and one shaped like a frog. Each boasts two compartments for keeping two different dishes separated and comes with a strap to make sure it doesn’t pop open in your little one’s backpack. Both compartments are dishwasher safe and touted as microwave safe, but putting anything plastic into a microwave is never a good idea.

The band is especially cute, acting as a sort of headband for the panda or frog, with eyebrow accents painted on it for the panda, or tears under the eyes of the frog. Not sure why the frog is crying (it’s smiling and seems happy otherwise), but maybe it’s just got something in it’s eyes. Click here to see the Frog Bento Box.

Sachi Fashion Insulated Lunch Bag

Have a young woman that is simply too fashionable to be bothered with a traditional lunch box? Maybe she’s reached that age between elementary school and high school where a Hello Kitty lunchbox is no longer something she wants to be seen with (don’t throw it out, she’ll want it again someday). The Sachi line of insulated lunch bags is just the thing.

Good sized without being huge, these purse like lunch bags can hold a drink, a meal, and an ice pack no problem. They come in a wide variety of designer styles, all for under $20. If carrying the same bag to school everyday is a worry, a couple of nights of babysitting could cover a full weeks worth of lunch bag styles.

Click here to see all the different styles of Sachi Lunch Bags

Best Wooden Train Tables

Remo — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:07:10 +0000

Every kid needs a great table for their toddler train set. While sitting on the floor is certainly easier for little kids than we adults, it’s still way more fun to sit or stand at a good play table and wander from spot to spot.

Our dentist office has one of those ubiquitous Thomas the Tank Engine play tables for their wooden toy trains and the kids make a beeline for it as soon as they walk through the door and would play with it for hours if allowed. I’d chalk it up to dentist avoidance, except that the dentist chairs have LCD TVs mounted overhead and a XBox 360 with their choice of games or movies to play while having their teeth cleaned. Video games and movies are a special treat in our house, so the kids are usually VERY eager to get inside, yet the train table holds their attention every time.

Having somewhere to stand up and play is important to a young minds development, and thus we bring you our list of the best kids train tables we’ve found out there. My opinion, don’t buy a train table that has fixed tracks. It’s part of the play to move and change the tracks. If you have an aggressive toddler who likes to rip the tracks apart, make sure you get a couple packs of Suretrack that will keep the tracks connected without making the connections permanent.

Basic Wooden Train Table And Train Set

The Kid Kraft Ride Around Train Table make the perfect gift and is a great value considering everything that comes with it. Basically everything you see in the picture on the right is included. You get the train table, you get the wooden tracks, a bunch of trains, people, wooden farm animals, a boat, an airplane, a wooden helicopter, an airport, wooden train bridges, a crane, and some wooden construction equipment. There are four different areas painted on the table that can be used

This railway table also comes with two plastic bins for storage of the extra pieces. The bins aren’t large, and if you have the budget, KidCraft makes a wheeled drawer that fits two perfectly under the table to use for added storage.

The KidCraft train table and set is fully compatible with Brio and Thomas railway sets, so if you have existing pieces or want to expand, you won’t be limited. You can try to find one at Toys R Us, but you likely won’t find it at this low price at Amazon and with free shipping, why would you bother driving to find one?

Click here for all the detailed specs on the Basic Train Set and Table

Metropolis Deluxe Wooden Train Table

Seems like the best values in toddler train tables come from KidKraft. For only $50 more than the basic train table above, this city train table set takes it to a whole other level! Everything about this set is quality. It comes with a much nicer looking table, includes a large roll out trundle for storage, almost everything you get in the set above (the farm parts are not in this City set.

You do get some much cooler stuff, including a train mountain, a double decker bridge, and roads painted on the top to drive your cars around.

Like the set above, these wooden train tracks are fully compatible with Thomas and Brio wooden sets, so you can add tracks and trains as you want. Considering that the least expensive basic wooden train set sells for around $75, and the cheapest basic train table is $100, for $25 more you get a really really nice table with built in storage and a varied and fun train set. If you have the means, this is really the best train set and table combination out there.

Click here for all the detailed specs on the Metropolis Deluxe Train Set and Table

Basic Train Table Only by Melissa & Doug

If your budget is limited, or you already have a large collection of wooden trains and train tracks, the Melissa and Doug table is a great option for just a simple play table to go with. This Melissa & Doug wooden table sells for around $100 with free shipping when ordered from Amazon. It will likely be higher at your local Toys R Us. It comes with a blank top and can be used more easily for other activities, plus comes with a single pull out drawer for holding trains, art supplies or whatever your children like to do.

It’s about the same size as the KidKraft tables, at 48″ by 32″, so plan your playspace accordingly.

Don’t Forget The SureTrack!

And as always when buying wooden toy train track for your little ones, buy some SureTrack! Suretrack is a great value at around $10 and will save you tons of time and frustration from train tracks that come apart during play. They are little plastic clips that slip over your Brio or Thomas compatible train tracks and keep the pieces together during play, but can still easily be taken apart when playtime is done. Don’t play trains without it.

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Wooden Train Set – The Perfect Toddler Gift

Fred Snack and Stack – “Lego” silverware!

mrstoyreporter — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:34:55 +0000

I was just looking at these and a couple of 7 year old boys walked by and immediately said “I want that! Can we get those!” So now we have a pretty good indication of the target user of this especially cool spoon, knife and fork set. It is made by Fred and Friends (I Love Fred and Friends). They are dishwasher safe and feature Lego like silicone handles for eating and stacking fun. Looks like a great lunch box set.

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Soccer Horns? Get Your Own Vuvuzela

Remo — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 01:57:17 +0000

If your kids are football fans, or soccer as we call it here in the States, then likely you’ve heard the sound of the vuvuzela without knowing it. For those of you American’s living in a box, the World Cup is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with well over 10% of the population of THE EARTH watching the final World Cup game on television back in 2006.

The World Cup is back this year, being on a four year cycle similar to the Olympics. This time the World Cup is being hosted by South Africa and overshadowing the roar and hush of the crowd during an exciting game is the constant drone of what sounds like sad cows or buzzing bees.

That is the sound of the Vuvuzela, a collapsible plastic horn popular at Sound African sporting events. Many players and viewers find the constant drone a major annoyance and many have called for it to be banned. However, FIFA president Sepp Blatter refuses to ban them, saying these are the South African games and they must be allowed their traditions as they see fit.

Want some advice on how to reduce the sound of the Vuvuzela while watching a World Cup match? Check out the following video for some advice.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! Buy your favorite little soccer/football fan their very own World Cup 2010 horn. For under $10, you can click here to own your own Vuvuzela.

Etch A Sketch 50th Anniversary

Remo — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 03:36:34 +0000

The Etch a Sketch is turning 50 years old! While it was invented a few years earlier in Europe and shopped around for investors and a manufacturer, the official birthday of the Etch-A-Sketch is July 12, 1960.

The Etch a Sketch was invented by Andre Cassagnes, an electrician in France and was originally called Telecran. It almost did not see the light of day.

Andre, who is also known for his kite designs, came up with the idea in 1955 after seeing an electrostatic charge make aluminum powder stick to a glass plate.

He didn’t have enough money for a patent, so he took a loan from an investor who applied for then had one of his employees apply for a patent. Thus the original patent for the famous Etch-a-Sketch is credited to Arthur Granjean, who is frequently mistaken for the inventor of the famous children’s drawing toy. He also came up with the name for the Etch-A-Sketch on the patent, L’Ecran Magique, which is French for Magic Screen.

The investor, Paul Chaze, took the toy to European toy fairs, no one was interested. The good folks from Ohio Art got a glimpse of it toy history was born.

And so, in honor of that famous invention, we give to you a sampling of some crazy good Etch-A-Sketch art:

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Has There Been A Silly Bands Recall?

Remo — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:38:22 +0000

Seems like with every super popular kids toy or trend, there are always rumors of a recall. The shelves empty, news reports that the popular toys are banned from schools, and suddenly everyone is asking if there has been a recall.

We get a decent amount of our readers from web searches like Google or Yahoo and can see a list of all the search terms people use to find our site. In this case, we’ve been seeing a bunch of searches for things like “is there a silly bands recall” and “silly bands recalled”

If you are impatient, as far as we know, there has been no Silly Bands recall. In fact, it would be hard to imagine a situation where they would be recalled. Most recalls involve something like a breakage hazard such as your kids scooters wheels falling off, or something intended for babies or toddlers that can result in strangulation, or something made of toxic metals or something inherently dangerous to all ages such as Jarts. Seems unlikely that there would be anything toxic about them, considering they aren’t intended to be ingested at all, but you never know.

Knock off Silly Bands are everywhere

With Silly Bandz we’re basically talking about rubber bands here, just not the traditional round shape. Yeah, it might hurt if you stretch them too far and they snap. Sure, you could hurt a person’s eye with them if you stretch and shoot them. But they’re essentially rubber bands, which have been around for over 150 years now. We don’t expect a Silly Bandz recall anytime soon.

Note that we’re talking about REAL brand name Silly Bandz here. They are specifically made to be large enough for wearing and are made from silicone so they won’t shrink when wet. BUT the huge popularity of Silly Bands have spawned hundreds of knock offs called Fun Bands, Wacky Bandz, Shape Bands and so on and so on. Some are silicon, some are plastic, some are rubber, some are who knows what. We would not recommend giving ANY of the knockoff brands to your children.

That being said, you will likely have trouble finding *real* Silly Bands at you local toy retailer, especially if you are looking at discount stores.

Click here for where we’ve found real brand name Silly Bands at prices under $3 a pack.

Note that Silly Bands are marked as not for kids under three, as they do present a choking hazard when balled up. Remind your kids they should never put them in their mouth. Also, remind kids that they should NOT be stretched and used as a necklace either.

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The Best Popsicle Makers

mrstoyreporter — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:19:42 +0000

A friend (thanks E.!) just sent me the link to this popsicle maker and I felt the need to share. It seems to have a base that is frozen in your freezer like an ice-cream maker. Then you put in your popsicle ingredients and it freezes them in 7 minutes! Instant gratification and yummy home made popsicles all in one! Behold the Zoku Quick Pop Maker

For those of you who feel that $49.95 is too much to spend on instant gratification in popsicle form, I have alternatives for you. Tovolo makes amazing popsicle molds, but you will have to wait for them to freeze in your freezer at the normal rate. My favorite is the Tovolo Freezer Jewel Pops.

They are little, just enough for kids to eat before they melt. The popsicle bases are shaped like rings so they can be worn like ring pops while eating. We have these and they work great. Te base keeps them standing straight in the freezer and they come out of the molds easily (sometimes we run them under warm water for a few seconds). The best part is we only use juice that everyone likes so we don’t get stuck with a freezer full of lonely purple popsicles that no one wants to eat.

Also cool is the Tovolo Blue Rocket Pop Molds. Because juice pops are more delicious when shaped like a rocket. You could probably freeze in stages and make realistic replicas of the ice cream truck red white and blue rocket pops. If you are feeling like being more adventurous in your summer popsicle creations you can always try the book Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone. It looks quite fancy, as popsicles go.

Kung Zhu Warrior Hamster Update

Remo — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 03:02:09 +0000

Looks like Cepia, the maker of the smash hit toy Zhu Zhu Hamster line of Christmas 2009, has released more details on their new Kung Zhu ninja hamster line recently. These little robotic hamster warriors were announced at the New York Toy Fair earlier this year, and they are about to be released!

Kung Zhu Release Date

First off the ninja hamsters now have a shipping date. These Zhu Zhu warrior furballs are set for a release date on June 20th, 2010.

Click HERE for more details including how to pre-order the Kung Zhu and their accessories.

What are the Kung Zhu? A new line of mechanical hamster warriors that are designed to drive the 6-12 year old boy crowd into a frenzy in the same way that Bakugan and Pokemon do.

Will it work? Hard to say. Young kids are a fickle bunch and you never know what will drive them to beg their parents for one toy over another. In this case, both Bakugan and Pokemon had two things the Kung Zhu do not:

A Japanese anime TV show that hit the airwaves the same time the toys did. Toys first and show later seems less likely to work (the Smurfs not withstanding)
A point system that required the kids to constantly seek to acquire higher level items or cards and thus drive future purchases.

Of course, the good folks at Cepia did NOT consult with the toy marketing geniuses here at The Toy Report and thus seem to have failed to include these two kids marketing mainstays in their Kung Zhu line.

None the less, there is still an excellent chance that the Kung Zhu will be the next hot toy for boys this year, especially during Christmas 2010.

What’s in the new Kung Zhu warrior hamster line from Cepia?

Kung Zhu Ninja Warriors

Cepia wanted to create a little “good vs evil” mythology behind these fighting hamster robots, and thus the Zhu Zhu Ninja Warriors were born. Seeing as how Cepia is a US company, we can only assume that the Ninja’s are the BAD Kung Zhu, while the Special Forces hamsters are the good guys.

The Kung Fu hamsters that make up the Ninja Zhu are named Yama, Azer, Thorn, and Drakyko.

Click HERE for more details on the Kung Zhu Ninja Warriors.

Kung Zhu Special Forces

The Special Forces Zhu Zhu’s apparently stand in opposition to the evil Ninja’s and come in a variety of khaki and camouflage green colors. They have various military ranks and markings on them. The Special Forces hamsters include such notable Kung Zhu warriors as Sgt. Serge, Stone Wall, Rivet Duke, and Rock-O.

Click HERE for more details on the Kung Zhu Special Forces team.

Zhu Zhu Training Grounds and Battle Arenas

Of course, what warrior hamster’s life would be complete without a Training Ground in which to learn the ways of the hamster fighter, and a Battle Arena in which to do battle! Check out this video for what happens when a Kung Zhu passes through the Training Ground and into the Battle Arena, transforming it from a simple lovable robot hamster into a machine of hamster doom!

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Stroller toys

mrstoyreporter — Wed, 26 May 2010 01:00:15 +0000

I was thinking about stroller toys earlier today. I have absolutely no idea why, but the human mind is a strange place and so for no apparent reason I was thinking about stroller toys. We have never been big stroller people, not for any particular reason except I am lazy and carrying a baby seems easier most days than pulling the stroller out of the car. (As an aside – I loved that scene in Away We Go where one of their many crazy friends said “Why would I want to PUSH my baby away from me?!” – Hilarious!) Nevertheless, there are times when a stroller is important and stroller toys can make a shopping trip much more bearable. Well, I have discovered that cute stroller toys are difficult to find, but I have done to work for you and found not one but two cute stroller toys. The first is the Manhattan Toy Snuggle Pods Travel Toy.

It clips to a stroller, car seat, or just about anything else. The adorable snuggle pod baby comes out if your baby needs it to (and he/she will need it to come out for snuggling and possible chewing).

Also cute is the Tiny Love Sunny Stroll Arch.

I love the yellow sun prism and the crinkly butterfly. These toys do not detach so they might be better for babies than toddlers. The upside of toys that do not detach is that they also don’t get dropped or thrown on the ground.

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Beach Toys

mrstoyreporter — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:52:33 +0000

When you have three kids who each need their own sand toys the beach toy bags can get a little bulky. There are many toys that can be shared, but everyone realy needs their own bucket and shovel. I am seriously considering, in the interest of saving space in the beach bags, switching to collapsible sand pails. I especially like the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Cinco Starfish Collapsible Bucket.

Not only for the cuteness (but really, the cuteness!). Holds sand or water and can be smushed flat for ease of storage.

Honestly, this along with the Melissa and Doug Cinco Starfish Scoop and my kids can entertain themselves for hours at the beach. We often bring other toys too, but sometimes if I am the only grown-up and I can’t manage to carry more than the snacks and towels then we jettison all the toys except what the kids can carry themselves. We have found that with a bucket and shovel each, they don’t really need anything else.

For the days when we bring the larger collection of beach toys, I am thinking we may need one of these Melissa and Doug Sunny Patch Clicker Crab Hourglass Sifter and Funnel. Can be used with either sand or water, I can envision the boys timing beach races with this hour glass.

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More Melissa and Doug Sand Toys

mrstoyreporter — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:34:52 +0000

Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch sand toy week continues. I really like the general baking set.

Officially called the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Seaside Sidekicks Sand baking Set, it performs all the basic functions of any sand bucket set. It has a mixing bowl/bucket with a lid that doubles as a sifter. It has a mixing spoon/shovel and a whisk. Also includes three measuring cups, perfect for sand baking.

I am also a fan of the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Speck Seahorse Sand Ice Cream Set. It comes with an ice cream bucket, ice cream cones that you can scoop sand into with one of the ice cream sand mold scoops and a shaker for sand sprinkles. Because these toys don’t include the kinds of little molds that the cookie set and the cupcake set, I think they have a wider age range, fun for kids as young as one or two. The youngest kids may not get that they are scooping ice cream, but they will have just as much fun with scooping sand into different containers and dumping it out.

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New sand toys

mrstoyreporter — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:32:56 +0000

The Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch collection includes some great new sand toys perfect for the beach (or sand box) this summer.

Every year I like to put together beach bags for the kids. I salvage anything that can be saved from last yer and pickup some new sand toys. We spend a lot of time at the beach in the summer and some simple shovels and buckets see the most use. You can find past sand toy reviews like the sand sac here and sand wheels here.

Well, thus year Melissa & Doug have outdone themselves. I love their food themed sand toys and I know my kids will too since they frequently serve me sand cake and sand ice cream. The first is this Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Seaside Sidekicks Sand Cookie Set (that is a really long name).

It comes with a rolling pin, cookie cutters, plates and a sprinkle shaker for sand sprinkles. Best of all it comes in its own mesh bag (I love toys that come with bags to help keep them all together).

My other favorite is the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Seaside Sidekicks Sand Cupcake Set.

It comes with hinged cupcake molds, a “baking” tray, and different shaped frosting molds. It also comes with a handy mesh bag for storage. I can just see my kids digging out a sand oven to bake all their sand treats. I can also see Rainbow trying to sell his treats to other beach goers (he is on an earning money kick).

These toys look like so much fun, but the molds maybe a little fiddly for younger kids. I think four and older may have the most fun with these. Have fun digging!

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I really need one of these!

mrstoyreporter — Wed, 12 May 2010 03:09:58 +0000

Have you seen the pictures of the AMAZING (yes, if ever CAPS were deserved, there are deserved now!) replica of Bilbo’s Hobbit hole, Bag End? You must see them!

I first saw this on Ohdeedoh. This was made by a woman named Maddie in her spare time. You can see all the pictures at her blog, she even tells you all about how she made it. It is so incredibly detailed. See the round green door and there is a map inside and barrels of pipe weed and a fully stocked pantry (of course, Hobbits live here!) and a sign on the gate saying “no admittance except on party business” and Wow! Just wow. We are all big Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fans here at chez Toy Report and I am so very impressed by the beauty of this and the attention to detail. I really really want one.

More Sewing Kits For Kids

mrstoyreporter — Tue, 04 May 2010 12:51:26 +0000

Yes, I may be a little obsessed with The Little Experience lately, but their kits for kids are so great I can’t help it. There is nothing like that “I made it myself” feeling.

I gave this Create-it Flower Jewelry Kit to someone recently

and look at the cuteness of the Create-it Daisy Chain kit.

We gave this to the Princess’ friend for her birthday and she had to sit down and make it right away. The great thing about these kits are perfect for younger kids, like ages 3 to 7.

And if you have someone who is more into monsters than flowers, they have a kit for that too.

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mrstoyreporter — Mon, 03 May 2010 01:47:51 +0000

We attended a birthday party last week for two 7 year old girls and got them each the same thing. This stitch-it doll kit from The Little Experience.

Adorable and the box turns into a chair for the doll.

Also, a copy of Babymouse: Queen of the World. Everyone loves Babymouse.

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