We’ve been on a serious board game kick here at Chez Toy Report lately, with the boys really starting to become interested in playing tabletop games more and more as they get older.

Let’s face it, board games for toddlers are geared toward the 3-4 year old set.  Any parent who has been forced to sit for round after round of Candy Land knows just how mind numbing boring it is.  There is nothing to do, no choices to make whatsoever, you pick up a card then move to that color.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.  For a 3 year old, it’s great.  Don’t make your 5 or 6 year old play it though.

I’d put Chutes and Ladders into this category as well.  At least there is some tiny amount of math involved in Chutes and Ladders.

These types of games typically play themselves and help ready our children for adult lives of sitting in front of the television being spoon fed entertainment.  That’s not for me, nor do I want it do be for my kids.

With that in mind, I’ll be highlighting some great kids board games that really allow for fun, creativity, learning, and problem solving all rolled into one.

We are big fans of Enchanted Forest by Ravensburger lately.  In fact, pretty much every game Ravensburger makes is awesome on some level, but this one particularly so.  The rules are a little too long to go into here, but it’s basically a memory game.  You need to travel around the board and discover which treasure is hidden under which tree, then race to the castle once you find the treasure.  Get there first, guess correctly, and a new treasure card is turned over.  Guess wrong and get teleported back to the start of the board.  The first person to find three treasures wins.  Sounds easy?  It’s not.  Anyone who rolls doubles can use “magic” to change the treasure card, so if someone is racing towards the castle if they know the treasure, you can thwart them.  Be careful though, they might know where the new treasure is as well.

This is a decent length game, typically taking about an hour to play a full game, but it culminates quickly once a few players have seen most of the treasures on the board, typically resulting in a mad dash to the castle by all the players.

It’s a great learning experience for younger kids, since it doesn’t involve advanced reading skills but can involve advanced strategic learning.  I’ve been able to teach the boys how to infer when someone knows where the treasure is, how to play defensively, how to bluff, and how to balance the risks of making an educated guess based on available information.

Click here for more info on Enchanted Forest by Ravensburger.

Most Commented Posts

• Free Bakugan Giveaway
• Vote For Your Favorite Toys of All Time!
• Free Kids Scooter Giveaway – 5 Kick Scooters!
• What is Bakugan And Why Are My Kids Willing to Sell Their Sister To Get Them?
• Free Bakugan Giveaway Winners!
• Lego Inauguration Replica

I was looking for a little something to give to a younger sibling at an older sibling’s birthday party and I came across this bit of adorableness. I love Plan Toys. If you are tired of worrying about the toxic chemicals lurking in your kids’ toys then Plan Toys will make you very happy. Their toys are made of organic, recycled rubber wood and no toxic chemicals or paints are used.

The Plan Toys Caterpillar is so clever. The wings of the butterfly come off and button around the wooden caterpillar to form a chrysalis. The wooden caterpillar can then emerge from the cocoon and become a butterfly by inserting the wings and fluffing. This would be a great toy to accompany the Live Butterfly Garden we have mentioned here before. Even a young child can use this toy to recreate the metamorphosis during the long wait for the big event.

Related Toy Reviews:

• The Kind of Pets It Is OK to Give Other People’s Children
• Plan Toys Forklift
• Oompa Toys Coupon, 5% off or $20 off $200.
• Kids Love Umbrellas
• Three Earth Friendly Toys Recalled Due To Choking Hazards
• Wooden Circus Fun

Indoor play tents can be a great way for kids of all ages to have a little inside fun in the midst of winter or just a rainy day.  Since the igloo melted and it’s just been slushy and cold where we live, indoor kids activities are well in demand.  Having a special spot that the kids can call their own and hide out inside seems to really get them going, as they’ll start packing bags and gathering supplies for their indoor camp out.

Here are some indoor kids tent suggestions for those rainy and cold days.

Haba Tents

Haba makes a BEAUTIFUL line of indoor tents for kids that are really well built, sturdy and look great in any kids room.  They are a great size for indoor tents, able to fit a couple of kids inside comfortably.  These make great retreat spots, especially any kids with sensory issues that need somewhere they can go and have alone time in a closed space.  Of course, the price on these tents can be an issue for some, but if a top of the line indoor tent is in your budget, no one makes them better or more attractive looking than Haba:

Haba Swinging Tent Solemio

Haba Knight's Indoor Play Tent

Haba Blossom Sky Room Tent

Outdoor Tents As Kids Indoor Tents

Crazy as it may sound, the tent police are not going to come throw you into tent jail for putting up a camping tent inside your house. On the other hand, the interior design police may come calling, as most outdoor tents will not match a kids room decor. Of course, you need a fairly good sized room to put it up in, but most one or two person tents will fit nicely in the corner of a room.
In many cases a good outdoor tent will be far cheaper than one specifically designed to be a kids play tent, and far studier. For example, this 5 foot by 6 Nylon tent and frame is only around $25, well worth those few hours of play and sanity you’ll get for rolling this out and setting it up on a rainy day.

We’ve seen the boys spend a good portion of a rainy cold Saturday inside our indoor tent, playing games, eating snacks, listening to the radio, and just pretending.

Other Kids Play Tents

There are lots of other options out there on the market, tents specifically designed as kids play tents. They tend to be smaller and lighter construction than either the real tents or the great Haba ones, but if you are looking for a budget tent, there are plenty to choose from. Click on any of these below for more details:

Most Commented Posts

• Free Bakugan Giveaway
• Vote For Your Favorite Toys of All Time!
• Free Kids Scooter Giveaway – 5 Kick Scooters!
• What is Bakugan And Why Are My Kids Willing to Sell Their Sister To Get Them?
• Free Bakugan Giveaway Winners!
• Lego Inauguration Replica

Yes, there is more delightfulness from Boon. You know all those baby feeding things, sippy cup parts, little spoons, and other paraphanalia. Well, these sorts of little things don’t dry well in the dishwasher and we tend to deal with this by letting them air dry ona dish towel on the kitchen counter. Not very attractive, but it gets the job done. Well, Boon has invented a very stylish solution to the air drying: the Boon Grass Drying Rack.

It is lovely. Perfect for drying all those little parts and pretty too!

Looking for the cute spoons in the picture? Here they are:

Boon Squirt

Boon ModWare toddler utensils

Related Toy Reviews:

• Boon Odd Duck
• New Boon Scrubble Bath Toy

LEGO Storage is a problem for all of us with LEGO Loving Loved ones. Well, I have an example of an amazing LEGO storage system. I was reading The Blue Blog, one of my favorite knitting blogs, the author of which also has LEGO obsessed twin boys. Behold, the wonders of her system:

A contaner store shoe box (I have container store shoe boxes!) for each individual set, with a picture of the set taped to the box. The directions are all in binders. Binders! It is genius! The show boxes in a bookcase take up so much less room than the Trofast drawers where our LEGOs live.

I am worried that it is too late for us. so many of our sets have been mixed together. Every six months or so Remo and the boys make a day of it and sort through all the LEGOs. Maybe the next one can involve sorting back into sets (is that even possible?). Or maybe we just begin now as we mean to go on and keep all future sets in their separate boxes. Hmmm. I will have to ponder. thank you Alison for your example and inspiration!

Related Toy Reviews:

• Toy Story LEGOs
• Lego Alarm Clock
• Lego Inauguration Replica
• Birthday Present Roundup
• What is Bakugan And Why Are My Kids Willing to Sell Their Sister To Get Them?
• More Great Advent Calendars

Our boys are pretty exclusive to the Star Wars LEGOs, they aren’t as interested in the other sets. I imagine that will change once they see the Toy Story LEGOs. I like the Woody’s Round Up set. It includes a LEGO Stinky Pete. I love Stinky Pete.

Bus I suspect the boys will be all over this Construct-a-Buzz set.

He has pop-out wing action. Everyone loves pop-out wing action.

There is also a Construct-a-Zurg. “So we meet again, Buzz Lightyear, for the last time.”

Related Toy Reviews:

• Buzz Lightyear gets all the best toys
• Lego Storage
• Have you seen the Toy Story Toys Pop-Open Play World?
• Lego Alarm Clock
• Toys Go Out – our favorite new book
• Lego Inauguration Replica

This is a suggestion from a friend. She gave this to a just turned four year old girl who Loved it! It is a Hello Kitty diary set.

It come with a diary that locks with a key (fun!), a fuzzy top pen, a Hello Kitty stamp and a whole bunch of stickers.

The birthday girl in question was delighted and immediately started wrriting all her secrets. I think this is perfect for a 4 to 7 year old Hello Kitty lover.

Not a Hello Kitty lover? (It is hard to imagine, but there must be a few out there). eeBoo makes some adorable locking journals, like this mermaid diary.

Looking for something similar for a boy? Well, unless that boy likes pink or mermaids, you are out of luck. Apparently the makers of such things don’t think that boys like writing or have thoughts that they might like to record.  Some of the eeBoo diaries are sufficiently gender neutral. The travel notebook is way on sale today (but this is Amazon so that may change at any moment!).

Related Toy Reviews:

• Hello Kitty Scooter From Razor
• Hello Kitty Toaster

About a week before Christmas we received quite a big dumping of snow here on the East Coast.  We live near the ocean and it’s fairly unusual to get more than a foot of snow in one storm.   But last week we had close to a foot and a half of great packing snow hit the ground in less than 12 hours, and so we set out on Sunday afternoon to build an igloo in the front yard.

Mrs TR had the good sense to stay inside the house during this one, so the boys, the Princess, our good friend Heather, and I took care of the snow construction.

It took about 4 hours total, but mostly because of missteps and the learning curve involved in building an igloo for the first time.

Lesson #1: Those little kids toy snow block makers are useless.

Bad Igloo Maker

Good Igloo Maker

No matter how we tried, we could not pack the snow hard enough into those traditional cheap plastic snow block makers to make a decent snow brick.   Instead, we used Ikea Trofast storage buckets to make large blocks, which turned out to be the perfect solution.  We had to pack them down quite a bit to make solid block forms, as without enough pressure, they would tend to fall apart.  The top layer of snow was too powdery, but the lower three quarters were great slightly wet packable snow.  Once we learned these tricks, the igloo building really took off.   If you don’t have an Ikea in your area, you can typically find rectangular plastic bins or trashcans at a local home store.  Of course, another thing we discovered was that translucent white Trofasts are not all that easy to find in a snow storm, but since we had three of them, we could generally find at least one at any given point.

Lesson #2: Make a circle

Looking back on it now, I’m a bit shocked that the igloo stayed up as long as it did in this form.  But we learned at about the three hour mark that once you start building inward to close off your igloo, the blocks are going to fall unless they have other blocks to support them.  We started out thinking we would leave a hole for the door, but then as the igloo climbed higher, it became far more difficult to keep the pieces up and to close off the hole.  We tore off the doorway section and started building it completely closed with me inside it.

Lesson #3: Build someone inside the igloo, then dig out

Do not attempt to get in or out of the igloo or build a doorway until the igloo is complete.  One person stays inside to place the blocks, the other makes the blocks.

Knowing what we know now, I think next time we could build a better igloo than this one in about two hours.  Having a third adult would certainly have sped up the process.  It was helpful to have Mrs TR inside the house to dry off the kids and provide them with critical hot chocolate breaks, thus allowing Heather and I to work with more efficiency.

Below is a selection of images from the igloo building process, as well as a video we took from the inside after the igloo was completed.  Enjoy!

Related Toy Reviews:

• The Last Snow Day
• Birthday Present Roundup

It’s Christmas Eve and as a tradition in our house, we’ll have an afternoon dinner feast with friends and family at our house, then go to our local meeting house to sing Christmas carols, then back home for a marathon reading of our favorite Christmas books for children.

Here is a list of some of our favorite kids Christmas books here at Chez Toy Report:

The Night Before Christmas

Yes, the classics are still the best.  This edition of Clement Moore Christmas book classic is beautifully illustrated by Jan Brett in a way that really brings the story to life.  I’m not going to insult you by describing the plot of The Night Before Christmas, as it’s pretty much a cultural institution, but if you’re new to the US and have no idea what I’m talking about here, go buy the book.  Click here to see more about The Night Before Christmas.

Olive, the Other Reindeer

This is another Christmas classic in our house, and was made into a TV special staring Drew Barrymore and featuring Michael Stipe from REM.  But the original Christmas book for kids is a great read.  It’s about a dog named Olive who thinks she needs to save Christmas based on the classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer song about “All of the other Reindeer” which she hears as “Olive the other Reindeer” and attempts to reach the North Pole to help out St. Nick.  Click here to see more about Olive, The Other Reindeer

Most Commented Posts

• Free Bakugan Giveaway
• Vote For Your Favorite Toys of All Time!
• Free Kids Scooter Giveaway – 5 Kick Scooters!
• What is Bakugan And Why Are My Kids Willing to Sell Their Sister To Get Them?
• Free Bakugan Giveaway Winners!
• Lego Inauguration Replica

There are some great board games for sale at Amazon at 60-75% off regular prices right now, but you had better hurry.  Click here to get Clue, Scrabble, Sorry, Monopoly, Connect 4, Twister, Yahtzee and a whole bunch of others on sale for under $5 each!  I hope the sale is still going on by the time you read this.

“But!” you say, “it is too late to get items shipped with free regular shipping before Christmas!”  Well, think again.  With popular games at these prices, it’s worth it to look at your options:

1. Buy them with Free Shipping, get them after Christmas, save for gifts.  How many kids birthday parties did you attend last year?  If you are like us, it seems like one a week at least.  Buy a pile of games, keep them for presents.
2. Click here to get a free month of Amazon Prime all you can eat 2 Day Free Shipping!  Amazon Prime gives you free 2 day shipping and $3.99 overnight shipping on anything Amazon stocks.   We have been members since they started offering it back in 2000, and it’s awesome. If you don’t cancel before 30 days are up, you have to pay $72 a year, but even then it’s totally worth it.  The convenience of shopping AFTER the kids go to bed without having to leave the house, then having the items magically appear on the doorstep two days later is so great.   Think of the gas savings not having to make a special trip to Walmart or Target for that one thing.  Plus the savings make up for it.  Click here to check out our trick on finding sneaky sales at Amazon and you can save a bundle and not have to leave the house.

Sign up for free Prime now, take the free 2 day shipping, then cancel it if you don’t want to pay for it.  But if you are like us, you’ll probably keep it.  It’s as if I came up to you and said “For $6 a month, I’ll go pick up anything you want at Walmart/Target/KMart/Sears and bring it to your front door within 48 hours, or for $3.99 extra within 24 hours”.  You’d think I was nuts.

Related Toy Reviews:

• Finding Toys On Sale At Amazon
• Board Games for Rainy Days
• Charlie and Lola
• Cat in the Hat Game
• Blokus Review – Move Over Checkers!

Know anyone who you could describe as an odd duck? Well, here is the perfect present for them. Yes, quite literally, and odd duck. Boon, as anyone who ready this site knows, is a minor obsession of mine (let’s just say I’m a fan). I am still hoping for a Boon animal bag or four for Christmas. The Boon Odd Duck may just be the best thing to ever happen to a rubber duckie. May I introduce to you:

Squish

Bob

Jane

And I know I shouldn’t play favorites, but I think I love this one best, Slim.

Related Toy Reviews:

• Boon Grass Drying Rack
• New Boon Scrubble Bath Toy

While searching for a present for a friend’s baby obsessed 1 year old, I came across this bundle of cuteness from Manhattan Toy. It is their Snuggle Pod Sweet Pea.

And look, it comes in Peanut too!

There is also a Snuggle Bug

and a Snuggle Bunny (naturally).

I love Manhattan Toy, they will crazy awards for their toy design and their quality is exceptional. We have tons of their toys at chez Toy Reporter and have never been dissapointed by their style or quality.

Related Toy Reviews:

• Happy Mother’s Day!

While looking at Toy Story toys I also came across this Hot Wheels Falling With Style play set (Falling with style may be the most frequently quoted line from Toy Story in our house). It features Buzz Lightyear (who does seem to get all the coolest toys – I don’t blame Woody for occasional jealousy) who attaches to a Hot Wheels car that zooms through a loop car track. Fun for Buzz and Woody fans alike!

Related Toy Reviews:

• Toy Story LEGOs
• Have you seen the Toy Story Toys Pop-Open Play World?
• Toys Go Out – our favorite new book

Had never seen this until just a few minutes ago and I think I am in love! I was browsing Amazon from the comfort of my couch and dinosaur blankie when I spotted this play set.

The Toy Story pop-open play world (not just a play set, it is a play world). I must admit, it is pretty cool and I think any Toy Story fan would love this.

It has a rocket launching Buzz and, best of all, it all folds up into it’s own case.

Kids will adore you, their parents will thank you.

Related Toy Reviews:

• Toy Story LEGOs
• Buzz Lightyear gets all the best toys
• Toys Go Out – our favorite new book

The boys recently had their 7th birthday party and received a bunch of cool gifts from their friends. Their birthday party was on Sunday afternoon and they found it very difficult to go back to school on Monday morning rather than stay home and play with all their new toys and games.

Many of the gifts were really great classic toys that it was really fun to see them get excited about and play with. We received two Shrinky Dink sets and it’s neat to see how they still retain their old toy style while adding a couple new twists to make them more interesting.

One set was this Alien Invasion set, which comes with a bunch of different space and alien themed “Dinks” as well as accessories to decorate with your Shrinky Dink creations. A fiber optic LED flashlight with rotating colored lights, a keychain, and a secret notebook are a couple of accessories that came with this one.

The other one was this Cool Gear Shrinky Dinks set which comes with a number of different keychains, clips and necklaces, as well as some totally random pictures to color in.

And then of course there is the shrinking, which is the best part of Shrinky Dinks isn’t it?

Related Toy Reviews:

• Black Friday Zhu Zhu Pets In Stock!
• Robot and Monster Birthday Party
• Stomp Rocket

There have been reports popping up that Zhu Zhu pets are toxic and a Zhu Zhu pets recall might be at hand.  This is all based around a report by a website called Good Guide that the Zhu Zhu pets, specifically a Mr Squiggles that they had tested, has higher than allowable amounts of tin and antimony in it.

It it true that Zhu Zhu pets contain toxic materials?  Are tin and antimony actually toxic?  Are toxic Zhu Zhu pets going to poison little Jimmy on Christmas morning prompting an emergency room visit?  Probably not, but they can have long term health effect you want to avoid.

The biggest danger from Zhu Zhu pets remains the hair entanglement issue many people have reported in the past.  That when kids pick them up to cuddle them and the toy hamster is switched on, long hair can get wrapped around a wheel and pull, prompting probably pain and a quick hit with the sicssors to free them.

Good Guide reports that they performed tests on multiple Mr Squiggles and found amounts of tin and antimony in the toy higher than federal standards for toys.  The main concern is the antimony at a level of ~100 parts per million while the federal standard for toys is 60.

First off, worrying about tin in a toy is probably a waste of your energy.  Folks, go look on your food shelf.  See any cans?  While the can part of modern cans are no longer made of tin like they used to be before 1960 (they are made of aluminum now), the TOP of said cans are frequently made of tin plated steel, which is why the tops of cans look and feel different than the sides.  You probably ate some tin this week after you opened the can and cut into the top, and I’m guessing your kid did too.

Cepia LLC (the manufacturer of the Zhu Zhu pets) issued the following press release:

Manufacturer of Zhu Zhu Pets Confirms Safety of Mr. Squiggles Toy
and Offers Validation of Testing Protocol

Hottest toy of the holiday season passes the industry’s most stringent consumer health
and safety certification standards


St. Louis (December 5) — Cepia LLC, the manufacturer of Zhu Zhu Pets, says
that its Mr. Squiggles toy is “absolutely safe and has passed the most rigorous testing in
the toy industry for consumer health and safety.” This statement is in response to a report
made earlier today by Good Guide that alleges Mr. Squiggles contains unsafe levels of
antimony.

“We are disputing the findings of Good Guide and we are 100% confident that
Mr. Squiggles, and all other Zhu Zhu Toys, are safe and compliant with all U.S. and
European standards for consumer health and safety in toys”, said Russ Hornsby, CEO of
Cepia LLC.

“All our products are subjected to several levels of rigorous safety testing
conducted by our own internal teams, as well as the world’s leading independent quality
assurance testing organization, and also by independent labs engaged by our retail
partners,” Hornsby said.  “The results of every test prove that our products are in
compliance with all government and industry safety standards.”

Test results show Mr. Squiggles, as well as all other Zhu Zhu Pets products, are
well within U.S. government standards and these results have been certified by the
world’s leading independent testing organizations.

Rigorous testing and inspection procedures are in place for all Zhu Zhu Pets
products to assure that the toys are completely safe. Working in conjunction with
representatives from governing toy industry and trade organizations, we have made
certain that all Zhu Zhu Pets products are regularly and frequently tested through an
independent testing service, Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, the global
leader in Quality Assurance.

The Zhu Zhu Pets products are tested in laboratories several times during
production, and again before they ship from the factory. The testing laboratories that
conduct Zhu Zhu Pets product testing are accredited by the largest national and
international bodies and adhere to the strictest protocol for testing. In fact, all Zhu Zhu
Pets testing exceeds the levels for products distributed in the US, by passing the EN71
test required for products distributed in Europe.

“We are contacting the Good Guide people at this moment to share with them all
of our Mr. Squiggles and Zhu Zhu Pet testing data so we can get to the bottom of how
their report was founded,” Russ Hornsby said. “We want to assure everyone already
enjoying Mr. Squiggles or other Zhu Zhu Pets, and those planning to purchase Mr.

Squiggles or another Zhu Zhu Pet this holiday season, that the toy is 100 percent safe and
in compliance with all U.S. and European toy safety standards. I have been in the toy
industry for more than 35 years, and being a father of children myself, I would never
allow any substandard or unsafe product to hit the shelves. That’s why we always test to
not only meet but also exceed safety standards.”

What is the truth here?  It’s very likely that both are correct.  There are probably trace amounts of tin and antimony in some runs of the toy.  There are probably trace amounts of those in ANY metal toy or toy with electronic components and flammable fur or fuzz.

Why might those be in the Zhu Zhu pets?  Tin is commonly used plating material to coat steel to prevent rusting, as in the tops of aluminum cans are tin plated.  Probably some on the wheels or axles to prevent rust should the little toy hamster run through a puddle.  Antimony and tin are also both materials in solder used to attach wires and are also commonly found in electric circuit boards.  They helped to replace LEAD in solder, which is considered far more harmful.  If you have touched a rust proof metal or metal wire attached to any electronic circuit, you have likely come in contact with tin, antimony and a bunch of other stuff to boot.

Note that the federal standards for toys provide exemptions for heavy metals (like antimony and lead) that would not be exposed or accessible through “reasonably foreseeable use and abuse of the product”:

From the CPSC website:

Some children’s products may be exempted or excluded from the new lead limits particularly if the only parts containing lead are inaccessible. A component part is not accessible if the component part is not physically exposed by reason of a sealed covering or casing and does not become physically exposed through reasonably foreseeable use and abuse of the product. The CPSIA directs the Commission to provide guidance by rule within one year on what component parts are considered inaccessible.

Note that while they talk about lead in the above example, it also covers other heavy metals.  It’s very likely that the circuit boards inside the Zhu Zhu pets contain solder with antimony in it that the manufacturer probably tested without, because it would be reasonably expected to never be exposed to a consumer during normal use and abuse.

Antimony is commonly used as a flame retardant and most children’s clothing and fluffy toys contain some amount of antimony.  As do car seats and many other products you use every single day.  Your kids PJs contain antimony and that is against their skin ALL DAY every day.  Your child likely handles a Zhu Zhu pet very little compared to their pajamas.  This is not to say do not be concerned about antimony, but it’s turning a molehill into a mountain while there is a giant mountain right there next to you.

Should you be worried about this and return your Zhu Zhu pets to the store?  Probably not.  Think of it this way.  If you bought your child TWO Zhu Zhu pets and both met the federal standard at 60 PPM, you are exposing them to more than the GoodGuides test found in one.

You should be far more concerned about the tin in your food cans and the antimony in your child’s clothing than the trace amounts found in a toy likely touched for less than an hour a day.

Click here to discover the secret to finding holiday toys 50%-70% off Amazon in our article on Sneaky Hidden Amazon Sales.

Click here to share our Toxic Zhu Zhu pet investigation with your friends on Facebook.

Click here to share this article with your friends on Twitter.

Related Toy Reviews:

• Zhu Zhu Pets Recall?
• Black Friday Zhu Zhu Pets In Stock!
• Ask The Toy Report – Volume #1
• Toy Hamster Zhu Zhu Pets
• Toy Recalls – Hasbro Recalls Nerf Blaster

Many pet shops are seeing a upswing in people purchasing or asking about live hamsters.  Since the Zu Zu Pets toy hamsters are completely sold out around the country, some parents are coming up with bright ideas since they cannot find the real toy hamsters anywhere.  Some are going so far as buying real live hamsters for their kids.

However, anyone considering buying a real hamster on a whim should be well warned.  Owning a pet is a serious responsibility and most kids under the age of 7 will be unable to keep up with it.  They need to be fed and given fresh water regularly, played with frequently, exercised out of their cage, found after they escape, etc.  That plus the constant cleaning and re-bedding their cage at least weekly lest your house starts to smell like a barn.  Most children may have issues keeping up with the responsibility, so take care that you may end up being the hamster keeper in your house.

Note also that hamsters have some bad habits that you should be aware of before giving them to children:

1. They eat their young.  Yeah.  Seriously.  If you get two of them, watch out.
2. They bite, especially when awakened during the day to play after school.
3. They are nocturnal, so expect to hear some serious hamster activity at night while trying to sleep.
4. They are fragile, kids under the age of 6 should not be allowed to handle them as they can easily be crushed.
5. They chew EVERYTHING.  Hamster teeth never stop growing and thus must be chewed down regularly.
6. They die.  The average hamster life span is 2-3 years.
7. They are more expensive than even the over priced eBay Zhu Zhu Pets.  Add up the expense of a cage, hamster wheel, hamster ball, food, bedding material and you are looking at over $400 a year in hamster related costs.

That all being said, there is no doubt that your children will enjoy a real live hamster and learn FAR more from the care and responsibility of owning a pet than they ever will playing with the robot versions.

If you want more details on hamster care, check out the ASPCA:  http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/small-pet-care/hamster-care.html

Related Toy Reviews:

• Zhu Zhu Pets Recall?

Amazon likes to have short quick sales on various items during the holiday season, especially on toys and games, some items are marked down as much as 70%, but only for a few hours. These online sales have been going on for years right under your nose.  But that’s why you have us here at The Toy Report right?  To help you find the best toy bargains!

How do these types of Amazon sales work?  A sales person (or more likely a computer program) decides that they have enough of an item in stock at a certain wholesale cost to justify dropping the price by 20%-50% or more for a few hours and encouraging you to break out the credit card and start buying.

These short term Amazon toy sales are very similar to the “loss leaders” that brick and mortar stores have.  They will put a popular group of items such as Bestsellers or CDs at a price that is so low that they cannot actually make any money.  It’s worth it to the store to just break even in order to get you into the store, or to encourage you to break out your wallet once there.  If you are spending $12 on a CD or bestseller book, you likely have disposable income and you are the type of person they want in the store.  Walmart, Target, Best Buy, they all use loss leaders to draw you in towards the back of the store.

Amazon has many different types of sales and it’s difficult to find them sometimes.  Their Cyber Monday week, Gold Box Deals, Deal of the Week, etc.  all have separate pages that you have to wade through to find the best deals.

Well, we’ve discovered a great way to see any of these special short term deals on toys and games all in one place.  Ready?  Click here to see the Movers and Shakers page for the Toys and Games section in a new window.  Ok, now bookmark it or add it to your favorites list.  Got it?  Good.

Woah right!?   How does this work?  There is a little known page for each category at Amazon called Movers and Shakers that will show you the top 100 items that have become more popular in the last few hours.  Amazon ranks each item by popularity and when an item’s popularity suddenly jumps when it goes on sale, it jumps onto the Movers and Shakers page.  I scan it every day during the holiday season and have gotten some great deals over the past couple of days, and also seen some toys I never would have known about.

It’s Only Sales On Stuff No One Wants Right?

No!  These are sales on great items, things that people are looking for.  Seriously, try it out.  You might save a boat load of money this holiday season.  For example, I just checked and found these two that were already on my Christmas list for the kids:

Yeah, you are reading those above items correctly!  Bakugan 70% off and Hyper Dash for over 55% off.  Problem is, those prices may well be gone by the time you read this.   But keep checking the list every day and you’ll be shocked at the bargains you turn up.  Grab them went you see them and checkout.  If you do not check out right away you will come back later and find the dreaded “Some items in your cart have increased in price” message when you try to checkout later.  Just make sure you get over the $25 free shipping threshold.

Here is the Amazon Movers and Shakers link again. Bookmark it or you will be kicking yourself later when you cannot find it again.

If you want to see all the top Movers and Shakers at Amazon across all the categories, then use this link instead.  Use it to find the best bargains in all their categories.  It’s by far the best way to truly bargain shop online.  Don’t forget to bookmark it (or this page so you can find it again).

Share This Little Amazon Shopping Secret With Your Family, They’ll Love You For It

Click here to share this secret bargain tip with your friends on Facebook.

Click here to share this secret bargain tip with your friends on Twitter.

Related Toy Reviews:

• Amazon Board Game Sale

Woah.  Amazon decided to move their inventory of Bakugan Booster Packs out the door apparently, as they are on sale for what is likely a VERY limited time for only $2.99 a piece.  I’ve never seen these below $5.99 before. 

Click here to see the Bakugan Booster sale page.

If you have a little Bakugan lover in your house, or know a kid that is a Bakugan fan, then this is the perfect stocking stuffer for them.  Looks like the limit is three per order right  now, but I have not tried placing two separate sets of three in a cart yet.  Just order a couple plus one or two other items to push you above the $25 threshold for free shipping.

Seriously, I’ll be shocked if that price lasts very long.  These packs are a great stocking stuffer and at $2.99 each the price cannot be beat.

Related Toy Reviews:

• Free Bakugan Giveaway Winners!
• Free Bakugan Giveaway
• Birthday Present Roundup
• What is Bakugan And Why Are My Kids Willing to Sell Their Sister To Get Them?

Ok, here you are at the last minute looking for a Lego Advent Calendar and you can’t find one for less than $60 now can you?  Well, you can’t say that we didn’t warn you because we did.

Maybe you did not see it because it’s your first time here or something, but in our kids toys post almost two months ago about the 2009 Lego Advent Calendar, we noted how these things are sold out every year by December 1st.

This year they were pretty much gone everywhere by noon on Black Friday.  Now the only places that have them available are 3rd party Amazon price gougers and eBay, all selling for $60-$70, and that with regular shipping so you will not get it until Advent is half over.

Hate to say I told you so, but, ummmmm, well, I told you so.  Maybe next year you will listen to your friends here at The Toy Report and save yourself a big old pile of cash.  Here is what you are looking at today if you search for Lego Advent Calendars

Lego.com

Ebay

Amazon

At this point, save your Lego Advent Calendar money until next year.  Instead, run down to Trader Joe’s and pick up a chocolate Advent Calendar instead for $0.99.  Twenty four days of little holiday chocolates for less than a dollar.  If you do not have a Trader Joe’s near you, some enterprising soul is selling them on eBay for $6.50, including shipping.

Related Toy Reviews:

• Lego Advent Calendar 2009
• More Great Advent Calendars