The Toy Insider

Blingles Bling Studio

admin — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:58:35 +0000

The Blingles Bling Studio, by Moose Toys, gives you everything you need to “bling,” sparkle, and shine your accessories. An all-in-one station with more than 300 gems, the Blingles Bling Studio comes with a gem pen, transfer slides, and a glue roll, so that you can make your own designs or use the pre-set patterns to decorate and personalize up to 10 designs. Popular accessories for “blinging” include stationery, cell phones, mp3 players and more. Each jeweled sticker you make can adheres to any smooth hard surface.

Imaginext University Row Playset

admin — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:00:38 +0000

In celebration of Monsters University, Fisher-Price presents the Imaginext University Row Playset, making it easy to bring home the fun and excitement of chasing Archie the scare pig through the quad. The set comes with electronics featuring character voices, Archie’s sounds, and two figure disks.

The first disk on the bottom floor spins the floor so kids can have the monsters chase Archie in circles. The second disk activates a catapult to throw Archie across the set, through a trap door, and into his cage.

The University Row Playset will be available on June 21.

Roll-A-Scare Monsters Assortment

admin — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:00:07 +0000

Kids can roll, pop, and scare with the Roll-A-Scare Monsters Assortment, from Spin Master. Each Roll-A-Scare figure is uniquely stylized and has a surprise pop-up activation. Inside each pack kids will discover a student ID card that springs the monster open. With 12 characters to collect in total, kids ages 3 and up can recreate their favorite scenes from Monsters University.

Kids can also kick playtime up a notch with the Roll-A-Scare Toxic Race Playset. Kids can play solo or with a friend by racing two Roll-A-Scare characters down the track. Watch out for Sea Urchins, or they’ll stop the character right in its tracks. The first player to cross the finish line and watch the character spring open wins the Scare Games. Each Roll-A-Scare Playset comes with an exclusive Sulley figure.

Also from Spin Master are the My Scare Pal Sulley plush, Scare Off Sulley plush, and the Sulley Monster Mask.

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Don’t Forget to Pick Up the Pizza!

admin — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:29:06 +0000

Splinter has sent Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michaelangelo on important missions in the strategy board game TMNT Clash Alley, from Wonder Forge.
The game is designed for kids ages 6 and up (younger kids may need a bit of help) and can be played with two to four players.
Players must try to be the first Turtle to complete his or her mission by collecting a mission tile and returning to his or her corner home space. Players can run, climb, and leap onto their enemies as they make their way around the grid-like board. Players must attack and defeat villains as they attempt to find the mutagen, pick up a pizza, find April, and retrieve the A.I. chip. When villains are defeated, players earn action cards, which help them to complete their missions and get a leg up on other players. The “team up” action card even allows players to work together to defeat villains.
The colors and imagery on the multi-level game board reflects the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, currently airing on Nickelodeon. Perfect for Turtle fans young and old, the game doesn’t get old quickly since players can choose to move so many different ways, adding lots of play value for parents looking to keep kids entertained (especially on rainy summer days).

Romo

admin — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:00:30 +0000

Romo, from Romotive, is a smartphone-enabled robot kids can train. Romo comes to life when an iDevice is plugged into the rover base. Designed for kids ages 8 and up, Romo can be controlled, trained, and programmed. Romo zips along at a maximum speed of 3 feet per second, he can be tilted 15 degrees forward of up to 45 degrees back, and kids can charge Romo’s battery pack anywhere using the included custom mini USB cable. Romo’s software is updated every month, so there is always something new he can do. Romo responds to human reactions, can be driven using an iDevice, and captures data through pictures. When not in play-mode, Romo can also be used as a docking station to charge iDevices. Currently distributed only in the U.S., Romo is available online and will hit store shelves this summer.

Learn the Alphabet with a Smart Device

admin — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

The Appy Alphabet, from Kidz Delight, will help kids ages 2 and up learn the alphabet and phonics. The realistically-styled keyboard is bilingual in English and Spanish and features two modes of play. In standalone mode, kids can choose from five games that help them learn letter names, letter sounds, and first words. In app mode, the handle can be unplugged and converted into a stand for a smart device, including most tablets and smartphones. Once the smart device is inserted, kids can press any key on the keyboard and watch animations appear on the screen while learning about educational facts and spelling.

Get Organized!

admin — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:00:22 +0000

Kenson Kids‘ newest product, On Track! Responsibility and Behavior System, helps tweens ages 8 and up organize household chores, daily to-do lists, family rules, and money management to learn the skills needed to become responsible adults. The pocketed caddy is easy to display on doors, walls, or other common areas. It includes an instructional guide and worksheets that help families work together, teaching organizational skills, accountability, and self-reliance.

Pass-Ackwords: Good Clues Gone Bad

admin — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:10:09 +0000

Pass-Ackwords, from R&R Games, is a great new word guessing game—with a twist. Each round, there is a secret word with a list of clues to help players guess the word. Players split into teams and read opponents clues to a word. The point is to start with the hardest clues first, making it difficult for the opposing team to guess the word. Each turn, the list of possible clues shrinks making it easier for opposing players to guess the word. The first team to guess wins the round, and the first team to collect five cards wins. Pass-Ackwords is designed for four or more players ages 12 and up. Sure to liven up any party, the game is simple to learn and fun to play.

Sharing is Caring

admin — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:00:15 +0000

Recess Music, a company dedicated to helping kids value a world that is wise, fair, and generous-hearted, will release Share!, the fourth in its Best Food Forward series of CDs, on March 26 from Big Round Records.

The album, for kids ages 3 to 11, celebrates sharing and generosity as key actions for bringing harmony and understanding into classrooms, neighborhoods, and homes. Share! features 15 tracks that showcase contributions from kids’ musicians including Renee & Jeremy, Dog on Fleas, Ben Rudnick & Friends, Charity and the JAMband, and Noel Paul Stookey (“Paul” of folk-singing trio Peter, Paul and Mary). Other titles in the Best Foot Forward series include Someone Else’s Shoes, Big Bully, and U R Some 1.

Mega Bloks Drive-thru

cdeloach — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:47:27 +0000

Building blocks can bring out a host of creative play in children. Babies like knocking them over, toddlers like stacking them and older children like to build structures. While castles and towers are fun things to build with your kids, think about building everyday places too, to help kids relate and role-play. Do you go to Home Depot every weekend? Build that. Do you go to Whole Foods? Build that. We even take an old piece of cardboard and draw various lines for the parking lots. For the cars to park before they go shopping, of course.

Speaking of cars, my son loves them. So much so, that I have to be creative in getting him to play with blocks by tying it into his love of cars. So when we play with our Mega Bloks, the type of blocks we currently own, we build parking garages with them. Or bridges. Or tunnels. But one day, I decided to help my son build a drive-thru. A Starbucks drive-thru.

It was not a fancy drive-thru set up, but our Starbucks was a popular one because soon there was a line of cars with Peppa Pig as the Barista.

Soon the Starbucks became very popular and the line was down the street, and we were having a lot of fun.

Venti, anyone?

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Charlene is a blogger at CharleneChronicles.com and is on the 2013 Toy Insider Parent Panel