Toy Fair 2010: Off the Beaten Path, Technology-wise
Written on Mar 2, 2010 by RuthJS and filed under Featured, News
One of the really cool things about Toy Fair is that along side the big toy manufacturing conglomerates like Mattel, Fisher Price, Hasbro, VTech, and Lego, you also get to see small mom and pop shops, toys that are waiting to be picked up for manufacturing, and items sold overseas looking for a market share in the US. Here’s where I found some of the coolest items.
LeapFrog Text & Learn Learning PDA Coming Soon
Written on Jan 28, 2009 by Brian and filed under LeapFrog, News
LeapFrog will unveil the full details of another new product next week, this one is called the Text & Learn and is a learning toy that’s similar to Mom or Dad’s BlackBerry, PDA or other such device.
Wild Planet Announces Mickey’s Mouse-ke-TAG
Written on Jan 28, 2009 by Brian and filed under News, Wild Planet
Mickey’s Mouse-ke-TAG gets kids active with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters and RFID technology. Mouse-ke-TAG promotes mental and physical exercise while having fun. The game’s electronic hand-held tagger is shaped like the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse From a speaker inside the clubhouse, Goofy calls out descriptions of different characters. Kids listen for the call-outs and then run to tag the right character.
LeapFrog Releases Three New Tag Reading System Books
Written on Jan 27, 2009 by Brian and filed under LeapFrog, News
LeapFrog has released three new books for the popular Tag reading system. In this latest batch of releases kids will be excited to find the Dr. Seuss classic Green Eggs and Ham, along with Scooby-Doo! Shiny Spooky Nights and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Air Penguin. All three books are available now and retail for $13.99.
LeapFrog Tag Junior Announced
Written on Jan 26, 2009 by Brian and filed under LeapFrog, News
LeapFrog has announced a new learn-to-read product for the younger set, Tag Junior. As you probably know, the Tag Reading System is a fantastic tool for kids 4+ who are learning to read. The new Tag Junior, which will come out this summer, is designed for kids age 2-4.
Review: Smart-e-Bear and Friends
Written on Jan 26, 2009 by Brian and filed under Intellitoys, Reviews
Smart-e-Bear is a collection of three interactive plush animals (bear, cat and dog) from Intellitoys. The animals contain sensors, a speaker and internal memory so kids can play games with them and listen to stories and songs. The animals are paired with a software that lets parents manage what’s on the animals. The software also connects to an iTunes-esque store where parents can buy more songs, games and activities for the animal.
Review: Kung Fu Panda for Vtech V-Motion
Written on Jan 22, 2009 by Brian and filed under Reviews, VTech
Kung Fu Panda – Path of the Panda for V-Motion is one of the more arcade-like games available for the system. Designed for kids ages 4-6, Kung Fu Panda teaches skills in geometry, math, logic and other areas.
Vtech Releasing New V-Motion Games
Written on Jan 21, 2009 by Brian and filed under News, VTech
Vtech is releasing a slew (finally) of new V-Motion games. Currently the slate of games is only eight deep, but they’re about the raise the curtain on a whole new family that promises head-to-head gameplay.
Learning Curve Announces Super WHY! Toys
Written on Jan 20, 2009 by Brian and filed under Learning Curve, News
Learning Curve has announced a licensing deal that will bring an entire line of Super WHY! branded products to market. The line will include play sets, plush and the like, in addition to kid’s tech products like learning aids and other electronics.
First Thoughts: Barbie Digital Fingernail Printer
Written on Jan 20, 2009 by Brian and filed under Mattel, Reviews
Mattel announced the new Barbie digital fingernail printer at CES, which will be released this fall. We got to spend some hands-on time, well, fingernails-on time, with the printer. It’s surprisingly cool and actually our favorite toy from CES.
Review: iHearSafe Earbuds and Headphones
Written on Jan 19, 2009 by Brian and filed under Reviews
We’ve seen a few headphones that are designed for kids, but really, there are very few on the market that are both designed to fit well and protect kids from hearing loss at the same time. iHearSafe has a unique approach to solve the safety issue, they simply lock the maximum volume the headphones can output. And they’ve not forgotten about style either, the iHearSafe product line comes in three form factors and multiple colors to appeal to both younger and older kids.