Review: Ultimate FX LightSaber by Hasbro
Written on Oct 18, 2011 by RuthJS and filed under Brands, Featured, Hasbro, News
“An elegant weapon for a more civilized age,” is how Ben Kenobi describes a lightsaber in “A New Hope.” The Ultimate FX Lightsaber, new from Hasbro, is hands down closer to that description than any other toy lightsaber we’ve played with. And, agreed with us, our testers did. Overview Hasbro’s Ultimate FX Lightsaber is well-designed [...]
Review: LeapFrog My Pal Scout & Violet
Written on Jun 9, 2009 by Brian and filed under LeapFrog, Reviews
In early February LeapFrog annoucned plans to release a plush puppy named Scout, or Violet if you prefer purple dogs, to help kids 6 months to 3 years learn first words, early numbers and so on. Talking plush isn’t entirely new, but thus far, we haven’t been terribly impressed by the options in the market. My Pal Scout goes on pre-sale this week and should be widely available soon. We’ve been playing with the pooch for a few weeks now though and are pretty impressed with Scout and love his family-friendly price tag.
6-in-1 Solar Robot Kit
Written on May 29, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
Building kits are fun. Building kits that can make different objects are even better. Best yet are kits that can motor about, especially if the power source is the sun (or bright light bulb). This 6-in-1 kit from Red5 in the UK is not only cool, but actually quite affordable.
VTech 20% Off Everything
Written on May 27, 2009 by Brian and filed under News, VTech
VTech is currently offering a coupon worth 20% off your entire purchase from their web store. The promotion makes it a good time to pick up a V-Motion system or games, their new two-player games are very solid. With 20% off, games are $20 instead of $25.
Mattel’s Holiday Lineup Getting Ready for Release
Written on May 26, 2009 by Brian and filed under Fisher Price, Matchbox, Mattel, News
Mattel used CES to announce and show off a bunch of new kid’s tech toys for the 2009 Holiday shopping season. Then at Toy Fair their other brands like Fisher Price and Matchbox got in on the action. Their toys look so good that the Mattel family of brands took over half the spots in our “Best of Toy Fair 2008″ roundup. As summer gets into full swing, it’s about time to start seeing some of these products slip into the market as we prepare for Holiday 2009 shopping.
Review: Star Wars Jedi Reading (LeapFrog Leapster2)
Written on May 18, 2009 by Brian and filed under LeapFrog, Reviews
LeapFrog has done a good job integrating well known brands with educational content to make learning enjoyable for kids. With Star Wars Jedi Reading, they’ve actually done something else, made it a little fun for parents as well. Jedi Reading is built on the classic Star Wars franchise (not to be confused with the Clone Wars cartoon) and helps kids age 5-8 work on core reading skills.
LeapFrog Announces Up! for Leapster2 (video demo)
Written on May 7, 2009 by Brian and filed under LeapFrog, News
LeapFrog has continued with their planned release of Leapster2 games that was announced in February. The latest release is based on the upcoming Disney-Pixar movie Up! Up! is designed for kids age 5-8 and teaches mathematics and other skills. As with all Leapster2 games, parents can track progress online and kids can earn rewards and connect to the PC for extra games and interaction.
PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop Released – Durable Tablet PC for Kids
Written on Apr 29, 2009 by Brian and filed under PeeWee
PeeWee PC has announced a new Tablet PC/Notebook designed to be tough enough to work with spill and drop-prone kids, while offering enough computing power to actually be useful. The Pivot tablets run Windows XP and are powered by Intel Atom processors at 1.6 GHz. They’re also just 3 pounds and easy to tote with included handle. The Pivot is geared toward children ages 3-10.
Jewel Partners with Fisher-Price on Lullaby
Written on Apr 28, 2009 by Brian and filed under Fisher Price
Singer-songwriter Jewel is partnering with Fisher-Price on Lullaby, which includes 5 kids standards like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and 10 songs written by Jewel. The acoustic record will be available May 5th at major retailers and online.
WowWee CrashFX Remote Control Airplane Unveiled
Written on Apr 22, 2009 by Brian and filed under News, WowWee
WowWee launched a series of new products for this year at CES in January, but this remote control airplane was not part of those announcements. WowWee has released several flight vehicles in their FlyTech lineup over the years, but this is their first “traditional” airplane. And what’s not to love? With a name like CrashFX, we fully expect it to be durable enough to be driven nose first into the ground more than once.
LEGO Boombox and MP3 Players Revealed
Written on Apr 17, 2009 by Brian and filed under Digital Blue, News
At CES Digital Blue told us about their LEGO branded line of kid’s electronics and showed us images of their digital camera and walkie talkie. They’ve now released more info and pictures of their LEGO Boombox and MP3 players.