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.
Review: UCreate Music
Written on Nov 6, 2009 by RuthJS and filed under Mattel, Reviews
Ok, so is there anything cooler to an 8-year-old than creating his or her own dance music? Well, video games are big, but jamming with the UCreate Music ranks pretty high with my testers.
Review: Super Why Touch & Learn Super Duper Computer
Written on Nov 4, 2009 by Brian and filed under Learning Curve, Reviews
It doesn’t take long for kids to want their own computers. And while the idea of a 3-year-old running around with Mom or Dad’s laptop isn’t the best plan, there are alternatives. Learning Curve has recently released one such “computer” complete with touch screen interface. The Super Why Touch & Learn Super Duper Computer gives kids access to their favorite Super Why characters and games, in a fun and portable form factor.
Review: Fisher Price Splatster
Written on Oct 29, 2009 by Brian and filed under Fisher Price, Mattel, Reviews
Fisher Price announced what was then called the Splatter Brush at Toy Fair earlier this year. The now named Splatster is a plug and play TV game that gives kids a truly unique way to not only express their creativity but save and print it as well.
Disney Launches Disney.com Application for iPhone/Touch
Written on Oct 28, 2009 by Brian and filed under Disney, News
Disney has a load of Apple applications already and today they’ve added one more. The free application includes several content features around Disney characters, music, video and games. Disney has also committed to regular updates for the application so kids continually get something new to interact with.
Review: Spy Gear [Wild Planet]
Written on Oct 28, 2009 by RuthJS and filed under Reviews, Wild Planet
Wild Planet has released the new products under their Spy Gear brand, which we saw earlier this year. We reviewed a kit with the Lazer Tripwire, Spy Night Scope, Micro Ear Gear, and Evidence Kit all designed for ages six and up.
Review: Playskool Kota & Pals Stompers (Triceratops)
Written on Oct 27, 2009 by Brian and filed under Playskool, Reviews
At Toy Fair we saw the new lineup of Kota-branded dinos from Playskool. The Stompers are a mid-range interactive dinosaur line that walk, errr, stomp, roar and in the case of the Triceratops, raises and lowers its head.
Review: LeapFrog Zippity
Written on Oct 26, 2009 by RuthJS and filed under LeapFrog, Reviews
The Zippity Learning System was developed out of a partnership between LeapFrog and Disney. Considering the fact that LeapFrog is one of the best companies at producing educational technology for young children, and that Disney is such a popular content brand, it’s no surprise that this system is a hit with kids.
Review: WowWee Roborover
Written on Oct 23, 2009 by RuthJS and filed under News, Reviews, WowWee
WowWee’s line of automated toys just got bigger with the addition of Roborover, a happy-go-lucky robot who plays games, lights up, and interacts on a basic level with it’s user. While WowWee calls it “a fusion of technology and personality,” our testers called it just plain “fun!”
Review: 1-2-3 Stomp!
Written on Oct 22, 2009 by Brian and filed under Reviews, Wild Planet
Like Hyper Blast which we recently reviewed, 1-2-3 Stomp from Wild Planet is designed to get kids active while learning number skills. Stomp is designed for kids 3-5 and supports multi-player gameplay.
Review: Barbie Doll’d Up Nails – Digital Nail Printer
Written on Oct 21, 2009 by Jaime and filed under Mattel, News, Reviews
We first saw the Barbie digital nail printer at CES and were impressed by the concept, in fact it was our favorite toy from the show. What’s not to like? Girls, and boys if they so choose, can print literally thousands of variations on their nails, from lettering and sports icons, to classic Barbie icons. If that’s not enough you can upload your own images to print on your nails. Doll’d Up Nails will surely have girls having fun but looking stylish too!