2009 will go down in history as the year the toy industry (and everyone else in the world) discovered social media. More and more of our vendors have jumped on the bandwagon and are successfully using Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to promote their products. Technology has been particularly slow to grasp many toy companies, but [...]
Archive for the ‘Arts & Crafts’ Category
Day 18 - Melissa & Doug Art Easel with Companion Set
Saturday, July 18th, 2009I am an enormous fan of Melissa & Doug. Most parents are probably familiar with their products, as you’ll find them on the shelves of virtually any store that caters to kids. Over the years, I’ve had the chance to get to know Melissa, Doug and their amazing team. They are, of hundreds of amazing [...]
Paint like a pro with Powder Art
Monday, August 4th, 2008Hi there, this is Sarah, filling in for Sheri while she continues to await the arrival of baby #3.
If you’re looking for a fun, indoor activity to keep kids occupied during some of the rainy days this summer, we’ve found something new that is a fun variation on an old theme. Crescent Cardboard has [...]
Retro Cool
Wednesday, August 8th, 2007Look what’s back! The Snoopy Sno Cone Maker has been rereleased by Sababa Toys, and it’s exactly the product you and I remember so fondly. Originally released in 1979, this was a runaway bestseller and a summer fixture in millions of homes (mine included). If you never had one, basically you pop some ice cubes [...]
Supersize them
Sunday, May 13th, 2007Pipe cleaners have been a craft-time favorite for generations, but Brain Noodles take the fun to a whole new proportion. These are basically very chunky pipe cleaners, so they’re easy for kids of all age to handle and manipulate. I liked them at Toy Fair, but it was the samples I brought back to my [...]
DIY Jr.
Saturday, April 22nd, 2006For aspiring handy types, there’s a new line of constructable kids furniture that’s designed to provide plenty of gratification in exchange for relatively little effort. These new kits, by
imadethat, come with wood pieces, sandpaper, simple tools and plenty of paint. The components are sturdy, and the finished product will be a source of pride for [...]
Do you know Wikki Stix?
Wednesday, January 18th, 2006If you don’t, you should. Wikki Stix are a lifesaver for parents who are hoping to keep kids quietly engaged for any period of time. They are basically a strand of yarn coated in a non-toxic, food-grade wax similar to what you’d find on a shiny red apple. The yarn is flexible, and the wax [...]
Hidden Talents?
Sunday, December 18th, 2005People call me all the time looking for paint-by-number activities. When we opened, my husband (and business partner) was coming off of four years teaching art and art history to high school students, and he encouraged me to avoid paint-by-number activities in favor of more open-ended artistic endeavors.
When I first saw Sentosphere Artistics (not recently [...]
Flipping for Flip Faze
Sunday, November 13th, 2005This past year at Toy Fair, University Games had a special appearance by record-breaking Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings. You could wait on line to go head-to-head with Ken on a single question, and if you emerged victorious, you earned a button proclaiming your intellectual superiority. We lost, but I can’t remember what the question [...]
