The first time I wrote about Magna-Tiles in 2007, I called them one of “the best kept secrets in the world of toys.” These days, the word is out and we can hardly keep these in stock. But the clear Magna-Tiles are always much more popular than the solid ones. I was on that bandwagon [...]
Archive for the ‘Building Toys’ Category
Balance, build, and strategize with games from Foxmind
Friday, April 24th, 2009Not since Blue Orange have I found a company with a suite of games that are all fresh, smart, fun, and great for all ages. Foxmind makes a group of solitaire, thinking, and spatial logic games. I opened 3 of the games at our Magic Beans store in Hingham today: Equilibrio, Zoologic, and Meta-Forms - [...]
Explore the world of Wedgits!
Friday, August 22nd, 2008We’ve always loved Wedgits, the fabulous geometry toy from Imagability. There’s something compelling about the sleek shapes and angles that makes it difficult for even an adult to put them down after taking a moment to explore. For kids, these unique, imagination-charged building blocks offer lots of creative possibilties that also help them [...]
The Circus makes a comeback
Monday, February 25th, 2008During my tour of the Playmobil booth at Toy Fair, I was nearly apoplectic with joy when I saw that they have redesigned and resurrected one of my all-time favorite Playmobil themes - the Circus. When we were little, my parents bought us the complete set with the big top tent, the horses, the elephants, [...]
Happy Birthday to Lego
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008Today was the 50th anniversary of the Lego brick, one of the most ubiquitous and well-loved toys on the planet. The date and time (1:58pm, in case you were wondering) marks the exact moment that the patent was filed. I received a press release from Lego with oodles of useless yet fascinating tidbits I didn’t [...]
Hip to be square
Sunday, November 25th, 2007Dado Cubes have been an instant hit - and why not? They’re a colorful, open-ended construction toy that are appealing to a wide age range. All that, plus they’re designed and made in the USA. Now fans of the Dado Cubes will be pleased to hear about the newest member of the Dado family - [...]
A-maze-ing
Thursday, July 5th, 2007Let’s talk about marbles for a minute. Marbles are so simple, but they’ve been a cornerstone of playtime for centuries. Set them in motion and you’ve got hours of entertainment. There are countless types of marble run construction toys out there, and many different interpretations. The newest one is Q Ba Maze. This marble construction [...]
The magic of Magna-Tiles
Monday, March 19th, 2007Magna-Tiles are not exactly new. In fact, they’ve been around for a while, and we’ve had them in the store since right before the holidays. But I’m starting to think they’re one of the best kept secrets in the world of toys. I’d heard rumblings about Magna-Tiles, but I wasn’t sure what the hoopla was [...]
Talk about open ended
Friday, February 16th, 2007We did a survey of our customers this month, and we asked for opinions about the kinds of products we should be looking for at Toy Fair. One phrase came up again and again - “open ended.”
So we were on a mission, to find open-ended playthings - toys that can be used again and again, [...]
K’nekting with K’nex
Monday, February 12th, 2007There are some toy brands that have always been at the forefront of my consciousness. As a kid I really enjoyed Lego, Brio, and Lincoln Logs and Erector sets, and I get a kick out of seeing these products in my store. Today at Toy Fair I meandered into a booth with a great brand [...]
