Archive for the ‘Toys’ Category
14
Nov
Holiday Giveaways # 8 – Woodstock Folk Guitar & Case
Categories: Toys
We’ve already covered my lack of innate talent for piano, but we haven’t even talked about the guitar. My musical mother (who you may recall plays the piano) is also a gifted guitarist. Early memories abound of singing “Blowin’ in the Wind” as she played beside me. In college, I decided it was high time… read more!
0 Comments
13
Nov
Holiday Giveaways # 7 – Follow Me Fred
Categories: Active Toys
It’s my job to look at a product and know whether or not it will sell. But the truth is, I’m not an oracle. Most of the time, I have a strong inclination one way or another, but it’s rare that I see something and know unquestionably that it will be a success. Follow Me… read more!
0 Comments
11
Nov
Holiday Giveaways # 6 – Corolle Calin Doll
Categories: Dolls & Make Believe
The Corolle booth at Toy Fair is my husband’s favorite stop each year. Not because he likes to play with dolls, but because he likes French champagne (and really, who doesn’t?). It’s become an annual tradition for him to lounge at a table, happily sipping champagne while I (usually either pregnant or breastfeeding) circulate through… read more!
1 Comment
7
Nov
Holiday Giveaways # 4 – Alex Art Spinner & Cuckoo Clock
Categories: Arts & Crafts
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… read more!
0 Comments
4
Nov
Holiday Giveaways # 2 – Uglydolls
Categories: Toys
There’s a lot to love about Ugly Dolls, but my favorite thing is their backstory. Two designers in a long distance relationship were trying to keep the flame alive. David Horvath sent Sun-Min Kim letters accented with drawings of a funny little character called “Wage.” As a surprise, Sun-Min transformed Wage into a charismatic, soft… read more!
0 Comments
2
Nov
Holiday Giveaways Day 1 – Rody Ride On Horse
Categories: Active Toys, Toddler Toys, Toys
We get a lot of kids coming through our stores every day, and the toys in our playscapes take a beating. Literally. A toy that might last a lifetime at home will be lucky to survive six months. Rody is one of those toys that can withstand the rigors and rarely (if ever) needs replacing…. read more!
4 Comments
9
Oct
The playroom organization vortex
Categories: Toys
Here’s a secret. I have never figured out how to effectively organize my kids’ toys. In almost seven and a half years of parenthood (not to mention five years of selling toys), the playroom situation has gotten increasingly chaotic, with bins filled to the brim with random bits and pieces, and very few toys in… read more!
3 Comments
23
Sep
National Family Game Night tonight
Categories: Games, Just for fun, Toys
Forget those TV premiers that you’ve been enjoying all week. Tonight is the first official National Family Game Night, and that sounds like fun. Hasbro is sponsoring the event and challenging families to take a deep breath, turn off the iPhones, the iPods, the iMacs and any other iThingies that distract you from your kids…. read more!
0 Comments
28
Aug
Shop & Roll
Categories: Dolls & Make Believe, Toys
Zev steals a turn with the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Grocery Cart while his older sisters are otherwise engaged. We brought lots of merchandise with us to the Cape to photograph for this year’s holiday catalog, but this has been the most popular by far – even with our smallest toy tester.
0 Comments
26
Jul
Day 26 – Playmobil Egypt Set
Categories: Toys
It’s probably not easy to be the person at Playmobil responsible for dreaming up new themes. In theory, the world offers a vast amount of inspiration, but still. How many different settings can legitimately be a springboard for multiple play sets? Playmobil has already covered so many, with farms, castles, pirate ships, zoos, a circus,… read more!
0 Comments
