If your child is an animal fanatic, 2016 is going to be a great year for toys: we saw an amazing array of animals at Toy Fair this year. A few particular kinds of critters dominated the room – but let’s start by checking out what some of our favorite brands were up to. For starters, Green Toys is introducing ... Read More »

Age four is an exciting year: kids at this age are on the runway to kindergarten, and they’re bursting with energy and creativity. They’re refining their social skills, learning to play games and share, and using their imagination to play out realistic and fanciful scenarios. If you’re shopping for your own four-year-old’s birthday, you probably already know what birthday gifts ... Read More »

It’s a favorite hobby of the young adults of today: reminiscing about the stuff we loved from the ‘80s and the ‘90s. Buzzfeed definitely specializes in this kind of nostalgia, and even if we know exactly how manipulative this tugging at our heartstrings is, nobody is immune. So yes, when they posted a roundup of “45 Awesome Toys Every ‘90s ... Read More »

By age four, there’s one very easy shortcut to finding the perfect gift for your kid: just ask her! At this age, kids are pretty clear on what they like, whether it’s princesses, dinosaurs, superheroes, or baseball. Granted, your child may ask for something you’re not quite willing to give them (say, a pony or an iPad), but you can ... Read More »

For over 40 years, the diminutive, smiling people of Playmobil have been inspiring children’s imaginative adventures. In memory of company founder Horst Brandstaetter, who passed away last week, here’s a whirlwind tour through Playmobil sets both old and new. Designer Hans Beck considered the figurines to be the most important part of the Playmobil formula. From Wikipedia: “Beck spent three ... Read More »

Being a staff member in a toy store is pretty much the greatest thing since sliced bread – we get to play with, demonstrate, and recommend toys to our customers all day long! We love our jobs here at Magic Beans Fairfield (or, if you prefer, #mbfairfield), and we love introducing our customers to our favorites. We can’t always introduce ... Read More »

A two-year-old child is a tiny explorer, with boundless curiosity and energy, and endless questions. His language skills and physical coordination are clicking into place, and so is his creativity, with an expanding interest in pretend-play. He’ll love scribbling with chunky crayons, vrooming toy cars along the floor, stacking and sorting, running and kicking, making music, and squishing play-dough. A ... Read More »

Time flies extra-fast when you’ve got kids. One minute, they’re a helpless baby, the next minute they’re walking, and the next thing you know, they’re in kindergarten (and then, college). Whew! The same thing happens with a thriving business in a constantly-expanding industry – you have to remind yourself, sometimes, to stop and take stock. The turn of the calendar ... Read More »

Picking out the very best toys is part experience, part instinct: some items are just obvious kid-magnets (if it lights up, they’ll probably love it); others just set off the seasoned toy buyer’s spider sense. Of course, we don’t sell toys that aren’t great – our toy selection is carefully curated to include a balance of classic toys and the ... Read More »

Unstructured, imaginative play is loads of fun for kids – plus, it helps them to develop their creativity, and learn social skills. Playmobil sets give kids a setting and some characters to populate a fantasy world and then interact within it, and the Playmobil Lion Knight’s Castle, today’s giveaway, is full of fuel for an active imagination. The enormous castle ... Read More »