Too Much Awesome

Toy Fair this year was full of wonderful new items that shows “green toys” are gaining in popularity.  My favorite: this new environmentally friendly dollhouse by Plan Toy. The Green Dollhouse is made of renewable resources and is modeled after a sustainable home for reducing, reusing, and recycling.  There are built in recycling bins, a [...]

My family came a bit late to the Webkinz craze, but we’ve recently had quite a bit of the fun with our new toys.  First I have to admit that I have actually had more than one Webkinz in the house for nearly two years and we’ve yet to establish the online version of the [...]

If this year’s Toy Fair is any indication, the hot toys this year will be more affordable and maybe even (do we dare to dream it?!) quiet.  Some consumers – and therefore manufacturers – are shying away electronic toys and are instead going with classics, standards, and often even avoiding battery-based toys.

What makes a toy a learning toy? It is quite possible that any toy can be a learning toy — from coloring books and building blocks on. But most people have something quite different in mind when they talk about learning toys. So when looking for something interactive with an educational spin I found a [...]

I have been surprisingly pleased in recent years by some of the dolls I’ve come across in my motherly adventures in little girl land. I grew up in the heart of Cabbage Patch Kid land (that’s in northeast Georgia if you never knew) and we were sure to visit Babyland General, the “hospital” where the [...]

“Going out of Business” is becoming a common sign in toy stores these days. At first it was the independent, smaller toy stores which, however disappointing, is not terribly surprising when costs are considered.  The bigger stores offer very little in the way of customer service, but have prices that can make that lack forgivable.

When I think about traditional toys I usually conjure up some vision of grandparents and grandchildren and constructing something either in the yard or in the living room.  Sometimes my brain comes up with a big item and other times it’s something little. Over the Christmas holidays we were able to spend some time with [...]

The Toy Industry Association just handed out its annual awards and, since I’m wishing for spring, I’m focusing on outdoor toys today. The winner of Best Outdoor Toy of the Year is Crayola’s 3D Sidewalk Chalk. Now, who doesn’t love sidewalk chalk?  For me there are memories associated with May parades with huge areas covered [...]

Quality products from Melissa & Doug have my appreciation and that of others, even in a less-than-booming economy.  The educational toys are fun and designed to last, the puppets are wonderful, and the imaginary play items keep my daughter occupied for hours.

I needed a Valentine’s Day gift for my daughter last year, but roses weren’t right and I didn’t want a balloon floating around the house for a week on the floor. When I found the Ugly Dolls, I found a toy that gives my daughter the giggles and restores my sense of peace at those [...]