Christmas is more than just video games

Christmas is only a week away and if you’re like me, you haven’t done much shopping yet. Thankfully Amazon makes it incredibly easy to find the popular toys and get them to your doorstep practically overnight. I don’t advocate just picking out random toys for your kids and loved ones, but if you must, you must. Amazon has a list of “best selling” toys so for all the parents and grandparents that don’t know exactly what to buy, here’s my take on a few select items from Amazon’s list.

Flying Shark R/C Blimp

Terrorizing the cat was never easier.

Okay, this is just awesome. C’mon, a flying shark! What kid (or adult) wouldn’t want a giant flying great white shark? So what if it’s just a remote control balloon…it’s a shark! There’s also a clown fish version of this wonderful R/C blimp but I feel sorry for the kid that gets the clown fish only to find out his friend down the street got Jaws. Of course, for every unit of awesome there is usually a unit of suck and this floating predator is no different. You’ll need to stock up on AAA batteries, which might not be an issue, but I’m guessing most people don’t have an extra tank of helium hanging around the house. Yes, this bad boy needs some gas to get into the air and that ain’t cheap. The toy itself will run you $30 and from the looks of things a helium tank runs anywhere from $50 – $75, so this cheap-looking toy quickly becomes uncheap. Still, it’s a flying shark.

Check out the Flying Shark on Amazon

Perplexus

David Bowie not included.

Perplexus is an aptly named puzzle game that seems to put the old fashion labyrinth game into a plastic sphere. Perplexus looks confusing at first glance but I see a lot of fun trying to move your marble up, down and around all the twisting pathways. The toy suggests ages 6 – 12 but looking at this thing I’m not sure folks 12+ could easily solve this one. If nothing else, Perplexus would even look cool standing still. I can see one of these on my office desk at work as just an interesting object but then also as the “I can’t stare at my computer screen anymore” break toy. Perplexus comes in several flavors and skill levels, each of which goes for about $20. If you’re looking for something different but still somewhat educational, this would be a good choice.

Check out Perplexus on Amazon

Snap Circuits

Next step, soldering!

Electricity is one those things I wish I had learned more about when I was little. I loved learning about circuits and switches in elementary school but that’s where it stopped. Today I’m not sure I would know how to turn on a light bulb but having Snap Circuits would certainly help. There are several Snap Circuits kits, the larger models coming with buzzers, lights, sensors and then some. I can’t draw a schematic to save my life but the 8-year-old that has this certainly can. This is the type of toy I wish I had gotten when I was younger if only to re-discover it as an adult. One of the best feelings in the world is outgrowing a toy and then finding out later as an adult that it’s still a lot of fun and that you never really outgrow some toys, especially ones that teach you something. This is the type of toy I look forward to giving my own child and watching their excitement when they make that buzzer go off. Considering there are a ton of projects within Snap Circuits, there’s a lot of bang for your $35 in this one.

Check out Snap Circuits on Amazon

Settlers of Catan

Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a board game, right? Sure, you can take the easy way out with the latest licensed Star Wars game or one of the 124 varieties of Uno, but if you want a real game that will last forever, Settlers of Catan is a good choice. Catan is a strategy and resource management game that pits you against up to four of your friends. Every time you play, the board gets shuffled around so you have to adjust your buying, spending and trading accordingly. Work to conquer the land and kick out your opponents to take over their settlements! Catan has more complex rules than some other board games but this is truly a game you can enjoy at the age of 40 as much as you can at the age of 14. Buy this for your pre-teen and they’ll have a game for life. Battleship and Trouble will come and go, but Catan is forever. I admit, $30 seems steep for a board when you can nab Monopoly for less than $10, but I guarantee this will not be money wasted.

Check out The Settlers of Catan on Amazon

LEGO Mindstorms

Truckasaurus got nothing on this.

You can’t go wrong LEGO. There’s a LEGO set for every budget and every size. Need a few stocking stuffers? No problem. Need something that will last more than 10 minutes? No problem. Need something that will be interesting forever? Also, not a problem…if you go with the LEGO Mindstorms. The Mindstorm sets are something I want right now as a 30-something but just can’t justify the $200 price tag. Yes, $200 for a LEGO set. But before you scoff and scroll on, these Mindstorm LEGO sets turn your regular LEGO bricks into moving robotic creations. Packed in with all the LEGO bricks is software that lets you program them to do your bidding. Want your LEGO robot to spin and dance when someone turns on the light? You can make it do so. How about a LEGO dinosaur that will pick up and crush Hot Wheels? Again, not a problem. When you were young and in your LEGO prime you always dreamed of making your creations actually move and do stuff, and now with Mindstorms you can make that happen! It might be cliche but in the case of Mindstorms, your imagination really is the limit…well, that and your bank account.

Check out Lego Mindstorms on Amazon

Simon Flash

Simon says...mabye?

I know I’m the first person to poo-poo modern incarnations of classic toys (and I have every right to) but Simon Flash caught my eye as an interesting spin on an old favorite. The original Simon is still one of my favorite puzzle games and I wish I still had mine. Between the lights, sounds and speed, Simon is a toy that still challenges me to this day. Simon Flash sounds like it follows the same formula but instead of beating on a UFO-shaped piece of plastic you have to arrange colored blocks that magically know when you’re right and wrong. Classic Simon had you hitting colors in order but they always stayed in the same spot. Simon Flash looks to challenge you a little bit more by making you actually move the colors around. This might be another reinvention of the wheel that is all bark and no bite, but I’ll give it a try for less than $15…it certainly beats the Uno robot.

Check out Simon Flash on Amazon

Educational gifts don’t have to suck

I just realized that all of these toys are more or less educational…well, maybe not the flying shark. From learning electronic circuits and programming to challenging your spacial reasoning to learning how to divide and conquer a small island of villages, there’s something that will be great fun for the kids (and adults) on your Christmas list. The best part is many of these toys are timeless and will last a lifetime. Why not give them a shot?

It might not look good, but…

By all rights, Minecraft shouldn’t be any fun. Even with its retro-charm looks, there’s nothing spectacular about the game play and for all intensive purposes, there’s nothing to do. There’s no explicit goal. So what’s the big deal about this game? Why are so many people playing it? I’ve decided that it takes a special person to be able to enjoy Minecraft. I’ve also decided that the free version of Minecraft does not do the game justice whatsoever.

This looks simple enough, right?

The free version of Minecraft is basically nothing more than a sandbox. You’re dropped into a barren world and you’re allowed to do whatever you want, which is more or less limited to building with blocks. This is great if you just want to play around with virtual Lego bricks, but that wasn’t enough for me so I gave up on it. I need something more than just brick stacking to get me to spend my money. So what got me to drop $20 for Minecraft? Good old fashioned peer pressure.

The game within the game

I was talking games with a friend and he mentioned that he had been spending a lot time with Minecraft and even setup his own Minecraft server. I picked his brain a bit, explaining that the free version didn’t offer much, and he agreed, but he then pimped the game enough that I was willing to take a leap of faith on his recommendation. The idea of a shared Lego sandbox was interesting to me. Stacking bricks alone might be too boring, but stacking with friends…much better. The funny thing is, my friend didn’t think I would enjoy Minecraft at all as it doesn’t really fit my gaming MO.

You wanna get nuts? Lets get nuts! (crafthub.net)

The paid version of Minecraft starts the same as the free version but I quickly discovered that this full version is more of a “game” than the demo. I started with some basic block stacking in efforts to build some sort of fort but then the land got dark. The moon rose and it was night time, and night time is a bad time. Once the sun goes down, zombies and skeletons run amuck and without any sort of shelter or a weapon I died almost instantly. Frustrated and pissed, I hopped online to find one of the few hooks Minecraft offers…you need a guide.

In other words, you can’t play Minecraft without the Internet. There are no in-game guides, quests, or NPCs to talk to at the tavern. You have nothing but instinct, which apparently in my case just isn’t enough. Thankfully, since I was entering Minecraft quite a bit after its popularity peaking, there are a treasure trove of Minecraft resources to be found online. Wikis, charts, videos and even mobile apps are all available to make your Minecrafting experience all the better…and if you resist, you won’t have any fun. On my home PC I’m fortunate to have two monitors, so one screen is open to the Minecraft encyclopedia while the other has the game and it’s a lovely combination. As you dig through your Minecraft world and come across a new item or brick you just hop online and find out what it does and how to use it.

Inventory and resource management at its most challenging.

Congratulations, you just killed a sheep and acquired two blocks of wool! Now you scurry online to find out what this wool is actually good for, only to find it’s not really good for anything. Well, you can dye your wool different colors but it doesn’t serve any useful purpose. It isn’t used to make clothes or trade for gold or anything. Just about every item or resource you find in Minecraft follows the same formula. Some resources are used to create basic weapons and tools that actually serve a purpose but in large you’re just creating more and more blocks with which to build.

Build and survive

There in lies Minecraft’s genius. Minecraft is a game about aesthetics. It’s a creative game and if you don’t enjoy a little creative thinking and defining your own goals, then you won’t get any joy out of Minecraft…but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any challenge. I mentioned the day/night cycle of Minecraft, and that alone is your biggest constraint during play. You only have a limited amount of time to spend above ground before it gets dangerous. Of course, if you build weapons and armor, your chance of survival increases, but in order to make items you need blocks and that means digging. Lots of digging. After all, the game is called “Minecraft” and that means you’ll be exploring lots and lots of mines and even creating them. As you dig you’ll collect different bricks that are then used to create other bricks, vehicles and (useless) items. Not only will you have to mine the crap out of your world, you’ll need to build safe houses all over the place to store your inventory…it really becomes quite a chore keeping things straight, but that’s part of the fun.

They mostly come out a night, mostly.

Minecraft is as much about resource management as it is about landscape architecture. In my first week of playing, I’ve found myself starting to plan my urban sprawl. Much like Miner Dig Deep on Xbox, Minecraft plays to my need for order and Zen-like routine. However, that means it’s twice as devastating when you die and respawn virtually naked. Your world and buildings are saved but you have to rebuild all your weapons and tools…unless you smartly store and inventory your items. See…there is a challenge. The best tip I can give a new player is to pick an item you want to create and starting looking for it. I suggest the clock.

Like to build and dig? Give it a try

I admit that Minecraft isn’t for everyone and I thought it wasn’t for me, but after a few hours with the full version I was hooked. The single player mode is enough for me, but the multiplayer option is a lot of fun too. You connect to Minecraft servers and walk around other worlds seeing what other players have done. By visiting a few public servers I was able to learn a lot about building strategies and saw items I wanted to create. However, even without multiplayer servers, the internet guides alone are enough to keep you exploring and digging like Indiana Jones.

The only problem with Minecraft is that games like this typically run out pretty quickly as you seemingly discover and do all there is to do. Luckily though, Minecraft is still in somewhat of a beta development state, which means updates are coming out all the time adding new features and new items, so you know there will be more stuff to do in the future. And if that’s not enough for you, the Minecraft community has tons of add-ons, plugins and themes that can change the game entirely. Minecraft really puts the player in control and that’s just what I like.

Want some more game recommendations? Check these out:

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A building block pioneer

If I remember hard enough, I probably played with Tinker Toys well before “Lego” was a part of my vocabulary. I remember my grandma had some Tinker Toys that I played with when my family visited. For some reason I always ended up with a giant cube when I put the Tinker Toys together, but as a small child that was quite an accomplishment. Tinker Toys were all-wood and had a limited set of parts so to me Tinker Toys felt more like a math problem than a toy. Tinker Toys really don’t keep you interested very long, especially when you have things like Lego bricks at your disposal. Once you start down the path of Lego you rarely look back and things like Tinker Toys are just inferior, but the concept Tinker Toys was not lost on later generations.

Tinker Toys. 60% math problem, 40% toy. All wood.

From wood to plastic

I’m honestly too old to have enjoyed them, but it’s easy to see the lineage from Tinker Toys to K’Nex. The K’Nex building toy is just a souped up Tinker Toy. They combined the rigidness of Tinker Toys with the plastic of Lego bricks to get the best of both worlds, and the result is really quite impressive. Like Tinker Toys, K’Nex was essentially rods and connection joints, nothing too fancy, yet a quick search for K’Nex will result in tons of fantastic K’Nex creations from kids young and old. However, K’Nex had something Tinker Toys did not: motion.

K'Nex, The modern Tinker Toy.

Following Lego’s lead, K’Nex added electric motors to some kits that let kids construct even more fantastic things like giant Ferris wheels and merry-go-rounds. Personally, I probably would have created some sort of catapult (like I did with my Lego bricks), but to each his own. Of course, Lego had their Technics line well before K’Nex was even in stores, but had I been 11 years old in 1993, I’m sure I would have found K’Nex to be a lot of fun. I would have made one heck of a bridge.

Build and smash

Being a child of the 80s, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I had an extensive collection of Contrux toys. Contrux had a very limited run, only about five years or so, but they had a huge impact on my life, right behind Lego. If I had to guess, my huge collection of Contrux came to be because of their relatively short retail life, which put them on sale very quickly and my mom was known far and wide for her smart spending. However, I’m glad she was because my best friend and I beat the snot out of our Construx to the point where almost none remained.

Construx, one of my all-time favorites.

My next door neighbor and I had thousands of Construx between us and we would make these huge cars and trucks, and then we’d ram them into each other destruction derby style. It was our own version of Robot Wars…just without the robots. We would design our vehicles with spikes, rams,  shields and the whole bit and then let em rip. It was a lot of fun but Construx were made of some very rigid plastic so they shattered wonderfully when smashed together. Much like Tinker Toys and K’Nex, Construx were pretty much just rods and joints. Construx were themed like a construction site so their pieces mimicked i-beams that connected at small ball joints. For the most part Construx pieces were all straight, but some playsets had curved beams and angled connectors so you could make wings and stuff for your super futuristic ramming machine. Plus, Construx had awesome rubber wheels that made your creations faster than any Lego car.

Building for the smart kids

The other building toy I had and loved as a child is by far the most complicated construction toy of all time, the Erector set. Not until the Lego Mindstorms many years later did a building toy have more complexity than an Erector set. With tiny nuts, bolts, screws, wrenches and pulleys, you would lose half the parts before you even got started. I don’t even want to think about how many little metal pieces got sucked up by my mother’s vacuum cleaner.

I didn’t appreciate my Erector set until much later in life when I had the capacity to engineer the the things I wanted to build. And yes, you really had to engineer your Erector creations. You couldn’t just jump into an Erector set and have something fun after an hour play. You had to go into things with a plan. If you wanted to play with your Erector set, you had to block out a good chunk of time…and possibly have a slide rule.

Tell me that doesn't look complicated.

Long before Lego and K’Nex spiced things up with motors and computers, the Erector set was the only toy that let you make functioning creations with motors, gears and pulleys. I remember making a crane with a crank that I used with my Lego sets. The Erector set also has the distinction of being all metal and they still are to this day, a feature I admire in these days of over-bearing child safety. For the most part, the Erector set was great for building stationary objects, although later sets did include things like wheels to make cars and tractors

However, due to the very small parts and effort required to even make something as simple as a tower, the Erector set was only for the smart, dedicated kids. I was way too lazy for an Erector set. The Erector set just couldn’t do enough to justify the amount of time needed to create something cool when I had snap-together Lego bricks and Construx at my disposal. I’m glad I had my Erector set, as it helped teach me the importance of organizing your tools and parts, but in the long run the Erector just couldn’t compete.

For once, my toys are really better

Like Tinker Toys, the Erector set may have been hot stuff in its time, but even these pioneers of building toys can’t compete with the fun and excitement of more modern and creative toys like Lego bricks, K’Nex and even the short-lived Construx. It’s easy for all of us to say that our generation’s toys were better than the previous ones, but in the case of construction toys I have absolutely no reservations in declaring that to be 100% true. The building toys I grew up with may owe their existence to the Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs and Erector sets of the world, but our toys were just better. Period.

Brian is a freelance writer that blogs and tweets about video games, toys and other retro fun.

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Sufice it to say, as cool as this set is, there's no chance my parents were ever able to afford it.

My childhood with LEGO is a happy one, as is the case with most of my childhood stories unless my parents couldn’t afford some childhood toy I demanded. Oh wait, that happened with LEGO all the time. Snaps! The thing is, with LEGO, much of the price goes to the brand name, but the tradeoff is that you have access to LEGO sets that incorporate Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Batman, and many more snazzy licenses that no other building block companies can sell. Very cool.

I’d love to be able to write something like, “Ah, the sweet memories of my lego star wars collection…”, but I cannot. The truth is, I’ve only ever had two LEGO Star Wars sets in my life (also, I’d capitalize Star Wars and LEGO as you saw me clearly do). Did I have the awesome Millennial Falcon? Nope. How about an equally awesome AT-AT? Nope, again. What about a still-pretty-awesome X-Wing? Nope and check mate. In total, I had a miniature AT-AT and a random carrier for the Droid Army seen in Episode I, so everyone except Kyle has probably forgotten what it looks like.

Even though I missed out on the Star Wars sets, surely I had to have had a number of other rockin’ licensed sets? Sadly, the only license from my childhood was the aforementioned Star Wars license, and the prices for the Star Wars sets were so outrageous that even as a kid I knew that simply asking for something as glamorous as a LEGO Death Star was akin to straight-up telling my dad that he didn’t make enough money.

Where did sets like this go? I miss them.

What I did have, however, were a handful of truly special sets from all over the place, as any good LEGO collection should be (LEGO is synonymous with “eclectic,” or at least it’d only make sense). One amazing Christmas I’d wake up to find a truck stop set that included several big rigs, a set that any kid worth his salt should have leapt for joy upon witnessing, which is what I did. Except, you couldn’t just have big rigs rigging all day long, which was why I also had an RV, in case any of my trucker LEGO people wanted to take a vacation. They didn’t have to worry about the truck stop burning down while they were gone either as I had a small fire jeep with a fire chief patrolling the area. Top this off with the coolest LEGO plane (remember, toys with wings are instantly cool) and I was one happy camper/trucker.

But wait, there’s more! Eventually my parents began getting me space sets with strange space helmets and vehicles that seemed to serve very little purpose but were extremely cool. There was even an evil black LEGO robot from space that’d cause trouble. But I never had to worry because I had a time traveling pirate ship with wings. It even came with a monkey because, hey, we’re time traveling so why not bring a monkey?

See! Evil space robot! With evil LEGO space pirate!

I really wish we’d see LEGO video games with some of these older, original LEGO sets rather than the movie licensed LEGO games that’re all the rage these days, but alas, I come from a different generation with cooler LEGO sets and a wilder imagination. My favorite set, beyond the space robots and flying time ship and truck stop, was simply my big blue tub of LEGO bricks meant for construction with no rhyme or reason. So many wondrous creations emerged from that blue tub. Perhaps it’s time to go find it and build something new.

But enough about my LEGO childhood and me. What about you? What is you favorite LEGO set? Or did you even have the chance to grow up with LEGO bricks? Leave a comment and let me know. Otherwise how will I build a great website without the many building blocks that are your comments?

Want more articles on classic toys from your childhood? Check these out:

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-Spring-loaded Serenade: Exploring Nerf

-Guys and Dolls: A Male’s Retrospective on Barbie

"That's LEGO Captain Jack Sparrow to you"

Anyway, it got me thinking: since this craze is still rolling in numbers, why stop now? There are tons of franchises with universes that could be Legoized incredibly well. Therefore, allow me to state the first five that come to my mind. And much like my article on Wanted Smash Bros. Spinoffs, I will end each franchise with my professional opinion of what I believe to be the odds of said game actually coming about.

5. Avatar The Last Airbender

Hmm... yup. The Finale still looks awesome.

Before anyone asks, yes, I’m probably going to put Avatar on every Top 5 Franchise list simply on principal alone. But if you all could please give me a minute before you label me biased and move on (fun fact: All of us here at Toy-tma are biased), I believe I have some valid points to why I think this would work as well as I believe. Avatar was one of those series where all the adventures were in groups (even the main antagonists Zuko and Uncle), so it’s perfect for 2 player co-op. Previous LEGO games, specifically the Star Wars games and the Harry Potter one, used Force Powers and Magic Powers to manipulate the environment, and I can very easily see how bending the elements in Avatar can be applied in the same way, and seeing how each of the characters either bends a different element or uses a special tool, it provides ample opportunity to create environmental puzzles. Plus, I think it would be really funny to see a cutscene of LEGO Aang bend an air scooter, ride it, then crash into a statue and have all his pieces fly in different directions.

Odds: Moderately Low

As to be expected, THQ pretty much has a tight grip on the Avatar franchise, so Traveller’s Tales would have to do serious haggling to get the rights, and that’s even if they wanted too. Unfortunately Avatar still isn’t popular enough to get its foot in the door. Maybe it would be if the movie had been any good, but unfortunately that turned out not to work in our favor. As it stands, there’s probably a better chance of ol’ Jimmy boy’s Avatar being made into a LEGO game than this. Sad but true.

But, to quote the actress who played Katara in the Ember Island production, “hope is all we have, and we must never relinquish it, even to our dying breath.” Maybe next year if Legend of Korra is successful and the buzz is good, Travelers Tales just might consider it.

4. Transformers

Hasbro's war. LEGO's world.

I’m sure War for Cybertron had it’s fans, but in all honesty, I feel this would be the best way to approach making a video game based on Transformers. Seeing as they started off as toys, why not make a game that places them in their toy forms, and place the humans and the world in LEGO form. This way, it accentuates the massive size and destructive power of the Autobots and Decepticons and how easily they can make buildings and landmarks crumble into tiny LEGO pieces. And this is one franchise where it doesn’t necessarily have to be based on the movies or the TV show; it could just go crazy and do whatever it wants as long as we get transformations, some exploration, and large scale battles with lots of LEGO-esque destruction.

Odds: Moderate

A premise like this literally sells itself. The big question would be if Hasbro and LEGO, two of the biggest rivaling companies in the toy industry, would be willing work cohesively on this one project. But hey, if Nintendo and Sega can do it with their recent party games, I’d say anything is possible.

3. Men in Black

The Bricks are Back... In Black

How do you beat a LEGO Johnny Depp? How about both a LEGO Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith? Eh… maybe not quite, but pretty darn close. Men in Black (the first one) was one of my favorite classic sci-fi films growing up. The effects were authentic, the aliens were unique and creative, and likewise for the weapons. In a LEGO Game, this would be perfect for co-op, as the buddy relationship between Agent K and J would indeed bring some charming cutscenes. Seeing as they are essentially detectives, the focus on exploration can easily be implemented. One change they can make is instead of swapping characters with different abilities, have K and J obtain new gadgets and weapons throughout the game like we’ve seen in the movie and the old Kids WB cartoon series.

Odds: Very Low

I could see a game like this being a real hit back in the late 90’s when this movie came out, but now, I’m not sure if enough kids (the target audience for these games) would be into it so much. I could see something similar with a much larger niche audience being made, (the big one that comes to mind being Ghostbusters), but the MIB seem a little too obscure now. Maybe they shouldn’t have nuralized so many people.

2. Spider-Man

LEGO Octavious commands you build this game at once!

I love Spider-Man. I loved the Spider-Man cartoon series from the 90’s, I enjoyed most of the Spider-Man video games I’ve played, and I also really like Sam Raimi’s trilogy of Spider-Man movies in the last decade. All of them. Yeah that’s right, even the third one. (I know, that essentially just includes me, the Nostalgia Critic and the Angry Video Game Nerd [Pranger's note: Also Pranger!], but whatever, screw all the haters out there ). And if there was a LEGO Spider-Man video game, I’m sure I would like that too. It would be cool if they made it like the Spider-Man movie games and kept the open sandbox style of mission play. There’s something about the idea of swinging through an entire LEGO-built version of Manhattan that sounds really appealing to me. Plus, I have always had the idea of a cutscene where LEGO Spider-Man punched LEGO Sandman in the stomach and a bunch of tiny LEGO bits scatter on the floor, then a bunch of other LEGO bits build up around Sandman’s hand to create a giant fist. Admit it. That would look really sweet.

Odds: Moderately High

If there was one thing holding back this premise, it’s that it doesn’t bring itself to create a decent co-op experience, which is what the LEGO games have specialized in for quite some time. I for one wouldn’t mind at all having a single player LEGO Spider-Man game based on the trilogy, but I know a lot of people like the multiplayer in those games. If they wanted to rework it to have the Black Cat be Spidy’s co-op partner, that could work really well.

I mean seriously, what could possibly work better than Spider-Man? 

1. The Avengers

Curses! I had to remind myself how badass this is, didn't I?

Do I really need to explain why this is a good idea? All the best heroes Marvel Studios has to offer- a weapons/tech genius, a gamma radiated monster, a Viking god, and a World War 2 super soldier all in one movie- now in brick form? Easily made into four player co-op? If they pull this off properly, it could quite possibly become the most epic combination of cute and badass in video games since the debut of Little Big Planet.

Odds: Very High

How could they possibly pass this up? HOW?!

So there you have it. A few more fresh ideas for Traveller’s Tales to wrap their heads around. However, I’m sure there are dozens of other franchises out there that would work just as well, so if you have any, please leave a comment. Until the next one comes out, look out for LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, with content based on all four movies (yup, even on the newest one, On Stranger Tides) set to release May 10^th of this year.

Want more video game ideas? Check out these:

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Beginning as a wooden toy company in in the village of Billund, Denmark in 1932 by master carpenter and joiner, Ole Kirk Kristiansen, the name Lego was formally adopted by the company in 1934, and comes from the Danish phrase “leg godt”, meaning “play well”, although they later discovered it also means “I put together” in Latin. Handy, eh?

The First Foundations

Lego Duplo was first launched internationally for children under five back in 1969, and the bricks came in four colours: yellow, blue, white and red. Designed for children from 18 months to six years, Duplo bricks were the larger, more toddler friendly version of their older sibling. Twice the height, width and length of standard Lego, they were much easier to use and also made for a handy missile to throw at friends, family or the babysitter when the opportunity arose. Duplo became a product brand in 1975, and has been renamed twice, to Lego Preschool in 1977 and Explore in 2002.

Let’s Get Complicated

But after the simplicity of Duplo, and the adventures of Lego Space and Pirates had worn off, there was Lego Technic which soon became the ultimate big (geek) boy’s toy. Created in 1977, and originally known as a Technical Set, or Expert Builder Sets, Lego Technic was comprised of traditional studded construction of previous Lego sets, but also had a number of new parts which were designed to reproduce realistic technical functions. Axels, plates, wheels, tyres, and gears were just some of the special parts that allowed these sets to move. Launching with just four sets, which included a tractor, helicopter and a forklift, Technic has evolved into a sophisticated motorised toy phenomenon, with fans of all ages from all over the world completing to produce new products in the monthly Lego Technic challenge.

Sure the Technodrome made you Commander Cool, but what other toys couldn't I have as a kid?

Remember a Christmas or birthday when you wanted that one special toy, but no one got it for you? Now you understand…it was ridiculously expensive, or impossible to locate. You were disappointed then, because there was no such thing as ebay or Amazon, and instead you got a sweater.

Well, now I’m going to take a long look back at the items that even made Santa say, “I…um…YOU WANT WHAT?!” Any kid with one of these babies was instantly cool in my eyes, no matter how much he smelled. I bet every one of them is easy to find nowadays, too.

Keep in mind, this is my personal list, in chronological order of their production. These were impossible to find, and expensive as heck for me and my parents.

10.) The U.S.S. Flagg playset (G.I. JOE)

This thing ate my Ghostbusters Firehouse for breakfast.

Okay, yes, this one was a few years before my time. It was released in 1985, and is to this day the biggest action figure playset known-to-geek. It was well over seven feet long, and could store GI Joe vehicles and figures. A friend of mine had one when I was very young, and let me tell you something: there is nothing quite so epic as an all-out, vehicle-on-vehicle battle between whole armies of figures on your own personal aircraft carrier. Unfortunately for me, my parents didn’t have $90-110 lying around, and they certainly didn’t have space for the Flagg to lie around. It was bigger than my bed, after all. If you had this as a kid…I kind of hate the kid version of you. The adult you is still okay, though.

9.) The Super Soaker 50

The latest in hydraulic shenanigans at the time.

This was the only toy that I wanted, my brother wanted, and my dad bought…for himself. Apparently, computer companies in the early 90’s employed some screwballs who enjoyed water-gun fights in the office. So, I didn’t get the original Super Soaker, first named the Power Drencher (good call on that change, eh?) that came out in 1990. Instead, I was given the consolation prize: the smaller, orange-colored version of the same gun, dubbed the Super Soaker 30. Water fights were all the rage back then, and they haven’t really come back since that golden age of pressurized warfare.

8.) The Talkboy (Home Alone 2: Lost in New York)

Looking back, this thing was so dopey. I feel embarrassed for my younger self.

The movie was a total rehash of the first, but as a kid I thought it was amazing cinema. Apparently, Macaulay Culkin’s crazy piece of technology that let him pose as an adult was never meant for mass-production. It was a non-working prop. But after many letters and phone calls, a working version was created by Tiger Electronics in 1993. Keep in mind that this “toy” was just a tape recorder, with a few dodgy features like an extendable microphone that extended about half an inch. This is why my dad put his foot down and said, “Kyle, if you want a tape recorder, you’ll get a tape recorder. If you want a toy, you’ll get a real toy.” Thank you dad, for being wiser than me at that age. Luckily, I did end up getting the weak little ballpoint pen version for a quarter of the price.

7.) Talking 12” Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story)

Available at all Al’s Toy Barn outlets in the Tri-County area.

Thanksgiving of 1995 meant the best toy shopping for Christmas. That was when I told my dear, unsuspecting parents that I wanted the most movie-faithful Buzz Lightyear that their money could buy. Predictably, we drove all over Oregon’s Willamete Valley looking for that goofy space ranger because retail stores didn’t order enough. Imagine sifting through fifty Woody dolls, and finding a Mr. Potato Head at the bottom of the bin, as a cruel joke. Pixar even took a shot at those retailers in the sequel when Tour Guide Barbie explained, “Back in 1995, short-sighted retailers did not order enough dolls to meet demand.” My demands were met, however, and I’m proud to say that I owned the first-run Talking Buzz, which in mint condition in the box can go for over $500 today. Something touching here: I recently donated my Buzz to a young child, who hopefully treats my rare little friend with care. *sniff*

6.) Batman Forever Triple Action Vehicle Set

I must not make jokes about Batman’s wonderful little toys. Every time I do, Joel Schumacher gets another movie deal.

This was a pretty cool one. Sure, Batman Forever was goofy, and a little heavy on the Jim Carrey (I didn’t even order that side of Tommy Lee Jones’s face), but the toys were pretty awesome. I distinctly remember my Bruce-to-Batman figure from the movie, and I wanted so badly to sit him in this beautiful vehicle. Batwing, Bat Boat, and Batmobile all in one, this was available around Christmas 1996 if I remember right. Again, too big and too expensive for my parents, but easy to find in any Target. I found one online for about $120 yesterday, and I still kind of want it. I mean, come on! It’s all three in one!

5.) Spider-Man Web Blaster

Silly String Plus: now with over-elaborate comic book tie-in.

Did anyone else write a three-page argument to their mother about the benefits of shooting Silly String from your wrist? No? You guys weren’t trying hard enough. No written diatribe could convince my parents to arm me with Peter Parker’s ingenious device. This was right around the time I got into comics, around 1996 or so, and I decided that this toy was the closest I would ever come to being Spidey. The great part is that they keep remaking this little gem. Eventually, Hasbro wisely toned down the messy, aerosol-based ammo and created suitable replacements for worried parents. These days, child Spider-men shoot water, rubber webs, and foam disks out of their wrists, just to name a few. None come close to the original, though.

4.) Dr. Judy Robinson (Cryo-Suit) Action Figure (Lost in Space)

Yeesh. I should blow this thing up on the 4th of July this year, while playing the Lenny Kravitz cover of “American Woman.”

Please don’t make fun of me, but I was a huge fan of this movie when it came out in 1998. It released two weeks before my birthday, and is the film credited with knocking Titanic out of the #1 slot. It was also a terrible film, and all involved wished it didn’t exist. In late 1997, the toy line came out and I devoured it, buying every bit I could. The Judy Robinson figure, modeled after Heather Graham, was the unicorn. I didn’t even want to play with it; I just wanted to find it. By the time my grandmother found it at a swap meet, it was a year later. I eventually had two of them, because I naïvely thought that one would be an expensive collector’s item in the box. I still have it, as a mark of my toy-collector’s shame. It can easily be found online for less than four dollars.

3.) “Power of the Force” Electronic AT-AT Vehicle (Star Wars)

That’s how Vader strikes back…with impractical, articulated legs on his tanks!

This behemoth turned mere battles into all-out wars. When Star Wars toys made a huge comeback in 1997, my parents warned me against putting gigantic hulks of plastic on my wish-lists (especially if they made loud, disturbing laser sounds). An interesting thing about this vehicle: it comes with two figures, that of the AT-AT driver and General Veers, the leader of Vader’s ground forces. Star Wars vehicles usually didn’t come with appropriate driver figures at the time, so I thought it was a nice touch. Find this giant robot camel online, and you’ll probably spend $80-$100 on it, mint in the box.

2.) The All-Powerful Nintendo 64

Goldeneye (Kyle), Banjo-Kazooie (Gus), Ocarina of Time (Chris), and everyone else’s favorite game of the late 1990’s was available for one machine.

Ah, yes. There are Youtube videos dedicated to the rapture of owning an N64. First available in 1996, the 64-bit video game shrine brought Nintendo back to the top, after the strange days of Sega Saturn failed to properly impress gamers in North America. This was the first major purchase for me that wasn’t entirely made of molded plastic. It was also the first that I was forced to pay for myself. I saved up for 18 months to buy my used 64, with one controller and one game (Goldeneye) in 1998. Many summer days blew by as my brother and I became pros at Super Smash Bros., and eventually I became the podracing champion of the galaxy in 2000 (I’ve since retired). Pick one of these up if you missed out on it back in the day, they are durable as heck and have more fantastic games than any other system out there, in my opinion.

1.) Lego Millennium Falcon

Someday, I’ll get it. My girlfriend says we can put it in our wedding registry! Um, would you all please excuse me? Gaaaawwww…

Okay, here’s the thing. They have been improving this set for years, and every time they came out with a new version, it was more expensive and more impressive. The latest version, the Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon, became available back in 2007, and is currently waiting for me at the nearest Lego store for $500. For that, you get the 5,000 pieces to build the three-foot-long ship and populate it with five minifigures. Did I mention that this is the biggest (as well as the coolest) Lego set ever? It will be mine…after I pay back my student loans…

Looking for more Top Ten Lists? Check these out:

-Top 10 Best Zelda Items

-The 20 Greatest Mario Enemies Ever

-The 10 Most Ridiculous Ninja Turtle Action Figures

These are some pretty high quality toys right here. Toy Story's still got it.

I don’t want to jinx this, but I’d really like to see Toy Story 3 receive a perfect 100% at Rotten Tomatoes, thus making the Toy Story series have a perfect score. While it’s most likely not going to happen since at least one reviewer will be jaded for no reason other than to cost it a perfect score, it’ll still be a hugely successful movie. And you know what that means? Merchandise! Toy Story has always had toys tying in, I know you’re shocked, and now that the new movie is a few days away I think we should talk about those, don’t you? So let’s go to infinity and…let’s, let’s just go.

The Shotgun Approach to Toys

Toy Story has a huge strength in merchandising that may also be it’s greatest weakness: The basic premise involves toys without any inherent theme. What this means is that the majority of the toys from the movie are independent to their genre, such as a space ranger, a cowboy, a Mr. Potato Head, or Barbie. This creates a shotgun effect in terms of a target market. While you’re sure to find at least one product that interests a kid, you generally won’t find one that’s interested in ALL the toy line and feels compelled to buy each and every item that has the Toy Story logo stamped somewhere.

Buzz Lightyear has wings. I'm happy. What more can I say?

Yes, there will be some kids that fall into that unlikely category of Toy Story brand loyalty, but generally you will find kids interested in one sort of toy and coming across a Toy Story-related toy in that area of interest. For instance, if you tend to love dinosaurs and collect dinosaur toys of all sorts, you’ll probably think the new Rex toy is awesome, but may not have any real interest in a Woody action figure.

However, it becomes apparent that the Toy Story brand realizes this weakness and decided to make sure that the various toys were excellent in their category. The Barbie and Ken pack is exactly what you’d think it is, and we all know that Barbie is pretty darn popular already. Jessie the cowgirl has a doll aimed specifically at girls, just as you’d expect the doll from the movie to be crafted.

Yup, that looks like Barbie and Ken alright. Very 90's. I like it.

Probably the big standout is the 12’’ Buzz Lightyear as it’s, well, Beyond Awesome. It comes in the spaceship box from the movies, has all the features the movie Buzz Lightyear has, and isn’t over $50. They’ve had these sort of Buzz Lightyear super toys out since the first movie, but they’re really stepping up their game to make them even closer to exact movie replicas this round, meaning your kid probably wants one for Christmas/birthday/Wednesday.

I want a few of these, just so I can see Buzz Lightyear fight with Buzz Lightyear because there can be only ONE!

The great equalizer may just be the LEGO sets. Since it’s LEGO, there’s no need to care about the specific genre. LEGO seems to just have one genre anyway and that genre is LEGO. The downside to the LEGO sets? The LEGO prices. No surprises, but still, good Lord LEGO, a little sympathy already. Haven’t we loved you enough over the years for a little price break?

For some reason this is more expensive than that ultimate Buzz Lightyear I just mentioned. How'd that happen?

I most suggest the action figure line if you’re looking for a solid gift for someone into Toy Story. Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and the rest are crafted rather well, as has been the case in the past. Woody will always look a bit out of place as a stiff plastic toy since he’s intended to be made of cloth, but the Buzz Lightyear action figures consistently deliver. Don’t forget my number one action figure rule: Toys that can “fly” are always cool. And look at that, Buzz Lightyear has wings. Sold. Despite this advice, I’m pretty sure the most popular Toy Story 3 product will be the Toy Story 3 Silly Bandz since those are also stupidly popular right now.

It really doesn’t matter if you mean to buy a Toy Story 3 product or not. If you have a child or have to buy a gift for anyone under the age of 10 this year, you’ll undoubtedly encounter something that says Toy Story on it somewhere. Thankfully you really can’t go wrong in terms of quality, so thank your lucky stars.

When I was growing up, almost every kid I knew had LEGOs. We all enjoyed building different objects, letting our imaginations do the work. There were instructions to follow, but individual creations were always more fun. And with the LEGO Ultimate Building Set, it seems that the trend is still going strong today.

With 405 pieces, this set is enough for any child to have a great time and perfect for any first-time LEGO user. Step-by-step instructions are available for five different models, but as said before, there is no limit to what can be created. Accessories such as wheels, doors, and windows are available for the models, but can be used for any number of objects. And the included building plate allows for a sturdy foundation to all your creations.

And for any parent that might be worried, the LEGO Ultimate Building Set comes a convenient container that allows for easy cleanup and no mess around the house. This feature also doubles for the creator, as the see-through cover creates the perfect display to show off your masterpiece.

So all in all, this set won’t keep long time LEGO users interested for very long, but for first-timers, this is a great starting point. The instructions for the five models will help children get the basic idea of how to construct something, and those provide a great stepping stone of which they can branch off. After all these years, it’s great to see that there is still enjoyment to build and create at a young age and the LEGOs are still around to provide that creativity.

So here we go, hold on tight, and please no food or drinks while the article is in motion.

10. Bananagrams:

Real bananas have letter tiles in them, too.

I’ve seen Bananagrams every time I go into a classic toy store, but I was never quite sure what to make of it. Obviously I’ve discovered that the thing I had never heard of outside my own random noticings is a super successful game that people have been buying like it’s a source of real potassium. The game has you rearranging letter tiles to spell out words faster than your opponents can, so think Scrabble but then don’t, if that makes sense. Better yet, just pick up the game for a loved-one and have them teach you how to play.

9. Qwirkle Board Game:

Looks about like what'd expect froma game named "Qwirkle."

I’m going to go ahead and just say that board games are back with a vengeance. You’ll be seeing more board games here on this list (and a whole lot more in my typical articles), possibly because people enjoy playing with each other again. My theory is that they’ve all forgiven each other for the sins of Monopolies past and moved on to creating new hateful memories with different games. Qwirkle is one of those games. I could explain the rules, but I can’t exactly decipher them enough myself, so you’re best just taking my word for it that Qwirkle is a good choice for a simple game with a lot of replay value to it, and really, those are probably the best.

8. Melissa & Doug See & Spell:

Time to see and/or spell.

Hey, now here’s a toy we’ve covered way back in the long long-ago (July). The See & Spell is exactly what it sounds like: it’s a collection of pictures with words spelled out on them. This one’s for the younger kids as a means to teach spelling and the like, but be warned that there are small pieces, so choking is probably a huge concern (heck, even as an adult choking is a huge concern).

7. LEGO Ultimate Building Set – 405 Pieces:

Oh LEGO, how I love thee. Let me count the ways...

Good, LEGO is getting some face time here. And ever better, it’s for a completely ambiguous set that requires the child to use his or her imagination and design something without instructions (a skill most men end up attempting anyway later in life). This is a great gift for the young builders in the family, but remember that LEGO bricks are small and can be severe choking hazards, so, you know, no newborns, please.

6. Bop It:

Hey, you get your mind out of the gutter right this instant.

What this “It” is that we’re bopping I have no idea, but it sure is fun. I still remember Bop It from when I was a kid and my sister got a Bop It game. It’s been redesigned slightly and the color got changed to white instead of black, but it’s the same simple game. Computer tells you to either “Bop It,” “Twist It,” or “Pull It,” and you must do that as fast as possible before it freaks out. Think Simon Says but on speed.

5. Ucreate Music:

I think kids like this "music" thing I've heard so much about.

If I told you that the Ucreate Music mixer allowed you to mix your own music, would you be shocked? Yeah, I didn’t think so. That’s what this is, no more and no less. Your kids can see what it’s like to be a music editor without some supremely expensive high-technical device that they’ll get frustrated with immediately and never touch again. No, this is the good option for the music-inclined kids that haven’t got all that instrument playing mastered quite yet and don’t have Garage Band on a Mac.

4. Blokus Classics Game:

I'd play with this even if no one else was playing with me.

Blokus is sort of like Tetris but more in-your-face, if that’s at all possible (it is). It’s won all sorts of awards as a game due to its enjoyment factor and apparent learning qualities. Yeah, don’t tell your kids they’re learning anything. Just tell them the game is popular and they’ll be cooler if they have the game. They’ll love it, just like everything else on this list.

3. Wild Planet Hyper Dash:

Aliens are designing our kids' toys now, by the way.

I wish I could explain exactly what this thing is, but I’m at a loss. I must be getting old or something. What I do know is that Wild Planet Hyper Dash is a fast-faced game based on reflexes where you listen to whatever the bell-shaped thing tells you to do. If it tells you it wants the red disc, you darn well better do something with the red disc. It has a few different difficulty settings, so there are all sorts of chances to be yelled at by an electronic device.

2. Scrabble Slam Cards:

Good stocking-stuffer right here.

Whoa, another thing that we covered this year. Funny trend there. Anyway, Scrabble slam is a game that mixes the word spelling of Scrabble with the raw hatred contained in a fast-paced card game. It’s a good game alright, but it’s one of those games that’ll cause your friends to evaporate and your family relationship deteriorate the moment someone decides to throw down and get serious about this whole family game night thing.

1. Scene It? Twilight Deluxe Edition:

What did I tell you kids about vampires and TV?

I’m disappointed. No, I really am. *sigh* Okay, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be so judgmental (doctor’s orders). I mean, something doesn’t just magically become the top selling toy-related item by being something everyone hates. Naturally, Twilight has a bad reputation because it’s so darn successful, and at this point in history you either love it or hate it. At least Scene It? is getting played and that’s good enough for me at the moment so kudos to that. I’d just prefer they made a TMNT edition just for me.

Real police stations should look like this.

There is no way I can cover the entirety of Lego in one small article. Therefore, I will limit myself to strictly non-Bionicle Lego since that just asks for a whole article unto itself. Pretty much every kid had a set of Lego.

And by the way, it is Lego, no ‘s’ at the end, though that is a common misconception. Apparently the Lego brand utterly HATES when people make that mistake. Personally, I don’t care, but that’s just because I’m spending so much time building a spaceship or a jet formed from an RV and a police station to care what’s happening in the rest of the world.

In the simplest terms, Lego cannot be contained to one simple category despite the various series of models they’ve put out. While you may get a pirate ship set, nothing is stopping you from deciding it should be a knight’s fortress or a coffee shop, assuming you have the know-how to assemble whatever your mind can dream up.

The Brief History

Remember when pirates were actually cool?

The first Lego bricks were created by Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1949, though Christiansen had been making wooden toys since the 932 with his company that he named Lego, a name Christiansen coined in 1934 that came from the Danish term “leg godt,” which meant “play well.” And that’s where “Lego” comes from. Now you know.

However, it wasn’t until 1958 that the current standard for Lego bricks was formed, but since then every Lego brick has been compatible. Seriously, if you can find some Lego bricks from 1958, they still fit with bricks being manufactured this very second.

I’m sure everyone has owned at least one Lego model over the years. One of the best Christmases I’ve ever had involved me coming down to a track of Lego road pieces with a truck stop built on them, complete with multiple big rigs, a firefighter’s jeep, an RV, and an airplane for good measure. Since that moment I was thrilled to construct, play with, and then deconstruct models both sanctioned by Lego and of my own design.

Popular Brands Love Lego

More recently you’ll probably find Lego tied to other big names, such as Harry Potter, LEGO Batman, and LEGO Star Wars. Most boys my age drooled over the thought of owning the super duper model of the Millennium Falcon, but of course most of our families were unable to afford something that cost as much as a year’s salary (okay, they weren’t that expensive, but they were ridiculous for little plastic bricks).

Go ahead, try and build a pony out of this.

Personally, I’d advise finding something a little less on the dramatic side and more on the functional side. A firehouse is always fun, or a police station, purely because both of those are important once you begin building space ships and time machines since there will be aliens and Vikings and all sorts of things that will eventually need to be arrested or saved from fire.

Of course you can’t go wrong with a kit of pure building Lego bricks, though I would suggest that more for the sort of kids already excelling at creating models other than what comes in the Lego manuals.

Depending on your interest in a Lego set, you could spend under $10 or over $100. Sadly, you’re paying for the name here, so expect the models to be more expensive than other brands, but still, you get what you pay for and then some. Lego will be around forever; they continue to be one of the most reliable and sturdy building toys around.

Lego lost its bid to make the iconic brick shape of its products a trademarked-protected design.  According to ToyNews,

The ruling rejected Lego’s claims that its bricks have special chacteristics that set them apart and ruled that Lego’s two rows of studs on top of the brick performed a utilitarian function and were not ‘for identification purposes in the trademark sense.’

This claim has become increasingly important for Lego as other markets have grown up around the classic look of the plastic building blocks.  For example, this MP3 player by HOMADE is styled to look like blocks in order to attract the youngest of the technological age.

We agree with the ruling’s sentiment that functional designs for stackable blocks should not be the intellectual property of only one toy producer.  It seems that Lego is forgetting its own history – after all, the design of LEGO bricks is based on the design of Kiddicraft’s “Self-Locking Bricks,” which were sold in the UK up until the 1940.

It seems that LEGO may also have forgotten the sentiment behind its generations, too.  The term “Lego” is a contraction of the Dutch phrase “LEg GOdt” which means, “Play Well.”  Building blocks are a great toys for kids of all ages, and the right to “own” the simple mechanisms behind building blocks in simply nonsensical… LEGO should remember how to share.

According to Toy News , Lego and the National Schools Partnership (NSP) will work together to develop an after school program called the Lego Technic Club.  The purpose of the club is to help kids have the materials to engage their creativity and interest in technology design.

Sometimes corporate interests in public schools is questionable (for example, soft drink manufacturers and school lunch programs) but we applaud Lego for reaching out to public schools and helping generate brighter futures for kids.