Tiny Bison

UglyDolls have won the 2006 Toy of the Year award.

UglyDolls are great plush toys from David Horvath and his wife Sun-Min Kim that grew out of his art on miss-you letters when they were apart.

Check out all the UglyDolls. Here are just a few.

Embedded below is a Google Video of David Horvath at the 2006 International Toy Fair talking about UglyDolls and their origins.

Click the play button to start the video.

Brittlefish has a nice article about the new life Hasbro is trying to breathe into it’s aging line of board games.

You probably played most of these as a child. Some as an adult. Which ones still hold an attraction for you?

The Maimi Herald seems to think that we will have a major price war in the toy industry this holiday season. This will obviously be good for consumers, but how good?

An item that is over priced by $25 might drop 5 or 10 dollars, but chances are you are the one that will still be getting the raw end of the deal.

Of course, as long as we keep buying the junk they’ll keep overcharging us for it.

The Toys ‘R’ Us “Best of the Season” toy list is out for this year with the 14 top items for this upcoming holiday season. We’ll take a look at each item on the list and add consumer information and suggestions for alternatives so you can be better informed when you are doing your Christmas shopping this year.

Bratz(TM) Rock Angelz(TM) Tour Bus from MGA Entertainment — $69.99

This is a re-release of an older product, the Flashback Fever Party Bus, and apparently the only difference is the color and the price. Both are improvements over the previous bus, but at $70 this still seems way too expensive for this toy. It does include an FM radio, but for the price you would think it would at least include a cd player. But the Brazt line is very popular and Christmas is coming up…so let’s charge outrageous prices to our loyal consumers.

Our verdict: Pass. You can buy an entire dollhouse for this price from other doll lines, don’t let MGA stick it to you like this. Pass and get it on clearance for $20 in the spring.

Dora’s Talking Kitchen(TM) from Fisher-Price — $79.99

It is hard to believe that this giant toy is roughly the same price as the little bus described above. Even so, it is still too expensive. However, this isn’t a complete ripoff. The kitchen is durable and usable and your child will probably have fun with it. The “interactive” portion that appears to be the big selling point for this item isn’t anything to write home about, so don’t buy it only for that feature.

Our verdict: Pass. Unless you have a child who must have a Dora kitchen you can find better play kitchens for less money.

Recommended Alternatives:
Complete Compact Kitchen $55.99
Cookin’ Fun Interactive Kitchen $99.99

FLY(TM) Pentop Computer from LeapFrog — $99.99

At first glance this just seems like a really expensive pen which requires really expensive paper to write on. The second glance is mostly the same. But the pen does have a computer in it and can do some pretty cool things. It is essentially a small palm pilot with no screen. It can play simple games and can make music and do other novelty functions. It can keep a schedule for your child and it will remind your child when a scheduled event is near. When I was a kid we had a low-tech schedule and reminder tool. Her name was Mom.

This is a cool gadget and if it weren’t for the extra requirement of having to use their special paper to actually use the device then we would probably recommend it. But having to pay $20 for 60 sheets of this special paper will run your bank account dry after awhile. Especially if your child actually likes and uses the gadget because the more they use it, the more paper you are going to have to buy.

Our verdict: Pass. We’ll wait until the pen doesn’t require special paper, or at least until a third-party starts selling the paper for a reasonable price.

Fly Wheels(TM) Rapid Fire Launcher from Jakks Pacific — $39.99

This is a toy that launches miniature tires across the ground. That is pretty much it. $40 for something that rolls small wheels for you. Yep. But don’t fret, there is an upside. You can also buy expensive accessories! All kidding aside, this toy should be about $10…maybe $20, but that is pushing it.

Our verdict: Pass. For this kind of money you can get an electric race track or other toy that your child will enjoy more than rolling tires.

Recommended Alternatives:
Nascar Winners Cup Electric Racing Set $39.99

Furby(R) from Hasbro — $29.99

If you thought that the Furby Craze was over you were wrong. Furby is back and this time with a machine gun. Just kidding. The new Furby can hear you speak and can react to about 10 different words. It is also supposed to be able to understand Furbish but most people have had problems getting the toy to understand it. If you have to repeat Furbish, is it called refurbish?

The eyes move back and forth, it tells a few jokes and does a few other small functions. Overall it appears to be well designed and your child will probably have fun with it.

Our verdict: Get it. The price isn’t outrageous and it is a cute toy that your child will probably enjoy talking with and playing with. If your child wants one it is a good buy.

Other Furby Colors
Gray and Pink
White

GBA Micro from Nintendo — $99.99

This is one of the new handhelds by Nintendo. It plays all gameboy games and is essentially the same as the Gameboy Advance SP except for the fact that it is smaller and that you can’t hook it up to your Gamecube. The screen is smaller than the cheaper SP also. Why this costs $20 more than the SP is a mystery as the only thing it has going for it is that it is small. Which isn’t always a good thing. Plus for $30 more you can get the future of Nintendo handhelds, the Nintendo DS. It also plays GBA games, but it also plays DS games which is where the future is going for Nintendo.

Our verdict: Pass. It has less features than the Gameboy Advance SP, but it costs more. You are paying for the “cool” factor. If you must have the small size wait for the price to come down, there is no reason why these should be $100. If you want a handheld game system we recommend you pony up the extra $30 and get the DS.

Recommended Alternatives:
Gameboy Advance SP $79.99
Nintendo DS $129.99

Giggles and Coos Baby Doll from You & Me — $19.99

A 16″ doll that giggles, coos and makes facial expressions. You can feed her and she’ll make appropriate noises and when you lay her down her eyes will close and her stomach will move up and down like regular breathing motions. Overall a good idea. It is unfortunate that the manufacturer decided to skimp on costs and made this out of the cheapest stuff money can buy. Reports of the paint coming off and the lips cracking only after a few days are rampant.

Our verdict: Pass. Overcharging for a product is one thing, because at least you can still use it…but this is ridiculous. Do not buy this unless you intend on making another trip to the store in a couple of days to return it.

Recommended Alternatives:
The New BABY Born Doll $39.99
Little Mommy 14″ Baby Doll $14.99
La Baby in Doll Carrier $129.99

iZ(TM) from Zizzle — $39.99

The iZ is a small toy that you can plug in cd players or your iPod to and it will play the music (it has an internal speaker) and dance to the music. This is very similar to the iDog that we have reported on previously. This version of that toy seems to have a bit more functionality, but it also costs more. This is a novelty item and isn’t really a toy that your child can play with or learn from, but we will admit that it is kind of cool.

Our verdict: Pass. Unless you are getting a little toy for your desk at work you should probably pass on this toy. Your teenager might enjoy it for a few days, but at $40 it is quite a price to pay for a novelty item that will be forgotten within a week.

Laugh & Learn(TM) Musical Learning Chair(TM) (with activity table) — $29.99

A neat little table and chair that react to your child. It plays music and speaks to your child and is quite educational. It is also quite light weight and not particularly sturdy. Any sudden movements might cause this chair, and your child, to flip right over.

It also should be mentioned that the “up to 3 years” age limit is a bit of a stretch. The chair and table are quite small and a three year old would have quite a time getting into it. If your child is over 30 pounds then they will either not fit or grow out of the chair very quickly.

Our verdict: Maybe. This is a very cute and educational toy for your child, but if your child is too big it becomes worthless. This will be a good buy for a one year old.

Recommended Alternatives:
Learning Puppy $19.99
Learning Birdbath $19.99

LEGO(R) Vikings Fortress from LEGO — $69.99

For those of you that aren’t familiar with the new LEGO I’ll bring you up to speed: This isn’t like the lego that you and I grew up with where you had different colored blocks and you created something that vaguely resembles something that came out of your imagination. No, the new LEGO are packages of “blocks and accessories” that can be used to build one thing really well. And it comes with instructions. Of course, this is handy to make that one thing but constructing other objects gets awkward. Unfortunately, cultivating “imagination” isn’t high on LEGO’s list anymore, because packages with cool structures on them sell more. I’m not even going to go into the $70 price tag for this toy.

Our verdict: Pass. Do your child’s creativity a favor and get a construction product that is more abstract.

Recommended Alternatives:
GeoMag $19.99
Magnetix $39.99

Pixel Chix(TM) from Mattel — $29.99

We reported on this toy after it came out and our position remains the same. Any toy will become “old” quickly to your child if their imagination is taken out of the picture. If the child’s creativity can’t take over where the toy’s features end then the toy is a dud. This toy is a dud.

Our verdict: Pass. Get your child a normal dollhouse. They will get much more use out of it than this gimmick.

Recommended Alternatives:
Victorian Village Home $14.99

Roll-A-Rounds(TM) Drop & Roar(TM) Dinosaur — $34.99

This toy allows your toddler to drop colored balls into different holes which cause different events (pedulums swing, lights flash, music plays, etc) to happen. The toy is well made and durable, which is good for a toddler toy.

The only problem you might experience with this toy is that sometimes the balls get stuck requiring you to do a little ball maintenance every once in awhile.

Our verdict: Maybe. This is a good toy, but the price seems a little hight for what you are getting. If you can find it on sale then get it.

Recommended Alternatives:
Busy Ball Popper $19.99

Thomas & Friends Aquadoodle(TM) from Spin Master — $39.99

This is basically a drawing board that your child can draw tracks on with the included pen. Then Thomas actually follows the tracks that your child designed. It is very entertaining, even for older children. Once the track your child has drawn dries up he/she can draw another track on the mat and Thomas will then follow that track. Waiting for the tracks to dry before drawing another track is a disappointing drawback of the design, but the overall concept and implementation is very well done.

Our verdict: Get it. Very few complaints here. Beware when buying any accessories for this toy though. They are not of the high quality that this original is.

Tumble Time Tigger(TM) from Fisher-Price — $24.99

Pressing Tiggers hand will make him jump and do cartwheels and (most likely) fall down. The music and sound effects get annoying for the parents and your child will only really like it if he/she is amused by falling Tiggers. Fisher-Price really put the “tumble” into Tumble Time Tigger…it seems that is all he can do.

Our verdict: Pass. $25 is too much money to pay to see a stuffed animal fall down. It is cute the first day or so though.

Recommended Alternatives:
Sing and Boogie Blue with Bonus Video $29.99

Summary

After going through the list it becomes quite clear why all of these toys are on the Toys ‘R’ Us “Best of Season” list, because for Toys ‘R’ Us they are the best toys of the season. Why? Because most of them have such a high price that the markup must be incredible. Do your self and your child a favor and ignore any list (like this one from Toys ‘R’ Us) that is an obvious marketing tool. Your pocketbook will thank you.

20 Questions Handheld Game

Ages 8 and up
Retail Price: $13.99
Requires 2 AAA batteries (included)

If you’ve never played Twenty Questions on the internet you should. This little toy is a portable version of that game. It is great fun at parties and fun on the road too. The basic concept is that you think of an object and it will ask you questions about the object which you will have to answer and at the end of the twenty questions it will try and guess what your object was. If it gets it right then it wins, if it guesses incorrectly then you win.

For under $15 this thing works surprisingly well. It won’t be right all of the time but you will be surprised at how many times it will be correct. The downside is that the sound is kind of annoying so you’ll want to turn it off. Overall, this is a great gift for just about anyone (not just kids) and it is a recommended buy.

Darth Tater

Ages 2 and up
Retail Price: $9.99

This is the star wars version of Mr. Potato Head. If your child is not into Star Wars then you are probably better off getting the normal version. Of course, most of the time this is purchased because the parent is into Star Wars because most 2 year olds aren’t. Regardless, this acts exactly like the original. It is equally as durable and the pieces fit in a similar fashion. The only real difference is that the pieces are different, there are less of them and the cost is lower than the normal version.

So, if you are a Star Wars fan and want to pass it on to your children, or you just want a funny item to put on your desk at work, then this item is for you. Otherwise, consider getting the original instead.

iDog

Ages 8 and up
Retail Price: $29.99
2 AA batteries required (not included)

The iDog is very popular right now, but we’re not quite sure why. It listens to your music and dances around. Well, that is if you consider shaking its head and blinking lights to be dancing around. This becames old pretty quickly, the “cool” factor doesn’t last quite as long as you hope. The technology is impressive for the price, but it just isn’t going to be long lasting fun. Unless you are looking for a little gimmick to start up conversation at a party we’ll have to recommend not buying this toy.

Musini – MagicSensor

Ages 3 and up
Retail Price: $39.99
4 C batteries required (not included)

This is a cool little device detects your movement and actions and reacts to them with music. Your child can move, dance, or stomp around the device and it will ‘sense’ it and respond accordingly. It is actually very fun (not that we would play with a child’s toy or anything).

Most children will be entertained by this toy and it will keep them active as well. We recommend this highly to anyone will small children (or a dog for that matter). You’ll find yourself having fun just watching your kids play with it. It is a little expensive, but if you can find it on sale buy it. You won’t regret it.

Sunshine Symphony

Ages 1-2
Retail Price: $34.99
3 AA batteries required (not included)

Babies love this toy. It is basically a little soft sun with four “rays” coming off of it. Each of the rays have a different object inside (a squeaky toy in one, chew toy on another, etc). And it plays classical music. That is essentially all there is to this toy. It is heavy, it can’t really be manipulated by a one year old, and it is expensive. But your child will probably love it if he/she manages to get one. If you can get it at a deep discount it will be fun for your child, but don’t buy it at full price and don’t expect a whole lot of educational value from it.

The technology that is in today’s toys is nothing less than impressive. When RoboSapien hit the shelves it made a dent in many pocket books and was great fun for lots of children. But at what point does technology get in the way of your child’s imagination?

For instance, Mattels new toy called Pixel Chix is becoming quite popular among young girls. This toy is a house with a screen on the front with a little LCD girl on it that you can interact with (ie feed her, dress her, play with her). Sound familier? That’s probably because it is essentially just a small doll house and doll. Only this one can only do pre-programmed activities.

At $29.95 it might be a “cool” toy for your little girl to have, but a normal dollhouse would be better. Even better still, create your own dollhouse together out of cardboard boxes.

Why go low-tech? Your childs mind is capable of creating fantastic play settings. With some toys, like the Pixel Chix house, everything is done for your child. Their imagination is not needed and not used. Your daughter pushing a button to feed a digital image just doesn’t have the same creative quality as sitting down and having tea with her “best friend in the whole world”.

This isn’t to say that technology is bad in toys, just that you as a parent need to be mindful of the toys your child plays with. Think about the impact it may have on your child, not just whether the price is right.

Another European toy manufacturer is moving in on Lego’s territory. GeoMag is a Swiss company creating a simple magnetic “game” that allows you to piece together parts to make shapes, much like Lego except with more flexability.

They look like a great cubicle toy, but are a little expensive to replace Legos for most children.

Even China imports these things.

There is a new low-tech toy sweeping through Europe. It is called a Scoubidous (or Skoobie). It is essentially just a 3 foot strand of plastic string that you can twist and turn to create little objects or jewelery. The Skoobie started out with very little marketing and somehow managed to turn into a bit of a craze. Analysts expect that about a million packages are shipping each week.

The great thing about this new toy is that it actually encourages creativity and hands-on work.

One of the best toys ever made is the Etch A Sketch, by the Ohio Art Company. It can provide endless fun and some frustration. Most people can make some nice drawings, but check out the gallery at the Etch A Sketch website — amazing work there.

The Tips and Tricks section has some good tips, and a three year membership in the Etch A Sketch Club is only $4 (or $5 for those outside the US). The history and trivia pages are interesting too.

Check out these other Etch A Sketch resources.

• HowStuffWorks — How does an Etch-a-Sketch work?
• Etched in Time — the amazing online gallery and information page of George Vlosich III
• WanderLine — Keith Drake’s inspiring online gallery
• Michael McNevin‘s great online gallery
• Electr Sketch — hacking an Etch A Sketch for mouse input (seen here)

King’s Big Bucket of Dinosaurs is a large bin of dinosaur related playthings that any small child interested in dinosaurs would love. It comes with 10 large dinosaurs, several plastic rocks and trees, a playmat (it looks like a map), and two large volcanoes. It all comes in a sturdy bin with a lid so you can store the toys when they aren’t all scattered all over your living room.

Kids love to play with this. The dinosaurs are made well and the accessories are sturdy, so they can take a beating.

Unfortunately, the names on the underside of the dinosaurs aren’t always accurate, which isn’t a big deal since they are almost invisible anyway.

The other bad part is that, although they are safe for children, these dinosaurs tend to attack the soles of parents feet. Even the herbivores.

The bucket goes for about $20. This exact product is available in-store at Toys R’ Us, but a very similar variant is available through their online store.

The following is an interview with a 3-year old about this product:

Q: “What do you like about it?”
A: “Um..a Stegasaurus. Mommy says I can have dinosaurs in bed”.

Q: “Is the Stegasaurus your favorite?”
A: “No, the Styrocosaurus. I want to play with this (points to unrelated toy). C – N – O – D DUMP THEM! C – DOO – DO – DUMP IT! C – O – O!” (I don’t have a clue what this was about. I’m assuming that he wanted to dump the bucket of dinosaurs, but I’m not sure what or why he was spelling. And, yes, he does know what a styrocosaurus is — even if I can’t spell it.)

Q: “Do you like the trees that come with the bucket?”
A: “yeah.” (Then he makes a growling noise and slams the T-Rex into the ground)

Q: “Do you like the volcanos?”
A: “Yeah and I like this mountain too! Are you sure he is going to fit under there, daddy?” (Spoken while trying to stuff the T-Rex into the volcano and hide him under it)

Q: “How much would you pay for this?”
A: (He thinks about it) “I don’t know”.

Q: “Would you pay $50?”
A: “Yes.”

Q: “Would you pay more?”
A: “Yes.”

Q: “Would you pay 2 Million dollars?”
A: “Yes — I can’t reach my train.” (While reaching for his train money bank) “I really need my dollar, daddy. PLEASE!”

Q: “Do you like the bucket?”
A: “Yeah it has dinosaurs on it and it really, really stinks” (I have no clue)

Q: “Were you excited to get it?”
A: “Yeah.”

Q: “How excited?”
A: “I was really handsome!” (Spoken with much enthusiasm)

Q: “Do you like the T-Rex?”
A: “Yep. He doesn’t eat boys”.

And he doesn’t.