I got to catch a lot of tv this holiday weekend–and started to see the waves of toy tv commercials. Some reminded me of toys that did not win awards from us…and that we needed to post more reviews!!

When we first saw TRIO at toy fair we were all excited.  We love open-ended building sets and really get psyched when a large toy company gets behind a new system–making the access to it more affordable.  Unfortunately TRIO did not fare well with our testers.  The product is marked for kids 3 and up – so we enlisted one of our hard core DUPLO builders–thinking this would be the most likely audience.  He had the same trouble we did manipulating the pieces. Unlike DUPLO, it’s hard to pull the pieces apart.  We then tried them with a four year old builder–and had the same reaction.  We hope the folks at Fisher-Price work on the “pull” factor.  The pieces are pleasing–but too frustrating for the intended audience. Our recommendation is to stick with a basic DUPLO bucket at this age.

I used to play Jenga all the time. It’s my kind of game–you have to be decisive and you’ll know within moments if you win or lose.  So I was pretty psyched when I saw the new Jenga Max (Parker Brothers/Hasbro)  at Toy Fair…it looked great.  I then stopped thinking about it.  My mind was quickly full of Barbie Nail Printers and toys that read your brain waves.  Then about two weeks ago–I realized that we hadn’t received Jenga Max.  Oh no!    So we just got to try it out.  Read our review and you can watch our demo.

What’s better than New York City in February?  Being there to see the latest trends in the toy industry!  The Toy Industry Association’s annual Toy Fair is scheduled from Sunday, February 14 through Wednesday, February 17.  The event brings thousands of manufacturers and buyers together in the most exciting display of tried-and-true toys along with the newest designs in the industry.  NSF will be there…will you?  Come and visit us at booth #5621 or email me to set up a meeting (JSharp@nsf.org).

Happy Fall everybody!  I know that a lot of people hate it when it starts to get cool ad the days get shorter, but I am a huge fan of Autumn especially here in North Carolina (unlike the midwest) where it rather mild and beautiful with all the fall foliage.  Granted the cooler 60 degree days are just now starting to hit, so I may be singing a different tune come a couple weeks from now, but that’s beside the point.   So I have some early fall food events to share with you.

OK this a big sign of Fall and Halloween, the arrival of the super sugary and tasty Boo Berry and Frankenberry. They are brothers of Count Chocula only available close to Halloween:

Tasty sugary badness

A cool robot figurine

In case you can't tell this Archie Bunker's grandson complete with doll that is a physically correct male

Obligatory Star Wars figure- meet the awkward version of Mr. Skywalker

Of course, since were at the fairgrounds during the weekend we had to take a little trip over to the flea market which we always enjoy visiting on the weekends.  This lead to barbecue and deep fried goodies at the little grill at the fairgrounds that serves fair food year round!

One of the awful yet (in my opinion) rather irresistable creations of the modern fair

It should be disgusting, but man is it tasty

After the toy show we took a little trip to the farmer’s market and I got some great pictures of local food some of which will be out of season very soon. Maybe we felt guilty after the consumption of way too much over-processed and over-fried goodies.

Ahhh, thats better right? But man was that twinkie good...

Baba Ganoush anyone?

Spicy Habeneros

And finally a picture of our classy new doormat that resides on our porch.

Tonic indeed

I went to Toy fair at New York City last week. I have visited the interesting booth called The Aurora, which had numbers of pearls plush there. At the booth, they offered a character-based body painting in many colors and styles. I had my son painted as Spider man and he enjoyed it so much, forget to ask for any toys there, haha.

There was many comic books selling in the festival too.  I bought some for myself as well. My favorites were the darky Batman and the greeny Hulk.

Ice cold beer was served there, and I had enough pints to get drunk in the toy fair. I had fun too. My family will definitely visit the toy fair again next time. It is truly the largest festival in the US.

LEGO has been a consistent winner of our top Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award each year–often with multiple winners.  This year will be no exception–except in one category.

When we were at Toy Fair in February we were really excited to see a renewed commitment to the DUPLO line–designed for kids 2 & up. There were Fire Stations,  Trucks, Zoos…all great fun and we knew our preschool testers would love giving them a try.

Each set has arrived and while they are wonderful for 3s & up, we are concerned about the size of some of the pieces in these sets for kids under three. While most of the pieces are big and chunky, we found one or two pieces that caused concern. Let us be clear, all of the pieces meet current government guidelines.  Each of the pieces in question (see images below) extend outside of the “choke tube” and therefore are completely legal.  We wondered though–why make these pieces so close?  The CPSC recommends that parents use a toilet paper roller as a home test…all of these pieces fail under this test.

So we asked the team at LEGO whether there was a design or developmental advantage to having two year olds handle such small pieces and why the pieces were so close to the edge. Here is their response:

We always make effort to have play imitate life, so the size of the suitcase is proportionate to the DUPLO figure.  We would not include an accessory that could potentially cause harm to a child or that does not pass the CPSC standard for small parts and age grading as regulated by the official choke tube test.  The accessory does not fit completely into the choke tube and use and abuse testing reveals that it also does not break into small parts that will fit completely in the tube.  While we understand the “home” test potential of the toilet paper tube, it is not a regulated means by which to measure safety as it has no bottom to mimic a real-life scenario.

*Since we asked this question about the DUPLO Zoo, we have received several other set that raise similar issues for us.

While we appreciate that the idea of scale is important–we’d side on the up-scaling or eliminating these items for this age range.  The working light piece on the top of the  truck (one of the coolest aspects of the garbage truck–and also in the fire station set) could have been attached to a bigger piece, the fireman’s ax could be attached to his  hand, the same with the pitchfork…you get the idea. The flower and the fish…just look so inviting.

All of these products would have been Platinum Award contenders if not for these small pieces.  We do recommend them for preschoolers–but unfortunately we don’t feel comfortable with the existing age label.  If you buy one of these sets and you have a child under three or a child who still mouths his toys…remove those pieces that concern you and you’ll be left with a engaging product.

We hope LEGO will remodel these “close” pieces.  Last year, after our concern over STEP 2’s hot dogs (that came with some of their kitchens)…the hot dogs were redesigned…so that the  hot dog is now encased  in a bun–making it a much wider and safer prop for play.

Below are some of the pieces, in our opinion, that are unnecessarily too close for comfort.  Again–completely within the law, but we see no reason for them to be this size.

]]> http://fahej.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/mind-control-game/ Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:33:15 +0000 fahéj http://fahej.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/mind-control-game/ http://toyportfolio.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/pick-of-the-day-crayolas-crayon-maker/ Thu, 28 May 2009 17:03:21 +0000 toyportfolio http://toyportfolio.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/pick-of-the-day-crayolas-crayon-maker/

It’s back!  Last month I showed everyone had to make Crayon Muffins on the Today Show from old crayons…one of my favorite activities that I used to do with my mother as a kid.  Those are still fun to do–but it does involve an oven and you do have to be really careful about the hot tins, melting crayons, etc.

We were happy to see at Toy Fair that Crayola was bringing back their Crayon Maker (a former Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award winner)…this time with a huge improvement in design…you can see the crayons melting in the chamber (the old design had a solid piece of plastic).  The heating element is a 60W bulb (the tapered kind). I sort of wish the bulb was included–since not everyone has one of those bulbs hanging around the house but I can imagine the shipping issues would be too complicated.  There is a warning on the box that the bulb is not included…a plus. I really  have a problem with the small print warnings on some products- you get the product home, everyone is psyched and then you find you don’t have an essential element.

Just like the original — you load up your old crayons into the chamber–it heats up and voila you get new crayons! The chamber does not open until the tray has cooled–a very important safety feature.

There’s something so happy and life affirming to have new crayons…the possibilities of what you might do with them  always struck me (and sometimes meant I was staring at a blank piece of paper).  I also realize that I still feel  happy when I open a new box of crayons (the smell especially)…does that mean I’m forever 8?

At toy fair this year there was a booth that caught my attention…while most booths are chockful of game/ dolls/toys/electronics/candy…this booth had a chair.  I was at the very end of toy fair–I’m pretty “toyed” out by then, but I stopped.

The cardboard chair from eliafun.com had a very modern appeal.  It comes undecorated (left) with big bold stickers (a la Marimekko)…that also looked like fun (and something a parent wouldn’t mind having around).  Our testers really enjoyed working on the chair….the directions were easy to follow and one of our testers was delighted that the chair is reversible giving her more options about decorating!  She and her mom are thinking about decoupage.  Their site has lots of creative ideas for decorating. The chair holds up to 200 lbs. – impressive.  Michael Gross, the President (and an architect/engineer), also points out that the chair is completely recyclable. Michael’s background is evident in the construction and design of the chair.  We’ve seen many cardboard products in the past – many with extensive pre-printing on them – making them more like 3D coloring books.  What I really liked about this chair besides the design–was the open-endedness of the project.   The chair retails for $34.99.  The site also indicates that a table is in the works. 

One of the coolest looking toys hands down at toy fair was the new Color Blaster Hot Wheels set–the cars change COLOR when they get wet.  If it works this will be so much fun.  Stay tuned!

As you know the time frame for the new safety regulations under the CPSIA have been extended by a year. We asked Jim Becker, the co-partner of becker & mayer! some questions about the regs and the new direction of their science/activity kits under the SmartLab brand.

How has the last year of changing safety regulations affected your business?

Because we’ve been selling a lot of products to major retailers over the last few years, we’ve been in the thick of safety regulations for a while now. So we are ahead of the curve, so to speak. I would guess the effects on us are probably less than for other companies.

There are certain kits that we just won’t be able to sell anymore. For others, it’s an added extra expense. And for new products, we really have to design around the safety regulations.

Do you think the extra year before the enforcement of the new CPSIA was necessary?

Yes, because manufacturers need time to redesign their products to meet the regulations.

What was the goal of new redesign [rebrand] of your kits?
While we love the SmartLab dog, as do all of our loyal customers, we decided to rebrand in a way that showcases the components. Our goal was to retain the fun of the dog but focus on the excitement of the product.

What is your favorite kit in the new line?
You-Build-It RoboXplorer…We really created something entirely new that allows kids to build a robotic mechanism that is not only fun to play with, but also teaches kids the fundamentals of robotics. One of the greatest features is kids get to experiment and change things learning through trial and error—the best way to learn!

(SEO: we haven’t tested this one yet.)

What was your favorite toy as a kid?
Legos…I loved to endlessly build things. As a teenager, I graduated to building simple electronics, so my other favorite “toy” was a soldering iron. And, I still have it!

We loved the concept of these new vehicles from Kid Galaxy when we first saw them at Toy Fair.  Happily, they work really well.  The figure in the middle (left)  has a built-in motor.  Once you place it in the vehicle the truck will move forward and you can see the pistons moving–also cool.  It’s fun that the motor is also a character that can be used for spinning stories.  Our testers really liked the Dump Truck and the Pick’n’ Plow.  The mechanism on the Lift ‘n’ Load wasn’t as sturdy as the others.  These are interesting and engaging vehicles for preschoolers.  We’re giving Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Awards to both the Dump and Pick ‘n’ Plow Truck.

Deglingos are deliciously quirky   — and were a welcome treat at toy fair. The rows and rows of collectable dolls were gone this year…the dolls that look like real babies (in a seriously creepy kind of way)…we were just commenting on their absence when we hit the end of a row and found these decidedly off beat (funky meets folk art) dolls that will appeal to both boys and girls. Probably because I have two boys–I’m always sensitive to finding huggables that have that gender free appeal.  The Deglingos are a collection of animals – there’s a Cow (Milkos), a Wolf (Bigbos), a Bunny (Lapinos)…you get the idea. We’re looking forward to seeing the new line of Baby Deglingos and sharing them with our testers.

With everyone cutting back on their expensive coffee habits, you can enjoy a pretend cafe latte or cappuccino with this new pretend setting from Step 2.  The Cafe Barista looks like fun–we really liked the “steamed milk” sound effect.  Looking forward to testing this one.  Will be available later this year. Be on the look out for more and more toys that focus on food…both real and plastic.

Taking in all of Toy Fair is no small achievement, with an estimated 1200+ exhibitors with over 100,000 products (7,000 brand new), and 350,000 square feet of exhibit space. We tried to get some shots of small chunks of the Javits Center to give you a sense of the scale of it:

Trying to do it all in four days can make you feel a bit like this:

But intrepid scouts of the toy industry never rest – and sometimes, we’re even called on to perform feats of telepathic prowess.

At the Mattel showroom, we tried out the Mindflex, a new toy that uses your brainwaves to “levitate” a ball (see an explanation of how it works here). NAPPA Manager Barbara Smith Decker went first, and impressed the Mattel demonstration team by easily floating the ball and putting it through a hoop, the first obstacle:

NAPPA Coordinator Dana Morgenstein went next, and met with limited success:

We also saw The Force Trainer by Uncle Milton, a similar product that’s part of a line of really nifty Star Wars-themed science toys. The Force is strong in the toy industry this year!

Toy Fair is the most exciting event of the year for the entire toy industry, and we wouldn’t dream of missing it! NAPPA staff were there this February meeting potential entrants and giving winners rosette ribbons to display in their booths. Here’s just a few:

A NAPPA ribbon – and a TIA Toy of the Year nomination! – for IdBids, presented by NAPPA Manager Barbara Smith Decker;

Kathy and Janet Lennon with their ribbon for Best Pals;

Denis Allais at EZYroller, whose innovative scooter was a 2008 top pick;

14-year-old game inventor Zack Levins holds the NAPPA ribbon he got for the innovativeKIDS game Repeat or You’re Obsolete;

A ribbon for the innovative winning ZinkoTek building set;

Samantha Wolfert from Scholastic with a ribbon and Gold winner Dress Up Your Own Paper Pups;

Nancy Davies at Learning Resources poses with their ribbon for Goodie Games Cookie Shapes;

EMedia’s Dave Kurtiak shows off his ribbon for My Guitar and My Piano;

A whole heap of awards seals for judge fave board game Flibbix;

Bonnie Simon of Magic Maestro Music / Maestro Classics with NAPPA Manager Barbara Smith Decker and a ribbon for The Story of Swan Lake;

Curious Toys’ ribbon for the Curious Bonz Band;

Sakar’s ribbon for their winning Crayola Camcorder;

Blue Orange’s blue ribbon for Double Shutter, Shut the Super Box.

Next: NAPPA staff demonstrate our mental powers!

We’re eager to test Spin Master’s new Glodoodle ($19.99/available this fall)…It promises to be a light up drawing platform.  Much like the classic Magna Doodle in design (with a stylus) or last  year’s  Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award winning Glow Station from Crayola that is now available in a travel size. You can draw on this board and then with a push of the button the image is suppose to clear completely.  Maybe because I grew up making long car trips — I always wanted something that I could play with in the back seat.   I know it would have cut down on the number of shoving fights with my brothers.  I guess in an era of built in DVD players in the car, it’s not the same issue–but it’s still nice to have a creative outlet that works after dark.

Crayola’s Crayon Maker (a former Oppenheim Toy Portfolio  Platinum Award winner) is making a come back. It’s smaller than the original unit which seems fine and best yet, the dome is now clear so that you can watch the crayons melt.  Not sure why this process was hidden before behind blue plastic. With all the talk of repurposing products, I love the idea that old crayons that would normally be thrown out become brand new crayons your kids will enjoy using. We’re looking forward to testing the new version.

Toy retailers, manufacturs, and hopeful children from the tri-state area were all drawn to New York recently for the annual Toy Industry Association Fair. Though I was not lucky enought to make it to the fair myself (maybe next year… ), there are a few products making the rounds online that are sure to generate a healthy buzz this year…

Duck Hunter: Though I am against hunting, I must admit to being a fan of the Nintendo classic, Duck Hunt. With this real life version, charge the duck and launch it into the air. With infrared gun shoot it 3 times and game over- you win.

Green Dollhouse: At $240 (including furniture) eco-friendliness does not come cheap, however, this edu-tainment inspired toy wil hopefully teach younger generations the value of ecology.

Orbit Wheels: In only 1-2 hours, supposedly anybody should be able to master these transportation devices. A hybrid between inline skates, skateboard, and a gyroscope, these $120 parents-worst-nightmares will be in stores soon!

Just thought I’d post my thoughts on the event….

I had a great time – definitely different than the convention, but still fun!  It’s hard to see all the dolls and then NOT be able to take them home with you (I definitely like the convention more for that reason alone!!)  Dinner was nice and it was great talking and meeting other collectors. 

By far I thought the fashions of the Gene line blew every other line away!  The clothing for them was amazing!  The detail on the gowns were beautiful, and I like that the period pieces cover from the 20’s to the 60’s – I think that’s a great way to satisfy everyone!  Well done Mel & Jason!  Now if only I collected that line……

The AG’s are amazing as usual.  They are always so different and diverse!  I really like my Goldmine with her pale features and makeup – my hubby says she’s kind of “vampire-y”.  I loved Androgyny!  I thought her face was beautiful!!  I will definitely try and snatch one of her up!  Aphrodisiac I don’t know about….  I think I just need to see a different wig on her, but I know alot of people really like her!

The FR Basic line was nice.  Certainly some dolls will be more coveted than others.  I don’t personally care for this Basic line since I think that last year’s Metal line was more glamorous, but I know they’re going for a different look this year.  Out of those 4 I felt that Natalia was the most gorgeous – and yes, even with that weird yellow-green eyeshadow!  Jordan was beautiful in person as well. 

The FR dressed dolls I felt were hit or miss.  I love that they’re giving us a new Character Dania Zarr and I love the Lana sculpt, so I’m happy to see her looking more modern in this line!  Red Zinger was phenomenal!  She’s a definite keeper for me!  I thought it was unusual to put out 2 dressed dolls of the same character at the same time, so that had me wondering.  I didn’t care for the other Dania as much as Red Zinger.  Kyori is not a character I’m usually drawn to, so no loss for me there, but  she looked a little funny to me. (of course I can only compare her to my Quicksilver who is gorgeous!)  The Club Eugenia and Vanessa were more gorgeous than in their promo pics, so I’m a happy camper!! 

The NuFace line was interesting.  I’m currently in love with my convention Giselle, so I knew that I’d get the new Giselle no matter what she looked like, LOL.  But I do like this Giselle – the hair color is nice and I love the freckles!!  A lot of people are not liking the freckles, but to each his own.  I’m not a collector of this line, so I can’t compare the Erin to others, but I thought she was cute.  I really liked Takeo, but alas I don’t collect Hommes either.  Lukas had that uber cool look and Eden was really pretty with that color hair and makeup (and I think her outfit would look great on the new Sooki!).  I really like the hats for both Lukas and Eden!  Alot of people aren’t too sure about the fashions on this line, but personally I thought they were youthful and fun!  It definitely had a “prep school” vibe and sure, many aren’t going to “get” it, but I know alot of people are just going to redress them, so don’t let their fashions deter you from buying your favorite characters, because the faces and hairstyles are lovely!

The Agnes giftset is definitely a hit!  I don’t have any Agnes’s yet, but this one I would most certainly purchase! 

The Electropop collection was tons of fun!  David Buttry did another great job on this line!  I like the cool packaging that you can display them with!  I just wished that they had taken the glasses off Jasper and Aria so I could see their faces more clearly.  (there is a Jasper pic without her glasses on in another post on my blog)  I went to high school in the 80’s, so I think this collection is great and would probably be the first DG’s that I’d keep in their original outfits on my shelf!  Rufus and Jasper are the must-haves for me!  Oh and Rufus’s hair is blue AND black – really cool!  Sooki is cute, but I’ll pass on her and Dayle.  Now I just need a peek at Aria’s face to decide….  I originally was going to purchase this whole line, but then I saw…..

POPPY PARKER and I literally flipped out!!!  This line may be the death of my credit card!  I absolutely loved EVERYTHING about this line!  I grew up on Doris Day, That Girl, Gidget, etc, so I think this line fits my love of that era perfectly – and in the 12″ size that I prefer!  Her brand new face sculpt is so delicate and cute and those fashions are so perfect for 1962!  I can’t wait to see how this line will expand – and David Buttry (who also developed this line) mentioned that she will expand into the “mod” era at some point!  I like the storyline for her too (new girl from the midwest on the fashion scene in the Big Apple…that could be a movie in itself!)  I literally am dying waiting to see the prices for her.  I’m hoping they’ll be less than FR’s and I’m sure they’ll be more than DG’s, but with Misaki bodies, I just have no guess.  If they’re reasonably priced I will literally get all 4 dolls & 2 fashions.  But if they’re more expensive, then my must-haves are the Summer Magic and Reluctant Debutante  dolls and the 3 hour tour fashion, but I think I need Pillow Talk too……ugh…..please let them be reasonably priced!!

Well, that’s it for tonight!  I will be taking pics of Goldmine during the early part of this week and I’ll post pics here.  It was fun to be able to share the night with all my readers, so thanks for all the kind comments!! 

xoxo

She’s the BeautyTV host extrodinaire, and I do know that she uses the new Lana Turner face sculpt.  “Red Zinger” Dania truly took my breath away – she’s utterly gorgeous and that outfit and jewelry is to die for! 

“Red Zinger” Dania Zarr

“Exclusive Interview” Dania Zarr