December Girl Products

MGA Entertainment

From the makers of Bratz come a new generation of dolls called 5sies. With their new house come spend some time with everybody's favorite quintuplets at home in this exciting, two-story playset house that features seven exciting places to play! With incredible detail and styling, you may just want to stay awhile! Also they sent us the 5sies Merry Go Round. It's time for a day at the park, the amusement park that is, with everybody's favorite quintuplets, the 5-Sies, as they ride their favorite ride of all time, the Merry-go-Round! This charming set includes five unique seats for each 5-sies baby that go up and down as the carousel spins to real music from the built-in, wind-up music box! Of course the gave us a set or two of the 5sies themselves to add more fun to these amazing sets already. We gave these two two girls between 5-10 and they both loves it. Since everyone loves babies this is for the grown up girl who loves Bratz and Barbie dolls but wants the theme to stay around babies. They do not make many of those these days. So we gave these products three and a half stars for its small but fun value. The Merry Go Round retails at $19.99 and is for ages 4 and up while the House retails at $34.99 and is for ages 4 and up too. The dolls themselves come in a set of 5 and is $12.99 each pack.

Finally we have the newest Bratz dolls from the series Tokyo A Go Go. We had a few new dolls but the cute product we got was the themed set this time around which was a sushi bar. Before the Bratz go-go to the disco, the girls with a passion for fashion and the Boyz who love them are sure to stop by their favorite city eatery, the Tokyo-A Go-Go Sushi Lounge, for an international helping of exotic food and superstylin' atmosphere. With over 40 funky pieces, including a karoke stage and mic stand, this set is sure to keep them comin' back for seconds! This is cute for a few reason, one the look is so cute and it looks like a real sushi lounge. Two the whole theme is cute including the girls authentic clothing they have to wear and finally the many different pieces that each set comes with. The last reason is one of the many reasons why we love these sets, since they come with so many clothes and accessories toward that theme. We give all these Dolls and Sushi Lounge four stars for its unique and imaginative values to a girls play time.

For more information on these and other products from MGA please log onto their webiste at www.mgae.com


Wibbles

Wibbles are these cute little plush animals that kids can collect and attach to just about anything and everywhere.They can even attach one to another to make like a charm bracelet or stack of wibbles together for better storage via the velcro on top and bootom of each wibble. They come in packs of two or atleast that is what they sent us and they are two the same, so you can collect one and trade or give the other away. We think its a very cute idea but we only give it two and a half stars for its cute and unique values. We have been told by them that, Our research of tween girls showed a 100% positive response to the product. We interviewed over 250 children, ages 5-14. I know even though this is true, adults older than I like these type of collectibles too. So go out there and start your own collection. For more information on these cute collectibles go to www.originalwibbles.com.


Shorties

From the makers of Barbie come this new series for younger girls called Shorties. They only sent us one of the fashion packs to review. So every girl likes to change her look and so do the Shorties. These packs come with one doll and two outfits, one for day and one for night. So they can go from school girl to party girl in a flash. We tested these on some girls between the ages of 4-8 and they loved it for its unique size, look and style. We give this three and a half stars for its fun and unique values. For more infomrmation on these products got to www.mattel.com

December Baby and Toddler Products

Toy Taco

Simply put this product is a cicular mat on the go, that boys can play with by driving their cars through the streets on the city on the mat. The part that I love and why it gets its name is because to take it on the go you have to fold it in half and it becomes the shape of a Taco. We give this product three and a half stars for its unique, fun and imaginative values. Retails for and is for ages 3 and up. For more information on this product go to www.toytaco.com .



Leapfrog

The first product we will review from Leapfrog is the Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set that transforms the refrigerator into a learning center! With 26 magnetic letters and a magic reader that recognizes which letter is placed inside, this interactive product inspires preschoolers to develop language, exploration, creativity and motor skills. Children can place of the letters into the magnetic letter reader to hear fun phonics songs that teach the letter name and sound - and everything attaches securely to the refrigerator! Plus, press the music note button to hear the Alphabet Song! We gave this to my nephew and he fell in love with it, although my brother and sister-in-law want to kill me now. He loves hitting the musical button and play the alphabet song over and over again. We gave this product four stars for its imaginative and fun values for kids ages 24 months and up. It retails for $18.99

Also they have the Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal Set where you Mix and match each animal to see how many combinations you can make! With only one mode, toddlers have the opportunity to either match the correct animal pieces together or let their imaginations run, and mix up to 25 animal pieces for wacky combinations. With each mix or match, toddlers are introduced to animal names, sounds, fun facts and lively learning songs. In addition, toddlers have the option to play with the farm on the refrigerator or on the floor. Other features include, a Farmer Tad music button that plays 5 banjo tunes, a place on the back of the farm where the pieces can be stored, and a carry handle for take-along fun. This magnetic puzzle toy is guaranteed to stick with your family for years. Toddlers hear new words when they insert puzzle pieces, which helps build vocabulary and early reading skills. . Puzzle play is a fun way to discover similarities and differences between animals. Includes 3 AAA batteries and automatic shutoff feature. My neighbor who is a teacher loves this since it helps kids grow in many different ways, she gives this product four stars for its unique learning and fun value. It for ages 12 months and up and retails for $16.99


MegaBloks

First we have some baby products. Like, the Baby Splash and Stack Island. Bath-time is fun and play. Includes a floating island with a water sifter palm tree, a water spinner, a soft-molded dolphin figurine that can squirt water and a soft-molded baby figurine to ride in the dinghy. This set includes extra building blocks for stacking. My sister-in-law loved this product because at bath time it got my nephew into the bath without any problems. He would play with the dolphin and use some other products to splash everyone around him at that time. We give this product three stars. For ages 12 months and up.

Next we have My First™ Bath time Swimmers. This splashy assortment of arctic creatures makes adorable bath buddies. Magnetic, kinetic and irresistible, Bath time Swimmers make bath time prime time. My cousin likes these but not as much as the Splash and stack set. We give these cute little swimmers two and a half stars for its fun value. For kids a little older like 1-4 we have a set from the Block Buddies Division, My First Pirate Ship. Take to the high seas in an epic adventure you build yourself. My Pirate Ship is full of surprises including music and sound effects. Build your own treasure island, discover the mermaid, and when you’re finished, everything can go back into the ship awaiting the next adventure. My neighbor loved this product because it brought a different adventure every time he played with it. His mother gave it three stars for its fun and educational values. Also for 1-4 year olds we have a new Disney product called Disney Magic Wave Player Piano. Learning music is guaranteed to be fun with Pooh and his friends. Improve dexterity, counting to the beat; create your melody and much more. Watch the Disney characters dance along a wave to the classical Pooh’s theme song as children turn the crank - a practical feature providing visual stimulation. Also, your child can carry his piano wherever he wants with the practical handle. Comes with 3 figurines! This is great for the future Mozart’s out there, who also love to build. It’s a real kids piano and it’s also some building blocks that come with little figures to play with. We gave this product two and a half stars.

Finally we have for ages 1-5 the Maxi™ 123 School Bus™. Get on board the 123 School Bus and practice your numbers as you go. Great building fun, an adorable vehicle, and lots of learning for the little bus driver in your life. This is again one of their best products out there. It funs for the kids and educational at the same time. I gave last year’s version to my nephew and he loved it, so of course i had to give him this one too. We give this four stars for its fun, unique and educational values. I would recommend this product to anyone for his or her children's next birthday or holiday gift.

Now for older kids we have the following: for 2-6 year olds we have the Maxi™ RC Racing Team™. Take the pole position with this great radio controlled racing set. Using a common chassis, your child can add body parts and build one of three highly detailed and authentic-looking racers. Build a rally car, an open-wheeled racer or an off-road quad bike. Or create fabulous original designs with the interchangeable parts. Includes a uniquely styled remote control. My other nephew is into trains and racetracks these days so for his birthday/holiday presents I gave him this and got him a Thomas the train set. He is three years old now so he is not so interested in the remote part but he loved the cars with the track. He loves building them and then taking the cars and going around and around the track a few times. So my brother gave this product three stars. He said they like the Fast Tracks set better since it has more parts and keeps bust longer. Retail price for this is $25.00 at a store near you.

Next we have Tiny 'n Tuff® Fast Tracks™ which can be built and transformed in just a few minutes! Building multiple highway configurations is fast and easy with columns, tracks and Maxi blocks! Use the bucket lid to create various configurations. A Tiny 'n Tuff race car and a police cruiser are included! Listen for cool sound effects of the roaring racecar or the police siren as the vehicles drive along the highway. Like i said above my brother loved this product for his son since it gives him a lot to do and his son plays with it on and on without stop. He gives this product four stars for it fun and imaginative values. Retails around $40 at a store near you.

For the really big kids and adult collectors you have a series called Nano Building System™. We got a few small sets including the Turbo Rally Racer™, which When turbo speed is needed to win the race, the Turbo Rally Racer is the one vehicle that will take it to the winner’s circle. The high mounted spoiler and streamlined body frame enable this racing machine to take the checkered flag each and every time. We give these products three stars. For more information on any of these products and others from Megabloks check out their website at www.megabloks.com



VTECH

From the creators of the best phones out there, come these new educational and unique products for kids of all ages. Here we will review a couple of products that we loved for kids 12 months until 7. Here is what we though:

First we have the Smart Start Sing and Discover Piano, Musical keyboard designed especially for infants. Teaches different colors, music styles ,counting to the beat ,animal noises ,instrument sounds and much more. Large padded drum plays fun drum sounds and trigger numbers counting. Joystick controls light patterns and manipulates rhythm and tempo. Sing into the microphone for voice amplification with background music. Panel with 15 LEDs provides visual stimulation. Three play mode buttons for selecting ,teach colors,numbers,music styles ,animals ,sounds and more. 4-AA batteries included. We loved this product we gave this to a friend of the family and the mother loved it. She was amazed by today's technology and is wondering what they will have out next. Although its made for 12 month to three years old her five year old has more fun with it. she acts like she is on american idol. We gave this three stars for its creative, fun and imaginative values. Retails at stores near you for $29.99.

Next we have the V-Smile, which is a unique leaning system that teaches children the preschool basics through interactive TV gaming. The console connects directly to your home TV! V.Smile TV Learning System includes the console, a joystick, and one game cartridge which is Adventures in Alphabet Park. The innovative joystick is adjustable for both right and left handed users. It features four flashing buttons and one large enter button specially designed for preschoolers. We tested this product on my three year old nephew, since its for 3-7 year olds. I think its more for 5-7 but of course he loved using it and acting like daddy on his own computer as he calls it. He learns a little bit from it, the rest he learns from his parents and other family. But we give this product four stars for it fun, educational, imaginative and creative values this product teaches kids. It retails at stores near you for $59.99. For more informations on these and other products available now from Vtech check out their website at www.vtech.com



Manhattan Toy Company

First we have the t and Peek Birdhouse. Four colorful birds all have different textures and the easy open roof and door are perfect for tiny hands. Babies love this since its colorful and they can touch it with out parents worrying what might happen to them. Most of their products if not all are made with soft material so a parent never has to worry. We give this product three stars for its cute value. Its for ages 6-24 months and retails at a store near you for $17.99

Next we have the Baby Whoozit which has Same great features as our larger Woozit, but small enough to tuck easily into a purse or coat pocket. New Baby Whoozit is made of soft velour babies will love to hold. Again another cute idea for babies. Parents everywhere will love this product since its a travel baby product. We give this product three stars too. It for babies ages 3-18 months and retails for $10.99

Here is another great product the Whoozit Gym to Go is a 3-dimensional play gym features a mirror, bright colors and bold patterns to stimulate babies visual senses. Playthings are attached at different heights to encourage reaching and exploring. Easy to assemble. Folds flat for travel with an outside pocket for diapers, bottles and other baby accessories. We donated this to a hospital in Israel where kids who can really use it, get it. This will be good for kids or parents on the go. You can take it anywhere you want and it keeps you child busy for hours and it also helps keep storage. We gave this product four stars fo it fun and creative values.

We also reviewed the Whoozit Color Burst Ball is a great first ball for babies and toddlers, it bursts with colors, textures and sounds. It features lots of bright ribbons to tug, an additional noise-making ball that rolls freely inside, and hidden crinkle paper. The unique bumps were created so the ball does not roll to far away from the baby. 6.25" diameter. This is a not bad product for kids to learn how to play sports and to teach hand to eye co-ordination. We give this product two stars.

Next we have the Take & Play Neighborhood Bedroom & Bathroom. Bedroom, bathroom & carry along fun all in one. This colorful set contains a boy & girl, fun printed room scenes and lots of pieces to move around. You can even add your favorite photo to the picture frame. Everything comes packed in a soft stuffed house that doubles as a carrying case. Its the cutest little thing, it helps the kids tell stories and be interactive with the story too. My neighbor tells me that her daughter loves making shows for her baby with this product. We gave it four stars for its fun, unique, interactive and educational values.

Finally we have the Whoozit Tuck and Pull, which Soft stars and circles can be tucked in and pulled out, hidden rattles and squeakers are always ready to respond to baby's touch, and a mirror encourages self discovery and active sensory play. We gave this toy two stars.
For more information on these and other products from Manhattan Toys got to their website at www.manhattantoys.com


Playskool

Ride 2 Roll Scooter, The Ride 2 Roll Scooter is a unique toddler toy that offers two kinds of vehicle play! This toddler-sized ride-on converts to child's first scooter! Features electronic lights, sounds and music. Removable dashboard fits on ride-on and scooter handlebars. Easily converts to scooter. Assembly required. This product was given to a neighbor to test and he loves it. I cam to their house the other day and he was riding around, since he is too young to use the scooter. His sister who is five she uses it sometimes and they bother love it. Their mother gives this product four stars since its a product you will not have to throw away for a nice amount of years. Also for its fun value. Ages 18 months and up
and it retails for $34.99

Playskool: Cool Crew Magic Talking Kitchen Crew: This electronic kitchen is perfect for little chefs with big imaginations! Bake and his friends are always cookin up a good time! Whether you're pretending to bake some cookies, fry some eggs, blend a milkshake, or microwave popcorn, it's more fun with Bake the oven, Mixy the blender and Zap the microwave! We gave this to a playgroup and the loved it. They love listening to the talking parts of the kitchen and coming up with unique ideas of what to cook or bake. The teacher loved this product because she was able to teach them about food and cooking at the same time. she gave it three stars for its fun and creative values. For ages three and up and it retails for #39.99 but you can get it now on www.toyrsrus.com for $19.99

For more information on these two products or others from playskool got to the parent companies website at www.hasbro.com

December Boy Toys and Games

Pressman Toys

Famous for their classic games Pressman toys will always surprize you with one new amazing game. But this year they have two new, unique and fun games coming out just in time for the new year. They have Hydro Strike and the new Electronic Snapple Game. They also have two other games coming out. One is a DVD interactive game called Atmosfear and the other called Like Minds which tests friends or spouses to see if they think alike. Here is what we thought:

First we got Hydro Strike this was like playing knock hockey mixed with pinball and a waterfight. The main point is to shoot the puck into your opponent's goal and if you get it in, it squirts him/her with water in the face. So you see this is a fun game in two different ways. One the competitive fun that one has with the opponent and two is watching the other guy get wet after he loses. My neighbor loved this game because her children played with it for hours and she does not have to worry about finding for them something to do every other night. We give this four stars for its fun, competitive and wet values.

Next we have the game that couples and friend who think alike will love. The point of the game is that you race to write down items in a category and try to match as many items with your partner as you can. The categories range from "things you find in a car trunk" to "things you eat at a baseball game." We love this game because of its challenge for one another to realy try and think like the other one. Its one of those games like the Newlywed Game just you do not have to be married you can be siblings, or even best friends. This is one game me and my friends love playing everytime there is a party or get together. We give this game tghree stars for its fun and challenging values.

Finally we have two other games from pressman toys. First we have the Electronic Snapple game which is based on the snapple caps trivia. We like the fact that they based the game after the promo snapple did last year to draw more customers to their product. but we did not like the game since we thought it was more fun being the promo and not a game. We gave this product two stars for its unique value. Finally we have the DVD interactive game called Atmosfear which is Atmosfear The DVD Boardgame is a game of skill, strategy and suspense wrapped up in a race against time. Once you press PLAY you have only 49 minutes to collect six different keys and make your way to the center of the board where you will face your greatest fear. There is just one problem. The Gatekeeper. And he's going to cause a world of trouble. If you fail his tests, you will be banished to the Black Hole! With interactive game play, random selection to ensure a different game every time. We loved this game we gave it three stars for its unique and fun values. For more info on these games or other pressman toys/games log on to www.pressmantoys.com



USAopoly

This time they are celebrating Disney with two new games. Disney Chess and Mickey Mouse 's 75th Anniversary Monopoly. These were some exciting games we played in our house this weekend. Overall we loved playing the monopoly but the chess was much much cuter. Here is what we thought for each:

Mickey Mouse's 75 Anniversary monopoly is one collectible game, that is for sure. Besides being a collectable its vintage (since the properties are the different stages of Mickey's 75 years). Board Walk and Park Place are the most important shows in his career, Steam Boat Willie and Fantasia respecitvely. The cool thing about this game is the characters you use to move around the board with, they are pewter figures that look like Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald and Daizy Duck. So the rules are the same but the theme is different, that's all. We give this version three stars for its collectible value. Made for ages 8 and up and retails at a store near you for $35.99

Next we have the new Disney chess set which its theme is based on the Heroes Vs. the Villians. This is the cutest chess set I'v ever seen. Since the pieces are cute and the theme is too. The pieces are as follows: Simba Vs Scar from Lion King, Genie Vs Jantar from Alladin, Hercules Vs Hades and amongst other Heroes Vs Villians. My little bro who is a chess fan loves this game because of the imagination they can put into this game acting like the characters when they take over someone. We gave this game four stars for its fun, imagination and creative values. Made for ages 7 & up and retails for $35.99. For more information on these two games and others from usaopoly log on to their website at www.usaopoly.com


Crayola

There newest products and inventions are one of the best they have ever created in the past. We had the priveledge of reviewing four new products this time around and here is what we thought:

First you have the Travel Turtle Desk Actvoty set. One one side you got this cute stuffed turtle that kids can lean or sleep on and on the other side you have an activity desk where they can write, doodle or color whatever they want. In order to use it as a pillow you would have to remove the desk top. Comes with 16 crayons and a coloring book which can be stored inside the turtle via the zipper on the inside. It is a great product to keep your kids busy on the car drive up to the mountains or where ever you are going. We give this product four stars its creative and fun values. This product is for ages 4 and up and retails at $19.99 in a store near you.

Next we have Spiderman plaster3-D paint 'ems. There is a saying if you can't go there then bring there home to you. Which in this case we are talking about the plaster gallery, since most of us do not have the time to go to one, crayola thought it would be cute to bring the plasters gallery to your house. This set comes with two characters from the new spiderman movie (I think it was spidey and Doc Ock). It comes with the two character plaster figures and a set of paint, so you can work on this from home. Its cute for kids ages 6-12 and for your average Spidey collector but not for teenagers. So we give this product three stars for its fun value but its still not as fun as going to the plaster gallery with friends. Those were the days!!! This product is for ages 6-12 and retails for $13.99 at a store near you.

Finally they have two other products whic we can talk about , they are called Gadget Headz Dial and Draw and the other is Fashion Tracing Light up Desk. First we have the Gadget Headz Dial and Draw, which was a fun and exciting product for the future artist we give it two stars. Its for ages 7 and up. Finally we have the Fashion Tracing Light Up Desk, which is a storage and work desk that lights up for easy tracing. It comes with art supplies and tracing paper. This product is for boys or girls who want to go into fashion, which makes this a great product to start one off in an amazing industry. We give this three stars for its fun, creative and stylish values. For ages 4-8 and retails for $17.99 at a store near you. For more information on all these products and others from crayola, visit their website at www.crayola.com .



Wild Planet

Spy Safe Cracker is a real working safe with interactive games. In safe mode, real working safe keeps stuff secure. In Safe Cracker mode, three different games, each with three levels. Maze Challenge: Guide stylus through the maze. Sonic Match: Use earbud to match sounds (like cracking a real safe!) Code Hack: Try to decode the PIN number. Games can be custom programmed. Randomizer means no sequence will ever be the same. The kid who tested this out got bored because he was not good at the games he had to play. So for some this is not such a good item but other kids had so much fun playing with this product that they went out and bought it for friends birthdays. Its made for kids with patience and who love to play games just like that. This product was give three stars buy these kids. For ages six and up and retails for about $24.99

Aquapets: Kadet: Kadet says: "I'm a Genius." I like science experiments and beakers, but I don't like beets. I am from the third ring of Saturn, and I am best buddies with Kiko. My power sign means: Anti-Gravity. "Let's go to the moon!" This product comes in different colors and its for ages six and up. Its fun to keep by your desk, like I did for a while before giving it away. It's a lot of fun to play with these pets and its fun to watch them move. For consumers who collect cute products these are a must have on your next shopping list. We gave these little guys four stars for their collectible value. Retail for about $12.99

Finally we have the Explorer's Gloves, which are Gloves with Built-in Adventure Tools. Unique gloves have gadgets for any outdoor adventure. Two diffused LED lights on the left glove's knuckles. Digital watch on right hand glove. Compass with magnifying cover. Plastic tweezers for specimens. Kids love this product because they can imagine they are either a spy or they are on an adventure. They love the different tools that come with the gloves and they especially like the fact that it was made by a kid. We gave this product three and a half stars for its fun and imaginative valuesThis product is for ages four and up and retails for about $19.99.

MGA Entertainment

Next we have for boys the Alien Racers. You've never seen a race like this! The Alien Racers are unlike any other R/C Vehicles on the planet! They are amazingly detailed, fully-functioning R/C vehicles that are fast, fun and ferocious! With four unique characters, each with their own specialized racer, the Alien Racers are set to run the competition into the ground. Cause at the Center of the Universe, Speed is Power! I brought this to a friends house and we had none stop fun plau at the begining of December we had a childrens bingo night to raise money for the local youth program and the kids went crazy over this toy. I never seen so many kids want one specific product. We gave this product for its unique style and fun value three and a half stars. This product is for ages 8 and up (in our opinion, manufacturer says six) and retails at $49.99