Yussie's Reviews

Spring Toy Reviews

2010-04-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

Telestrations

Telestrations is the visual equivalent of the classic school-yard game "telephone." It's a fun-filled sketching game in which everyone's attempts at "art" can turn hilarious. The game starts with a secret word that is passed from player to player. As the word is sketched, interpreted, and then sketched again, it undergoes a visual transformation that will surprise and delight everyone. Designed for players ages 13 and up, Telestrations is sure to be a hit at parties.

Telestrations still keeps Usaopoly at the top of our games list as one of the Best Board game companies out there. We played this game recently at a friends house and we could not put it down after we started to play it. Its so funny how one can draw one thing and 3 to 7 people later it could come out something totally different. Its a more creative version of the old game "telephone". We went to duck to chicken pox in one game or sometimes we got close like rocket ship and it came out flying saucer. So it depends who and how many people you play with that makes this game the amazing game that it is. Its recommended for ages 10 years and up, for 4-8 players and retails for $29.99. We gave this game five stars for its fun, creativity, imaginative and family values. For more information on this game go to www.usaopoly.com

Word on the Street

On each turn, one team flips over a category card. Team members frantically brainstorm words that fit the category while the opposition tries to sidetrack them. The team must agree on a word and pull each letter of that word one lane closer to their side of the street, all before the time runs out. Word on the Street will have you in the fast lane to fun. The first team to get eight letters across the street to their side wins!!!!

We played this game a few weeks ago and was shocked that it was a lot of fun. The name makes it sound a little bleak but when you play the game you see its really a fun game to play with friends/family. One thing Irealized is that its not as easy as it seems, we tried coming up with words that made sense but it dos not always work with the letters they have. This game is recommended for ages We gave this game three stars for its fun, creative and family values.

the chain game
The Quick-Thinking Linking Game, race to say a common phrase using one word from the previous phrase. Keeps the chain going and you keep your links. If the horn blows, the time is up, and you lose a link. The next player reads a new card and the fun continues. The chain game will be the link that brings your friends and family together. Quickly say a phrase that uses either Cat or Fish. House Cat, Fishfry, Catnap, Swordfish will all work! Quick and easy word play for 4 to 8 players. Includes over 200 cards, 36 chain links, and a horn. Improves vocabulary and rewards creative thinking.

We loved this game because of its team and family value. It teaches kids to work together to solve problems and win the game. Its fun to see what weird word combonations the teams come up with to keep the chains going. The more players the more competitive the game gets, but its still lots of fun either way. The kids will love this game because it teaches them how to put words together, or associate one word with another. This game is for kids 12 and up, good for 2-4 players and retails for $24.99. We gave this game four stars for its fun, educational, and family values.

Backseat Drawing

Two teams race to identify drawings done by their own team members. But, the artists don’t know what they are drawing--they can only follow the instructions given by another team member. Laughter erupts as players attempt to follow direction and to guess what is being drawn. With backseat drawing, there's no time to stop and ask directions-- the fun never stops.

This game reminds me of the old TV game show Win,Lose or draw, where celberities would compete with each other in teams to see who is the better at drawing. I loved the concept of the show but not the actual show. The difference between the show and this game is here its like the opposite of the TV game show. The artists or one who is drawing does not know the word/s. The artist here only can do what he is told to help him figure out the answer. We gave this game four stars for its fun, creative, and imagination values. Recommended for ages 12 and up, good for 4-10 players. and retails for $24.99. You can follow up on these or any other games from Out of the Box Games at www.otb-games.com.

Beat the Parents
Imagination Beat the Parents Board Game, find out who’s really the boss in the family - the kids or the parents - as parents are asked questions most kids can answer, and the kids are asked questions most parents can answer. Do the grown-ups know what school Harry Potter attends? Can the kids guess how many C’s are in the word cappuccino? And watch out for the Wild Card spaces: Land on one and you could be sent back or forward on the board. The first player or team to cross the board with all of their tokens wins the game.

This, game is very difficult because most children don't know adult stuff and most adults dont know kids stuff. It was really hard to review this product, even if we did like it, because the game is a little hard for kids to understand. But overall we give this game three stars for its fun and family values.

Quelf

Have outrageous fun with your friends and family playing Quelf, the board game where you'll use your creativity, wit and humor in ways you've never imagined. Whether you're answering hilarious trivia, performing ridiculous stunts or obeying silly rules, you'll be hard pressed to find a more unpredictably fun and exciting party game! But the outcome of Quelf is anything but simple. As you move around the gameboard, crazy things start to happen. Players start talking weirdly. Your friend's face is wrapped in toilet paper. Your mom is talking like Dracula with her thumb on her forehead. You're sitting underneath the kitchen table until someone rolls a "4". And when the dust settles, the laughing finally stops and someone crawls away the winner, you realize you've never had this much fun playing a board game in your life!

This game was so much fun we could not put it down once we started, Its one of those games you will tell your friends about and that the next week everyone should have one. We gave this game three and a half stars for its fun, family and creativity values. Recommended for ages 13 and up, for 3-8 players and retails for $25.00. For these games and others like them go to their website at www.imaginationgames.com.

Truth be Told

Truth Be Told is a laugh out loud, pretend to know your friends game. A player reads a card aloud, and that player answers truthfully, while all other players bluff, trying to answer as the card holder would. All of the answers are read aloud, and players choose the answer they think the card reader wrote. Points are awarded for correctly identifying the card reader's answer. Points are also scored by bluffing players if their answers are voted for.

This game is another one of those bluffing games out there and is only fun if you have a lot of players. The more players you have playing the game the crazier it can get so go ahead make a party, I dare you!!!!! We gave this game four stars for its fun, creative and imaginative values. We recommend this games for ages 14 and up and its good for 3-8 players and retails for $24.00-$30.00. For this game and others from Buffalo games look at their website at www.buffalogames.com.

Stix and Stones
Stix and Stones - A prehistoric picture-making race. Use sticks and stones to convey specific words-caveman style. Perfect for mixed-age groups, children and adults, single or team play. No drawing skills required. Players roll to bid on how many pieces their team will use to make the assigned picture from the challenge card. The lowest bidder has to build the image with the fewest number of sticks and stones. The team who correctly guesses the picture before time runs out scores points to win.

This is just another take on all the pictionary type games out there where one has to draw or sculpt a picture and others have to guess what it is. We love the fact that its not your average way of doing it and even more that its sticks and stones like caveman. So we give this product five stars for its unique fun, creative and imaginative values.For 2 or more players or teams.and recommended for ages 7 and up and retails for $24.99.

Hot Dotz jr Cards and Ace the Talking Dog Pens

36 colorfully illustrated doubled-sided cards provide 72 early learning activities for shape identification, matching, and vocabulary, plus answer key. A great way to get ready for school! And the pen talks, glows and makes fun sounds with slim line design. Use with other hot dots cards or books and provides immediate feedback. This amazing new Hot Dots Pen talks, glows bigger and brighter, and makes more of the fun sounds kids love. You select what you want to hear: cool phrases, wild sound effects, or both! Plus, the new slimline design makes it easy to use. Uses 2 "AAA" batteries, not included.

Kids love these products because of the shape of the pen like a dog and the sounds it makes. Kids love products that interact with them, that make sounds, light up talk and etc.So kids loved this product but parents love it too. One parent said "that she loved this product because it taught her kids how to learn in a cute and fun way." So we give this product 4 stars for its fun, creative and educational values. Its recommendedfor ages four and up and retails from $9.99 and up for pens and boxed sets of Hot Dotz. For these products and other fun products from Eductional Insights look at their website at www.educationalinsights.com

2009-07-10T11:04:00.001-07:00

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winter 09 reviews

2009-02-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

Zoobie Pets

Bedtime is now fun time in my house with Zoobie pets.
My children love the idea of snuggling in with their very own bed time buddy.
My 4yr old daughter who is quiet the little monkey herself has grown attached to Mashakah the monkey from the safari collection. Meshakah is also good for long drives and much needed nap time. The blanket zippers in for easy storage and you don’t have to worry about where you are going to store it when your little one wakes up. It goes right into Mahakah’s tummy and makes for a very snuggly friend.
Going to bed is no longer a drag because it is now a safari adventure. Jafaru the giraffe is also part of our family. He goes to bed with my 7 yr. old daughter. After a hard day at school, she can stretch her imagination as high up as his neck and settle in for playful dreams exploring all she can see from way up. The detailed stitching on these critters are so lovely, it really makes me want to go get one all for myself.
I highly recommend Zoobie pets for every gift occasion. *****

Tziporah A. Jaeger.
Mother of two, ages 7 and 4.

Think big with WalkAroo II By air Kicks, GEOSPACE.
These stilts really excited the neighborhood children. It occupied them for nearly two hours, and they could have kept going.
Taking turns, the kids outside ages 4 – 12 had a blast. They stomped around discovering a new world way up high as they towered from above.
The stilts encourage motivation for coordination and balance. This is a fun way to get your little one to slow down and focus. The only trouble I seem to be having now is keeping my little ones out of my top cabinets! It looked like so much fun I couldn’t be left out. It is challenging and very rewarding to master this skill. The rubber feet lets me be worry free about scuffed floors and enables me to just sit back and literally watch my children reach for the stars. It was a little difficult for my younger daughter but after a little practice she caught on. Seeing the older children master it really helped.****

Tziporah A. Jaeger
Mother of two, ages 7 and 4

Our first ever Video Game review,

2008-09-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

Halo 3 is a First Person Shooter video game set in the Halo Universe. It was developed by Bungie Studios and published by Microsoft. Halo 3 concludes the Halo trilogy by wrapping up the story that the previous two games began. It involves John-117 or the Master Chief joining forces with his previously sworn enemy, the Arbiter, returning to Earth to stop the Prophet of Truth from activating The Ark which if activated would in turn exterminate all forms of life in the universe. The Master Chief must also retrieve Cortana from the clutches of the dreaded Gravemind and, as in the previous games, he must contend with the arrival of the Flood on Earth.

Halo 3’s campaign may not top the original Halo’s epic story mode but, in all honesty, neither does anything else. Halo, one of the greatest games of all time, cannot be matched, and Halo 3 does not attempt to do so. The campaign is an enjoyable mode that does not try to outdo its original. The newly added 4 person campaign feature is a perfect way to make up for any of the game’s shortcomings with hours and hours of fun with multiple friends. On top of that, the point total mini-game adds a little extra competition for you and your friends. Now you can see who can accumulate more points while you’re working together to beat the game, and who doesn’t appreciate some extra competition amongst friends? But… Let’s be honest, who bases a Halo game’s value on its campaign mode. That’s right, Halo’s always exciting, always enjoyable, always intense multiplayer is back, and it’s back with a vengeance! Halo 3 brings back all of the good features that made Halo 2’s multiplayer mode one of the most popular multiplayer games of all time and attempts to fix all of its flaws. The new weapons, vehicles and maps together with some revitalized returning ones give Halo 3 a new and improved feel with a strong connection to what made the previous games such successes. But wait, there’s more.
Halo 3 comes complete with a map editor! That’s right, a map editor! If you get bored of playing the maps the way Bungie made them, or get tired or your friends exploiting cheap little mistakes on maps during custom games, FIX THEM! Edit the maps to your liking and the game will never get old. Where to go from there? How about to, “Halo 3, now you’re just showing off.” Ever have an amazing kill, a funny sight, an unbelievable moment that you just know none of your friends will ever believe? All you hear is, “yea, I’m sure that happened, great for you.” All of that comes to an end in Halo 3. After one of these unbelievable things happen, simply just wait for the game to end and go into the theater and save the film of the game so that you are able to cut the clip out and message it to your friends later. That’s right! I said, cut the clip out of the game film and message it to your friends. Make these unbelievable moments believable.

Halo 3 is a great addition to any gamer’s library. It lives up to its namesake and is a great way for the Halo trilogy to finish. The best way to define an amazing game would be to say, “many new games come out all the time, and while they may capture your attention for a week, a month, or even a couple of months at a time you will always return to just one of them,” and that’s Halo 3.

fall 2008 products

2008-09-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

Due to personal circumstances I did not have time to write up some reviews from the spring, so I apologize and here they are:

We start of with a company that i grew up on Playmobil, its like having you own little town of people and you are in control of what they do. I mean they have made every thing you can think of up for kids to imagine with. There is pirates and treasure hunting, there is police, fire and paramedics to save the town. There are hotels, stores, bars and etc to make streets, oh and of course houses, mansions, parks and skyscrapers. There are also cars, boats, yachts and planes to travel in. So that is part of what makes this company so special for kids. The cornerstone of all Playmobil activities is the two and three quarter inch figure which can bend, sit, stand, turn its head and move its arms. The hands, which can grasp, rotate and carry accessories, are what make realistic play possible. The figures also have a smiley face that suits just about any play situation. All Playmobil men, women, children and animals are compatible will all other Playmobil vehicles, accessories and environments.

The first set we will talk about is the Circus Ring set.This is a fun Circus Ring with trapeze artists. Seats approximately 30 visitors. The opening of the big top is adjustable. Includes 7 characters. LED lights. Great for imaginative play. It also come with ticket booths and all the right pieces to make this circus look realistic. The thing we love about this company is the add on sets they add to it like for this series you can add on more people who can come visit, animals to be in the circus, the different acts, clowns, and the places where one stores the animals. We gave this to a kid ot play and came back hours later and she was still playing with it and not bored at all. The only bad thing about these sets, which is not a bad thing, is that you need more add ons or sets to really enjoy playing with this. We gave this product four out of five stars for its imaginative, fun and creative values.

Next up we have the Horse Farm Pony ranch. This is a real fun set for those kids who love farming or animals, especially horses. Every Pony Ranch needs a farm. Horse Farm comes with three figures, two horses, a pony and kiosk. Lots of accessories are included. Though the actual product does not look like a farm it looks like most stables. So its part of a farm. Again this product is great for kids to play with for hours but when you add the extras on it will make a whole different world. We love these products and they are very cute. It comes with everything you need to make a stable work. Recommended for ages 4 and up. We give this product three stars for its fun, creative and imaginative values. Its just not as exciting as the circus. For more info on these or other products from playmobil please check out their website at www.playmobil.com

Next we have International Playthings Inc. The primary mission of IPI is to deveop and supply innovative and entertaining products with superior play value and chile developmental qualities to consumers. They have many different companies they represent and many different products they manufacture. We recently reviewed one of their products and here is the review:

Imaginetics are very cool products with a cool concept but not unique. This product ischunky, sturdy magnetic pieces that kids can move around on a colorful playboard to creat stories and play games. These play sets are perfect for keeping your kids busy while you travel. The one we revieved was a Thomas the Tank Engine set, which comes with Thomas and other characters from the book/tv series which your kids can make different scenes up with their favorite engine. These products are perfect for kids 3 & up. We give this product three stars for its creative, fun and imaginative values.

Techno Source is the next company we will talk about. They introduce a new version of an amazing product thats been out for years, its called Rubik's Revolution. Test your speed and smarts with this new spin on the world's #1 cube game. An electronic version of the best-selling Rubik's Cube. Multiple challenging levels. 6 addictive, fast-paced electronic games in one. Games include Light Speed, Rapid Recharge, Pattern Panic, Code Cracker, Multiplayer Madness and Cube Catcher. Features lights and sound effects. Conquer one level and the cube unlocks another. Take your cube concentration to the next level - but watch out, you may not be able to put it down! We tried this game and we had to have it pryed out of our hands for us to stop, even though we did not get past level 2!!! But we give this product three and a half stars for its fun, family and challenge values. For more info on this or other products from Techno Source please check out www.technosourceusa.com

Finally for now we will review products from Think Fun!!! Its the amazing company that brought you Rush Hour and Tip Over.

First we got the game called Serpentiles. In this spatial visualization game the winding path must begin and end at the same place, creating a continuous, unbroken path. Using the challenge cards, players select the appropriate tiles, and then begin to line them up, green against green and blue against blue. This game has some major twists and turns. Which is why kids of all ages love this game and parents love it because it make the kids think of what to do next. Made for ages 8 and up. We give this product three stars for its creative, fun and challenge values.

Next is the game called Ducks in a Row. This competitive board game is like a wacky version of checkers. Kids will giggle at the colorful beach board and plucky duck characters. After deciding whether they want to be the duck that surfs or the one that water skis, the two opponents face off, and try to be the first to line up four ducks in a row. Players can move up and down, side to side, and diagonally, but they can't jump themselves or their opponent. A fun strategy game, players have to pay attention to their opponent's moves, as well as their own. Another one of their wonderful games that kids are challanged with. The kids can play this game all day long and switch characters on and off and not get bored. This game is for kids ages 5 years and up. We give this product a four stars for its fun, creative, family and challenge values.

Last but not least we have a game called Top This. This is where you will be challenged and delighted in this game that confounds your ability to visualize and match patterns. Game cards specify different orange and blue puzzle shapes. You must create identical shapes by stacking orange pieces on top of blue pieces, or vice versa. This surprisingly tricky game will have you slapping your forehead in happy exasperation. Intermediate and expert levels offer more challenging fun with greater numbers of game pieces. It features forty mind challenge cards with solutions, twenty shape pieces, card holder, and game-go bag. This is a fun and challenging game for the whole family. The more you win a challenge the more you want to do the next one. So its a little addictive. That is why kids love it. This product is made for kids ages 8 years and up and we gave it three stars for its challenging, creative and addictive values. For more information on these or other Think Fun products check out their website at www.thinkfun.com.

ny film festival by goldy moldavsky

2008-03-04T13:38:00.000-08:00

Art house films, as opposed to regular films, are kind of a big thing at film festivals. In fact it wouldn’t be a festival without at least some sampling of foreign language, abstract or experimental fare. And the New York Film Festival, now in its 45th year, has been known to pluck out the most art house of films to showcase. This year’s crop, however, features some big movies with distributors and buzz and just a touch of artsy cred get to come and show off how shiny they are.

Honored as an opening night selection, The Darjeeling Limited, dazzlingly filmed by dazzling film maker Wes Anderson, stars Adrian Brody, Owen Wilson, and the always winsome Jason Schwartzman as brothers on a trip to find themselves (and their wayward mother) while riding across India on the richly-colored titular train. Like the rest of Anderson’s pictures, the movie relies on quirk- an abundance of which is equally distributed to all parts of the production from character personalities to set design- but with a surprisingly sweet and heartwarming filling at its core. Hotel Chevalier, a short film meant to accompany the movie, gives a glimpse into Schwartzman’s character’s backstory involving a Parisian tryst with a deep-talking and scantily clad Natalie Portman.I’m Not There, Todd Hayne’s multiple personality take on the life and times of Bob Dylan is truer art house fair; meaning it’ll confuse the hell out of you and probably bore you all the while if you’re not big on the thoughtful, avant garde brand of film making. The movie follows six different actors (Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, and Richard Gere among them) as they portray Dylan in different epochs of his life. It’s the kind of movie you sort of have to read up on before seeing since there’s hardly any effort made to have the actors resemble Dylan at all- one part of the movie even imagines the iconic troubadour as Billy the Kid in an out-of-left-field Western. The movie’s gotten a lot of buzz and will probably get even more award trophies but any attention or praise should all be directed to Cate Blanchett in her stunning portrayal as the only true Dylan pantomime. Her being a woman probably makes her the least likely candidate to take on the elusive folk man but upon one viewing it’s clear that any and all movies about Bob Dylan should be played only be her.

Foreign films are also a film festival staple and this year I Just Didnt Do It, a Japanese film about a man fighting a claim that he’d groped a young girl on one of Japan’s overly crowded trains seemed to get a lot of attention. Too bad fighting to declare a man’s innocence apparently means stretching out the paragraph-long premise into a two and a half hour-long drab fest. Better procedural dramas could be found on network TV, with welcoming commercial breaks to boot.

Also featuring films such as Margot at the Wedding and Married Life in their collection of 28 movies this year the NY film festival did a good job of garnering buzz for itself. They’re still art house, just a little more mainstream.

our newest project

2007-06-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

YOUTH@YIF
c/o jason
1012 avenue i
Brooklyn, NY 11230
Youthatyif@aol.com

1-917-613-5060
___________________________________________________________________

My name is YussieWolf and i am in charge of doing events for the Young Israel of Flatbush. We are doing our 2nd annual camp packages project. We are putting togetherour camp packages for kids who come to our center and kids with cancer. We will be making about 150 bags which will be 75 for each. We will be looking for anything from stationary products, to travel games, card games, cute little knick knacks, cosmetics for kids or teens, novelty products, plush, sporting good products, etc.. We are hoping we can get everything for free so there is no cost for this project, since we are donating them to the kids and not selling it for money. We will need all products by June 15th or so, so we can give them out before the kids leave to camps or on trips. Any questions please email me at yussiewolf@aol.com or youthatyif@aol.com.

The Young Israel of Flatbush is a non profit that does many different event for all kinds of kids. We do a toy drive, which we now collecting around 18,000 toys, for five years now. We have many programs at our building including karate, dancing, weekend programs, arts and craft nights, costume parties, charity events, etc,,, So we do four big events a year and this will be a third for 2007, with the last and final one being our annual toy drive.

The following is the address where all products should be sent:

jason wolf

c/o yif

1012 avenue i

brooklyn ny 11230

917-613-5060

to see last years pictures of us putting together the packages heres the link. the cancer camp does not take pictures of the kids due to contracts with parents:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=56551&l=44fa6&id=500320382

tribeca film festival article, coming soon book expo reviews

2007-06-07T08:42:00.001-07:00

For 12 days last week, movie-lovers of New York got a chance to experience the frenzy, passion, and fun of choosing from over 150 new films to screen as the Tribeca Film Festival took over Manhattan.

Now in its sixth year, the annual festival was started by Robert De Niro and producer, Jane Rosenthal as a way to bring people back to Tribeca; not only one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city but also the hardest-hit in 911. There’s no better example of the fest’s ability to meld the celebration of film and Tribeca pride than the opening night event where an enthusiastic crowd of 1000 revisited the nostalgic classic, Dirty Dancing, at a free outdoor screening just a block away from Ground Zero. An oddly appropriate kickoff for the little film festival that could. This year it extended its velvet ropes across all of NYC, screening movies in uptown Manhattan and even holding events in other boroughs like Queens where it hosted the premiere of Spiderman 3.

Films from 47 countries were showcased at the fest but some didnt stray too far from home.

Like the rest of his movies, the Woody Allen-esque actor-writer-director Edward Burns set his latest effort in New York City, even filming chunks of the movie in Tribeca itself. Purple Violets tells the story of Brian and Patti (Patrick Wilson and Selma Blair), an old college couple who find each other after twelve years, both unhappy with their careers and trying to write the next great American novel. While Blair and Wilson are always great to watch, it’s Burns who steals all the scenes as Murph, Brian’s lawyer best friend, who spends the film making blunt observations in his charming Queens accent while trying to win Debra Messing’s heart.

Also set in New York City is Day Zero, a drama imaging a post 911 America where the draft is reinstated. Elijah Wood, Chris Klein, and newcomer Jon Bernthal play three childhood friends, all with very different lives, who find themselves drafted for the war in Iraq with only 30 days to report for duty. “One of the great things this movie investigates is the implication of a draft coming up, effecting people no matter where they’re from,” said Klein, who plays a young lawyer and husband. “I go back to the question, ‘What if this were a reality?’”

Holding it’s world premiere at the festival, Suburban Girl stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as an associate book editor trying to climb the ranks of the New York publishing world. Adapted from Melissa Bank’s greatly popular book, The Girl’s Guide to Hunting and Fishing, the film also stars Alec Baldwin as Gellar’s love interest and some-time publishing mentor. His first movie since the recent scandal involving his now infamous Father of the Year voicemail rant, Baldwin’s involvement in the film proved to inevitably, unfortunately, mar it. Dialogue like “You told me that your daughter wasn’t speaking to you” – “I left her a message” were so relevant they elicited laughs from the audience at the unintentionally funny parts.

Gellar’s second film to premier at this year’s festival fared a little better. The concept behind The Air I Breathe, a film by Jieho Lee, breaks life down into four emotional cornerstones (love, sorrow, pleasure, happiness), with the four lead characters (played by Kevin Bacon, Gellar, Brendan Fraser, and Forest Whitaker, respectively) representing one each. Although we follow each character’s storyline as unrelated to the other, they don’t stay separate for long. Soon, every character is intricately connected, playing pivotal roles in each other’s lives. Having played the role of a tragic popstar, Gellar now knows she doesn’t envy that particular lifestyle. “Way too long in the makeup chair and the outfits were way too short,” she joked. “That is not a life I aspire to.” Having two movies premiere at the festival in as many days, Gellar was relishing her double-feature Tribeca experience.“It’s exciting, it’s overwhelming,” she said on the mile-long red carpet for the much buzzed-about Breathe. “I’m starting to lose my voice a little bit but I’m just happy to be here.”

Nobel Son also stars a cast of notable names in an ensemble story of a pompous Nobel prize winner, numerous kidnaping schemes, sons with daddy issues and just a touch of your garden variety faux cannibalism. Brain Greenberg (of TV’s October Road) plays Barkley, the son of Chemistry prize winner Eli (Harry Potter’s Snape) and victim of a kidnaping by someone who is non too amused by Eli’s ill-gotten award. Fast-paced and shot in a nitty-gritty style, the movie piles on schemes, twists, and unnecessary deaths all while trying to maintain a measure of dark humor. At one point, a character receives a rather gruesome part of his girlfriend’s anatomy in the mail, though unbeknownst to him, the fleshy looking thing is made of marzipan. Marzipan. What was supposed to be dramatic, unpredictable and intense ends up being an overly sugary concoction in disguise. Much like the movie itself.

Palo Alto, a film by 20 year-old director Brad Leong, takes place on the last night of four high school buddies’-- now college freshmen-- Thanksgiving break. The movie is a throwback to the George Lucas classic, American Graffiti, where all four friends separate for the night to have their own adventures and rediscover who they are and who they’ve become. The movie presents a somewhat cliche cast of characters (the sexist player, the insecure loner, the wannabe jock, the uptight, no-fun, planned future type) but Leong (who also co-wrote the script with Tony Vallone), adds his own young touch to give the movie a sense of youth and realism. Cast member Ryan Hansen (Veronica Mars), who saw the film for the first time at its premiere, was excited to be in Tribeca for the big event: “I love New York so much so it’s good to get to be here and experience the festival,” he said, adding jokingly, “De Niro, right?”

While the teens in Palo Alto do some mildly crazy things on their one-night adventure, they’re no match for the kids in Normal Adolescent Behavior, for whom the word “monogamy” has the sort of connotation that only a teen can manage to spin. The film presents a new angle on the behavior of the modern promiscuous teen but the film’s plot is too disjointed and secondary to the initial shock of what goes on behind clothes doors. In the title role as Charlie Bartlett, 18 year-old Anton Yelchin gives a hilariously bold performance as a privileged teen who dolls out prescription drugs to his classmates in an effort to be well-liked. Boasting another great teen performance is The Cake Eaters, the directorial debut of actress Mary Stuart Masterson. The film is about the return of a prodigal son but the immensely watchable Kristen Stewart steals the movie as a physically disabled girl who yearns for a companion and finds him in the town butcher’s shy son, played by X-Men’s Aaron Stanford.

Some of the most attention-grabbing and celebrated films at festivals tend to be documentaries, and two docs at Tribeca were notable for the high-profile stars behind them. Alexis Arquette: She’s My Brother shows glimpses of a year in transgender Alex Arquette’s life– sibling to the more famous Patricia, Rosanna, and David Arquettes-- as he goes through the process of becoming a woman. The film is an hour and a half of the camera in Alexis’ face, without the novelty of linear story-telling. In the anti-climactic end, Alexis does not reveal weather or not she went through with the surgery to physically become a woman. “People expect it to be a before-and-after like The Swan,” she said. “A lot of [producers] we approached were trying to influence the documentary. That exploitative nature, to peer into something you’re going to giggle about, was not something we wanted to do.”

Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal, the two Mexican actors who first came to fame in the film Y Tu Mama Tambien , teamed up yet again to produce (and in Luna’s case, direct) Chavez, a doc about fellow Mexican and boxing champ, Julio Cesar Chavez. For Luna, his directorial debut was an even bigger accomplishment since he got to tag along with his childhood hero. “I was lucky that Julio was alive and wanted to share his story,” said Luna. “Suddenly he was telling me everything- too much! My hero from childhood telling me about his life, it was unbelievable.”

Docs may have been the talk of the fest but one of the best movies showcased this year at Tribeca was a mockumentary satire about the underbelly of Hollywood and reality TV. Live! stars Eva Mendes as a network exec who lobbies to get a Russian roulette reality competition on the air where one unlucky contestant is rewarded with a bullet in the brain. What people in the upper ranks of the TV world let slide in order to allow the show on the air is shocking enough, but once the competition starts, all bets are off, and the tension-filled last act makes you ask yourself some tough questions about what you view as acceptable. Todd Stashwick, who plays a producer in the film, felt that the movie left the audience with a lot to ponder: “It was funny and it was sad and it was scary and you hope that it hits on all of those feelings.”
Whether they were funny, sad, or scary, the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival gave audiences every type of film they could ask for.

color my house

2007-01-22T14:58:00.000-08:00

the color house is an excellent way to entertain a group of children with big fun. and i mean big! it is so big that multiple children can fit inside at one time. i used it at my daughters birthday party. the children used it as a hideaway from the grown ups. the color house freed up my time to focus on all the other aspects of the party. there is no adult supervision necessary for this item . a helpful suggesstion: you may want to replace the markers with a pack of crayons. This way, you don't have to worry about your walls or furniture.
the color house gets 3 stars for easy assembly and 3.5 stars for fun. I recommend the color house for all children events.

vtech learn and play spell board

2006-12-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

holiday 2006

2006-12-03T18:24:00.000-08:00

First we will review the products from V-tech which is the creator of the V.smile. We reviewed that last year and we hope to do the Baby V.smile this year and the V.flash later on this year or early next year. So here is the review for their holiday products.

SmartVille: ABC Post Office-- Special Delivery! Make learning a priority with the SmartVille ABC Post Office. Unlike the bulk of play sets, the ABC Post Office gives your child a first class learning experience dispatching lessons in letters, sizes, colors, animals, sounds, and role play. The ABC Post Office includes 3 "Smart Parts" which talk when they are placed in hot spots throughout the post office. Weigh, stamp and send packages or run them on a conveyor belt. What's more, the ABC Post Office "Smart Parts" can be used with the deluxe SmartVille sets including the Alphabet Train Station and the 1-2-3 Treehouse. Manufacturer's Age: 12 years and up

Kids will love this product because they get to learn about all sorts of things at once. They learn about shapes, sizes, colors, animals, sound and most of all about the post office. Parents love this for its educational value and we gave this three stars

Write & Learn Letter Pad-- A wonderful interactive learning aid for preschoolers. Colorful laptop packed with 30 engaging activities.Teaches language, math, games and music. Detachable mouse and pad designed for left- or right-handed user. Through interactive play, kids will be on their way with this fun writing pad! This tutoring tool shows kids the proper stroke form and encourages them to practice over and over in the erasable writing space. Or, change modes to learn letter order. The third mode introduces free play and gets them to use their imagination! Manufacturer's Age: 3 years and up,

We love this product since it lets kids imagine things in different ways whille learning how to write. The best mode is the one that lets you make write and makes you practice, it until you get it right. We think it would be better if it came with some way to attach more activities. We love the shape of this product and that its a lap type of desk so your child can you it anywhere, including the car, plane, or train. You see we give this product four stars for its fun and educational values.

Write & Learn Spellboard Advanced-- The Write & Learn's touch-sensitive spell board teaches children how to print letters, numbers and even keeps them in the loop with cursive writing lessons. The LCD screen recognizes your child's handwriting and encourages their efforts as they perfect their penmanship. The Write & Learn Spellboard Advanced also teaches children how to spell 3 to 6 letter words with 12 learning activities. Comes with 30 pre-printed worksheets, 2 writing pencils and an interactive drawing area. Parent-friendly features include auto shut-off, volume control and durable design. Manufacturer's Age: 6 years and up

Like the letter pad the spellboard advance teaches you kids how to write and spell. It also checks their penmanship and helps them perfect their handwriting. So parents love this product because it teaches their kid and takes over for a tutor or extra classes for some people. Kids love it because of all the activities and extra's that come with this product. They also like it that it helps them learn how to spell. So overall we give this product four stars for its fun, educational, learning and imaginative values.

Here is the rest of the products. Quiz Biz™ – Word Play---Kids won’t feel jilted with this full-tilt learning toy. Sleek, slim, and sensational, kids think cool while Mom thinks school and all the lessons you can chalk up with the Quiz Biz – Word Play. With Quiz Biz, whiz kids can test their skills in spelling, vocabulary, logic and problem solving with 20 learning games. And this slick handheld toy comes with a snappy wrist strap and a built-in motion sensor that allows gamers to answer questions by tipping Quiz Biz from side to side making playing all the more fun! 2AA Batteries Required Suggested Retail Price: $14.99. We give this product three and a half stars for its fun and educational values

SmartVille - Musical Band Stand™---When it comes to learning, the SmartVille Musical Band Stand puts your child center stage! With 3 interactive Smart Parts that talk and teach when placed in key hot spots, this smart set leaves other play sets behind the crowd. With fun animal characters, your child can find their beat on the drums, take a turn at the mic, or line up for concert tickets at the pretend ticket booth. The Musical Band Stand teaches music, instruments, tempo, animals, sounds, and role-play skills. And, the SmartVille Musical Band Stand Smart Parts can be used with the deluxe SmartVille play sets including the Alphabet Train Station and the 1-2-3 Treehouse. Suggested Retail Price: $12.99. We gave this product two and a half stars for its fun value. For more information on these or other products from V-tech check out their website at www.vtechkids.com

Next we have products from Learning Resources which is a very fun and educational company. Here are the reviews:

Pretend & Play Office Space---Everything kids need for a pretend day at the office is inside this official-looking briefcase. Realistic 74-piece set includes a planner, pretend stapler, cell phone with sound, ID badge and many other office essentials-even a stack of write-and-wipe paychecks and refillable crayon "pen"! Briefcase measures 11 inch x 9 1/4 inch x 3.75 inch and is made of top-quality nylon for durability. Cell phone requires two AA batteries, not included. Manufacturer's Age: 3 years and up.

Think about this a kids pretend office kit? We all grew up with products or kits of certain proffessions but this is a new one. We all remember the Doctors kit, the carpenter or constructsion work benches, and etc.... But now you can be like the average joe and pretend to run an office. This is a unique product which we think all kids will love but not sure if all will want it. We give this product three stars for its fun and imaginative values.

Smart Splash® Memory Match Clams
Make the bath tub or your sand and water table come to life with these fun clams! Includes six, two-piece clams in three colors with two small fish, crabs and starfish hidden inside to help build children’s memory skills! Made of soft, mold- resistant plastic, each set comes with a convenient mesh storage bag. This is for ages 2-5. We love this products since we can do many different things with it. We can play a matching game where we can test their memory, we can test them by asking what color is what. Of course, the kids will love this toy just to play in the tub. So this can be a very fun and educational item. So we gave this three stars.

Finally the last product is Math Marks the Spot™ Game-Shake, roll and race! This oversized mat game will have your kids begging to practice their math. Roll the soft foam numbers and operation dice and race to find the answer on the oversized number mat! This durable vinyl mat features all the answers (sums and differences) to addition and subtraction problems that use numbers 1 through 6. Includes 3 dice and 28 cardboard game markers. This is one FUN!!!!!!! game for kids of all ages, although its recommended for kids ages 5-8. We had one parent tell us how they loved this product because it did not only make learning fun but there kids actually got the answers right and it made them think. So we give this product four stars for its fun, educational and learning values. For mor information on these or other products from Learning Resources please check out this website at www.learningresources.com

Next we have the different versions of scene it, which is a dvd board game.
NK Scene It Nick Box Game
Fire-up your Nickelodeon knowledge, brush up on your Grossology and watch out for the slime, because Scene It? has gone totally Nick! Sponge Bob, Cosmo and Wanda, Jimmy Neutron and all your favorites are now in one incredible DVD game. Race friends around the board with real TV show clips, trivia questions and a ton of on-screen challenges from Avatar, Danny Phantom and more. Scene It? Nickelodeon, it's one jelly-fishing, air bending, ghost-grabbing good time!
Game Includes: Game DVD, Party Play™ Flextime® Game Board, 4 Collectible Metal Tokens, 160 Trivia Cards, 30 Slime Cards, 4 Reference Cards, 1 Six-Sided Numbered Die, 1 Eight-Sided Category Die, Instruction Sheet and over a thousand Nickelodeon scenes, stars, characters, images and trivia challenges
Manufacturer's Age: 7 years and up. This product will be on any Nick fans wish list for the holidays. This is a must have product for any fan. We gave this product four stars for its fun value.

Scene It Disney Game Pack---The magic happens the second you open the game box. Scene It? Disney features real clips and characters from your favorite Disney and Pixar movies, trivia questions and other on-screen challenges guaranteed to keep your family smiling play after play. "What is the name of Aladdin's monkey-" "Which Dwarf doesn't have a beard-" Because the trivia cards include questions for adults and separate ones just for kids, Scene It? Disney is the perfect game for family fun time. Manufacturer's Age: 7 years and up. Growing up a disney fan this was an amazing game to play because of the interactive part of the game. You get to see clips and other items from the different disney and pixar movies from the past. We love the graphics too. We give this product also four stars for its fun and interactive values. For mor info on these or other scene it products check out www.mattel.com

Next we have products from the makers of Bratz, MGA Entertainment. They have some really cool products besides for the Bratz Dolls. Here are two reviews on new products:

Bratz Forever Diamondz Doll--The girls with a passion for FASHION always shine, but now they have an extra sparkle! These glam girls YASMIN comes with a unique gift for you - a real diamond pendant! Each diamond comes with a certificate of authenticity, proving that diamonds are a BRATZ best friend! Manufacturer's Age: 6 years and up. These dolls are amazing as usual they come with the most accessories a doll can ask for. Here are a few features dolls come with: Real Diamond Jewelry for You & Your BRATZ™, Ring Becomes Doll's Necklace, Bracelet Becomes Waist Chain for Doll, Necklace Becomes Hair Jewelry for Doll, Diamond Comes with Certificate of Authenticity , Sparklin' Fashions Seen in the Bratz™ DVD, Bonus Snap-On Bare Feet. We love these products because with all these accessories and clothing its like a mini person, instead of just a doll. So we gave these dolls three stars for its fun value.

Finally we have the Storytime™ Collection Classics-- Turn the pages of these books and discover two new friends! Each of your favorite storybook heroines comes with a cute, furry little friend for you to play with, once upon a time...Story Time Collection Little Red Riding Hood™, Book, Plush Wolf and Basket. We give this product four stars for its fun, cute and unique values. For more information on these or other products from MGA Entertainment, check out there website at www.mgae.com

2006-09-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

2006-08-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some toys good for kids ages 3 and up

Lisa LeLeu Studios, Inc., which is Introducing Diggity the Dog, a Lisa LeLeu Puppet Show Book awarded Top Toy of the Year by Creative Child Magazine. The book set includes a puppet, the story “Let’s Go Camping,” a story starter, and a coloring book that teaches dog bite prevention. For all ages (SRP: $19.95).

We liked this product because of its iinteractive with the kids and it gives them more to work with for their imagination. It also helps the story telling grab the attention of the kids for a longer period of time, since its like a puppet show too. This puppet books series comes with five different characters and stories. The stories are connect by velcro so you can interchange them whenever you want. Also the story starter is where kids can make their own stories and then read them over to someone so you get some creativity with this product too, We give this product three and a half stars for its creativity, imagination and fun values. For more info log onto their website at www.lisaleleustudios.com

Next we have:
Neat-Oh!™ International, LLC, which is introducing the ZipBin™ Mansion looks and plays like a dollhouse. Unzipped, it’s a “multi-room” activity surface with built-in closets for doll accessories. Throw a rooftop garden party, lounge by the pool, entertain, dance, have a fashion show. When finished, kids just zip it up for quick clean up/storage. For ages 3+ (SRP: $24.99).

We actually liked this products for its travel capacity and that it allows kids to have an imagination on the go. They can use it at home, in the car, at a hotel, or even outdoors in a park. Most of it is made of material so there is no parts to swallow, so it safe for your kids too. We also like the fact that it zips up and forms a box for storage so there is no real way to lose the toys (although you never know). Also there are different types of sets like a doll house, a farm, a train set, etc..At the toy fair this year we watched the retailers and press reporters play with it after watching a short demostration and they all fell in love with it for their kids or grandkids. So after looking at it and testing it out with kids and teachers. We give this product four stars for its travel, creativity, imagination and fun values. Its a new unigue way of play that is good for the one the go family too. For more information on these products you can check them out at www.zipbin.com.

Finally we have SoftPlay which is the leading producer of early language development interactive cloth books and felt playsets geared to the expanding infant and toddler market. Licenses under SoftPlay include Fisher-Price, Sesame Workshop, Teletubbies, Clifford the Big Red Dog, VeggieTales and Disney's Winnie the Pooh. They are made for ages from birth and up and they cost from around $9.95 and up.

We got a few of these different types of books and we love them because of the cloth and foam material they use to products them. We gave them each three and a half stars for their creativity, fun and imagination values. Here are the types of books we got:

We first got a Lift and Look book of colors, which young readers will love to LEARN using the soft, lift-out pieces that are featured in the Lift And Look books! The shiny, foil-enhanced pictures and fun, interactive apporaching to learning is sure to delight young children and keep them busy - and learning - for hours! In this book you get to see
big foam pieces that lift out to reveal different colors! Its for ages: 2 and up and costs about $9.95

We also got a Sesame Street interactive cloth book which babies and toddlers will get a jumpstart on learning with this line of interactive soft cloth books. Children lift flaps, feel textures, and play as they learn with each title. These soft cloth books promote independent play and encourage the growth of imagination and early language development through familiar stories and themes. Soft Cloth Books explore the world around them and learn valuable lessons about counting, colors, vehicles, animals and everyday activities. Each book is surface washable and comes in a clear carrying bag for easy travel. For ages: 6 months and up and costs about $11.95

Finally we got a little softy book which Each cuddly book has six pages that are colorfully decorated and illustrate simple images a baby can recognize. Each Little Softy book features a loveable, touch and feel animal character on the cover and a delightful rhyming story on the pages inside! The colorful plastic rings can be used to attach the books onto the shopping cart, a stroller, high chair or a car set. And surprise! – there’s a rattle in every book. This is for ages: birth and up and costs $11.95

For more information on these or other products from Soft play check them out on the web at www.softplayforkids.com.

Oregon Scientific ATC-1000 "Action" Camera

2006-01-13T06:43:00.000-08:00

Here at Yussie's toy reviews we get all kinds of toys, gadgets and doodads to play with. But it is the rare few of them that truly get the athlete in me excited to review them. Oregon Scientific's ATC-1000 ($99.95 from the company's web site) was designed as an inexpensive video camera for those who live by the seat of their pants and want to share their experience with the world. As you can see from the picture on the left, the ATC-1000 is a long cylinder. At one end is the camera lens and microphone at the other end is the screw cap that covers the batteries and memory card slot. On the top is a simple LCD screen that communicates status and 4 buttons - two small buttons that help you program the device and adjust settings and two large ones - one is the shutter button on the still camera and the other is the start/stop button for video recording. The camera comes with 32MB of on-board memory, which, unfortunately is only capable of storing about 3 minutes of video at the highest setting - for all practical purposes, you will need to by an SD card if you plan on using this to tape short excursions (a 512MB sd card will get you about 45-50 minutes of video at this setting).

The camera also comes with all kinds of clips and straps to enable you to mount on a helmet (like the picture) or on your handlebars, arm, leg, or head. It also comes with both a USB cable and RCA A/V cables for connecting to your computer or TV.

I put the camera through two 'Action' tests: 1) Outdoors, I used it strapped to my helmet to tape NYC during the recent transit strike and 2) Indoors, I strapped it to my hip while executing a Judo throw (Videos to come soon). In both cases I learned that to truly get good footage you need to play with the positioning of the camera a couple of times to get the appropriate angle. Even when you do, you need to mount the camera somewhere that will remain relatively level and focused on the action you want to tape. For example, in the rollerblading test, every time I dip my head, you see a lovely video of the street and not the people and sidewalk fare.

Overall I think that it is a decent value for the money, and reccomend it to those of you who want to make audition tapes for X-Games.

holiday reviews 2

2006-01-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

OREGON SCIENTIFIC
by Jason Crystal

MyPix Personal Digital Photo Viewer. Everybody you love…in the palm of your hand! MyPix is a digital fashion accessory designed so that you can carry your friends and favorite photos with you everywhere you go! For ages 8 to adult. It comes with a large 1.4” color LCD screen for vibrant photo images and changeable deco inserts for customized look. You can add fun titles, wild borders, and animated images to your pictures and it can Store over 50 of your favorite images. It comes with PhotoReady 1.0 software to load images and customize photos and requires 1 x AAA battery (Not included). We loved this product for its unique value of being able to fit in your pocket and still hold up to 50 pictures so you can remember those who count whereever you are and whenever you want. We gace this product three and a half stars for its fun and unique values. It retails for $59.99 and is for teen to adult.

Finally we have the ATC-1000 Action Camera. Play Hard, Record Everything Extreme sports enthusiasts can’t wait to get their hands on this one – and attach it to their helmet, arm, leg or bike! Both shock- and splash-resistant, the ATC-1000 is ready to capture challenging feats down mountain bike trails, up the skateboard ramp or across the sky on a hang glider. Its wireless, compact design makes its great for any occasion. TV cable for instant replay on the big screen and USB for easy uploads, PC compatible Action Lab software – edit still images or video. There are three resolutions at 15 fps: 640 x 480 (default), 320 x 240 or 160 x 120. You also use a SD card for expansion – standard memory is 32MB and it operates with 4 AAA batteries, which are not included. Strap to a helmet, handle-bar, arm or leg Note: for optimal performance in colder conditions (at or below 0 degrees celsius/32 degrees Farenheit) Lithium batteries are recommended. Recently, during the transit strike my brother use this camera on his helmet while he rollerblade from grand central station to his work and sent me via email a couple of minutes of his trip. We watched it a few times and its one of the coolest things i have seen in a while. Now you do not have to miss the amazing stunts, tricks, or other cool moments with this new camera and you can send them to others who could not make it either. We gave this product four stars for its uniqueness. This product retails for $119.95 but i think its worth every penny, since you will do things you have never done before or show off things that they never seen before. So if you need any more information on these products or others from Oregon Scientific check out their webstie at www.oregonscientific.com

UNIVERSAL REMOTES
by Jason Crystal

KAMELEON 6 Hybrid Universal Remote. Features a Revolutionary Electro-Luminescent display that reveals active screens for the device in use while inactive devices remain hidden. UNIVERSAL Learning remote with key animation for ease of use and set-up. UPGRADEABLE, TV, DVD, VCR, PVR/DVR, Cable, Satellite, CD, Audio. Unique easy to set up customizeable operations featuring Master Power Key, 4 user defined Macros and preferential Home Theator Settings. Also has advanced controls for Audio and DVD. We loved this product due to its unique style of hiding all other devices except the one you request. I used to get so confused why there were so many buttons and which one was for what and which device was I on. So when i tested this baby out and saw how easy and i said we have to give this device three and a half stars for its unique, fun and imaginative values. We would recommend this to anyone and its on our shopping list of must haves for this Holiday. Retails for about $79.99 but you can get it online for about $33.99 whiles the deals last at buy.com.

TURBO CHARGE
Another product we tested before the 2006 CES is the Turbo Charge. This is a mini charger about the size of a bullet and it holds one AA battery. It plugs into your phone via the right adapter and it gives you two hours of phone time for every AA battery.the Turbo Charge can give you up to two hours of talk time depending upon the type of portable cell phone or PDA. Also, please note that the Turbo Charge can be used anywhere in the world and because it requires only 1 AA battery, it is reusable. So its always good to have in case you are in middle of an important call and you are not near you charger. Also if you are walking the floors at CES this year its good gadget to have to you know you will have a working phone the whole day. We gave this product four stars for its really unique and creative values.The MSRP on the Turbo Charge is $19.99.The URL is www.turbocellcharge.com. The product is for sale on the website and also in major department stores, office supply chains, wireless stores and sporting goods outlets across the US.

DYNATECH

First we have Atomic Blox, the next generation of construction building sets has arrived. Atomic Blox features MECS (Modular Electro Conductive Snap) technology to create an electronic connection between blocks and provide a high output LED (Light Emitting Diode) light to build eye-catching models that will illuminate the room. These blocks are fun to build during the day, but the excitement really begins when the lights are turned off, adding a whole new level of play. Playing in the dark has never been this much fun. We gave this to a family with all boy and they loved it. They said that its true at night or in the dark the toys come more to life. Of course what you make adds to it too. making an animal that lights up on the eyes would be really cool. This product was given three and a half stars for its fun and creative values. Atomic Blox are recommended for ages 6 and up and come in open-ended assortment sets of 20 ($14.99), 30 ($19.99), 50 ($29.99), 75 ($39.99) and 100 ($49.99). A Fusion Series is also available that includes specially designed body armor to create a space ship (Sigma - $24.99), dinosaur (Gamma Rex - $34.99) and robot (Zetatron - $39.99).

Finally we have the Play2O, which Play2O is the brand new interactive game combining the fun of water play with characters from the world of video games. Features include innovative enhancements from water games of the past like flashing lights and actual sounds from video games or TV shows. Play2O will bring characters like Super Mario, Donkey Kong of Nintendo fame and Pokémon favourites to life. It also includes directional water jets for gamers to have complete control of their character through the many different traps and mazes each game has to offer. We had Pokemon and the kid who got this was ecstatic since he is a big pokemon fan. We were told he still loves playing it every night before he goes to bed. We gave this product four stars for its unique way of gameply for the next generation. Play2O is recommended for ages 4 and up at a suggested retail price of $14.99

B_BEL
First we have the Trading Spaces Two Story Two Room House from the B-Bel company. This house is an over 90 piece set and comes complete with stylish furniture, electrical walls, and trendy decorating accessories. The two rooms included in the house are the Living Room and the Teen Bedroom. Accessories include stamps, paints, stickers, weaving, stencils, paint-roller and sponge. Paints wipe clean from the walls, stickers are removable and floors are reversible. You can collect other Trading Spaces rooms to finish your house. Lights and electrical accessories sold seperately. All Rooms are interchangable in the houses. Colors and styles may vary. Kids love this products since its a great way to show their creative side and then changing it if one does not like it. We gave this to a few girls who loved it and used it for hours. We gave this product three stars for its creativeness and fun values.

Next we have the B-Bel Wild Ones Adventure Crew Hang Glider. The Adventure Crew - Hang Glider takes on the sky with a wind sport adventure! Figure comes equipped with helmet, rope, poles, body bag and glider. Glider has wingspan of 46 inches, and can really fly with figure on board. We tried this product and its seems cute but did not catch the kids eye for a long time so we had to give this product two stars for its fun value and potential it has to become a better toy soon in the future from B-Bel. We look foward to seeing more fun and exciting games/planes from B-Bel

PLAYMATES TOYS

From Playmates Toys comes this cute new toys called Cold Nose Kisses Amazing Puppies. These 12" feature plush puppies that are truly amazing! Pat their heads and rub their bellies and these puppies respond to your love and care by getting more and more excited. Their tails start to move faster, they start to bark louder and louder and ultimately, when they are truly happy dogs. When you place their nose on your face, they give you a cold, wet puppy kiss! These puppies are the newest sensation of this year. Its like what the pound puppies used to be but these are also electronic. Kids love these products due to the fact that they cute and cuddly and they interact with them. So we gave these products three and a half stars for its cute, unique and fun values.

Next we have from them the Kinder Garden Babies - Blueberry. Each of these adorable soft body baby dolls comes with a carrier that transrofms into a bed and feeding chair. These cute adorable babies will be on everyones wish list but its still has competition that is stronger. These babies transform from a blueberry to a baby. It even has a blueberry shaped hat and he even smells like blueberries too. We gave this cute little doll three stars for its fun and unique values.

Finally we have the Lion Yo Stick. The only Trick Stick on the market where you control the twists and turns with the flick of your wrist! Shaped like a stick, Yo Stick includes a mechanism that automatically retracts the string. Includes X-treme themed safety caps on each end.Safety information Caution: Avoid contact with eyes and face. Let people around you know you are playing with Yo Stick and provide adequate space. Do not throw, strike at, or swing at people, animals or objects. This is obviously not made for kids under three but i would suggest that kids should not use this until they are eight years old. We gave this products three and a half stars for its fun and creative values and its challenge for even adults. You guys will have hours of fun with this maybe even days!!!!

MORNING STAR GAMES

Here we got Pet Detectives - Pet Finding Game by Morning Star Games. This game features real pictures of animals, Pet Detectives takes the game of memory, adds math skills and also teaches kids about different animals. There are even custom cards so you can include pictures of your own pets in the game. Race against other detectives to find the most lost pets. Ask other detectives if they´ve seen pets such as Tootsie the Tortoise, Mr. Wigglesworth the Boston Terrier or Churchill the Cat. When you match the lost and found cards for a pet, you win reward money. Be the detective to find the most lost pets by the end of the game and you win. Contains: 80 pet cards, 4 custom pet cards, 26 Action Cards, 50 Pet Dollars, Instructions.Once they started playing with this they never stopped or did not want to stop. We love this game and gave it four stars for kids ages three -seven. Its fun, educational and helps kids to use thier mind. Pet Detectives Named "100 Best Children's Product of 2005" by Dr. Toy

Next we have the game You're Pulling My Leg! from Morning Star Games. Here
you'll laugh out loud as you and your friends try to fool each other with outrageous stories about your lives. When a card is drawn and a question is asked, the secret roll of the die tells you if your answer should be true or made up. Then you hear a story, bet tokens on whether you think your friend is telling the truth or pulling your leg. You'll win tokens if you're right but lose them if you're wrong. Think you know your friends? How well do they know you? Bluff other players but don't let them fool you. Score enough tokens and you win! Contents include 220 cards with 614 questions about your life, 100 tokens & velvet bag, True or False die, Tin shaker, and Timer. We loved the old version of this game and of course we love this version. We play this game over and over again but we think they should make extra decks of cards to add on to this game for more playing time. We gave this game three and a half stars for its fun, imaginative and creative values. The game is for 2 or more players and ages 12 and up and its suggested retail valkue is $24.99.

Finally we have You're Pulling My Leg! Jr Version Game from Morning Star Games. Now the award-winning You're Pulling My Leg! has been adapted for kids and families! You'll laugh out loud as you and your friends and family try to fool each other with wacky answers to outrageous questions. You play this game the same way as the original just its for kids 9-13 and the suggested retail value is $24.99. This game "You're Pulling My Leg! Junior" was named one of the greatest products of the year by iParenting Media. We gave this product three stars for its fun and unique values.

DIGITAL BLUE

This unique product the USB Microscope - QX5Zoom in on stuff - up to 200X and is from Digital Blue.This computer microscope allows you to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary for hours of fun and learning. View specimens collected around the house, backyard, your desk, or the fridge. Look at the micro-printing on a dollar bill or examine the traces on your motherboard. This microscope provides you an easy way to zoom in on a wide variety of objects to satisfy your curiosity of the world around you. Ever wondered what lint looks like or the mold growing on your week-old bagels? Now you can find out.

Simple plug and play operation with included software that allows you to magnify objects and view them on your PC up to 200X and take snapshots and time-lapse movies. You can also manipulate images with drawing and painting tools. The QX5 microscope is detachable from the stand to allow you to get closer to large objects.

We love this product because a kid or even an adult can take their imagination even further now with this new microscope. Games like cops and robbers can be more fun with using the microscope and claiming we found evidence dug underneath the carpet or in the corner of the room. We can learn more now too about different types of speciments out there with this microscope and software that allows you to zoom in 200 times. We give this product four stars for its fun, creative and unique values. Its suggested retail price is around $79.99 and for ages eight to adult. For more information on this or other product from Digital Blue checking out their website at www.playdigitalblue.com.

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

First we have Heximania from Educational Insights. Which is a wild and wacky word search game for the whole family! Players take turns placing letter tiles and earning points for each word built. Words may be read in any direction-up, down, backwards, forward or in a sweeping swirl! When the board is full, the player with the highest score win. We gave this game to some kids who love scrabble and they say this is much easier and much for fun for them. They loved playing this game and they also loved the fact that you can even spell it in a swirl and backwards. Two things you usually can not do in any other type of spelling game. We gave this product three stars for its fun and creative values. Its for 2-4 players, ages 6+ and suggested retail price is around $24.99..

Next we have the product called Teddy. Young children learn colors, shapes, visual discrimination, alike and different, go-togethers, counting, and much more with Teddy, the teaching bear. The charming bear “tutor” comes with 24 two-sided game cards (48 games) that fit on the sturdy Activity Pad. Just place a card on the Activity Pad and turn the color-coded dial to match the card. Look at the question, then place Teddy on an answer square. If you are correct, Teddy lifts his flag high in the air! Kids love this product because if they are right Teddy celebrates with them with his raising of the flag. It motivates them to want to learn and get the answers right. We give this product three and a half stars for its unique value and since it makes your kid/s to actually think before they answer. Nearly 200 questions, no reading required. Cards store neatly inside Teddy’s Activity Pad. Retail value is about $24.99 and is for ages six and up. For more information on this or other products from Educational insights please log on to their website at www.educationalinsights.com

holiday reviews 1

2005-12-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

USAOPOLY

Monopoly: Disney - Pixar Collector's Edition salutes six popular Disney-Pixar animated feature films. Buy, sell and trade some of your most favorite locations within the first 6 Disney-Pixar films. Six collectible movie star pewter tokens: Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Sulley, Nemo, Mr. Incredible and Flik. For 2 to 6 players. We loved this game because it brings back all these memories of the films when you land on that property. Also the Chance and Community Chest cards are a lot more fun when they are themed for these films then the original game, we all grew up on. My family played this game and loved it from the moment we started until we ended it. We give it three and a half stars for its fun and creative values. The retail suggested price for this is $34.95 in a store near you.

Disney Princess 3 in 1 Card Game Set- Have a ball with your favorite Disney Princesses while enjoying 3 favorite childhood card games. Crazy 8’s, Go Fish and Old Maid come with jumbo-size cards featuring Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Ariel, Belle, Pocahontas and Mulan. Ursula comes to life as the Old Maid, Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother appears as the Crazy 8 and Ariel gathers her friends for an enchanting game of Go Fish. Packaged in keepsake tin. Ages 4+. We gave this game to a girl who justed turned four and she loved it. She even gets dressed up like a princess when she plays it. All the Disney princess products are on the must have lists for girls ages 3-7 but this one is one of our favorites! It takes the favorite games of old and new and puts it together with the newest licensed products, like the Disney princesses. Also look for the Winnie the Pooh version which is also fairly new!!! We give both of them three stars for its fun, creative and imagination values.The suggested retail price for these is $9.95.

Finally we have the Elvis® "Viva Las Vegas" Poker Set. The Elvis “Viva Las Vegas” Poker Set comes with all you need to play Texas Hold Em, 5 Card Stud, Blackjack and more. A white pleather case decorated with gold stars and a red velvet interior is inspired by the King’s famous jumpsuits worn during his legendary Vegas performances. High quality, 8 gram clay poker chips in red, purple and white embossed with Elvis’ signature and 2 card decks featuring the “King” as all 4 kings make for a unique poker experience with an Elvis twist. Ages 13+ 2-6 players. Of course for any Elvis fan this is a must have item! But even if you are not a fan of the "King" this can be a really fun game to play. Its a collectible that you do not want to miss buying, so go out there and get one of the Holidays hottest collectibles out there. We love the fact that it had elvis as the king in each deck. We are a big gambling family so for us this was a big treat we give it three stars for its fun value. It has a retail value of $49.95. For more information on these or other products from USAOPOLY got to their website at www.usaopoly.com

MGAE

Kick up your heels and get ready to party 'cuz the girls with a passion for fashion are goin' west and gettin' wild in dazzlin' duds that are so rip-roaring and hip-huggin', they outta be outlawed! These dolls are the cutest little things you have ever seen. Love the mix of the wild west with dolls. They come with all these little props and the usual 2 sets of western clothing to mix and match them with. So its cool to see where these dolls have gone and where they might go in the futur e. We give these little dolls three stars for its fun and imaginative values. There is also one big product that comes with these theme dolls.

      For the Wild Wild West it is the Horse and Carriage set When the Bratz™ go west, they go there in style! Join the girls for a wild ride atop this gorgeously decked-out horse that includes an embellished saddle and rooted hair—and get ready to hit the far-out frontier for a rockin’ round-up of afternoon ridin’, before taking off into the sunset and into the city for a night you’re sure to never forget! This set Includes: A 3-in-1 set allows you to play with the horse alone, the stagecoach alone, or both together. real moving chrome wheels with SPINNERS enable the attached horse to pull the stagecoach along multi-colored tires, dazzlin’ denim Interior,stagecoach fits 2 Bratz™/Bratz Boyz™ horse fits 1 Bratz™/Bratz Boyz. We love the product that comes with it, the fact that the horse and carriage look like the real deal and not some knock off version of a horse like i have seen in other dolls sets. We love the theme this time since its unique in the doll world and we give it three and a half stars.

Next we have the Bratz Rock Angelz! Now that the BRATZ have conquered the pop world, get ready to rock with them as they take the classic rocker look of the 70's and update it for the bangin' video generation of today! With guitar in hand and a ton of accessories, including an exclusive 2-song music CD of the BRATZ rockin' out, you're invited to rock out in style! First cool part is it comes with a cd which you can hear them sing and dance along to their favorite music. Also they come with so many different accessories that Rockin’ Fashions and Accessories Mean Unlimited Mix ‘N’ Match Fashion Fun. So that means you can buy one or all four dolls and you will have so many different possibilies to dress them up that play time will be unlimited too. WE also love the get up of the 70's rock star and that they come with their own make-up. So we gave these crazy gals four stars for their unique and creative talents. They too come with some bigger products and here is one of them

      Next we have the Bratz Rock Angelz Center Stage Set! Get ready to rock out 'cuz you've got a backstage pass to the rock fest of the year! Join the girls with a passion for fashion as they rock the mic and strut their stuff center stage, under real-working, strobe lights! With tons of cool accessories, like performance stools, speakers, and an electric guitar, this is one concert you just don't wanna miss! This is unique because it comes with an exclusive doll named Roxxi and a different CD then the other dolls. Also it has real working speakers! Plug in your CD player, Boombox or Stereo to the speakers!! and tons of cool little accessories . WE give this product three and a half stars for its fun value.

Finally they have two other types of dolls Big Bratz Baby dolls and Rescue Pets. First we have the Big Baby Dolls which retail at $24.95 and we gave them two and half stars for its collectible and cute values It also comes with exclusive Style Certficate!! and they have incredible attention to details—both cute and sassy—ensures collectibility! We would add these two your tween kids must have list too. Also they have the Rescue pets retail for $19.99 and we gave them three stars. They are the cutest little things. They have tails that wags and their heads move side to side, they have also soulful eyes and finally their sound & movement are activated by motion sensor. It comes with its own adotption certificate and a collor tag to write your name down in case he/she is lost.

Bratz also has some electronics that they make and here are reviews on two of them:
You'll always be plugged in with the Bratz with this hot lipstick-shaped MP3 Player! It comes with a mouthful of features, like a multi-function LCD display, and headphones! Just strap it on, and go with the armband or belt clip attachments. We loved this product because its has two things tween/teen girls loved mixed in one product, that is make-up (fake of course) and music. Now your daughter can go to school and like out tested have people think its just make-up but be able to listen up to 60 songs or a few hours woth of music. So we gave this wonderful product four stars for its creative, unique and cute values. We were told kids love this MP3 player over others because its geared more towards them and not everyone.

The other product is the Bratz Digital Video Camera. which is why you should get plugged into the scene, and record the fun memories! This hot Bratz™ Digital Video Camera is loaded with quality features like a 512 MB SD memory card, 1.3-mega-pixel resolution, and much more. It's light and compact, so you can always capture the party! And the design of this digital video camera is so hot, it might steal the spotlight! It includes: a hand strap, lens cap, a Usb Cable, Arcsoft Bundled Cd-Rom Software, 1" Lcd Viewer On Fold Out Panel, Solid State Led Flash Bulb, info display on viewer, fast and easy, plug and play Usb interface (Pc Compatible) and finally it can be used with batteries or Ac Adapter. We gave this product three stars since we were told my tween girls that they get confused with some of the programming part of the video camera, once they took the photos and wanted to edit it. But they said they love the graphics and Check out these or other products at your nearest toy store or go online to www.mgae.com.

OREGON SCIENTIFIC

Batman Power wing laptop pulls out all the stops to be the coolest laptop around. The new smooth-folding mechanism for the lid and the wings shows that this laptop means business. Features 26 new activities and multimedia content to train the brain, and give the player a head start! There is spelling fun, music, math, memory, and loads of games that challenge the mind to make you Batman smart. A high-contrast keyboard, colored LED's and spotlight allow for nighttime play. The two best things about this product is as follows: The way the wings pop out when you open it and it starts to talk to you right away and the fact that its Batman and educational! One mother loved it for her son because his favorite character is obviously Batman and "that this helps him spell and learn math and he has a ball at the same time" she says. They gave this product three stars while we give it four stars for its unique and fun values. This will for sure be on every little boys mush have list for the holidays. Its for ages 5 to 8 and it retails at $49.99

Finally we have from them a Barbie digital camera. Barbie loves taking pictures with her friends and now you can capture digital images and video with the new Barbie Digital Camera. Camera can store 20 images in hi resolution or up to 104 images in the low-resolution setting before you need to transfer images to a PC. Once you have downloaded your pictures, fun and creativity can continue. Use the Barbie photo designer software CD-ROM (included) to customize your pictures, create cool Barbie calendars, Barbie picture frames and more. Use the camera in video setting for video clips up to 15 seconds long. This camera can also be used as a web cam to send images to your friends. Comes with base stand, USB cable, software CD and hand strap. Uses 2 AAA batteries (not included). For use with Windows 98/2000/ME/XP. What males this product even better is it even comes with a cheap price. "The fact that my kid can take photos and then make a barbie calendar with her and her friends in it makes play time a little more fun and little less energy off me" said one mom "since it comes with an easy to use program that even her kids can understand". she continued . We gave this product three stars for its fun and creative values but we are looking foward to better updates in the future of this product from them. Its for ages 8 and up and it retails at $29.99. For more on these products or others from Oregon Scientific go to their website at www.oregonscientific.com.

MATTEL
The Little Mommy Baby Checkup Center has everything a little girl needs to play doctor! Additionally, it comes with a check up table with scale to weigh the adorable baby doll, and measure to track her growth. It also has lots of interactive accessories for fun simple surprise play including a stethoscope with real SFX and girly giggles, a thermometer, ear and eye scope, band-aid, blood pressure monitor and much more. Plus it is fully collapsible for easy storage. We love this product because it is the girls answer to the fisher price doctor set which is more boyish. Now girls can be the doctor and have just as much fun playing with out asking the boys to join them or use their doctor sets. It does have everything you need to play with and it is very cute. We gave this product three and a half stars for its cute and fun values. It is recommended for use from 24 months to 5 years old and retails for $29.99

Next you have The My Scene Goes Hollywood which the girls are ready for their big break in the movies! Each doll is dressed in a trendy "red carpet" outfit with a plush faux fur-trimmed coat for the premiere of their new movie, My Scene Goes Hollywood. They even have jewels in their eyes for a special twinkle on their big night! One of the cute parts of this product is it comes with even the red carpet rope (you know that rope that they bouncer opens or leaves close to let you in) and she comes with her own director's chair. So now you can pretend Barbie and her friends are real Diva's with all the new accessories she comes with. Looks like mattel is working its way up with the competition these days by adding much more accessories to the dolls sets. We gave these dolls three stars for its fun value. Its recommended for ages 6-12 and it retails for $16.99

Finally they sent usThe Teen Trends dolls which are stylish teenage friends, each one has a different "personality" and look, just like regular girls. Each doll is 17-inches tall with a pose-able body, beautiful hair and unique doll case. Courtney doll is the modern prepster who loves going to the beach, riding her bike, and taking her dog to the park. Courtney doll is dressed in a trendy realistic outfit with lots of cool details and great accessories. Just like something a real teen would wear! She has hair that really holds curl and comes with fun hair accessories like a brush, hair adornments and bendy curlers so the girl can style her hair. Courtney doll also comes with a cool look book with her profile and pictures of her in different outfits with different hairstyles. There is a sheet of embroidered sticker decals in her look book that girls can tear out and use to decorate Courtney doll's clothing. Girls will love their Courtney doll because she's just the kind of cool friend they'd like to have. We gave these dolls two and a half stars for their unique value. Its recommended for kids ages 6-12 and it retails for $36.99. For more info on these or other products from mattel log on to their website at www.mattel.com

V-TECH

We now have from them the Write and Learn: Artboard! This electronics artboard is the perfect introduction to teaching preschoolers early writing skills in a clever, artistic way! The Write & Learn Artboard features letter stroke order along with creative drawings to encourage your child to learn his very first strokes. Each page is filled with educational activities to inspire imaginative minds! The mothers who tested this, loved the product and said this is one of the best products they have used in a long time to help their young ones learn and have fun at that age. We gave it three and a half stars for its fun, creative and educational values. This product retails for $19.99 and is for ages three and up.

OVERBREAK

First product is LineChaserz, a line of vehicles that have hi-tech sensors that track any line made with a black marker and follow it wherever it goes. You can draw straight lines, curvy lines or twisty lines and the Line Chaserz car will follow whereever the lines leads it. Use the pre-printed mats or cutouts from one of the different theme sets and create your own track . Get both cars and have them race through which ever scene you bought or on your own course. You can even use paper and any black felt pen and have them race there too. We like that they have different themes and that you can place the pre printed mats next to each other and make them race through different environments or themes to see who the ultimate winner is. We also like it since its unique in the way that its follows what you want and not vice versa. We gave these four stars for its fun and unique values

Next we have Crunch Art which is an exciting new way to create beautifully textured art. Use the cruncher tool to press colorful pieces of fabric and other materials into our specially designed foam. No glue, no mess, and open ended creative projects. We love this product we have a few other from before which some of my friends have them hanging on their walls as pictures since they come out sometimes so nicely. We gave these products three stars for its creative and educational values.

They also had another product called (Rattle Rox ) which are magnetic rocks that you have to detach and then let go and hear them pop or make some other weird sound. So these are fun at weddings or anytime you party. We gave them two stars for their fun value.

LEARNING RESOURCES
First we got the game Reading Roadway USA Game where you travel the USA discovering fascinating facts while building reading comprehension skills. Players take turns spinning and moving their cars across the country while reading fun-filled facts based on the state they've landed on. The first person to comprehend anc correctly answer each trivia question collects a souvenir. Be careful, spin a tornado, and you could get caught in a whirlwind! The first player to collect four souvenirs and return to their home state wins. We gave this game three and a half stars for its fun and educational values. We love any game that teaches kids about the United States. In some schools kids do not learn enough about the different states, only about their own. For 2-4 players and ages 8 years and up. It also retails for $19.99 at a store near you.

Next we have Light 'n Strike Math! Learn math with lights, sound and lots of action. Light 'n Strike Math helps reinforce math skills in a fast-paced game format. Math problems are shown on the large display; use the soft mallet or your hand to hit the number that completes the problem while it is lighted. Fun sound effects and animations keep the action exciting; three skill levels for each game keep it challenging. Complete all the levels to play the Bonus Game. Requires 4 "AA" alkaline batteries (not included). Kids learn from this game since they are always trying to get to the next level and bonus round. So its very educational and kids will love the sounds and animation it shows. We gave this product three stars for its fun and educational values. Its for kids ages 6-11 and retails for $29.99

Smart Splash Shape Shell Turtles
Kids love to play in the water, making it the perfect place for learning. 8 Vibrant Shape Shell Turtles teach shape and color recognition with removable shells that include moon, star, cross, circle, square, rectangle, triangle and oval shaps. Reusable mesh bag is perfect tote for pool or beach. There are a few different versions of this product. There is a turtles set, frogs set and a ducks set. Each one teaches you different things, Turtles teach your kids shapes, frogs teach your kids color and ducks teach your kids numbers, while they are all having fun in the bathtub. We recommend this product for all kids to help them learn on their own. We gave this product three and a half stars for its unique, fun and educational values. Its made for kids 24 months and up and retails for $14.99

Next they have the Alpha-Bug Step ‘n’ Sphell which gets kids thinking on their feet! Interactive, talking floor mat helps teach the alpabet, letter sounds, vowel recognition and spelling of three- and four-letter words. Four fun activities with two skill levels. Includes a step along to the ABC song and a clever music mode that turns all letters into musical notes for added fun. Integrates reading, music and kinesthetic activities. Volume control. Measures 60" x 32". Requires 3 AA batteries, not included. We gave this product three stars for its fun and educational values. For kids ages 3-7 and it retails for 39.99

Next we have the Trace & Learn™ Cake. Learn while you celebrate! Fun cake teaches letter recognition, beginning words and print awareness. Using the pretend frosting tube, kids write messages on the cake's surface or use stamps and static clings to decorate. Includes neon static cling writing surface, six 3" candles that fit into frosting, twelve .5" alphabet & number (0-9) tracing stamps, five write and wipe crayons and one eraser. Two-piece cake locks together with storage inside. Cake measures 10" in diameter and 5" high. We gave this product two and half stars for its educational and fun values. It for kids ages 3-5 and it retails for $24.95

VTECH

Nitro Notebook
With its sleek, laptop computer design, Reader Notebook is the ultimate hi-tech learning tool for today's budding readers. Kids love having their own computer with an endless selection of fun games and activities that help them master reading in two languages. The computer reads aloud stories to teach phonics and improve fluency. Developing readers learn at their own speed as Artificial Intelligence technology tracks their performance and adjusts the skill levels as needed. All children know is that they are mastering reading...and having fun.

After looking at this product a few time we have realized that its more than just another cute note book computer from V-Tech. This time they made a system that help the kids read and it can tell if he/she is improving or not. "One mother was shocked to see that her son actually started to correct himself from mistakes . Although he knew how to read before hand it helped him with problems he had before". She said by the computer figuring out what the problem was at that time he now can pass certain words or phrases that he had problems with before." This is one product you do not want your kid to be without this holiday season. The suggested retail price for this is $49.99. We give this product four stars too for its fun, educational and imagination values.

V Smile Pocket
Mind-expanding on-the-go gameplay!as they would put it. The V.Smile Pocket turns game time into brain time by combining a video game platform and educational content in a portable learning system that goes anywhere or connects directly to the television for gaming at home. A truly unique way to approach learning, V.Smile connects with both the most reluctant student and the most eager learner. The battery-operated pocket console, specially made for children ages 4 to 8 years old, allows early school-age learners to play a variety of exciting and imaginative games anywhere they go.

We tested this with a few kids and they all loved it. The parents loved it to because its fun for their kids and they learn something too sometimes without even noticing. We were told that a few of the mothers had to go out and buy this product because their kids got too attached to it. We love the graphics and the mixture of licensed characters helping learn education. The suggested retail price for this is $89.99. We give this product four stars for its fun, educational, creative values. You can buy this at a toy store near you.

Finally, last two products are the Crazy Legs Learning bugs which roll-along pull toy features engaging character with six shape-sorter feet! Friendly, silly character teaches shapes, letter identification, and colors. 4 light-up buttons teach A, B, C, D. Promotes motor skill development and independent play. Include volume control and auto-shut off. The Suggested retail price for this is $19.99. We gave this product three stars for its fun and educational values for infants and toddlers. Next we have the Write and Learn: Letter Book which is an acitivity filled phonics picture book that engages early learners with reading, handwriting, counting and vocabulary-building activites in 20 interactive pages. Each page show proper letter stroke and steps, enabling preschoolers to trace letters with their fingers as they practice their primary writing skills. The suggested retail price for this is $19.99. We gave this product two and a half stars for its creativity value. But we think three is still too young for this product and it should have been made from four and up. Made for ages three and up. For these or other products from VTech go to their website at www.vtechkids.com.

WILD PLANET

Battle Crawlers Maxxo
Battle Crawlers are hybrid bugs, half insect and half machine. Geared for high torque and power, these collectable dueling creations compose one of Japan’s most successful battle systems. Wild Planet introduces the customizable clashing crawlers to the United States this holiday in the form of six individual build-your-own bugs and a reconfigurable battle arena. Each Battle Crawler is based on a real bug and, just as in nature, has its own special features to help it survive. Because each crawler is only half bug, players bypass reality and ignite imagination to create the machine-portion of their battler. We love this new concept of wrestling, instead of real men kids can cheer on their favorite masterpiece to win the battle. To add more fun to the picture you can change body or gear with other bugs to make your champion come alive. The arena comes with two bugs plus reconfugable battle stage and bridges. It retails between $14.99-$19.99. We give these little creatures three and a hald stars for its fun creative and imaigination values. May the best bug WIN!!!!!!!!!!

They also have the Aqua pets back this year but this time in plush form. We tested them out and kids loved them but we still think they would be better in the water cages like last year. Four characters from the first two waves of original Aquapets are reincarnated into furry companions just in time for stocking stuffers, school gift exchanges and holiday travel. Puku, Kadet, Bebe and Tabi are retired characters in their regular form and will embellish any Aquapet collection in their plush form. They are much cuter as a plush but they say the same words as they said before. So all you collectors out their this holiday run to the store and pick up your new collectible of aqua pets. We gave it two and a half stars for its cute value and it retails for about $10.99 and is for ages two and up. For more information on these or other products by Wild Planet go to their website at www.shopwildplanet.com

KID GALAXY

Kid Galaxy Blue Radio Control GoGo Car features fun, furniture-safe, indoor radio-control car for tots with soft, squeezable, child-friendly design its made for Ages 2 and up, and has a easy 2-button "steering wheel" control and its also battery-powered, 15-ft. range. We tested this with kids ages two and up and they all loved it. Because of its unique design for which the kids control the car its gives them even more to play with. We give this product four stars for its fun , creative and imagination values. Next we have from Kid Galaxy is the Remote control Bull Pen car. Its a golf cart with the seat in shape as a baseball with a bseball cap on top being held by two baseball bats on the sides in the front. We think its a cute product for all ages, either a kid who likes baseball and R/C cars or an adule who likes collectibles. We gave it three stars for its collectable value. This product and other from Kid Galaxy can be seen on the website at www.kidgalaxy.com

PARENTS MAGAZINE

From Parents Magazines Imagine and learn line comes a new product called Raise the Roof Barnyard. This looks like your typical kids Barn like you had growing up but there are some differences. The difference is here instead of the side opening the roof really raises so you can look inside and help with playtime on the inside. Also here like most the doors and windows actually work. So this is your normal average barnyard just it comes with better animals and pieces to play with. It gives the kids more to imagine with. The kids at a friends house loved it and almost left with it since he did not want to leave it their. The unique thing is it has more animals than animals than the normal fisher price set has. It also has a nice, colorful fence that gives it more for the kids to work with. Of course parents love it because it helps the kids learn about nature and where food comes from with its real working shute.We gave this product three stars for its fun and imagination vales. Its suggested retail price is $49.99. For more information one this or other products log on to their website at www.parents.com.

SPINMASTER

TENGAMO 6 Pack - Series 1

For the kids who love to collect and play trading games here comes a new series called Tangamo. Can Hanky McBooger wipe out Captain Cheesebread? Find out when you challenge your friends in head-to-head magnetic combat with over 60 crazy characters in each series! Collect them all or trade them with your friends! Contents are randomly packed so you never know which creature you'll find next. Each package includes 6 Tengamo character pieces 1 steeler and a collector's guide featuring cool games to challenge yourself and your friends! Unleash the power of magnetic game play with Tengamo. So after watching some kids play this game and have a lot of fun, we gave this product three stars for its fun , creative and collectable values. It retails at $6.99 and is for ages 5 and up. For more information on these and other amazing products from spin master please see their website at www.spinmaster.com

December Girl Products

2005-02-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

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

2005-02-18T06:29:00.000-08:00

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

2005-02-18T06:02:00.000-08:00

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

october toy and games

2004-10-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

Hasbro

First we got two new games out from Hasbro, one is trivia pursuit: the 90's version and the second is called Marry, Date & Dump- a new and exciting game. We also reviewed some actions figures from Star Wars and G.I. Joe! Here is what we thought of these games:

Marry, Date and Dump is a very interesting game for teens over 16. Its fun, creative and interesting to say the least. The basic point is that the one whos turn it is picks a card which has three peoples names on it (could be celebrities, political figures or other powerful people). He/She has to figure out which one he/she would want to marry, date and dump. Then the rest of the people playing will have to guess which of the three he/she picked for which. If you guess it right you win that round! We tested this on teenagers and on young adults and it did better with the teenagers because they are use to this game already. We always played this when we were kids, girls or boys, who would you sleep with or date, etc. This game retails at $24.95 and is for ages 18 and older but we think 16 and up is fine too. We gave this games three and a half stars for its fun value.

The next game teenagers today will love is the 90's version of Trivia Pursuit. "Finally a version we should be good at" said a teenager who recently tried it out. Afterwards he said "It's still not that easy to get all the answers but its for sure much more fun than other editions we have played in the past." The 90's version is obviously the same style as most older versions just updated with questions pertaining to the 90's. We personally loved this game because it brings memories of the time of our lives we loved most, or just remember the most of. Some of the most interesting stories of our time (we are all in out twenties) happened in the 90's so it might be a little easier to remember the answers. We gave this game three stars for its entertaining value.

Finally we have some new and old action figures from Hasbro to review. The newer ones are the new series from G.I. Joe called "Valor VS Venom." Each pack comes with one good guy and one bad guy and their weapons. As a kid growing up on G.I. Joes these are smaller in size but they come now with a lot more weapons or accessories. We give these much cooler version three stars for its new touches they now added on. Finally the old action figures are the remakes of the original trilogy star wars figures. We got Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca. So these reissued or remake figures are as cool as the original series and of course are still collectibles but they do seem smaller too. I think they are making a lot of figures these days smaller than the old ones. So for all the Star Wars fans out there this is a must have this holiday season especially before next year when the next film of the series comes out. We give these figures three stars if you are a collector and two stars if you are not for its collectible value. For more information on these or other great products from Hasbro, check out their website at http://www.hasbro.com/

Upper Deck

What use to be the #1 favorite card manufacturer in sports is now branching off majorly in the non-sport and trading card game industry. Now we reviewed one new edition to an ongoing series and three new series. Here is what we though of them:

First with the comic world coming alive these days through motion pictures and TV Shows, Upper Deck decided to try their hand at a new trading card game called "Vs. System," which is a comic oriented game with both Marvel and DC characters available now and other companies to come soon. Each of these Upper Deck Marvel Origins decks are factory-sealed. Upper Deck Entertainment brings the characters of the marvel Universe to life in this exciting new trading card game. Enlist heroes and villains such as Wolverine, Hulk, Magneto and Captain America and battle to victory! Marvel characters are extremely well known, and are featured regularly in feature films (Spiderman, Hulk, Daredevil, X-Men), on television, in video games, and of course in comic books! Next generation game design is easy to learn and provides strategic depth of play. Every card features high-quality original artwork, and these cards are compatible with other Upper Deck Entertainment Super hero TCGs. The set consists of 143 Common Cards, 77 Rare cards (one per pack), and 143 parallel foil cards (one per pack). They also have DC decks which we did not receive yet. We showed this game to a comic fanatic and the second he started reading these cards he fell in love with it. The comic fanatics gave this game three stars for it fun and creative values. They said they play this game over and over again whenever they can because it makes them try out different scenarios.

Next you have Yu-Gi-Oh its an old series but a new set called "Ancient Sanctuary." The object of this games is to win a Match against your opponent. Three main card types are used in Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Cards, Spell Cards, and Trap Cards. Additionally, each type of card is divided into further subcategories. For now, just read the card descriptions. Later after you will familiarizing yourself with the Phases of Game play you will understand the special role of each of the cards. This new series adds more fun with more cards, our opinion the more cards you have the more you can do. The more traps you can set and the more weapons you can use and of course the more monsters you will have. There will never be a boring phase as long as they keep on bringing more cards into the picture like they have been doing until now. So with the unlimited amount of fun one can have with this game we give it four stars and look forward to reviewing more decks and the Soul of a Duelist coming out soon.

Finally with all these types of role playing games Upper Deck has two more we would like to mention. One is for girls, so now you gals cannot complain, which is the Bratz game. The point of the game is to throw the coolest dance party ever! Get the Bratz dressed in far-out runway-ready fashions and to the Dance Floor before the Clock marker hits midnight. Players use three types of cards in the game: Bratz Character cards, Fashion cards and Party Power cards. Use your Party Power cards to increase your point values, roll the die or search your deck for specific Fashion cards. Listen to your friends answer a super secret question on the Bratz Character cards. The Fashion cards showcase the hottest Bratz pants, shirts, accessories and shoes! Girls love the Bratz Dolls because of their personalities and cuteness so of course they will love this game. We gave this game two and a half stars for its cute value. Then the final game is a role playing game for younger kids like ages 6-10 based on the cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Game play is fast and furious. Use characters, weapons, and various martial arts moves to get past your opponent's blocks and cause him to deck out. This game was not as interesting to me or even my little brother who is nine but it still did good with most kids 6-10. We gave this product two stars for its fun value. For more information on these or other great products from Upper Deck check out their website at http://www.upperdeck.com/

Sababa Toys

Sababa Toys is known for remaking classic toys with new twists and licensed characters of today. The first set of products we will review is a few collectible Simpson products. First they sent us a few Simpson Woolly Willy's. For those who do not know what a Woolly Willy is, its those sketches of characters in a plastic case with little magnetic strips or dust. It comes with a magnetic wand that picks up the dust and you try to make for the character some hair or facial hair. Its always funny when the original character is bald like Homer, how he would look with different hair styles or facial hair. So we gave this to a Simpson fan to test out. She told us that she had so much fun with this product, that she missed some of her favorite shows. Its more exciting to most when they are bored but kids love this and could play it for hours. We give this product three stars for its fun and entertainment value. The second Simpson product is a Simpson uno set, which will be a hot item this Holiday season for all the Simpson fans out there. This is a must have if you love the Simpsons. Its the regular uno game just it has pictures of all the Simpson characters on it. We gave this product two and a half stars for its are work.

The last product from Sababa toys that we reviewed was the Shrek 2 Magic Eight Ball. Remember growing up and asking all the questions to see what the magic eight ball would answer? Well, the Magic Eight Balls are back but with a twist, it has answers geared towards the licensed character on the box. So this particular one has answers from the movie Shrek 2, like "What the Shrek?", "I'm all Ears" and "No, go far, far away." So now when you ask questions they will be more funnier. We gave this product three and a half stars for its fun and entertaining values. For more information on these and other products from Sababa Toys check out their website at http://www.sababatoys.com/

Here is a link to some pictures: Shrek 2 Magic Eight Ball http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002E5P90.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg Simpsons Uno: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005UC6R.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Spin Master

From the creators of very unique and fun toys, come a few new products that your kids will love. We have the Wiggles Guitar, Aquadoodle and Might Beanz Bodz that we will review, now here is what we thought:

Until about a year ago I have never heard of these guys or their TV show but now they are everywhere. Spin Master has a few wiggles toys but the one that sticks out for me is the Guitar. I gave this product to my nephew to test and we kept it in my house for when he comes over to play with. What a mistake I made!!! From the moment he come in the first thing he does is play that Guitar until we figure out ways to get him away from it. But he plays it and dances to it for hours and hours. The cool part besides the guitar singing is, if you stand it up straight the guitar handle will dance and wiggle. My nephew sits there hysterical laughing when the guitar wiggles and then dances and sings the songs with it. So if a company can make a toy as annoying as that, then we give it four stars for the kids fun and excitement they get from it.

Next we have the Aquadoodle, which is a mat that kids can have hours of fun by using magical pens. The magic water pens get refilled with water and are mess free. So moms you will love this product since this product is a new innovation in art activities, Aquadoodles uses a patent technology that allows children to draw mess free using the Aquadoodle mat and magic water pens. For the magic water pens, you just add water and kids can doodle all day without messy or expensive refills. Kids can trace the alphabet, learn shapes and numbers and create their own unique designs over and over again. Tested this with a few kids between the ages 3-6 and they all loved it and their moms of course love the mess free part. We gave this three stars for its creativity value. You had to see what these kids came up with in their drawings. For more information on these and other products from Spin Master check out their website at http://www.spinmaster.com/

crafts and fun activities

2004-09-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

ALEX TOYS

Alex is one of the premier arts and craft companies. Also know for their kids products for all ages. Here are a few products we reviewed for this months issue:First we have the Sand Art Kit of Shapers. It's easy to create beautiful sand works of art! Simply peel the picture a section at a time, apply sand and shake off excess. Each kit contains 3 (5" x 7") pattern cards, 10 vials of sand and easy instructions. SUITABLE FOR AGES: 5+ and SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $7.99 and we gave this product three stars for its creativity value. Next we have the FACE PAINT STUDIO If you can imagine the face, you can create it with the ALEX® Face Paint Studio. This convenient carry-along set has a great selection of make-up in 7 colors along with 2 face paint sticks, 2 tubes of glitter gel, 2 sponge applicators and a sponge wedge for large areas. Removes easily. SUITABLE FOR AGES: 7+ SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $11.99. We give this product two and a half stars for its fun value.

We also tested toys for the tub, here is what we thought. First we have SHAPES FOR THE TUB - TOWN IN THE TUB Soft foam shapes stick to the tub or tile when wet! Includes multicolored Tub Town shapes including houses, people, pets, automobiles and more. 42 pieces in all! SUITABLE FOR AGES: 2+ SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $9.99. My nephew loves these products and my sister-in-law loves it since it keeps him occupied during his bath. We give this product three and a half stars. Next we have the TALKING BATH BUDDIES - DOG Super soft pets for the tub are great for getting little ones clean! This little doggie will "bow-wow" with a squeeze of his tummy! Your little one will love bath time with his new talkative friend! This product is SUITABLE FOR AGES: 0+ and its SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $5.99. We give this product three stars for its fun value.

Other products that they have are as follows MARKERS TO GO (50) An assortment of 50 colorful markers for the young artist on the go. and is SUITABLE FOR AGES: 3+. Also its SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $13.99 and we give it two stars. Finally we have MY FAMILY SCRAPBOOK. Keep your family memories close to you in this (6" x 7") themed scrapbook. This product is SUITABLE FOR AGES: 5+ and its SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $9.99. We gave this product two and half stars for its creativity value. For more information on these or other products from Alex Toys, log onto their website at http://www.alextoys.com/.

CREATIVITY FOR KIDS

Creativity For Kids is one of the better arts and craft companies out their, they make anything from room decor to girl fashions to room products. Here are a few reviews on products we checked out: First you have the Flower Shower Soap. Ah, tis lovely to shower in the early morning. Create 4 lovely soaps from a 1 pound block of clear glycerin base. Four fabric flowers in pink, blue, yellow, and white add to the charm - simply mold them into your soap. And if you like, there's jasmine fragrance to enhance your flower soaps with a subtle scent. This product is good for Ages 9 to 99 Years, it won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award and its Suggested Retail Price: $16.00, We gave this product three stars.

Next we have the Denim Duo, remember Denim is always in style. The 2 denim bags come pre-sewn for you to decorate. The smaller bag has a velcro closure and is the perfect size for carrying house keys, coins, lip gloss or balm, and secret notes. The larger bag has a zipper closure and is great for a dash to the mall or a night at the movies. There's a great assortment of items to use for decoration from beaded and pom pom fringe and beaded flower trim to flower and butterfly appliques. Embroidered mirrors add some sparkle, and you can combine an assortment of rhinestones to make butterflies, dragonflies, and flowers. Attach all your decorations with fabric glue. This product is good for Ages 7 to 97 Years old and Won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolioaward. Its Suggested Retail Price: $15.00 and we gave it three stars for its fun value. The kids loved these products during craft night that they want to do it again at the youth center.

Next we have the Hair Kerchiefs. You've seen these scarves here, there, and everywhere. Now you can make 2 of your own designs and join the trend. Embellish the scarves with fun fabric trims, ric rac, and rhinestones in a variety of shapes. For more decoration you can sew on tiny beads using the needle and thread included. Then tie your scarf and show off your style. These products are made for Ages 7 to 97 Years and its Suggested Retail Price: $12.00. We give this two and a half stars for its creativity value. Finally we have the Suede Sliders Design suede and silver jewelry for a look that's totally hot. Make bracelets, anklets or chokers using 3 colors of suede cord - red, blue & black. Add assorted silver slider charms - flowers, hearts, buckles and more. You can even braid and knot the cord. Crimp beads for end findings and lobster claw clasps - crimping tool included. This product is made for Ages 9 to 99 Years and its Suggested Retail Price: $15.00. We gave this three stars for its cute value. For these or other products from Creativity For Kids log onto their website at www.creativityforkids.com

MAGNETIC POETRY

We wanted to test out this company because we saw there product at the toy fair and just loved it. Its called Magnetic Poetry. The basic idea of this product is to take the different magnetic words you get in your starter kit and connect them to the refrigerator to make cool words, messages, poems, etc.. So with the set we have you get the basic words. They also have plenty of themed sets like romance, educational (like math reading etc), games to go, that are magnetic and you can make your own version of scrabble on any magnetic surface. We give this product three stars for its fun value. If you have any questions log onto their website at http://www.magneticpoetry.com/.

OVERBREAK

Here is a new product which makes the common tracer into an artist with in minutes! Just place and trace--it's so easy. You can trace or draw any picture, a cartoon, photo, or illustration to make your own amazing work of art. Digi-draw allows you to personalize your projects, design greeting cards, trace your favorite super heroes from comic books--- the possibilities are endless. This method is great for kids because it promotes creativity and eye-hand coordination. Some kids might not get it right away but it is still fun and helps your kid be creative. The complete kit contains a portable art case (like your own laptop), 6 color markers, 6 color pencils, a tracing pencil, 4 positioning magnets, animation kit and 1 removable clipboard. Some pieces are small so keep away from children under three. Retail value for this product is $19.99 and we give it three stars for its creative and educational values.(you can find these and other products from Overbreak on their website at www.overbreak.com)

ACTION PRODUCTS/ CURIOSITY KITS

First Product we will review is the Kidz Workshop™ All-Star Clock Wood Project. Build a battery-powered customizable sports clock! Everything needed for first time success is included: easy instructions, pre-cut, sanded wood, clock mechanism, hardware, and screwdriver. Choose from football, basketball, baseball, and soccer themes! Scoreboard frame is perfect for trading cards and 4"x6" photos, while bleachers make great seats for action figures. 1 AA battery not included. We gave this to a local youth center's craft night and the kids had fun making this together. It gets the kids thinking and working together to get the end result and get it right. We give this product three and a half stars for team work and creativity value.

Next we have the Drop Zone Extreme™ Tailspin TylerTailspin Tyler is ready to catch a whole lot of air, spinning, twisting, and soaring at 15,000 feet! With his removable skyboard, Tyler carves up the clouds and shreds the great wide open. Tyler is posable with articulated limbs and includes detachable, rip-resistant and tangleproof parachute, target game, and removable skyboard. This was a good prize for the kid who made the best project, he said he loved it and had so much fun using it at home. We give this little guy two and a half stars for its fun value.

Finally we have the Easi-Tracer. Fun light-box tracer kit lets you trace all your favorite things—cartoons, characters, and more! Tracer has a large 8 1/2" x 11" screen and sturdy carry handle. Kit includes tracing paper, colored pencils, pattern sheets, eraser, and 4 PR3 light The kids had so much fun with this at craft night, they made such funny characters from copying real ones and then adding some features to them. They used this product after they finished with their craft projects. This product is made for ages four and up. We give this product four stars for its creativity and imaginative values. For more information on these or other products from them log on to their website at www.apii.com

Baby and Toddler Products

2004-09-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

LUCON KIDS

They have a new product out called Go Belts! They are these cute belts for kids that come with different gadgets, depending on the theme. We tried two already at home and my nine-year-old bother loves it. He took the spy one because he is in Agent Cody Banks phase. It comes with a belt that comes with two pouches to store things, a device that is a binocular, mirror and compass, a light to see in the dark and to let someone know you need help (it blinks for a distress signal) and finally a FM radio. There is a construction one that come with a drill and different tools, one called princess which comes with cute little things for girls and then finally one for the little kids who love to chase bugs or butterflies called bug catcher. We would recommend these products to anyone who has kids three to ten; it will keep them busy for hours. We give this products four stars for its travel, fun, creative and imaginative values. They will retail for about $24.95 and for more information on these and other products from Lucon Kids go to their website at www.luconkids.com and check it out. They also have large beanbags, large plush pillows and busy belts, which are to be used for mothers with babies on the go.

HOORAY!

The Huggy Buggy line is made from natural flocked foam rubber creating a distinct textured feel that encourages children to use their fingers and hands to explore. The fuzzy flocking stimulates sensory awareness and the bold colors offer color recognition and visual stimulation and the products themselves provide hours of fun. We got one of their new products and we gave it to a new but local playgroup and they loved it. "It makes them learn how to use some of their senses," said one of the playgroup heads. "They use their touch sense by feeling it and also it helps them flex their muscles in their hand. It also makes them use their sight sense but trying to figure out what color and shape it is." The line includes a truck, train, airplane, helicopter, SUV, ambulance, and police car. We give this product three stars for its educational and imaginative value. For more information on this and other products from Hooray! You can buy them at a specialty store near you.

toys and games

2004-09-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

HASBRO

We are continuing to review My Little Pony products and playdough products. Here is what we thought of them after we checked them out. First we have the My Little Pony Celebration Salon. It is a cute new product from Hasbro where the ponies get pampered like its mommy does at the newly built salon. It even comes with parts where you have to use a foot pedal for it to work, like a real salon. "My daughter loved this product! She has so much fun collecting and playing with all the different ponies, especially the new ones" said one women who reviewed them. We love these products because the old dolls/ponies look exactly like they did then and the new ones are too cute for any kid to pass up. This is made for girls ages 3 to 9 years old and its suggested retail price is about 14.99. Remember parents it comes with some pieces that are too small for children under three. We give this product three stars for its fun value

Links to Pictures
Celebration Salon: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000VSGXM.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg

Next we have two new sets from Play-Doh which is owned by Hasbro. These two new sets are very cute since they both are themed. The first set is the Doh Doh Island. Which is obviously based on the theme of an island. It comes with a fake island and some island creatures you can use with it. Also comes with a tree and tunnel drop, which is pretty cool the way it shows it on the cover. It will be hours and hours of play dough fun for you and your family! You can never get sick of playing with play dough. The other product is a themed based on a farm with your fuzzy farm friends. We liked both these products for their different themes and we give them both three and a half stars for its building value. If you need any information on these or other fine products from Hasbro check out their website at www.hasbro.com.

Links to Pictures:
Doh Doh Island Playset:http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00007H1ZI.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg

MATTEL

Last year we reviewed the Little Mommy dolls this time we are reviewing the Potty Training set and the Shopping Cart set. Little Mommy is a series of products that are made for the little kid to act like a mommy. They have everything from babies, highchairs, carriers, Baby care center, etc. So here is what we thought of these two products. The Potty Training center is the cutest little thing, it comes with everything you need to teach your baby and take care of her afterwards. You got the baby and potty, which is obvious, then you got the diaper to change her into, wipes to clean her with, power bottle, bottle to keep her calm and a few other products. We saw why three and four year olds loves this product, if you were able to be exactly like mommy with your own baby and her products wouldn't you like that? So we give this product three and a half stars for its fun value. Next we have the Shopping Cart which is another kids will just love. They can now act like they are going shopping but this time they can bring the baby with them. It comes with food and the Little Mommy Baby is sold separately. We gave this product to a playgroup who was so excited about using it because the kids love to pretend and play dress up. "The kids love this item because it gives them more products to work with and expand their imaginations," said one of the playgroups heads. This is made for ages three and up and we give it three stars for its imagination value. The retail value for these are as follows: My Little Mommy Dolls are $12.99, the Potty Training Doll is $19.99 and finally the Shopping Cart Doll is $29.99.
link to the picture:
Potty Traing set: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000DJX4F.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg
Little Mommy Doll: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00009364N.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg
Next we have the My Scene Shopping Spree Dolls which will be a big hit this Summer and Holiday season. Did you ever wish you can wear the same clothes as Barbie and her friends? Well, guess what? Now you can! Mattel just made the My Scene Shopping Spree. They will be shopping at three stores for right now. The stores are Levi's so now you can wear the same jeans, Sephora so now you wear the same make-up and Aldo's where you can get the same shoes. This is gonna be a big hit when school gets back into session this fall. We think the My Scene dolls will top this years baker dozen wish lists for holiday with this product in particular. We also love these dolls because they come with more pieces, than I have ever seen in the past. We give this set of dolls four stars for it fun, imaginative and creative values. They retail for $13.99 and is for ages six and up. Next we have the My Scene Jammin N' Jamaica Dolls, which is Barbie and her friends going on vacation to Jamaica to join the guys! They are dressed in fabulous colorful beach outfits that will make for a perfect holiday in Jamaica. They each have a travel outfit and a bathing suit and an extra accessory piece to complete their vacation. Each doll comes with a DVD of an animated movie all about Jammin' in Jamaica! We love the colors and styles of their clothes and the DVD is cute and an added bonus for kids. We give these dolls three stars for it cute value. It retails for also $13.99 and is for ages six and up. Finally we have the My Scene: Roadster Jammin N' Jamaica: Copper. These vehicles are perfect for driving along the beach. Barbie and River cruise around in the orange buggy and there is also a yellow one that would be perfect for a hot date! Comes with tons of beach accessories like a cooler and umbrella for a beach picnic date. It retails for $19.99 and is for ages six and up. We give it two and a half stars for its cute look.

links to pictures
Jammin N' Jamiaca: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000C8RQR.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg
Shopping Spree Doll: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00027P7S6.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg

Finally we have a few boys products. We have a new Rev-Up which is cars that you push back and forth to get it going and then let it go. It retails from $9.99 and up depending on the set. We give it three stars for its unique features. Next we have the Incredible Crash Dummies from Hot Wheels. It is the cutest little thing and we give it three stars and finally its the game called Clinq-O which is a travel game but we have not tested it out as of press time. Please stay tuned to its review next time.

THE ONLY HEARTS CLUB

The Only Hearts Club doll line is a group of six fun-loving girls who encourage each other to think with their hearts and to try to always do the right thing. They laugh, they share secrets and have the greatest adventures together as part of The Only Hearts Club. They have a bond of true friendship and they are always there for each other. Each doll is soft bodied and poseable, but they have different themes and personalities. Here is an example of the dolls personalities and themes: Briana Joy, an all-around athlete with brown hair and brown eyes; and Karina Grace, a blonde haired, blue eyed girl who is passionate about dancing and music. Each doll comes with their own dog for a pet. They also have fashion and theme sets and even dog accessory sets. All girls and mothers will fall in love with these girls come Holiday time and this doll line is sure to be on every little girl's wish list. Kids love this product because its cute and each doll is unique so there are different dolls for different personalities. We give these dolls three stars for its fun and imaginative values.

The TOUCH GAME

This game will be loved by all kids of all ages because it is so much fun. The main point of the game is to collect as many pieces as you can to complete sets and earn cards for double points. The way you collect cards is by collecting all the pieces on the card from the base, which is covered and you have to feel for your piece within 30 seconds, if you get it you keep it but if not then the next person goes. The other players are entertained watching each other through the observation window as they feel for the pieces. So its a race to finish as soon as possible and collect as many as you can. The one with the most cards win!! we gave this game three a half stars for its competitive value These games are available at independent specialty retailers, as well as http://www.museumtour.com/ , http://www.youngexplorers.com/ or www.thetouchgame.com

USAOPOLY

Famous for their many licensed monopolies and other games, we have now review their Shrek 2 chess and checkers. We played the chess game, which is the cutest game out their right now that is licensed. My little brother who loves chess said this is his second favorite chess set next to the METs Vs Yankees (which is also made by Usaopoly). It comes with the little pieces that look just like the characters from the movie. It seems like its the good characters against the bad ones. This is one unique set that will is on every game lovers wish list for games. The checkers is cute too but not as much as the chess. The retail value for these are as follows $35.95 for the chess set and $14.95 for the checkers. We think the age range for this is six and up and we give them both three stars for its fun value. You can look these and other games from Usaopoly up at their website at www.usaopoly.com

HOGWILD

We got a few products from this company and here is a review on the products they sent us. First we have a series called Benders, which are these metal stick figure characters that have magnets and stick to things. There are so many different ones that everyone can have a favorite. First you got the Hockey Joe Bender with molded gloves pads and stick and its comes with a net and puck. What we like about these characters they come with pieces that attach to the tops of the package that it comes in. Most of the time they come in tins. Next we have Workin Joe Bender, who comes with some supplies and is packaged in a lunch box. We have Bikini benders that come with a folding beach chair and accessory. (one with a book, another with a boombox, sunglasses and water bottle) they're packaged in a suntan lotion bottle. We also have Rock and Roll Benders we got Edge on guitar and Tommy on drums, each come in a guitar looking tin and a round tin to display them on. of course they come with the instruments. Finally we have the Monkey Benders which are four cute monkeys that look like mini king Kong's and they come with a building that looks like the Empire State Building. They are very cute. and we give all these products three and a half stars for its unique and collectable values.

link to pcitures:
http://www.hogwildtoys.com/images/update11.2003/BENDBrdSurf.jpg

Next we have Acrobots which are Articulated, stackable and very artistic They've got crystal clear round heads, magnets in their hands and feet, flexible joints and the ability to contort into hundreds of shapes. Four colors to choose from and each is packed in its own clear acrylic box. Balance them magnet to magnet. Strike a vogue pose. They're fun, collectable and acrobatic! They retail at $8.99. They also make Candroids which are Seventeen pre-assembled and interchangeable parts allow users to create and change this mechanical droid. CanDroid features spring loaded pinchers that grip thin or thick objects. He has powerful magnets in his robotic feet so he can scale vertical walls like refrigerators and filing cabinets. He also has a hinged jaw that opens and closes to devour loose change, nuts, bolts or anything else that looks appealing. Allen wrench included for assembly. The retail prices for this is around $26.00. We love these two products because they are good products to waste time at work with. So both of them get three stars for its fun and wasting work value.

Finally we have the Flying Torpedos. Pull back, take aim, let them fly! Flying Torpedos are soft foam flying darts. Just insert your finger in loop, pull back, take aim and fire. The soft materials won't hurt much and are the aviation materials of choice. Includes two Flying Torpedos and game booklet. Just got this product and my brother and I are fighting already and having competitions with each other. We give these products three stars for its competitive value. For more information on these and other products from Hog Wild Toys log onto their website at www.hogwildtoys.com

IRWIN TOYS

All of us here at Brooklyn College Newspapers grew up with Irwin toys so it was especially fun to get a chance to review several games including the all-new I-Top. The first game we played was an Irwin classic, Frustration!, from the newly reconstituted company, itoys, Inc. The game challenges players to move all four of their game pieces around the board using a pop-a-dice shaker; the player to complete one full revolution and reach home first wins. This travel edition of the popular game is compact and stores all pieces inside the board for easy transport. The next travel game we reviewed was Inline. This game is traditional Tic-Tac-Toe with a twist; the first player to get four of his counters in a row - whether, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally - is the winner. The final travel game we reviewed was Sea Battle. This game of strategy requires the two “captains” to seek and sink their opponents’ ships by guessing their coordinates. A correct guess scores a “direct hit” on the opponent’s ship and the first to sink all five of his opponent’s ships wins! Now we know what you’re thinking, “These games sound awfully familiar”- and they are. These are classics you grew up with, sized down for travel ease or even for the limited space of a dorm room! We give itoys travel edition Frustration!, In-Line and Sea Battle three stars; we’ve always loved them and now, in travel size, we never have to be without them close at hand.

Last, but not least, the most recent edition to the itoys line of playthings is I-Top. It has an illuminated display and four cool game modes including: Top Speed, Top This!, Match Top and Mystic Top. Additionally, it folds to fit perfectly in your pocket. We tested this toy with several kids around Brooklyn College but after a few minuets with I-Top they were hooked and so determined to keep the toy that we were forced to raffle it off! They all exclaimed that they loved the illuminated effect. Older kids and adults enjoyed Mystic Top, a high-tech version of the classic Magic 8-Ball and Match Top, which challenges players to hit a target number of revolutions; while younger children found Top This!, which pits players against one another to see who can spin the fastest, more their “speed.” We give I-Top four stars for its unique fun and play value. For more information of these products and other itoys offerings go to www.itoys.com.

Sababa Toys Sababa Toys is known for remaking classic toys with new twists and licensed characters of today. The first set of products we will review is a few collectible Simpson products. First they sent us a few Simpson Woolly Willy's. For those who do not know what a Woolly Willy is, its those sketches of characters in a plastic case with little magnetic strips or dust. It comes with a magnetic wand that picks up the dust and you try to make for the character some hair or facial hair. Its always funny when the original character is bald like Homer, how he would look with different hair styles or facial hair. So we gave this to a Simpson fan to test out. She told us that she had so much fun with this product, that she missed some of her favorite shows. Its more exciting to most when they are bored but kids love this and could play it for hours. We give this product three stars for its fun and entertainment value. The second Simpson product is a Simpson uno set, which will be a hot item this Holiday season for all the Simpson fans out there. This is a must have if you love the Simpsons. Its the regular uno game just it has pictures of all the Simpson characters on it. We gave this product two and a half stars for its are work. The last product from Sababa toys that we reviewed was the Shrek 2 Magic Eight Ball. Remember growing up and asking all the questions to see what the magic eight ball would answer? Well, the Magic Eight Balls are back but with a twist, it has answers geared towards the licensed character on the box. So this particular one has answers from the movie Shrek 2, like "What the Shrek?", "I'm all Ears" and "No, go far, far away." So now when you ask questions they will be more funnier. We gave this product three and a half stars for its fun and entertaining values. For more information on these and other products from Sababa Toys check out their website at www.sababatoys.com