Toy Review - Luck of the Draw by Game

So, we brought this game home last Friday night and played it with the kids.  I have to say that it was a lot of fun.  It was more fun than I thought it would be, actually.  It is like Pictionary, but with a several key differences; and, therein lies the extra dose of fun.

You see, in Luck of the Draw, you don't take turns drawing.  Everyone draws together!  It is crazy.  And, you don't get the chance to take your time either.  The timer is set for about 45 seconds!

Each round, you take turns rolling the die and picking a card.  Based on the number on the die, everyone draws whatever subject corresponds to that number on the card picked.  So, if the die rolls to a "3," everyone will draw the 3rd thing listed on the card picked.

After everyone feverishly draws for 45 seconds, when the time runs out, you all place your drawings, face down, in the middle of the table.  They are mixed up, so no one knows whose is whose.  A colored chip is placed on each one.  Now, the die is rolled again and between one and three descriptive cards are drawn.  Everyone votes, using cool color wheels, on which drawing best matches the descriptive card(s).

That is the beauty of the game.  It doesn't matter how good of an artist you are, or how bad of an artist you think you are.  You may be voting for the "neatest" or "cleanest" drawing, or you may be voting for the drawing that "most looks like it was drawn with the wrong hand" or "cutest."  Anyone can win.  It's the Luck of the Draw!  Get it?

Just to put it all in perspective:  the game says it is for 10 and up.  We played with our two teenage boys and our six year old daughter.  The six year old won.  But, we all had a blast.  You will too; try it out today.

Smencils and Snifty Pens - check them out!

Smencils are scented pencils made from 100% recycled material. Each smencil comes in an individual freshness tube. Sheets of newspaper are rolled tightly around the #2 graphite writing cores until pencils of typical thickness are formed. Each one is put into its own corn-based biodegradable Freshness Tube. Smencils maintain their scent for 2 years! If you are looking for a cool, innovative and environmentally friendly product, then look no further than Smencils.

Snifty writing pens are a colorful and wonderfully scented way to work! The ink of the pen is black and the scent of each pen comes from the tip and clip. They write wonderfully smooth and smell even better! There are 4 scents to choose from, choose your favorite scent from the dropdown menu above or better yet - choose them all! Great for work, school or home use. Made from non-toxic materials and recommended for ages 3+.

Lots of cool smells to choose from!

Etch a Sketch a Trip Down Memory Lane

Ah, the classic of classics: the wonderful, magical Etch a Sketch. How many hours did I wile away as a child, trying to make the perfect square, or the straightest diagonal line? How many times did I get confused going left or right or up or down? Did I ever make anything truly resembling a circle?
There was just something cool and mysterious about the Etch a Sketch. All of its wonderment was contained in an elegantly simple device. Two knobs and you could, theoretically, create a masterpiece. (I never did.) But I always enjoyed drawing and erasing and drawing again. And, trying to understand what made it work!
Well, if you want to ruin the mystery, you can get some amazing information about the Etch a Sketch, how it works and when it was invented, by checking out this Wikipedia article, here.
You can also go here to check out some amazing Etch a Sketch art, yes I said art.
When you are done with that, come to Town Square Toys and then get yourself your very own classic of classics. You can even pick up a pocket size version if you want to.
-Brian

Reach for the Stars and Then Take a Bath

The Star Crayon by Alex Toys is a pretty cool toy. It is a plastic star, with 6 different colored crayons built into the tips. Our daughter has one that she uses regularly during bathtime. She makes the most beautiful and colorful pictures you can imagine. (Of course, I may be biased.) The drawings easily wash down the drain whenever bath time is over. But, if you are like us, we tend to leave the art up for extended periods of time.

Now, earlier this year, we had a princess party at our house. All of the princesses had lovely parting gifts to take home with them. Amongst the gifts, was a Star Crayon. They are perfectly sized for gift bags and baskets. If you are having a party in the near future, for boys or for girls, be sure to grab some of these. They would be a wonderful and colorful addition, to be sure!

You can always count on quality when you purchase any toy by Alex. We love carrying their line of toys here at Town Square Toys. Try them out; you won't be disappointed.

-Brian

Crayons of the Future...Now!

So Steph brought home some of the Melissa and Doug crayons that we sell over at Town Square Toys. At first I was a bit skeptical. I, myself, was raised on Crayola crayons and have always been a big fan of the wonderful smell, texture and sight of the classic crayon of years gone by. I think anyone in my age bracket will recall the wonder and majesty of that old box of 96 crayons with the built in sharpener. You think I am joking? Here is a fellow crayon lover: http://dailyapple.blogspot.com/2008/02/apple-300-crayons.html

But I digress. The Melissa and Doug crayon set that we had on our hands was the 24 piece crayon set. We also have a 12 piece set and a big ol' 10 piece set to boot. But back to the 24 piece set. The first thing I noticed was the cool case to keep them in. Gone is the cardboard box of yore. There is instead a snappy, red plastic case with a clear front so you can easily see the crayons you have. The next thing I noticed, once I popped the top as it were, was that the crayons were triangular. Nice trick on the part of Melissa and Doug - no more crayons rolling off the table. I have three kids; I have spent months of my life picking up crayons off the floor or crawling under a table or chair to get one. Plus, Steph says it is better and easier for the kids to grip them. The third thing I noticed was the lack of paper. At first I thought this might have been a bad idea, but Steph brought up the fact, and it is certainly true in our family, that the kids love to peel the labels of the old Crayola crayons, first chance they get; now that problem is solved as well.
Overall, I think Melissa and Doug did a fab job on coming up with these groovy new crayons. The color variety in the 24 pack is great; a lot of interesting choices in there. I did have to give the old smell test a whilst they are not exactly the same as the classic I grew up with, they definitely could be the classic for my kids and yours. Try them out today!