Stupendous Fancy Nancy

Fancy Nancy is a book written by Jane O'Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. They are published by Harper Collins (who has a great interactive website for kids to explore the world of Fancy Nancy). The books are about Nancy, a normal little girl who has a flair for the fancier side of life. The books are about Nancy's daily life and how she desires for others to understand her need for flair! They have amazing illustrations that depict this story in vivid detail. The hardcover books even come complete with glitter on the covers, of course! Nancy wouldn’t have it any other way. Teachers and parents alike will LOVE the fact that these books teach very young readers very sophisticated words like: fuchsia, plume, frilly, tiara, stupendous, accessories, posh, limousine, chauffeur, parfaits, curtsy and dressing gown. These books also explain what these words mean so children immediate relate to this new vocabulary and because it's Nancy using the words, they don't seem complicated at all. It's an incredible concept and little girls LOVE it. What little girl does not love being fancy, feeling like a princess and wish everyone around her would "get it"? The first book in the series is Fancy Nancy. Other titles include Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly and Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy. Since the hardcover books have come out, there have been SO many additions to the line!

There are:

- Paperback "I Can Read" books (which are specifically designed for early readers)
- Sticker books
- Nancy's Favorite Fancy Words Book (which is really an ABC book)
- The Fancy Nancy Board Game
- Fancy Nancy Card Game
- Glitter puzzles & Cameo puzzles
- Fancy Nancy Dress Up Game
- Fancy Nancy Color forms Set
- And perhaps best of all – DOLLS!!

The cloth plush dolls by Madame Alexander come in 18 and 29 inch varieties and come with all the special details you would expect Fancy Nancy to have. She has a tutu, fuzzy shoes, moveable glasses, hair bows and a tiara. She is truly an amazing doll!!
Come on, get Fancy!

I Saw a Giant Pacific Octopus

I was in the warehouse the other day, helping Steph ship when I went by the aisle that has the Safari animals. Specifically, I noticed the octopi. They were all staring at me. Have you ever noticed how weird their eyes look? Anyway. I picked up an octopus and gave it a look over. Specifically, I picked up a Giant Pacific Octopus. It was a pretty good sized animal. The coloring was very natural and realistic. I haven't seen many octopi in real life, but I do tend to watch them on TV. I was intrigued by the level of detail on the suction cups. There are so many of those suckers (no pun intended) on each octopus, and each one is painted. The whole line of Safari animals have that same level of quality. Of course, with Amy and Steph picking the toys, quality is one thing you can always count on when you shop at Town Square Toys.

Our boys have really enjoyed the Schleich line of figures; they have collected a veritable zoo of different animals and they have amassed a huge army of knights on horseback and infantry soldiers. Our little girl plays with the Schleich sea creatures at bath time, she has whales, dolphins and even a manta ray.

I think, however, that Safari line of animals may make a more notable appearance at our house soon. They would be a welcome addition to any toy collection. You should stop by and check out the Safari line that we carry and see if there is something there for you.

Town Square Toys in the Dallas Morning News

Our store was recently mentioned in the local paper. It was so very exciting! I bought several copies of the paper to hand out to friends and family and told everyone. It felt just like the movies. If you want to, click this link to the Dallas Morning News and read all about it. It is a short and sweet article about Steph and Amy as two homeschool moms with an entrepreneurial bent. Russ and I are even mentioned as well. Just a little insight into our store. I hope you enjoy it. - Brian

Style Me Pretty Baby Doll by Madame Alexander

My little girl is SO into doing hair. I love the Style Me Pretty dolls by Madame Alexander. This baby doll allows her to do hair anytime, without risking her own hair in the process. Even though my girl is a blonde, she prefers the brunette doll. There are alot of brunnettes in the family, so maybe that's why. This doll comes with georgeous brown eyes that open and close, beautiful long brown hair and many accessories. There is a comb, a brush, a bow, a clip and several pony tail holders. She also has on a cute pink outfit with a pink kitty complete with a crown. This baby doll is durable and has a soft body. She has pretty pink bows in her pig tails (also a favorite style for my daughter). My little girl connects with the doll because she has the same hairstyle, same eye color and same accessories as she does. This is a great doll for a little girl who has outgrown her baby dolls but isn't quite old enough for Barbies or Only Hearts Club dolls. She is perfect for pretend play which is so popular around age 4-5 years. She is also small enough to be carried around everywhere if your little one gets REALLY attached. Madame Alexander has been making incredible collectible dolls for years and years and their branch out into play dolls has been very successful. They are proving to be a versatile manufacturer who really gets dolls. There is a big difference between a collectible doll and a play doll and some manufacturers would have trouble making the switch. Madame has done it well. I hope the Sweet Baby Nursery line grows, we love them!!!

Do you want princess dress up shoes???

We need some feedback. Owning a toy store, we try to tap into what our customers are thinking. However, we wonder if we always get it right. So, here's the question of the day...do you want princess dress up shoes? There are tons of dresses to choose from. There are even more tiaras, gloves, slips, boas and other accessories to choose from. However, there are not very many shoes to choose from. Unless you want to buy them at the dollar store, that is. We all know what happens to those. We have been searching for some quality, yet affordable dress up shoes to go with all those beautiful dresses. As you know, no outfit is complete without the perfect pair of shoes! So, please comment and let us know if this is something you want. Have you looked for them? Where do you buy your princess shoes? What kind are you looking for? We would LOVE your input!

Dripstik

MADE IN THE USA by a mother of five! Dripstik keeps kids' clothes clean by catching the sticky drips from ice cream cones or any frozen treat on a stick. Two products in one: One end holds frozen treats on a stick. Flip the Dripstik over and the other end holds ice cream cones in almost any size and variety. Saves parents time from cleaning up colorful puddles from forgotten desserts. Makes an easy birthday party favor! Serve ice cream without stressing about guests making a mess, then simply send the Dripstik home with them. Perfect for road trips. Indulge your children with stops at ice cream shacks without worrying about the upholstery. Let them get the cone instead of a cup and spoon. Helps disabled or elderly persons, letting them enjoy ice cream with self-sufficiency. Durable, soft plastic is long-lasting and easy-care-- simply pop into the dishwasher!

Jack Popz

It was love at first sight! We found Jack Popz in 2008 at Toy Fair, loved them and ordered them by the end of the show. This is big deal for us because normally we don't order anything we've never heard of. However, they were very well put together - had a great booth and it was something we knew our kids would use. There are probably 200 plush toys between our 2 households. Our 7 collective children are constantly taking plush toys from one house to another for various games and sleepovers. What we needed was Jack Popz! We love the styles and the fabric choices. You would think that this toy skews girls, but of our 7 children - 5 are boys. Each child, except the oldest, owns a Jack Popz. It was cool to see them think about which style they wanted and how many pets they wanted to transport. Now, when we need to travel with the pets, it's easy and convenient. They LOVE being able to see the pets little heads! This line was created by moms who love Webkins and saw a need. We love adding that kind of line. It's a great specialty item and you will not find them in the big boxes. This would be a huge hit at a birthday party if you are looking for something truly unique. The price is great too! What more could you ask for?