Toy Review – Zyclone by Zing Toys



When I was younger, I remember folding up a piece of notebook paper and fashioning it into a ring like shape. If thrown just right, with a little spin from the wrist, you could make this paper ring fly, rather erratically, across the room. It took more patience and know how than a paper airplane and so it didn’t get a lot of airplay. Yet, I never forgot the “neato” factor of its odd aerodynamics.

Zing Toys, takes that simple aerodynamic concept to the next, more awesome level, with the Zyclone! The Zyclone launches a large, foam ring through the air, spinning it rapidly as it goes. That spinning launch allows the aptly named “zing ring” to fly up to 100 feet. We have tested this toy a great deal and I can attest to the fact that it will go a long, long way. It is very interesting to watch the zing ring fly, too. It doesn’t lob, like a thrown ball. Instead, it seems to fly almost completely horizontally.

With a couple of Zyclones, you could have a great time, shooting the zing ring back and forth. But, even with one Zyclone you can have fun, taking turns. Since the ring is made of a soft foam, you don’t have to worry about catching it bare handed. In fact, you can try and catch it by threading it on your hand or arm. It takes a little bit of practice, but is not too hard to do. Go get yourself a Zyclone today!

Toy Review – Squap by Diggin

What in the world is Squap?  It is a really cool throwing and catching game from Diggin.  At first I wasn’t so sure when I saw it; it didn’t seem to me to have a lot of playability.  Why not just throw a ball?  But, I got sucked in quickly.


The beauty of Squap, as I see it, is that almost anyone can play with it.  I have played with it, my teenage boys have played with it, my six year old daughter has played with it, and dozens of customers have played with it.  The mitts come with velro adjustable straps that fit any sized hand.  Once the mitt is on, the hinge corresponds to the natural hinge of you hand.  When you open your hand the mitt pops open and when you close your hand the mitt snaps shut.


The mitt does all the work.  You are tempted to help the mitt toss the ball.  You try to help it along by pushing it out of the mitt, and you look very silly doing it.  What you have to do is let the popping open of the mitt throw the ball for you.  It goes pretty far on its own.  To catch the ball, you just have to snap quickly.  The mitt is pretty big and it doesn’t take long to master the catch.


The design of the toy is very smart.  When you are not playing, there is a slide tab with keeps the mitt locked closed.  The ball is very much like a ping pong ball but brightly colored so that you can find it if it falls into grass or behind a table or chair.  And, beings that they are light weight, table tennis type balls, they won’t break a lamp or knock anything over.  Squap comes with four balls.  Each mitt has a place to store two of the balls.  You never have to worry about losing the balls when not in play.  It is all self contained.  Very smart.  If you want a fun toy for kids ages 6 and up, indoor or outdoor, pick up Squap.

Sale - Active Toys

This month, all of our Active Toys, at Town Square Toys, are on sale for 15% off!  That's right, 15%!  And we have tons of active toys to choose from.  When I say “tons,” I mean literally tons.  There are so many toys to choose from.  But, don’t let that dissuade you from coming by and checking them out.  You can come by our Mansfield store or visit us online.

I am really amazed by the variety and scope of Active Toys that we carry at Town Square Toys.  Most people think of Active Toys as just sports type toys, things such as bats and balls, footballs, Frisbees, and the like.  But Active Toys involves so many more toys and types of toys.  We have toys that encourage kids to explore the outside world around them while they are playing in it.

We have a whole spectrum of gardening toys, rakes and broom, shovels and trowels.  We have butterfly nets and bug collecting toys.  We have all sorts of bubble makers.  We have those classic balsa wood airplanes that you build yourself and then discover the mystery of flight with.  We have jump ropes and stilts, water toys and sand buckets, hopscotch pads and water balloon pumping stations.  The list goes on and on.

Our goal with Active Toys is for kids to play; to turn off the TV and the computer and use their brains and bodies for fun.  Figure out how to shoot that target with a marshmallow shooter.  Help mom or dad in the garden.  Play catch with your brother or sister.  Get some fresh air during this beautiful Spring weather.  Hopefully our Active Toys will encourage your kids to do the same.