Lego Play Day 2 - The Sequel

Today is the repeat of our first Lego Play Day.  Read about it here:  http://townsquaretoys.blogspot.com/2011/06/lego-play-date.html

It is going to be so much fun!  I hope you can come by.

Lego Play Date

We had our first Lego Play Day today.  We have had Play Days before; we had a Thomas the Tank Engine Play Day once and a Princess Play Day, too.  But, this was our first Lego Play Day, and it was awesome!  I was not able to be there, but Stephanie says that is was a rousting success.  Some reflections:

• Lego brings a lot of people out to play.
• It was different to have lots of Dads coming to a play day, especially in the middle of the week.
• There were no "instructions," just three big buckets of Legos.  Kids let their imaginations run wild and they built amazing creations.
• Justin was a great guide and builder/mentor.  He would help with any construction questions and building designs.
• Some of the little girls, who came to the Play Day, were less interested in Legos.  They had a fabulous time playing in small groups, with several dozen stuffed animals.
• Overheard more than once, "when can we come back and play with Legos?"

Please follow us on facebook, if you don't already, to find out when our next Play Days will be.

Toys for Dad

Steph asked me what toys I thought would be cool for Father's Day; what would be a cool toy for a kid to get his or her Dad?  It seems like a simple question.  It should be easy to find a few awesome toys.  The problem is that there are so many great toys at Town Square Toys, it is difficult to narrow the list down.  But, I tried my best and came up with 5 great toy ideas for Dad.

Number One on my list would have to be a Lego set.  Few things are more fun that building a cool airplane or  robot out of Legos.  I am a huge fan and have been since I was a kid.  I am fond of the creator sets; they remind me of when I was younger and you used your imagination to come up with the next great idea.  In particular, I would choose the LEGO® Creator Transport Truck 3 in 1 Building Set 5765.

Number Two on my list is a Sky Rocket Mini Banshee.  Actually any of the Sky Rockets would be a good number two choice.  These things really fly.  I think it would be fun to get the kids out in a park and shoot these back and forth.

Number three for me would be a 300 piece puzzle by Thomas Kinkade.  I am a fan of his work, to be sure.  We have some beautiful puzzles featuring his gorgeous paintings.  At 300 pieces, it would not be too taxing of an afternoon to work on a puzzle of this size, alone or together.  I bet if the whole family pitched in, it could be done in no time.

Number Four is something that any science loving Dad would want to have:  A glow in the dark Solar System.  The Great Explorations Glow-In-The-Dark 3-D Solar System Kit by University Games is just the Solar System to get.  I know, I know, it is not to scale, but it GLOWS!  I am a fan of all things Glow in the Dark.  It is a solid top 5 contender.

Number Five may seem silly to many, but a lot of Dad's would appreciate something like this.  I choose a Safari Toob, specifically the Pirates Toob.  Why would I pick a tube of little toys?  Well, for several reasons. They would be fun to play with, alone or with the kids.  They give anyone an opportunity to talk like a pirate.  They are small and easily transportable in their little "toob."  They are pirates!  And, I work in a cubicle, on a computer, and they make awesome cubicle decor.  You can help Dad make his coworkers jealous!

So, that is my Top 5 Toys for Dad.  I could have easily made it a top 20 or top 50, but, alas, I don't have the time.  Better than my list, come by the store or browse our website and find that one special gift that you think your Dad will love.http://www.townsquaretoys.com/LEGO_Creator_Transport_Truck_3_in_1_Building_Set_p/lg4610937.htm

Toy Review - LEGO® Star Wars V-19 Torrent 7674

The following is a special review by toy tester, Caleb, age 12:

The Lego V-19 Torrent is a cool set with cool features. It comes with a clone minifigure and a ship. The ship has foldable winds and automatic landing gear. The cockpit can open up and hold a minifigure. The minifigure is a clone pilot. He looks like a normal clone with yellow markings on his helmet. I think that this is a really cool set for kids my age.

Lego Minifigures Series 4

I don’t think I need to spend a lot of time telling you how awesome the Lego Minifigs are.  They are totally cool.  We have the new series 4 minifigs, but they are going fast.  Here is a quick rundown of the characters:

The Monster – This one is very much like Frankenstein.  He is not Frankenstein though, nor is he Frankenstein’s Monster.  He is just The Monster.

Surfer Girl – She is stylin’ in her cool wet suit which matches her pink surf board.

Sailor – He is a regular Navy type enlisted man, but he comes with a cool telescope.

Kimono Girl – I have to say that the fan is pretty cool to have as an accessory.

Punk Rocker – Possibly one of the coolest hairpieces on a Lego minifig.  That electric guitar is also out of this world!  Rock on!

Viking – I think that this is my favorite minifig from series 4.  He has the awesome Viking helmet, the sweet battle axe, and a cool, round shield with Celtic knots on it.  What more could that bearded, berserker ask for?

Ice Skater – She is an ice rink diva with flowing blonde hair and a dazzling blue outfit.  Silver skates complete the ensemble.

Hockey Player – This fellow means business.  Complete with helmet, hockey stick and skates, he has his game face on at all times.

Street Skater – He seems to be a nice fellow, with his cute, knit cap and his bespectacled face.  He comes with a cool skateboard, too.

Hazmat Guy – This character is fairly easy to find, when squishing minifig bags.  I don’t know why he has such a look of terror on his face, he is the one who is safe in his hazmat suit!

Musketeer – I love the hat and the goatee that this fellow is sporting.  But, which Musketeer is he?  I guess you will have to keep collecting until you get all three; four if you count d’Artagnan.

Werewolf – This guy is fierce.  He has a bone to pick with you, literally!

Artist – He’s kinda sloppy, just check out the paint on his trousers.  But, he is a dedicated artist with a French beret and a somewhat limited color palette.

Crazy Scientist – This dude has hair that is a close second to that of the Punk Rocker.  His wild goggles and stereotypical Erlenmeyer flask get points as well.

Soccer Player – His team won the championship, obviously, because he has a totally awesome mini statue of a Lego minifig!  He plays for Octan, but I don’t follow that team too closely.

Lawn Gnome – Apparently this little Lawn Gnome likes to spend his free time fishing.  He comes with a nice rod and reel.  I love his green hat and Santa like beard.

Moving Stuff Around

Well, the Huge Clearance Sale is still going on.  You can visit our website at http://www.townsquaretoys.com/ to find out more about it.  If you are more interested in deals of the day or deals of the week, you can become our friend on facebook.  That would be cool.

The Clearance Sale and the post Christmas aftermath finds us moving stuff around at the toy store.  It is fun.  We moved the science stuff to the back and some of the cute backpacks and lunch boxes to the front.  Our giant Stephen Joseph display is in the front area now.  All of our Schleich animals and knights are in the back; right next to the Thomas the Tank Engine train table.  So much new stuff will be coming soon from Market.  I am sure we are going to be rearranging stuff all year!  Come check it out.

When you do come by the store, tell us what you think?  Do you like where some stuff is and not where other things are?  Do you want to see more stuffed animals?  Do you want to see more legos?  Drop us a line or just tell us.  Thanks!

Getting Wedgits

We visit a lot of toy stores. We are always curious to see what others are selling and so we go on spy missions to check out the competition. One of our favorites is in Franklin, IN and its called Imagination Station. On one of our visits there, we discovered Wedgits. I had never heard of them but they had them out on a play table and my kids were instantly hooked. We were in the store for about 30 minutes and had to tear them away! We went home and I forgot about them and then after a market trip, we were given a sample. The rep said, "Take them home, give them to the kids and then you will order them!" So, like good buyers, we did just that. And enthusiastically, soon after, we ordered them - just as she had said we would. They are "blocks" in rhombus and octahedron shapes and the stacking, nesting and aligning is endless. I looked at them and just didn't get it. My kids looked at them and instantly loved them and jumped right in building and creating new buildings, towers and structures. There are instructions included but like with Lego sets, my kids move past them very quickly. There are wheels to add on to make vehicles and advanced design card sets for many more creation plans. If you own them, you too will "get" Wedgits.

-Steph