Toy Review - Praying Mantis Finger Puppet by Folkmanis

I have always been fascinated by the praying mantis.  Their swiveling heads, spiked forelegs, and big, bulbous eyes seemed cool to me as a kid.  Even as a grown up, I would have to list them high on the list of cool insects.  A lot of people don't think that insects are cool.  Some people don't like "bugs" at all.  Can you believe that?  As much as I like insects in general, and the praying mantis specifically, I never really thought about a praying mantis finger puppet.

Fortunately, the imaginative people over at Folkmanis didn't wait on me to come up with puppet ideas.  The Praying Mantis Finger Puppet is only one of many finger puppets by Folkmanis.  They are all totally cool, but I really like the Praying Mantis.  You wear the Mantis by slipping a finger into what would be the insect's thorax.  The eyes are not exactly where they should be, on a real mantis, but I think that the eyes seem more "approachable" in this configuration; it is almost like it is a friendly, cartoon-like mantis.  The legs are kind of stiff and yet made of soft material, so it won't scratch you like a real mantis would.  It is a full seven inches long - a pretty big finger puppet, if you ask me.  If you like insects at all, or if you know someone who does, pick up a little finger puppet friend today.

For more information about the Praying Mantis, check out the wikipedia entry.

Toy Review - Gobblet Gobblers by Blue Orange Games

The following is a special review by toy tester, Micah, age 13:

Now, there is a very popular game that most people know about called tic-tac-toe. Tic-tac-toe was easy to learn and quick to play. Now it’s been redone and made even better in the great new game, Gobblet
Gobblers.

Now the rules of Gobblet Gobblers are very simple and easy to learn, but first: setting up the game. The game involves two people which choose colors and set up their pieces. Each player starts with six pieces. The pieces are divided into the sizes large, medium, and small; two for each size. The pieces are designed to slip over the pieces smaller than itself.

Now, to play the game. The board and goal are exactly like tic-tac-toe. The board is four pieces that you can put together to make nine squares. The goal is to get three of your pieces lined up. To start, the person who is going first, places any sized piece of his anywhere on the board. Now, the second person can either place on of his pieces on the board, or place another piece on his opponent’s piece, if his is a bigger size. Then, the first player, if his piece has not been eater, can either place a new piece, or move an existing piece to a different spot. This continues until one person gets three in a row.

The reason I like this game so much is you’re learning great tactics and having fun all the time, in less than five minutes per game.

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.

Toy Review - The Magician's Apprentice Card Tricks Unshuffled by Melissa and Doug

The following is a special review by toy tester, Micah, age 13:

The Magician's Apprentice Card Tricks Unshuffled by Melissa and Doug is filled with very cool magic tricks all containing cards. It comes with four different card decks, an x-ray deck, secret code deck, duplicate deck, and a stripper deck. I can’t tell you too much about them because your friends might be watching. This product also includes trick cards and a very detailed book of tricks. With a little practice and patience you’ll be tricking people in no time. So have fun and go fool someone.





Oppenheim Toy Awards

The Oppenheims started reviewing toys back in 1989. Unlike other groups, they don't charge to review, nor do they accept ads from toy manufacturers. Consequently, they give out some of the most unbiased toy reviews and awards. You can find out more about them at their site. I thought that I would include some of our toys that are Oppenheim award winners. Watch for upcoming reviews.