Town Square Toys on Amazon

Click here and check out out little storefront on Amazon! It is a little Town Square Toys oasis in the middle of Amazon itself.

Uglyworm Plush Doll by Ugly Dolls is Quite Ugly

We have mentioned Ugly Dolls before and mentioned how they came to be. I just was thinking about the ugliness of them today and my mind wandered to the Uglyworm. I am not sure what it is that makes him both ugly and endearing at the same time. I would have to say that the thin and unkempt hair is not doing him any favors. His one huge eye makes me think of Mike from Monsters Inc., and of the mythological Cyclops. So, that sort of makes up for the hair. He has no arms or legs, but a pleasant shape. He is soft and green, more like Kermit the Frog than Oscar the Grouch. And, the two sharp teeth are kinda cool as well. You do have to be careful with him, and the other Ugly Dolls, because once you give them a hug, you won't want to put him down.

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!

Toobs are Too Cool! Safari LTD is awesome!

Okay, some Safari Toobs came home with us the other day and I just have to say that they are the coolest! I already dig Safari and their line of figures. The Toobs are just really neat. You see it's a tube of little animals or people that you, or your kids, can play with. The Toob is a clear, square shaped, tube with a string handle and a cap that features a spinning globe. Actually my niece and nephew liked the lid almost as much as they liked the little creatures from the Toob. There is just a coolness and a cuteness about these Toobs of little guys that your family will love. Come and check them out! - Brian

Rubik's Twist

I think this toy is a great enjoyable way to pass time. My family decided we were going on a trip and me and my brother wanted something to do in the car. My brother saw this toy and bought it with his money. Now we are playing with it like crazy. It is so cool to make creations like ball, cat, cobra, triangle, rooster, wolf, terrier, and more (these creations are way harder than you think). My brother and I made the ball in less than 21 seconds each after five days! My dad says he had lots of fun with it when he was little and now we have a great time with it too. This toy is fun and enjoyable for all ages! Hope you have fun making new creations.

-Micah, age 11

Octopus A Plenty

Earlier in the blog, Steph mentioned that we went to Sea World. Even earlier in the blog, I talked about the Giant Pacific Octopus. Well, worlds did indeed collide. While at Sea World, the family and I saw a Giant Pacific Octopus, for real, in the aquarium. It was totally cool. I am a big fan of octopi. If you are a big fan, check out the octopi we have at Town Square Toys. I hope you find something that you like!

-Brian

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

Say "Good Day" to "Goodnight Moon"

If you have never read the story, "Goodnight Moon," you need to as soon as you can. It is such a cute, sweet, short story. We have read it to all of our kids; it is a great bedtime story. I remember having two copies around. We had the paperback version and the smaller, board book. Each had the same story in it. It was good to have two copies. The worst thing that could happen would be to not find it when you were looking for it! Those with small children know what I mean.

Anyway, at Town Square Toys, we not only have the books, but we have other Goodnight Moon items, such as:

The Goodnight Moon Plush Bunny by Crocodile Creek
The Goodnight Moon Boardgame by Briar Patch
The Goodnight Moon Mini Cube Puzzle by Mudpuppy
The Goodnight Moon 1 2 3 Counting Board Book

and much more!

I feel the need to mention the Goodnight Moon Glow Jumbo Floor Puzzle, also by Briar Patch, because it glows in the dark and I love glow in the dark stuff.

For some interesting insights and information on the book, you can also check out this Wikipedia article.

-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

Oball Mania

A soft ball full of holes that is easy to catch, safe to throw and comes in wild colors, it's Oball! These balls are so cool. Often, in Texas, it's too hot to go outside and play. My kids have a playroom and the cool thing about Oballs is that they are safe to use inside too. Little hands find them easy to throw and catch - because of the handy holes throughout. Big hands find them fun because you can get some speed on them but they won't hurt anyone you throw them at. They are perfect for playing catch, indoor basketball or just a friendly game of catch and pass. They are great for working on gross motor skills and coordination.

They come in 4 inch, 4.5 inch, 6 inch and 7.5 inch sizes. There are regular oballs as well as jellies which have a cool jelly finish, like those shoes from the 80's. There is also a football and a recent addition is rattles.