Toys in the Movies: Another Blog

We have a second blog about toys in the movies that you can find at Town Square Toys. You should check it out. Leave a suggestion or two if you would like.

Back to School Sale!

We have a great Back to School sale going on right now. You should check it out! Seriously. http://www.townsquaretoys.com/category_s/261.htm Have fun and thanks for visiting!

Clay Play Tools Playset Toy by Melissa and Doug

The kid in me loves this toy. So does the artist in me. Melissa and Doug did a fabulous job in designing this toy: there is such a wealth of textures and possible activities that this toy provides. You have a rolling pin, two more textured rolling pins, five textured blocks, a cutter, and four tubs of colored dough. Even the lids of the dough cups have an animal shape that can be imprinted. The set is designed with bright primary colors. And, with a little help and inspiration, your little one can be shown how to make the secondary colors as well so you can have a rainbow of colorful creations. The box is sturdy and wooden, great for carrying everything around. I wish I had had one of these when I was a kid. *sigh*

Knights and Dragons Figure Toob by Safari Ltd

Okay, earlier I was talking about the Safari LTD Toobs and how cool they were. I thought that I would just get a little more specific about the Knights and Dragons Figure Toob. I know we have talked about knights and such here before; this little tube of fun is just a miniature battle waiting to happen. What you have in this Toob are eight knights, two horses, one catapult and a dragon. Four knights are obviously on one side and four are wearing opposing colors. Most of the knights are bowlegged so that they can take turns riding the horses. That is cool. The plastic that they are made of is pliable enough that they fit well and stay put. The dragon is cute. The catapult arm is flexible so that you can pretend to fling stones in battle. I guess you could put a pea or a rice grain on it and actually flick something, but we haven't yet. I really like the portability and packaging of the Toobs in general and I think they did an excellent job on the characters in this one. Long live the King!

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

Toymaker Spotlight: Corolle

When we decided to pick up the Corolle line of dolls, I was not particularly excited. This was not because I didn't like the brand, but because I am a guy and don't get excited about dolls. But as a father of a little girl, I get to meet a lot of dolls and other little friends. As I spent some time checking out the Corolle catalogue and actually seeing the dolls in person (that sounds weird), I was able to see how amazingly well crafted they are. If you have a little girl, she will find an excellent toy and friend in a Corolle doll.

-Brian

Here is a little bit more about Corolle from their website:

Corolle is located in the Loire Valley , the storybook region of France that is famous for its scenic beauty and magnificent chateaux.

The Corolle design team aims to create dolls that look and feel as real as possible with faces that are often inspired by real children.And just as you would find in a haute couture fashion house, Corolle’s design studio is where a staff of professionals works to develop the Corolle look, sketching their designs and choosing the fabrics that will make them come to life.

Since its founding in 1979, Corolle has won more than 30 international awards for design and play excellence, including two DOTY awards (Doll of the Year) as well as awards from the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Dr. Toy and National Parenting Publications (NAPPA), among others.

Today, Corolle dolls are sold in more than 29 countries around the world.

Rubik's Cube Toy by Winning Moves

If you are a child of the 80's, like myself, you will remember the Rubik's cube. Love it or hate it, it was and is an icon of puzzle toys. I will have to admit that I cannot recall ever solving the cube. I did take one apart with a screwdriver and reassemble it, but I don't think that counts. My brother did solve it. He bought the book that shows you how. I think I may still have that book. I digress.

The Rubik's cube is still one of the world's most popular and recognizable puzzle toys, and for good reason. It is small enough that you can take it with you almost anywhere. It is only one piece, so you can play with it anywhere as well, and not have to worry about missing parts or losing parts. It has tremendous replay value for a person who loves to solve puzzles. Even if you have figured out how to solve it, you can keep practicing and working at it and finding shortcuts to increase your speed.

My nephew acquired a Rubik's cube recently and, of course, figured out how to solve it. My boys spent some time with him and became enamored with the puzzle. Now we have the 4X4 cube in our store, which is just a bit more complex. We got it for my nephew for his birthday. He loved it and solved it frighteningly fast. It was fun to watch all the cousins at a recent family gathering all trying to solve the various Rubik's cubes around the room. Maybe I will pick one up and try to solve it myself. You can do the same at Town Square Toys.

-Brian

Rush Hour Toy by ThinkFun

I love this game. You have to maneuver your car out of the traffic gridlock. There is only one exit. You can't pick your car up, but must slide it back and forth only. Similarly, you can only slide other cars and trucks out of the way, you can't just remove them. (Many times, on the way home from the office, I wish I could just remove some cars and trucks!) Anyway....

It sounds easy, but it can be mind crunching and complicated. The game has cards which conveniently hide in a little drawer and tell you how to set up the board. Then, you have to figure out and plan your escape. There are dozens of puzzles and varying levels of difficulty.

The best part for me is watching my kids figure out the puzzles. I can almost see the gears turning inside their heads as they try and try again to figure out the solution. I think that this game does a fabulous job of stretching their logical and spatial skills. You should definitely try it out.

-Brian