A Virtual Zoo of Stuffed Critters!
Hi all…
Wanted to point you guys to a new blog that has quite a wide selection of links to different stuffed animals… Stuffed Stuff!
This cool new site has a wide assortment of animals. Here are a few of the categories:
All posts link to the page where you can purchase these animals for a reasonable price.
S0 check it out the next time you’re looking for a stuffed critter for a child or adult!
A Smart Cycle??
Hey all…
We came across the Fisher Price Smart Cycle while we were shopping for Christmas this past year and decided not to go with it because our then 6 (now 7) year old was a bit too big for it and would feel left out while her 3 year old sister played with it. However, even with that, it’s won several Toy Industry Awards this year, including Most Innovative Product and Educational Toy of the Year, which is pretty darned cool. This group has very high standards for educational toys and is one to watch.
This cool gadget does two things… It gets the kids moving, but also gets them some of the TV time that kids today seem to demand more and more (not that the demands work at our house because most kid’s TV is kind of mindless, but hey). Anything that gets kids moving AND allows them to have fun is ok in my book. At its most basic level it’s a bike attached to a video game. Pretty simple. And not bad for $100 or less.
You can now buy additional software products for it too, including games for:
- Hot Wheels game
- Spongebob
- Dora and Diego
- Barbie
- and Dinosaurs…
The software seems to go for $20-40 a game, which is a bit high considering the cost of the cycle. But it does have choices for the kids in popular characters.
One of the complaints I’ve seen is that it doesn’t remember specific users of the game, which means that if you have three kids playing on it, they all have to start in the same place (the beginning) every time, playing through the whole thing again. But for younger kids (3-4) I bet this is probably not a bad thing, as it gets them going with the easy stuff and as they get better, it gets harder every time they play.
So this looks pretty cool. It’s Fisher Price, so it should be built to last. And it looks like it’s expandable which is always a good thing!
Let me know if you pick one up!
–Fitz
Fisher-Price Smart Cycle
Smart Cycle™ Hot Wheels Software
Smart Cycle™ Ocean Sponge Bob Software
Smart Cycle™ Dora Software
New Elmo Nightmare for Parents…
Hi all…
Ok. Here’s the next scary thing on the horizon for parents. This Elmo robot is going to be available for the 2008 holidays…
(Check out this video on YouTube…)
This thing scares the heck out of me. Anything that can dance and talk and act this articulately would seem to be something out of a Stephen King novel. 
That said… I think this will be the next big thing in demand by little ones. It’s supposed to go for $60 when it hits the market sometime in October. So rev up your shopping engines. The Elmo Terminator is coming for you!
Good luck!
–Fitz
Pleo the Dinosaur Robot – for kids with expensive tastes
Hi all…
Thought I’d write about another little critter from Ugobe I saw recently that I thought was very cool until I saw the price… Talk about sticker shock!
This little dude is amazing. He is a robot who acts like a one-week-old dinosaur and learn, explores his environment, and interacts with people and other Pleos.
The Pleo has a significant array of sensory devices (nearly 40) that allow him to see, sense, touch, and detect objects in order to explore on his own without a remote control. He can also hear from either side and identify which direction a sound is coming from.
Pleo also has 100+ gears and 14 motors for articulated movement. And he’s sensitive enough to the limits of his components that he’ll shut down during trauma to avoid internal damage.
He’s run by a rechargeable battery and appears to be very draining to his power source, taking 4 hours to charge and only allowing 1 hour of activity.
The amazing thing to me is not only is this guy technologically advanced, but he’s expandable. He comes with a built in mini-USB port for online downloads, an SD card slot, and an infrared receiver that allows for Pleo to Pleo communications.
On Amazon, it appears you can buy this little guy for… wait for it… $300-$350 plus shipping. I believe the price after reading the specifications, but geez. This isn’t a toy for kids. It’s for RICH kids or adults who have disposable income.
So check out the website… It has some very cool video of the Pleo doing it’s thing. I can’t say I will be buying one soon, but it’s still a pretty darned cool toy!
–Fitz
Wall Decals for The Younger Set (Or those who Want to Be Young Again)
Hi all!
I’ve written about the cool wall decals from Fathead.com and thought I’d take some time to talk about some of the OTHER cool folks making wall decals these days.
Wall Candy Arts (http://www.wallcandyarts.com) has a variety of colorful options, including letters, cars, trees, chalkboards, cows, and more. Who wouldn’t have liked big warm cows or sheep on their walls as a kid?!? (Maybe it’s just me?)
Older kids may like murals from Walls of Joy (http://www.wallsofjoy.com) . They also have a variety of options, from an undersea mural, to jungle animals, to dinosaurs. I know my daughters would enjoy some of the jungle critters, including the Giraffes and a monkey or two!
So check ‘em out. Both have some cool offerings and it’s nice to be able to take them off if you need to move them (or if the child should say, grow up!).
Hope you enjoy this article and the others on my blog. Let me know what you think!
Until next time,
–Fitz
Time for a Dwink?
Hi all!
Yes, I’m back and I have to write about this cool, very useful item for parents of children who like juice boxes or pouches… and sometimes squeeze them accidentally, getting juice (or other drink) everywhere…
Well, the folks at Dwink have come up with Dwink Boxes!
These lovely little containers are dishwasher safe and pretty indestructible. We purchased four of them (one in each color – blue, orange, pink, and purple) in August 2007 and they are still going strong!
You can buy them directly from the MyDwinkBox site for $4.99 each and they ship them to you pretty quickly. We had ours in less than a week.
Check ‘em out! Kids love ‘em for the big handles and you’ll love ‘em because they’ll lead to less messes!
–Fitz
Happy New Year!
Hi all!
Just a quick note to wish you all a Happy New Year and a Great 2008! May we all have a better year than the last!
–Fitz
Happy Holidays!
Hi there!
Hope you all had a wonderful holidays, whether it was Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or some other festive occasion! May we all have a great and safe New Years’ as well!
I sincerely hope that this blog helped someone find a gift for a loved one over the holidays. I’m going to continue to update it through 2008 as new gift ideas appear so I can keep a running list of gift ideas for myself and anyone who reads this blog, so hopefully it’ll help when inspiration hasn’t struck.
Enjoy the new year and let me know if you’ve come across any cool gifts of your own over the holidays — I’d love to hear from you! E-mail me at toys(at)fitzbiz.org and I’ll write up a post on any cool toy or gift ideas you send me (and provide the e-mailer credit for the find!).
Until next time
–Fitz
Books for Cool Kids – Paper Airplanes!
Hey all…
Books you say? Books aren’t cool… Bah! But you’d be wrong. I was a nerdy kid growing up, always with my nose in a book, and my oldest daughter is very similar. She’d love either of these books, which I’m considering for a birthday present (birthday in January)…
The World Record Paper Airplane Book
Though this book is recommended for ages 9 and up, I’d say that with help any smart, crafty kids would enjoy it from ages 7 and up. It includes materials and directions for 20 different cool designs, plus a discussion of why they fly and how to make them fly farther.
If that’s not enough, it also includes:
- info on Ken Blackburn’s world record paper airplane flight
- how to organize and win contests
- a flight log
- and a runway for practicing accuracy
Another cool paper airplane book is the…
Kids’ Paper Airplane Book
This book is also meant for ages 5 and up and features designs and materials for 16 different planes, plus:
- a field guide to real planes
- a log to record flight distances
- and a full-color poster of an airport
So check them both out for your amateur paper pilots. Maybe you’ll start a lifetime obsession with flight!
–Fitz
Cool Computer Toy for 3 and up from Fisher-Price
Hi all…
This year, in the multitude of catalogs we’ve been inundated with, we managed to see something new and different — the Fisher-Price Easy Link Internet Launch Pad
This fun toy plugs into your computer via a USB cable and once installed, its software locks out everything on your computer except the internet-enabled games associated with the Launchpad. Each character key, when plugged into the pad, opens a secure connection to the character’s website and allows the kid to play games and activities. Switching websites is as easy as switching characters on the pad. Kids can navigate and play the online games using the launch pad’s arrow keys, or your computer’s mouse and keyboard.
In addition, the launch pad doesn’t allow your child access to your desktop and hard drive, so you can let them play without worrying about the security of your computer either. Parent controls let you limit the amount of time they can play and whether they can print or not.
System requirements for the launch pad are Windows Vista, XP, or 2000, a 750 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM, 100 MB Hard disk space, USB port, and an internet connection. It comes with the USB cable and a CD-ROM with the software for the device.
What’s really cool is that it’s extensible too. The pad comes with 3 figures: Elmo, Dragonland, and Fisher-Price. And there are 8 other characters available including:
- Arthur
- Clifford, the Big Red Dog
- The Wiggles
- Barney
- Thomas and Friends
- Bob the Builder
So check it out!
–Fitz
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