Fitzy’s Toy Place

Toys and Toy Recalls on Web

A Virtual Zoo of Stuffed Critters!

PresentHi 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!

March 11, 2008 Posted by grnknight | Shopping, gifts, toys | , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments Yet

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.

Smart Cycle

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

February 24, 2008 Posted by grnknight | toys | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

December 12, 2007 Posted by grnknight | Internet, Shopping, books, gifts | , , , , , | No Comments Yet

Thar’ be Toys!

Hey all!

As a parent of two little girls and uncle to several other little ones, I thought it was time to try and give back a bit. I’m always concerned about my children playing with safe toys and with all the toy recalls, I’m even more worried than usual.

ToysI’m going to use this forum to do the following:

1) Write about cool, safe toys for kids…

2) Write about the toy recalls and what you should do…

Pretty simple, right?

Well, let’s get started!

–Fitz

November 14, 2007 Posted by grnknight | About | , , , , , , | 1 Comment