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

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

Thomas The Tank Engine… To go!

Hey all…

A year or two ago, my sister found a wonderful toy for her train-loving toddler, a Thomas the Tank Engine “Take Along Thomas” playset. This is a little kit that snaps together with a carrying case so you don’t lose pieces, but you can open up and let your tyke play wherever you are. My nephew takes that little thing everywhere he goes!

So for my nephews on my wife’s side of the family (who are starting to get into trains, planes, and cars), I thought I’d pick up something similar for them. I found a number of these “Take Along Thomas” sets at a cool site called “All About Toys” and picked up one for a Christmas gift.

For this and other playsets, check out AllAboardToys.com. They have a great selection and even better prices on a lot of the toys and sets available!

Until next time… Good luck shopping!

–Fitz

Stumped for Christmas? Here’s a Great Wizard for Gift Ideas!

Hi all…

If you haven’t discovered it by now, I highly recommend this cool gift suggestion wizard. It’s already saved my bacon on a number of occasions.

It’s at http://www.findgift.com and it walks you through several questions:

• Who is the gift for? (her, him, child, etc)
• What’s the relationship of the person you’re giving the gift to? (wife, daughter, son, father, etc.)
• What’s the recipient’s age?
• What’s the reason for the gift? (holiday, birthday, special occasion…)

And it then presents you with a sweet list of ideas with links to where you can get more information and purchase the items.

So if you’re in a bind… This is a great place to get some ideas!

–Fitz