Consumerist
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lists
Game Consoles, Dolls And Wooden Dogs Are The Best Toys Ever
Did you play with a Slinky growing up? Well, that makes you a loser, because your toy didn't make Good Housekeeping's Yahoo list of the greatest toys ever made. More » -
questionable taste
Mattel To Release "Palm Beach Sugar Daddy" Ken Doll. Yes, Really.
Playing "Madoff investors" just got a little easier thanks to Mattel's "Palm Beach Sugar Daddy" Ken doll, which will be released in April of 2010. More » -
retail
Walt Disney Planning On Turning Stores Into Shopping Theme Parks
Starting the middle of next year, Walt Disney will be rolling out a new version of its mall store format that is intended to suck in your child like a fairy princess crack pipe. "The goal is to make children clamor to visit the stores and stay longer," writes Brooks Barnes in the New York Times, by using things like embedded chips in the packaging to trigger responses from the store's furnishings, a rotating library of scents that fill the store, and karaoke. More » -
rock-a-stack
Target: No Plans To Remove Bleeding Rock-A-Stacks
Target decided to break its rule about not talking to blogs and responded to our inquiry about the Fisher Price Rock A Stack toys with the blue rings that bleed blue dye on those who encounter it. We asked how many complaints has Target received about this defect? Are there any plans to remove the toy it from the shelves? And If a customer has bought the toy and wishes to return or exchange it, is a receipt required? They responded thusly: More » -
above and beyond
Squishable's Cuddly Customer Service Resolves Website Bug
Jonathon wanted to give his girlfriend the gift of a large, cuddly stuffed animal, but the gift certificate to critter maker Squishable.com was causing strange transaction problems. He called the company up and received not only friendly service, but a free critter upgrade. More » -
black thursday
Toys R Us Manager Says Store Will Be Open On Thanksgiving This Year
Retail isn't a great field to be in if you enjoy having nights, weekends and holidays off. A disgruntled Toys R Us manager wrote us to say Thanksgiving, one of his three guaranteed holidays per year, will vanish in order to give the store a jump on its Black Friday competitors. More » -
fines
Target Must Pay $600,000 To Settle Lead Paint Charges
Looks like the CPSC can afford donuts tomorrow for their office: Target has agreed to pay $600,000 for selling toys with too much lead on them from May 2006 to August 2007, reports Reuters. The fine "resolves allegations" over the issue, so now Target can focus on what it does best, which is act crazy. More » -
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holiday toys
Experts Predict Widespread Robotic Hamster Shortages
When you were a child, did you own a hamster? Did you say to yourself, "this pet is okay, but I wish it didn't poop, bite, or sleep, and that it could skateboard and surf?" Well, envy the children of today.
One of the predicted "hot" toys for this holiday season are Zhu Zhu Pets, adorable little robotic hamsters. Are they right for you and your family? As one of The Consumerist's leading hamster experts, I've assembled a handy chart to help you determine whether a robot or traditional hamster is right for you. More »
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crass
"Homeless" American Girl Doll Costs $95
Looking for the perfect gift for the little girl who has everything, from her own pet llama to dramatic ski and swim vacations? If the little girl happens to be Chrissa, a character in the American Girl doll series, a homeless friend may just be the perfect accessory. And if you're a real little girl, wouldn't you just love a homeless friend, too? Or, better yet, a homeless friend doll, for a mere $95? More » -
funny
7 Toys You Probably Shouldn't Buy
Look, we're not going to sit here and pretend to know a lot about parenting. But unless Ambras syndrome runs in your family, we can't imagine why you need to teach your 7-year-old how to shave a baby. The toy tattoo gun actually looks like a lot of fun, though.
"The 7 Most Inappropriate Products For Children" [Huffington Post] (Thanks to Daizy!)
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weird
Play Doh Ads Make Crying Out For Help Fun
These Play Doh ads from Singapore don't seem to be aimed at kids. Then again, the message "safe no matter what you make" seems to be aimed directly at parents of kids who play with Play Doh, which leads us back to our initial thought, which is wtf kind of kid requiring parental supervision is shaping eerily realistic looking bottles of pills and razor blades for fun? Play Doh, the fun sad toy that tastes like tears!
"A Campaign With an Edge" [UglyDoggy via AgencySpy]
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christmas creep
You Will Not Escape Toys R Us This Christmas
One good thing about the bad economy: There are plenty of empty storefronts in malls across the country, and the owners are more than happy to rent them to short-term tenants during peak seasons. And, this year, you can add Toys R Us to the usual gang of Halloween and Christmas stores that pop up suddenly in your local Simon, and disappear in the night a few weeks later. Jeffrey and his posse are expected to open 80 temporary stores next month, along with new toy sections in 260 Babies R Us shops. More » -
merchandising
Walmart's "Junk Food In The Toy Aisle" Mystery Officially Solved
Yesterday we posted a photo a reader sent in of a toy aisle in his local Walmart that was packed with junk food. We all got commenty on what exactly Walmart was doing—was it a one-off paid promo by Pepsi? A marketing experiment? A power-mad store manager driven crazy by shelving issues? Nah, it's actually an intentional choice mandated by corporate. More » -
success stories
EECB To Toys R Us Results In Refund, Personal Apology, Free Toy
Seth had what should have been a fairly simple problem. His son's radio control car broke after only a few weeks of use. The toy was purchased at and manufactured by Toys R Us, and an e-mail to the support address included with the toy bounced. No one in the company's usual customer service channels could resolve his problem, and the people whose job it was to help customers in this situation never managed to contact him.
With no other options, he researched the e-mail addresses of the company's executive board and fired off a carefully crafted executive e-mail carpet bomb. More »
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special treatment
Mattel, Primary Reason For Toy Safety Law, Gets Exempted From It
When the CPSIA—the toy safety law that requires independent lab tests on toys—was passed, a lot of smaller toy manufacturers complained that it was really a dirty trick by the big toy companies to increase overhead for the small ones. Now comes word that the government has secretly exempted Mattel from the law's testing requirements—even though Mattel was responsible for 6 lead-tainted toy recalls in 2007. More » -
recalls
Toys R Us Wants Your Recalled Baby Gear
Responding to a rash of recalls involving cribs and other baby paraphernalia, Toys R Us is starting a trade-in program Friday, asking for recalled items in exchange for discounts on new stuff. More » -
christmas creep
August? Pretty Much Christmastime, Declares Toys R Us
Mark, a host of a radio show called the Parafactor, is always on the lookout for paranormal activity. He found himself a bounty when he happened upon this Paramus, N.J. Toys R Us, which has bent space and time to move the holiday season into the dog days of August. Alert Santa Claus and Hanukkah Harry. More »
toys
New York, 4:40 PM
Sun Nov 8
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