Last year, we brought you the exciting news that there was a new line of fashion dolls with fashion pets available for kids who like that kind of thing. We were concerned and amused that the toy portrays pet ownership in a very inaccurate way: namely, that rabbits eat and poop glitter, and unicorns not only exist but also poop rainbows. Exciting news: there are more Poopsy Pets. [More]
toys
LEGO Realizes There Are Female Scientists
By 6.5.14
It would seem that all is possible in the mix-and-match world of LEGO, but if anyone wanted to have a female scientist LEGO minifig, you had to build it from the base of a male scientist character. But as a result of widespread support for a proposal from a female geochemist/LEGO fan, the company has come to the realization that a Y chromosome — even a plastic one — is not needed to do science stuff. [More]
Walmart Recalls 174,000 My Sweet Love/My Sweet Baby Dolls Because Burnt Flesh Isn’t So Sweet
By 3.25.14
Though a handful of kids’ dolls have been known to become possessed by the souls of deceased serial killers — not to mention the occasional murderous, self-aware ventriloquist dummy — it’s generally accepted that dolls are not supposed to hurt the children who play with them. That’s why Walmart has issued a recall on 174,000 dolls that can overheat and cause burns or blisters. [More]
Don’t Rack Up ATM Fees, Buy Hot Wheels Cars
By 2.25.14
What should you do when the bank is closed, you need some cash, and there’s no ATM handy that doesn’t charge piles of fees? Sure, you could join a bank with no local branches that refunds ATM fees, like USAA, Schwab, or Ally. Some local banks do this, too, but if the branch isn’t open, you can’t go open a new account. That’s when you open an account at the Bank of Hot Wheels. [More]
Sure, We Need A Smartphone-Enhanced Piggy Bank
By 2.6.14
Smartphones have changed modern life, from our inability to disconnect from our jobs to making commutes more fun to making it possible to order items online from inside a store. There are some applications of smart technology, though, that are just plain stupid. Like the Porkfolio, an Internet-enabled piggy bank. [More]
Happy Meal Toys Aren’t So Happy For Any Fans Of Adventure Time’s Female Characters
By 1.15.14
MCDonald’s recently unveiled their new lineup of Happy Meal toys, slated to start appearing at a drive-through near you on Friday. Fans of Cartoon Network’s series Adventure Time are thrilled to find their favorite animated characters available for purchase along with their burgers and fries. Except something seems to be missing. [More]
Death Of Siblings Is Tragic Reminder To Check Trunks & Chests For Potential Traps
By 1.13.14
As much as an old trunk or hope chest can look nice in your living room, it can also be a potential hazard for children if there is no way to open it from the inside. Yesterday, a young brother and sister in Massachusetts died at their home after becoming trapped inside a hope chest in their home. [More]
Your Old American Girl Doll Could Buy You A Round-Trip Cross-Country Flight
By 1.8.14
True story, someone at Consumerist has four American Girl dolls stashed away. So maybe we were a bit spoiled as a kid, but now we’re going to be rich. Okay, maybe not rich, but we’ll have more money than we started the day with. That is, if there’s any truth to these eBay listings for gently used, retired, original American Girl dolls. [More]
Potty With iPad Stand Takes Home Worst Toy Of The Year Award
By 12.11.13
A few weeks back we told you about the contenders — from the Monopoly game that’s one huge ad to the virtual Play-Doh — for this year’s TOADY Award for the worst toy of 2013. The people have spoken, and the runaway winner is the iPotty, which sounds like a combination potty/iPad accessory because that’s exactly what it is. [More]
Toy Self-Checkout Prepares Children For Bleak Future Of Consumption Without Human Interaction
By 12.2.13
What kind of future are we preparing our children for? There’s no way to know, but reader Beth noticed a toy intended to prepare kids for a cold, robotic future: the My Very Own Shop N’ Pay Market, available at Walmart for $20. Yes, it’s a toy self-checkout. [More]
Goldieblox Ends Beastie Boys Parody Dispute By Taking Down Ad
By 11.27.13
Everyone loved the online ad from GoldieBlox that used a parody version of the Beastie Boys song “Girls” to help make its point about encouraging girls to be interested in toys that are more science-y than princess-y. Even the Beastie Boys praised the ad…but that doesn’t mean they want their music used to sell a commercial product. [More]
Annual Survey Confirms: Yup, There Are Dangerous Toys On Store Shelves This Season
By 11.26.13
It’s a hectic time of year — shoppers dashing through the toy aisles in stores around the country, grabbing toys as they go to appease the mighty appetites of children who absolutely must have this or that source of entertainment. But this year’s annual survey of dangerous or toxic toys shows that it also pays to be aware of what you’re buying before you bestow it upon your kid. [More]
What Is It About Elmo That Makes Him The Reigning King Of Holiday Toys?
By 11.22.13
Whether you want to hug him or not or buy him for any of the children in your life, Elmo has been the reigning king of holiday toys for nigh on 20 years. But what is it about the fuzzy red Sesame Street monster that keeps him so popular? And why does he like being tickled so much? [More]
Ad-Filled Monopoly Game, Deluxe Virtual Tooth Fairy, Potty With iPad Stand Top List Of Year’s Worst Toys
By 11.21.13
Do your kids feel that board games are ho-hum without advertising from some of the world’s biggest brands? Maybe your girls and boys are bored with the virtual tooth fairy they already have (yes, this exists) and the only way to make them happy is to pay more to unlock a VIP edition? Or does your potty-training youngster cry because he or she has to take their eyes away from the iPad for a few seconds while they do their digestive duty? Then we have some toys for you! [More]
Open Your Own Sprinkles Cupcakes Shop In Your Kid’s Playroom
By 11.21.13
Sprinkles claims to be the world’s first cupcake bakery, and it certainly was ahead of the trend, opening up in 2005 in Beverly Hills. Since then, they’ve been at the forefront of cupcake-deployment technology, launching the concepts of “cupcake truck” and “cupcake ATM.” Now, they’re extending their brand to children with a tiny toy version of their shops. [More]
This iPad Child Potty Represents Everything Wrong With America
By 10.10.13
Some kids may need coaxing to get on the potty, but we’re pretty sure that there is never any justification for any kind of system that combines tablet computing and pooping. What adults do once they’re fully potty-trained is their own business, but there’s something terribly wrong about combining screen time and potty time. [More]
Petition Asks Toys ‘R’ Us To Ditch Gender-Specific Marketing
By 9.24.13
A group have parents have started a campaign asking Toys ‘R’ Us to stop marketing its toys along gender lines, saying the retailer is getting more extreme in its separation between the sexes. Just this month over in the United Kingdom, the company said t would drop gender references in its stores across the pond and market products in a more neutral way. [More]
Let’s Hope Kids Didn’t Vote Funzo Onto Walmart “Hot Toy List” Or We’re All Doomed
By 9.12.13
The children are our future and as such, they hold our fates in their adorable, tiny, toy-clutching hands. Walmart decided to let kids decide what this year’s hot holiday toys will be, holding a three-day playfest to allow them the try out and rate their favorite toys. Anyone who knows The Simpson‘s Funzo should be hoping those tykes didn’t choose a toy-murder happy creature sent from the bowels of hell to destroy us all. [More]
