The Toy Review

If you are *coughcough* just a little bit older than me, and you like Monopoly, then this Beatles Monopoly Game will probably appeal to you. Like most -opoly’s, it plays like regular Monopoly, but the tokens and houses and hotels are different. The one has takens based on 6 of the most popular Beatles songs, and the house and hotels are called listening parties and concerts. The properties are the Beatles albums! Pretty nifty, huh?

Let me say that if you have not played Dutch Blitz, you are missing out, and you should order it today! I ordered a set years ago, and we really enjoyed it. Everything I said about UNO applies to this game, too. Only louder and faster. We lost some of our cards in a move, and I was so excited to see them on Amazon the other day. These are so going on my Christmas list!

I have to tell you that Mr. Potato Head is one of my all time facvorite toys. We’ve had a couple of incarnations over the years, including the electronic one, and I just think it is so darn cute. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be as big a hit with the children. I’m not sure why, but they never manage to keep the pieces together, and of course, it’s just not as much fun without the pieces. I’m hoping to solve this by putting them all together in a plastic shoe box, and keeping the box under my control. Then I they can play Potato Head whenever they want.

Ok, I could try to say that I want this for my children, but that is not true. I want it for me. Me, me, me! See, back in the day, I had a 72 crayon plastic box with levels in it. I got it when I was in my early 20s, and up until I let my children use it a few years ago, it was still full of 72 unbroken crayons. That lasted a couple of minutes, and though it probably seems petty, I have regretted the loss ever since. And also learned that if I expect other people not to break my stuff, I probably shouldn’t share it. But I hate to be selfish, so maybe I want two of these amazing colored wax towers. Wow. 150 colors. I remember when 96 was as large as you could go. Would it be exceedingly juvenile to request a coloring book or seven to go with the Crayola 150-Count Telescoping Crayon Tower? No? Well, give me the Disney Princess one then!

Wow! I totally wish I had the space for this toy. I remember playing on toys like this in the park near my grandparents house.Only, I was bigger, and the toy was hard metal with scratched up paint. YOu can totally see how this would be better, right? Right! Alas for my children, and maybe for me, we just don’t have the space inside for the Fisher-Price Baby Gymtastics Bounce & Spin Zebra Amazingly enough, the thing only takes 3 AAA batteries.

I love, love, love this toy! My littles have the older version of this drum, which is now selling on amazon.com for an amazing 139.99. Plus 14.99 shipping. Dang, I’m sitting on a gold mine here! If you want the Spanish version, it’s still a reasonable 19.99. Insert eye-pop-out smilie in this spot as I try to reel in a political rabbit trail and refocus my attention back to the toy at hand. The new LeapFrog Learn & Groove Alphabet Drum. If this is anything like it’s predecessor, it is an awesome value. The teaching voice is pleasant, and the sound effects are low-key, unlike some toys which drive me crazy-insane-mad with all their beeps, bangs, and whistles. Batteries last a reasonable amount of time, and the handle makes it easy for a child to haul it from one place to another. Or at least the handle on the old one did

Here’s a neat new toy as a follow up to the Shake & Go Racers Super Car I talked about a few days ago. The Fisher-Price® Shake ‘n Go Flyers Show Plane is a little more complicated to play with, but it’s still great fun. Put the plane on the handle, shake it up and then pull the release. It actually has lights and sounds, too! This one may be going on my Christmas list, too.

Man, does this doll make me feel my age! I remember when Baby Alive was the hot new toy, and all she did was not eat fake food off a mechanically triggered pink plastic spoon. Now there are like, 87 varieties of her, in several races. Some of them pee and some of them sleep, and some of them slurp. There are even potty and birthday versions!

Now, in truth, I feel the same way about the Baby Alive Newborn Sip-N-Snooze as I do most other electric baby dolls: they sure do strip the imagination right out of a kid, yk? I think kids are better served by dolls that let the children decide the course of events instead of a computer chip.

I have never seen this building toy before, and I am trying to decide if I like it or not. Certainly, the colors are appealing, but … I’m just not sure. The toy does have a five star rating, so I may be the only left still looking at it askance. I’d really liket to hold these in my hands and play with them before I make up my mind. Of course, being able to build without having to worry about lining up the pegs and notches might be the deciding factor. Since it’s magnetic, you can do things with it that lego type toys just won’t do. Like build a sloping roof. Hmm. I have apparently talked myself right in to liking this toy. I’d still like to play with the Magna-Tiles Translucent Colors to be sure, though, LOL!

My mom gave these Shake & Go Racers - Super Car to my boys for Christmas a couple of years ago, and they are such fun! Even young kids can play with them because they are powered just by shaking. You don;t have to pull back or wind a key, or anything that requires much coordination. Just hold it, shake it, let it go! The boys have spent hours racing those cars through our long kitchen. And so have their sisters