LITTLE TIKES ,TOYS, AND ME

This weekend there was a scare on the East Coast due to Hurricane Irene. Everywhere you went, water was sold out--everything was sold out--radios and flashlights.But I knew that there was one place that would have everything I needed and that one place was TOYS R US. Gosh, I love that place!! Even if its hard yo find a cut out of Geoffrey!! I went there in the arly morning and luckily no one was really there saturday monrning.And yes they had water,flashlights, radios, you name it,I will share my purchases with you soon.BUt first let me share my finds with you:

LITTLE TIKES PLAY WITH MUD SERIES:




OMG!! What in the world are the LIttle Tikes people thinking??This was the CRAZIEST TOY idea i had ever seen and it was on the clearance shelf.Honestly, mad respect for the product designers-- it made me laugh and open my mouth in amazement.Im impressed.BUTTTTTTTTTTTTT really??? Dont you think the kids might eat the fake mud food by accident?Thats how this toy become a bit dangerous..But then I thought about it....PlaY-Doh has its toy sets where you use playdoh to make cakes and other types of food.. so Play Doh is guilty of this fake food phenomenom too, right? But the Little Tikes food looks SO REAL because they are not supplying the "doh"..Instead, the kids get their "doh" from the mud and make real life looking burgers, hot dogs, chocolate ice cream,, anything brown, that can be made from the food.
This toy line is ingenious, yes, id love to meet the designers who came up with this whole "PLAY WITH MUD" concept...its unique kind of.It just gets little tricky if little unior calls his friend over for a burger and the friend eats it because he thinks its real-- thats where it gets a bit dicey..But im impressed that Little Tikes knows that they need to venture out from toy trucks-- if they want to capture more of the toy world, they need to do more, and their PLAY WITH MUD line is a start:) A weird and wacky start that I dont think parents are buying into, but you have tio give it to little tikes for being creative--A+ for creativity:

SMURFS MCDS FABULOUS-SMURFS VISIT IKEA

CSPI and McDonalds Law Suit due to Happy Meal Toys

California Mother and CSPI Class Action Suit Against McDonald's Happy Meal Toys:

I know you guys have been dying to know what I think of this class action suit, right? Well here it goes-- this whole law suit is nothing but rubbish.Its complete NONSENSE and I can not believe it is garnering all this attention.And let me tell you why.

Parents today can not control their kids--- many of them.YOU as a parent, do NOT have to take your kid to McDs, Burger King, or any other place that has toys with their meals.But yet parents do not know how to say NO to their kids and let their kids control them.So when the kids starts crying saying,"i want mcDonalds NOWWWWWWWWWWWWW" then the parents want to make them quiet and give in to what the kid wants.The kid doesnt work, and half of the time the kid may not even be potty trained yet, but yet the kid wants McDS. How does the kid even know what McDonalds is?Did McDonalds give birth to your child?Did McDs come to your house and spend a day with your child brainwashing them? NO! Instead, you as a parent, took your child to McDonalds.And when you did, you did NOT buy them the healthy stuff. You got them the fries and the nuggets, and ensured that your kid got the toy so that they would be happy and quiet in the car.But now you are complaining that McDonalds is deceptive!!!! This is RUBBISH!!!!

Let me enlighten you guys-- you do NOT have to buy a HAPPY MEAL to get the toy.Being the toy freak that I am, trust me, I know. Yesterday i drove to McDonalds, got a smoothie and PAID to buy the Happy Meal toy- it cost around $2 something and I got the Hello Kitty series watch-the Keroppi watch. You do NOT have to buy the meal to get the toy.Doesnt everyone know that?!?!?!?!?
To hear Monet Parham say "I object to the fact that McDonald's is getting into my kids' heads without my permission and actually changing what my kids want to eat" is rubbish.HOw did McDs get into your kids head?Arent YOU the one who introduced your kid to McDs because you didnt feel like cooking on some days when your kid was hungry.Did McDs FORCE you to get the Hapy Meal?How long has your kid been eating Happy Meals-- probably before they could read right? so how did they know what to ask for? Did your kid talk to the person at the McDs counter when they were 2 or 3 and say,"i want a Happy Meal." NO!! The PARENT said it, not the child. Dont blame McDonalds for your irresponsible behavior.Im not saying that eating at McDs is irresponsible, but what I am saying is that it is irresponsible to blame McDs for supposedly "enticing" your kids to eat unhealthy meals." Who pays for the meal, the kid or the parent?My point exactly.
You can go to the store, buy a salad and stop by McDonalds and buy the toy solo, so this lawsuit is rubbish, as I stated earlier.

Heres point # 2: to say that having a toy in the meal is causing bad behavior is CRAZY!! When i go to the store, they have BUY ONE GET ONE FREE sales. They do it with toothbrushes, mouthwash,cookies, everything.
So do I have the right to sue Colgate and say, 'I am suing Colgate because my gums are bleeding due to overbrushing , which happened due to Colgate enticing me to buy 2 toothbrushes instead of one.' Can i say Colgate is violating the law by using a free toothbrush to market teeth brushing to kids?
Do you see my point or do you need another example?

Noone can force you to do anything you do not want to do.if you go to Africa, none of those kids know what McDonalds is because the parents have never taken them there.
So in summary: This McDs lawsuit is rubbish and I will continue to go to McDs to buy my Happy Meal toy, minus the actual meal. I just want the toy.You too can go to McDs and just buy the toy.

CRAYOLA- MORE THAN JUST CRAYONS

When you think of Crayola, what comes to mind?

Crayons
Crayons
Crayons,yes yes….

Crayola Crayons—the big yellow box with the array of colored crayons. Then of Course there are the Crayola Markers- which are fat and juicy and come in your standard ROY G BIV colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown,black, and gray.
When you had projects in school or had to make posters for games, you always bought CRAYOLA – that was the ONLY way to go right?!?!?!

Well guess what? I truly believe, and hopefully someone will email me and tell me, that Crayola is undergoing an extensive shake up.Is Jill Barad from Mattel working for Crayola and no one knows it?!?!?!? Crayola, is by far, going to be, according to my estimations, one of the BIGGEST winners this holiday season. Crayola, in case you haven’t noticed, has all of a sudden awakened from their multi colored dream and has taken the kid world by storm - so much so that even I have noticed. And we all know that once I notice, it must be a good thing.

Crayola was once known as Binney and Smith. However, in early 2007, they officially changed their name to Crayola LLC, probably due to the fact that Crayola is more recognized than the Binney & Smith name. And to me, it seems like Crayola LLC has really been charging forward at an accelerated pace since then.

Most everything I want this Christmas is made by Crayola—and that has NEVER happened.

In case you have missed the new gadgets Crayola LLC is creating, let me educate you.

A. The Crayola Glo Dome: This is such a great innovative toy. Its a globe that allows you to draw on it and it “glows”. It’s so simple yet so fascinating. The Crayola Glo Dome is a simple toy that can keep you fascinated for hours. I want one of these for XMAS.

B. The Crayola Glo Board/Glo Station: Same idea—it’s a board that allows you to draw on it and your images “glow”. How cool is that. Its almost like Lite Brite, but different. Yes, we must all acknowledge that Lite Brite was the first toy that glowed, but they didn’t advance that “glowing” technology the way Crayola has. Hasbro knew toys that “glowed” were fascinating, that is why they made the Lite Brite and the Glo Worm. But HASBRO should have kept expanding on the whole “glow” idea. Where they ended is where Crayola has taken off. FULL SPEED AHEAD!!!


C. The Crayola Color Me A Song Pad : This is so fascinating. I want this for XMAS TOO !! This is a “toy” which allows your toddler to color and hear music at the same time. The faster the kid draws, the faster the music goes. The slower they draw, the slower the music. How neat!! I think this is a great toy to have if you have little kids AND you are traveling. If you are the driver and you give this toy to your child, you will know they have fallen asleep once the music stops or slows down. This “technology” is absolutely mind blowing because it can be used in many ways. This SAME technology can be used in elementary schools, when teaching kids how to write. As their writing improves, the tempo of the music will increase. This technology has a lot of potential…..trust me.

D. The Crayola Color Wonder set: I really like this. This is a coloring set which allows the painter to draw, but yet there is no paint. The set uses special paper and special paint. Its all magically connected in some odd strange way. It’s like the paintbrush has a brain of its own and is electronically/magnetically connected to the special paper and the special paint. Don’t ask me how it works—I don’t know—but the fact that it is so magical makes me want one. You should want one too. It’s one of the “wonders” of the toy world I suppose.

So you see, Crayola is a top player this holiday season. If you are at the toy store and you feel overwhelmed, stop by the Crayola section because they have A LOT to offer this holiday season. Whether its 3D Sidewalk Chalk or Glo Globes- the selections is remarkable!!

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Today is Strawberry Shortcakes Birthday!! She's 30!!! Hooray SS. Is it just me or did you think Strawberry sHORTCAke was way older than 30?!!? I know I did!! im a child of the80s and I remember my sister hadthe starwberry Shortcake lunchbox.And she is older than me.So as a kid, I think Strawberry shortcake was my sisters age-between 35-40.i never knew she was much younger. When i think if Strawberry Shortcake i think of my sister, because as a kid strawberry shortcake is the first toy I remember.Yeah there were popples, barbies, board games, those great Golden Books, and the Mork and Mindy doll(which I had thank you very much-I had Mork), and the See and Says that had pullable levers,but I truly remember Strawberry Shortcake as the first.My sister had this lunchbox and everyday, she would take her lunchbox to school- even though i don't remember my mom making lunch for her.Anyways bake to Strawberry- so my sister had this lunchbox and I remember she guarded that thing with her life- the lunchbox and the thermos drinkie thingie in the box.The box was made of metal back then.And like, it was my sisters most prized possession.Like we could play hard with toys but with our girl Strawberry, no, she was different.Strawberry was treated very carefully.So as I think about Strawberry Shortcake today, November 9, 2010, I have good memories because Strawberry has always been in a class of her own.Today my sister is a smart independent woman, and I truly believe that she owes her success to Strawberry shortcake. Strawberry Shortcake enabled young girls all over the world to feel empowered and proud of who they were. If Strawberry was a happy girl living in a strawberry, then who were you to say you weren't happy living in a real world? HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!!!

MATTEL RECALL AGAIN -FISHER PRICE RECALL-

MATTEL TOY RECALL—AGAIN

Today, Mattel is experiencing another recall—again. That’s right, Mattel, one of, if not the biggest toy company in America. You know Mattel, they make Barbies and Hot Wheel Cars. But you probably didn’t know that Mattel was recalling millions of toys…again… because the name Mattel is not being used in the media. Instead, they are using the name Fisher-Price. Yes, many of the toys are under the Fisher Price BRAND, but Fisher –Price is owned by MATTEL. So it is a Mattel recall.

Oh Mattel, whats going on?!?!?!?!?

In a time where people are struggling for jobs, perhaps Mattel should bring their manufacturing to the US shores and hire people to purposely tamper with their toys, treat them the way a child would, to see what the possible health risks are—do the wheels pop off easily, are there sharp edges, can a person easily become trapped underneath the toy, etc. Its simply a matter of having an extensive toy lab to test out the products.

Lets not forget all of the toy recalls Mattel went through in 2007? Shall I remind you or do you remember? Ok, in 2007, they had like 3 recalls due to lead paint on their popular toys, like Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street goods, and other items. The lead paint on their toys was like 180 times higher than the legal limit.We all know that kids suck and chew on toys, so this was a VERY BAD situation. Maybe kids are getting ADD not because of DNA but because they are sucking lead paint on their toys for like 2-3 years before they can even talk—has anyone thought of this analogy? Think about it.
That combined with BPA chemical laden baby bottles—no wonder kids are sick these days!! Back to Mattel—so in August of 2007 they had like 2 recalls and by the time the year was over, they had at least 3 recalls and people were kind of hesitant regarding Mattel products.

3 years later, no one remembers that recall and people buy Mattel toys like they drink water Now today, we have this massive Fisher-Price recall, but yet, its not really being associated with Mattel. Why is that? The holiday season is fast approaching and this is NOT a good time to be having a toy recall. Parents are already saving towards their holiday purchases so having a recall now will not encourage parents to buy Fisher Price toys.

I know Mattel is a big company, but Hasbro is too. Why haven’t they had as many recalls as Mattel? Hasbro makes many small pieces for their games—especially their board games. Do those board game pieces have lead in them—has anyone ever checked. All the dices that come in board games, the game buzzers, etc-has any of that stuff been checked? Those things are easy to choke on—why haven’t any of their items been recalled? Mr Potato Head has many pieces that can cause choking, but Ive never heard of many Hasbro recalls. Have you? I wonder why that is? Maybe Mattel has a few things they could learn from Hasbro. Or they could just hire me and I could tell them—I can not detect lead but if a toy is dangerous and I’ve played with it/seen it, I’m usually right on the money when it comes to determining whether or not the toy is dangerous.

Back to Mattel—I don’t remember all these toy recalls when Jill Barad was the CEO of Mattel. Where is Jill? Come back Jill!!

Since I’m speaking of Mattel- I remember as a kid I would write to Mattel, every summer, telling them how wonderful they were and giving them ideas. And they would always send back heart crushing letters, stating that they didn’t really care for my ideas, etc. Whereas Hasbro was never that intense- they were neutral. Maybe if Mattel allowed consumers to write and tell them their thoughts, they could avoid some of their recalls.

Well, lets see if this will be Mattel’s last recall for 2010.

M.I.T TOY LAB 2010

2007 was a good year for this blog. I was three years younger and life was simple.Life is still somewhat simple, but its way way way busier.Maybe too busy.But no matter how busy life gets, Im never too busy to inform all of you about TOYS!!!!!!!!!!! Because I love love love TOYS.
So let me backtrack a little and go froward from there.

In MAY 2010, I went to Massachusetts and attended the M.I.T TOY LAB at MIT, in Massachusets. I was invited by Barry Kudrowitz, master of the TOY LAB. He gave me the full schedule, but I could only go to the final presentation.

In one word, the MIT TOY LAB presentation was: FABULOUS!!!!!!

The presentation was so so so much fun and I loved it.It was the last one done by Barry Kudrowitz because he has finished his PhD program, so this was his last one at M.I.T--Massachusetts institute of technology. He is now Dr. Kudrowitz, thank you very much:)



I love MIT. I love the environment.I love the gift shop.I just love MIT..period. But I reaLLY LOVE BARRY KUDROWITZ CUZ HE IS SUPER SWEET AND KNOWS alot about toys!!! Its great having a friend you can just call/email and talk about TOYS!!! the guy is 100% solid gold.I love love love BARRY and I love love loved the MIT Final Playsentation.

These students made toys from scratch.Some were great and some just didnt make sense at all.But thats what toys do-- they inspire you in strange ways, no??

My favorite toy was the Bubble Frisbee--THE FRUBBLE- you throw this frisbee and bubbles come out of it. I liked that alot. I also like the interchangeable robots and the audible bubble blower. The elephant tricycle was cool too. I also loved the sword game-the one with the sensor in the chest.The theme was "outdoor toys".

If you missed the MIT TOY LAB, you missed alot, and probably a once in a lifetime opportunity. BUt you know what, thank God for pictures.So enjoy!!!