Amazon Toy Time's Blog

I can imagine that just about everyone has played Monopoly at least once in their lives.  It is a classic that keeps reinventing itself for new generations of players.  Did you know that there is also a Family Guy version, a Star Wars version, a Junior version, a Beatles version, and a Disney Cars version?  (and many more you can see here).

How about some toy history from Wikipedia (the story even comes with intrigue and spies!):

You can even enter the Monopoly Game Championship! 

For even more about Monopoly see the official Monopoly site.  You can also see all the Monopoly versions Amazon offers here. 

We even have the new Monopoly Deal Card Game and the Original is now on sale for $12.99

Have a great weekend!

--Laura McMullan

Editor's Note: Marianne Szymanski is a leading expert in toy reviews, and the founder of the Toy Tips Research Institute.  She is the author of Toy Tips: A Parent's Essential Guide to Smart Toy Choices and also the editor of Toy Tips and Parenting Hints Magazine.

The toddler years  are age 1-3. Some argue these years start at age 2 but as preschool programs are focusing younger and younger these days, I think it is important to introduce new toys  because there is so much exploration. Don't expect much sharing though. It rarely happens. They have not fully developed that part of the brain yet so toys that encourage following instructions are not easy to do with toddlers.  Let them explore and learn on their own.

Children who have learned to identify their five senses now find an interest to use all of them. Learning to walk, speak and imitate sounds and words are the  skills to emphasize the most. Toys to choose include simple manipulatives that allow for interaction and self discovery. Musical toys that allow a child to repeat a number, letter and eventually words with sequencing are great choices. Push-pull toys enhance walking and puzzles, nesting blocks and other chunky building sets strengthen spatial relations and hand-eye coordination. Be aware that children at this age put mostly everything in their mouth so the toys should be LARGE in size.

Here are a few suggestions:



LeapFrog Scribble and Write
Radio Flyer Classic Rock and Bounce Pony with Sound
The Original Rollercoaster by Anatex
Fisher-Price World of Little People Spin and Crash Raceway
Playskool Chuck My Talking Truck
Green Sprouts Stacking Cup Set
Classic Embossed Alphabet Blocks ABC
LEGO Duplo My First Set
LeapFrog Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal Set

For new toy ideas, visit toytips.com and follow me on twitter.com/toytips for a daily toy tip!.

Happy Toy Shopping,

--Marianne Szymanski

The French aviator, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, was a true genius when he wrote his story of Le Petit Prince. Full of imagination, special details, and a message that is pertinent to both kids and adults, it is a classic book that recently celebrated its 60th anniversary.  What a beautiful theme for a first birthday party!  If the book holds special interest for you and your child, here are some party ideas to bring the theme alive:

Send out invitations either in the shape of stars in the universe or as the Asteroid B612 that the Prince lives on in his world.  Inside or on the back of the invitation provide the party details.

The colors for the party can match those in the book, light blue and yellow.  Buy balloons, streamers, and tableware to mix and match these solid colors.
For additional decorations, place stars all over the party room, as well as large planets that the Prince goes visiting, these should be numbered 325 to 330.  Roses and sheep also play a large role in this tale.  Sheep could also be cut out and placed throughout the party room.  Have a bunch of roses as a centerpiece on your party table.

• Have the kids draw their own sheep upon arrival to the party, much the way the Prince is asked to draw a sheep in the tale.
• Make small gold crowns, and have the kids wear them throughout the party.
• If older kids are attending, have them make paper Mache planets that they can number 325-330.
• The Prince meets several “adults” along his way as he explores the planets.  Play games that relate to each of these characters.  As a few examples:
• The King controls the stars and the Businessman owns them in the book, or so they think.  Have a Star Treasure Hunt where the kids must find as many hidden stars as possible.  Place numbers on the back of each star and have the kids order them numerically after all of the stars have been found.
• Just as the Lamplighter must continually light the lamp to the point of exhaustion, play Pin the Light on the Lamp.

As a party favor, hand out a rose to each child. It will be special because it is their own rose to keep.
For the menu, enjoy all types of foods cut into star shapes, small sandwiches, cookies, fruits, Jell-O jigglers, moon pies, and wands made out of flavored Rice Krispie treats.
As a party favor, send the kids home with the rose, as well as glow-in-the-dark stars for their bedrooms, small Le Petit Prince bath books would also be a good choice.

--Lisa Kothari
Peppers and Pollywogs, Inc.
www.pepperspollywogs

There is just something about a teddy bear isn't there?  I mean, who can resist the cute, soft, squishy love of a teddy bear?  This year we have a new Amazon.com 2009 Gund Teddy Bear with tan fur and a cute red hat with the Amazon.com logo. He's cute, and collectible!

Here's some the particularly gruesome (it's a toy for goodness sake!) history of the teddy bear from wikipedia:

When I was growing up, the department store in my home town in Indiana was a store called Lazurus.  Every year they had a bear called "Lazzie Bear"  that you could get when you purchased a certain dollar ammount,  Every year I begged my mother for that bear, and one year I got one.  I loved that bear- he was white with a big red hat and bow and was so soft.  Teddy bears hold a special place in the heart of all children- they are just loveable, plain and simple.

Everyone has had a teddy bear! Share some memories with us in the comments below. 

--Laura McMullan

For me, the holidays don't start at Thanksgiving, they start with the launch of our yearly Holiday Toy List. This year's list is back and bigger and better than ever.  The list couldn't be easier to navigate- you just pick the age, and what type of toy, and you are off to the races with tons of great suggestions to choose from.
So everyone I know is always asking me what my favorite toys of the season are.  While it is very hard to narrow down without actually knowing the child, I have a few picks for each age group that I am especially excited about this holiday season.  The reason I know these are good picks?  I'll post more about this later, but this year Amazon Toys held it's first ever toy testing event called Days of Play.  We took over a hundred kids and tested all the toys on the holiday toy list.  It was an outstanding test, and let us bring you the coolest, most fun, and exciting toys of the year.  Here are some of the stand outs from our "Days of Play" testing event.

 
Preschoolers:
Fisher-Price GeoTrax Transportation System
KidKraft Large Kitchen
Playskool Explore and Grow Busy Ball Popper
Fisher-Price Imaginext Ocean Boat- available in Frustration Free Packaging
Melissa and Doug Deluxe Ice Cream Parlor Set
Corelle Classic Baby Doll

School Age Kids
Barbie Pink 3-Story Townhouse
Savannah Dollhouse
D-Rex Interactive Dinosaur 2009
Glo-Doodle
Star Wars Duel Action Lightsaber

Tweens -
Paperoni Deluxe Studio
Transfomers Movie 2 Combiner- Construction Devastator
Star Wars Venator-class Republic Attack Cruiser
Micro RC Terrain Titians
Tech Deck Build a Park with Plan B Board Pack

Teens and Adults-
Mindflex Game
Bop-it
Tyco R/C Stunt Psycho
Eyeclops Mini Projector
Nerf N-Strike Raider Rapid Fire
Amazon Exclusive Tonner "Turn Me" Bella
Amazon Exclusive Tonner Twilight Edward

As I said, I will post more, and Video(!) of the awesome kids and the event that helped us really check out the great toys on the Holiday Toy List first hand.  This is coming soon- and I can't wait for you to see how much fun our little testers had checking out the toys.  Until then, enjoy the Holiday Toy List and let us know what toys you are most excited about this holiday season!

--Laura McMullan

Did you love Strawberry Shortcake when you were a child?  I did, especially her strawberry-scented red hair!  Those little dolls were the best to play with.  Today, Strawberry Shortcake and her friends are still favorite characters and a berry perfect way to inspire a party that is sure to be berry fun!  If your daughter loves her too, find great ideas below to pull your party together.
Strawberry Shortcake Invitations:
If you are interested in something fancy that can be hand-delivered to your guests, head to your local craft store and purchase simple straw hats that you decorate with fabric strawberries and pink and red ribbon.  Inside the hats, ask your guests to attend your Strawberry Shortcake Party for a Berry Great Girl!  Make sure to request that your guests wear their straw hats to your party.
Strawberry Shortcake Decorations:

• For this party, it’s all about pink, red, and white for your color scheme.  Balloons, streamers, confetti, and tulle to make the room and party chairs fancy are all appropriate to make this party
  Strawberry Shortcake Dessert Platesextra sweet
• Make your balloons look like strawberries by blowing up red balloons and drawing black seeds all over each one.  Bunch these around the front door to the party or scatter around the party yard (with weights attached) to make a strawberry field.
• On the front door, hang a banner that says “Welcome to Strawberryland!”
• Don’t forget the strawberries.  Cut out large strawberries from red construction paper and decorate your front door with them, hang them with fishing line from the ceiling, place them on the backs of the party chairs, and have a strawberry path leading to your front door.
• Play Strawberry Shortcake music.
• For a table centerpiece, gather up your child’s Strawberry Shortcake dolls (or maybe you still have yours) and place them in the center of the table.

Strawberry Shortcake Game and Activities:

• When the kids arrive to the party, have a face painter paint strawberries on their faces.
• Hand out strawberry scratch-n-sniff stickers for the kids to wear during the party or place on one another.
• Play Strawberry, Strawberry Shortcake.
• Play Pin the Seed on the Strawberry.
• Hold a Strawberry Scavenger Hunt.  Fill small bags with small strawberry favors, such as strawberry candies, strawberry stickers, lip balms, etc.  Give the kids a designated amount of time to search out all of the strawberries.  The goodies they find they can take home with them.
• Hold a Strawberry Relay Race.  Divide the kids into two teams and provide each team with a bowl of strawberries.  The kids must carry the strawberries with a large spoon to the other side of the relay race and fill the empty bowl at the other end with the strawberries.  They can’t drop their strawberries, or they must begin again.  The first team done wins.
• During your party, serve Strawberry Shortcake.  Provide recipe cards with a strawberry shortcake recipe and together have the guests make their own with biscuits, strawberries, and whipped cream.  They may want to add more toppings to their shortcakes so have a few other options available too.

Strawberry Shortcake Party Favors:
Using plastic sundae dishes, write the names of your guests on them with paint pens and then fill with strawberry goodies, either real strawberries or strawberry gummies or other strawberry candies.

--Lisa Kothari
Peppers and Pollywogs, Inc.
www.pepperspollywogs.com

Littlest Pet Shop has traditionally been a sweet, safe, amusing brand for little girls. Merchandise for kids four years and older has capitalized on the wide-eyed cuteness factor, with the likes of playgrounds, adoption center play sets, stickers, pets to decorate, and mini-sets. But many of the original LPS players and collectors are becoming tweens, leaving penguins, puppies, and baby bunnies behind. Littlest Pet Shop has now re-focused their enthusiasm with an online world called, (duh), Littlest Pet Shop Online (LPSO.com). Access to the web-based virtual world is free, however, if your child wants to create more than a single pet (of course) and get special features, you’ll need to buy one of the cuddly---and coded--- LPSO Pets.  This purchase also gives you a free 30-day trial of the Premium Membership.

I recently played in the LPSO world and, in the spirit of full disclosure, was given a coded pet to continue my journey at home. Overall, the site is kid-friendly and colorful. The kid can name and customize a pet, make friends, chat (there’s restricted and safe modes), shop, go on TV, buy candy or cookies, and read about their adventures in the New Pet Times.  There are mildly challenging mini-games, daily activities, and opportunities to decorate and get creative.  Simple gestures (like sniffing flowers) earn a few Kibble coins, which can be used to buy items at the virtual stores. But truthfully, it’s going to take an awful lot of sniffs to earn what Premium Members get just for signing on. Like the virtual pets of yesteryear, nurturing and feeding your animals increases their skills and happiness. Once I got over the registration process (a parent thing), the site was easy to navigate and offered lots of quick play patterns, amusing spaces to visit, chat that requires spelling and reading, and a cute on-screen happiness meter.  In short, it’s a lot of fun with a little more freedom than younger sites. Kinda like a puppy that’s almost grown up.  -- Wendy Smolen

Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen is co-founder of Sandbox SummitŪ.  She has been professionally evaluating toys for over 15 years. Her three children have literally gone from crib to college proving (or dis-proving!) her theories on play.

The Sprig Eco Recycling Truck might be my favorite toy of the holiday season, but admittedly, I have a soft spot for eco-friendly toys and the fantastic people over at Sprig Toys.  Today, as a special treat, I'll be introducing you to the Amazon Exclusive Sprig Eco Recycling Truck. Not only is it an exclusive, it comes in Amazon Frustration Free Packaging!  And who better to talk about this fun truck than some of the great people over at Sprig, Chris and Steve.  They both have some really good insight into the toy industry at the holidays, why frustration free packaging is important, and why getting kids to "be the batteries" is better for kids and the envirornment. My favorite part of the interview? Chris's quote:"5 million pounds of paper packaging waste is thrown out every holiday season on top of our regular waste load in the US."  That is a little stomach turning, and I am glad Amazon can be part of the solution to this huge problem with our Frustration Free Packaging. Keep reading below for more of this great interview where Chris and Steve tell us about the Eco Recycling Truck and Sprig's plans for the future.

First, introductions- who are you, what do you do for Sprig?

Chris Clemmer, one of the designers and a co-founder of Sprig. I work on toy design, marketing, packaging; sales…we all wear 20 hats here at Sprig.

My name is Steve Markey; I’m the VP of Sales here at Sprig. I work with retailers, sales reps and international distributors to make sure as many people as possible around the world have the opportunity to buy our fantastic toys.

What is Sprig core philosophy in a few sentences?
(Chris) Sprig was born from our desire to create toys that energize children with active, engaging play using smart sustainable design solutions. We want to let kids fill in the blanks instead of paint. We want them to be the batteries. We want to get them off the couch. Ultimately we want kids to play like we used to.

What are the holidays like around Sprig HQ?
(Steve) Holiday time is busy here at Sprig Shedquarters. We’re getting ready for the International Toyfair which is held every February in New York, as well as a trade show in Hong Kong where many of our international customers will be seeing the 2010 products for the first time. But we also find time for fun, including a party for the whole team and their families.

(Chris) BUSY BUSY BUSY. The toy industry is unique in that every holiday season you find yourself out on the trail talking about Sprig’s exciting new toys like Captain Owen’s Dolphin Explorer Boat, while back in our top secret headquarters we are busy engineering toys for the future….Toy Fair is coming!!

What are the holidays like for you and your family?
(Steve) I have three children, so we’re all about playing games (we’re huge board game fans), watching movies and just being together. My wife and I travel a lot for our jobs, so just being at home with no trips on the horizon is a blessing. And, of course, being in Colorado, we get out to the mountains for some skiing and snowboarding.

(Chris) We take the holiday time to visit family. This year we will spend time in New Mexico enjoying quiet time in mountains. It’s always fun for our daughter to get some quality family time in during the holidays. Santa Claus always seems to find us to the surprise of our daughter. Although she still wonders why I make toys and how that works with Santa’s agenda…

I have noticed that much of your “shelf packaging” for your toys is minimal, why did you make this kind of decision about how to display toys?
(Chris) We want our toys to play right out of the box. As a child, the thrill of getting a toy in a box that you can open and instantly play with is rare these days. With our toys, if the little ones can get past the security sticker they will be able to open the box and start to play. No little screwdrivers, no knives, no blister packs, no twist ties…just plain simple fun.
The benefit of not using twist ties and packaging blisters is we eliminate tons of material that usually ends up in landfills. During the holiday season, 5 million pounds of paper packaging waste is thrown out every holiday season on top of our regular waste load in the US. We wanted to be part of the solution and are always looking for ways to improve our packaging to make it as lean as possible.

(Steve) For me, there are two main reasons. Firstly, as an eco-conscious company, we try to reduce the amount of materials we use in our packaging, whether it be the amount of cardboard, or those really annoying twist ties that hold so many toys in place.
Secondly, as parents, we are often frustrated by large boxes with very little in them. We just don’t feel good about shipping vast quantities of air around the world.

Did you have to sacrifice anything else to make these kind of packages work?
(Chris) We are learning and experimenting with our packaging with each generation of toys we produce. With our Eco-Trucks we actually see a sales benefit to using minimal packaging. The Eco-Trucks are very accessible and lightweight allowing children to pick them up on shelf. In some cases we have used closed boxes in order to eliminate twist ties, but we are working on some great new open packaging that will still play right out of the box.
(Steve) Less packaging means less space to tell people about our products, to explain what is actually inside the box, so we have learned to tell our story in the most concise way possible. For example, using graphic icons to show that our toys are paint-free rather than actually spelling it out in words.

Why did you decide to partner with Amazon on Frustration Free Packaging?
(Chris) It makes perfect sense for to partner with Amazon on this, as “Frustration Free” packaging is what we call the “new normal” for Sprig. Designing a package that serves as a shipper is a great way to reduce our impact on raw material usage, as it’s one package for all. No Twist ties and reduced printing were things we do and we especially love it when retailers share the same vision as Sprig.

Tell us a little about the new Amazon Exclusive Eco Recycling Truck.  Where was it made? Why did you decide on a recycling truck?  What makes it different than other toy trucks out there?
(Chris) The Eco-Recycling truck is made in the beautiful Czech Republic (our toys are made in North America and Europe). We decided on a recycling truck as it really fits the message behind the toys. We make our toys out of Sprigwood, which utilizes bits of recycled plastic and sawdust. This bio-composite material is a great alternative to using virgin oil based plastics. Our eco-recycling truck smells like WOOD, is very lightweight, and has fantastic play value. What makes this toy different is its play value. The recycling truck features a great carry/push handle, 2 distinct dump mechanisms, a recycling garbage can, and a fold open truck cab. These features make this toy rich in play and smart in design. We don’t use any paints on our toys and they are also dishwasher safe on the top rack which is great for toys that are shared by lots of kids.

One of the first trucks my son recognized was our local recycling truck.  Do you think kids are more aware of recycling than we were at this age?
(Steve) Absolutely – maybe I’m showing my age here, but I don’t think I even saw a recycling truck as a kid, whereas now, my own kids would not dream of throwing away a bottle or a can into a regular trash can. My 5 year old daughter Ella says it best - “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”.

(Chris) Definitely. When we were kids curbside recycling was very rare so we only had the garbage truck coming by our house in the mornings. It’s great to see curbside recycling become the “new normal” to our youngest generation.  It’s also a focus for a lot of elementary schools around the world as well. We find it refreshing when we hear kids telling their parents about the benefits and need to recycle. They are great little police officers for the planet.

What other plans does Sprig have for the future? Do you see Sprig heading into other directions in toys?
(Chris) While we have primarily focused on preschool toys, Sprig is excited to announce that we will be introducing a line of toddler toys for this upcoming spring. Just in time for earth day, our new Safe and Smart toddler toys will feature stacking, shape sorting, and active push around play. These toys will be made from our exclusive Sprigwood material, will use NO PAINT, and will be made in North America (closer to our material source).

That’s just  a snippet of what is to come from Sprig in 2010. We will leave the rest for another surprise.

(Steve) I’m especially excited about the toddler line Chris just told you about. We’ve taken classic toddler toys and “Sprigified” them. (We don’t just invent toys here, we invent words, too.)
Additionally, we will be introducing new toys to our boys and girls preschool product lines throughout next year, so keep checking back on Amazon.com to see our latest releases.

_________________
Thanks to Chris and Steve.  You can see the whole Sprig line here, as well as the awesome new Amazon Exclusive Eco-Recycling Tuck in Frustration Free Packaging.

--Laura McMullan

Is your child a fan of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series by Jeff Kinney? The fourth book in the series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, hit bookstores across the country on October 12
If your child is a fan, find inspiration for celebrating with your child and his friends.  Check out these ideas:
•    Read the books together.
•    Play Wimpy Kid Trivia based on all 4 books or take it to the next level and have a Trivia Challenge where teams must answer the questions together.
•    Create your own Cartoon Books.  Hand out small notebooks and pencils for the kids to create their own Wimpy Kid stories.
•    Who looks most like the Wimpy Kid? See what your own group thinks.
•    Did you know there are talks of a Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie? What would your guests like to see in the upcoming show?  Get the discussion going.
•    Play a game of Cheese Touch.
•    What do you think is Greg’s latest scam?  Have the group think one or two up and go into action.
•    Serve jellybeans in honor of Fregley.
•    Serve up Grandma’s favorite junk food … whatever your kids like!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is hugely popular.   Have a Wimpy good time!

--Lisa Kothari
Peppers and Pollywogs, Inc.
www.pepperspollywogs.com