SPOILER ALERT!! Any of my friends or family that reads this staff review, and just had a baby or is expecting one soon, I am tipping my hand for any baby shower gift or new baby gift that you may receive from me. Why? Because I just love the precious Twilight Sea Turtle Toy from Cloud B, and I want to give it to as many households with little ones as I can! And while this sea turtle is an adorable present for the youngest of children, it makes a great gift to give for toddlers, preschoolers, and even older kids!

What’s to like?
I have to admit, I love the entire concept of this Twilight Sea Turtle, from the cute turtle design and the illuminating colors, to the star constellations and the included book and star guide – this multi-purpose tortoise has it all! But, why is this toy great for babies and other young ones, you ask? While these little ones are not yet aware of which constellations are shining above them, this wonderful starry night effect, coupled with the Twilight Sea Turtle’s shell that can shine in blue, green or aquamarine, is soothing for bedtime. I even have a friend that loves to lie down and “look at the stars” above as her little one starts to doze off. But,

for those nights when star-gazing isn’t in her plans, the auto shut-off of the 45-minute sleep timer will keep her from disturbing her young son after he falls asleep.

And, even if the Twilight Sea Turtle did not prove to be useful after those early years, it would still totally be worth it; but, lucky for kids and parents, this is a toy that really grows with children and continues to offer consolation, entertainment and education! As young ones grow, fear of the dark can become a very real – and very exhausting – experience for any family. This sea turtle is a trusty sidekick, adding a soft and soothing glow to dark bedrooms that helps to ease nighttime jitters.

But, to call this Twilight Sea Turtle a “night light” is totally misleading – it’s so much more. Once children are old enough, they can take the time to learn about the 5 endangered sea friends that are pictured on the turtle’s back, which include a Blue Whale, a California Sea Otter, a Knysna Seahorse, a Leatherback Turtle and a Vaquita Dolphin. Not only can they choose which animal to light up on the turtle’s shell, but they can also read about their endangered friends in the included storybook.

In addition to reading about these endangered sea animals, children can also look to the skies and spend time learning about the star constellations that shine from the back of the Twilight Sea Turtle. The included star guide helps identify the turtle’s constellations, fostering an appreciation of astronomy and the stars that fill the nighttime sky. I know I am always sad that the only constellation I seem to know is Orion’s Belt! If only I had the Twilight Sea Turtle as a child … my enthusiasm for reading and learning would have ensured that I was somewhat of a constellation “expert” after about a week’s worth of time with this adorable turtle. Instead, I pass the opportunity for this star knowledge on to many of the young ones I know!

At the end of the day
The stars truly have aligned to make such a magical toy! The Twilight Sea Turtle Toy from Cloud B is perfect for kids of all ages – from newborns to school age children – and retails for a reasonable $33.95. Star struck yet? If not, then let me convince you with this childhood classic: Star Light Star bright, The first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, Have the wish I wish tonight. The Twilight Sea Turtle Toy is that wish come true!

This staff review was brought to you by Kim, a Managing Partner. Here’s a little more info (in her own words) about this long time Growing Tree Toys team member:

I have happily been working at Growing Tree Toys since 2003, when my husband and I launched the e-commerce website for the long-popular store located in State College, PA. My days at Growing Tree Toys keep me more than busy trying to make our website the best shopping experience for our customers, shifting between searching out the newest educational toys, purchasing, writing and more. When my husband and I are not at work, we are happy to play with our labradoodle Toby – who is also a big fan of many of the toys we sell!

“Designed to help parents and caregivers of all achievements and backgrounds make informed decisions about which new products are right for their children, the Parents’ Choice Awards is the nation’s oldest nonprofit program created to recognize quality children’s media.” This program honors quality material for children in categories such as our favorite – toys! But, who are these wonderful toy testers you ask? Parents’ Choice Award panel members include educators, scientists, performing artists, librarians, parents, and kids themselves!

When the awards were handed out, Growing Tree Toys was proud to discover that 12 of our popular toys were among the honorees this year! Drum roll please … the winners by age are:

9 months

Nothing makes a splash at bath time like the Fill n Flow Spout Bath Toy from Yookidoo Toys – the automatic play spout that no baby can resist! Let the imaginative water run wild with this flowing spout as baby turns a propeller, creates a shower, and plays “peek-a-boo” with a floating friend without wasting a drop of water. Just like a real spout, the control of this Fill n Flow Spout Bath Toy is controlled with the push of a button.

1 year

A magical island of water fun in baby’s bath time, the Stack n Stream Tub Fountain Bath Toy from Yookidoo Toys is the water-jet powered tub tower that is full of surprises! While is tub toy attaches to the tub bottom, drawing water through the center of the stack, kids can choose any of the 4 interchangeable fountain heads to make a completely unique spray. And, when fountain play is finished, the fountain head attachments can be used as individual floating bath toys!

3 years

Lost socks beware because with the Chimp and Zee Silly Socks Game from Pressman Toy, every sock will have a pair! A matching game like never before, kids will love reaching into the dryer and pulling out silly socks in hopes of finding a match. Washing clothes may be a chore, but folding socks just got a lot more interesting!

Let’s go fishing! The Pretend and Play Fishing Set from Learning Resources Toys has all the supplies kids need to bait and catch friendly fish just like grown ups! Featuring a magnetic fishing rod, 3 magnetic worms, and 3 magnetic fish, this Pretend and Play Fishing Set is sure to attract kids to the pond. This set also includes fish net, an adjustable fishing vest made of plastic, nylon and canvas, and a plastic storage tackle box.

Who better to teach young ones to match colors than their terrific turtle friends? The Turtle Shells Matching Game begins when players create their own color combinations of turtles and the interchangeable shells (there is no correct color combination). One player rolls the colored dice, and if the colors rolled match one of the turtle figurines and his shell, that player gets to look at a memory card. If the memory card also matches the turtle, the player “wins” the card. For 2 to 4 players.

There’s never a dull moment with the KidKraft Activity Center with 3 Stools because there are two cool ways for 3 young ones to play the day away! With everything kids need for an artistic day of play – 3 wooden matching stools, a center triangle-shaped storage bin, and a convenient 2-sided play surface (a smooth surface and a Lego compatible surface) – this Activity Center with 3 Stools will bring playtime off of the floor and into a whole new world!

A necessity for any little carpenter, the Educo Master Carpenter Workbench has all the tools needed to fix anything around the house! When there’s work to be done, this workbench gives young ones the tools to succeed. With a counter that is the perfect size for kids to work, this Master Carpenter Workbench features holes for screwing, hammering and pulling non-stick nails, screws, nuts and bolts. Get building!

With the Sprig Captain Owen Wild Water Explorer Toy from Sprig Toys, kids can pretend to explore the rampaging river using their own, limitless supply of energy and imagination! The Sprig Captain Owen Wild Water Explorer Toy is the rugged, water proof adventure boat that is ready to cut through choppy waters and unexplored territory to uncover a new adventure!

With so many award-winning toys to share, one post just isn’t enough! Check back soon for the 2009 Parents’ Choice Awards Part 2!

Source Citations:
“Parents’ Choice Awards.” Parents-choice.org. November 2, 2009. http://www.parents-choice.org/aboutawards.cfm
“Toys.” Parents-choice.org. November 2, 2009. http://www.parents-choice.org/award.cfm?thePage=toys&p_code=p_toy

Toys are our thing. We search far and wide to find the best in wooden toys, baby toys, toddler toys, ride on toys, puzzles, games … you get the picture. And, as a toy store, we have always carried plush, or as some people call them, stuffed animals. Often they are just that – stuffed animals. But, in a sea of stuffed teddy bears, puppy dogs and furry monkeys arose something so unique, so cute, and yet SO UGLY, we just had to have them. And, we have forever remained enamored of our soft, plush friends – Uglydolls!

Believe it or not, Uglydolls have been around since 2002, but have seen a recent rise in popularity, mostly spurned by winning the Specialty Toy of the Year award from the Toy Industry Association in 2006 and by a certain Miss Sasha carrying one to her first day of school in Washington DC last year. I have to admit, these dolls won me over when I saw my first life-size Uglydoll walking around Toy Fair years ago, and I still love to see them staring at me with their goofy faces in our retail store or warehouse!

Created as drawings on correspondence between two artists, David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim, Uglydolls quickly grew into a whole line of adorably ugly creatures that are not only cuddly, but fast friends to children and adults alike. With bright colors, unique faces and equally unique names and personalities, Uglydolls have become a popular mainstay in specialty stores nationwide. But, why are they so popular? I have a few hunches why …

Uglydolls are the perfect gift for any age – young ones love that they are a fun doll with which to cuddle, older children appreciate their hip design and “room décor presence,” and adults are taken by their artistic appeal, quirky descriptions and “non-stuffed toy” look. It’s not very often that you find adults purchasing dolls for themselves – I know I normally wouldn’t consider it!

And, it’s the non-stuffed doll design of the Uglydolls that make them perfect for kids that normally shy away from the traditional stuffed toys and plush. But don’t think that those children that like classic stuffed toys will want to stay far away from Uglydolls – they love them just as much! And whether kids like them for their individual designs or their unique story lines and descriptions, we know they won’t be able to stop with just one Uglydoll – they will need to create a whole Uglydoll family!

With a variety of sizes, colors, shapes and goofy and ugly designs, there is an Uglydoll to please just about anyone. And with new characters introduced every year, the ugliness of the Uglydoll line just keeps on spreading. So come on – everyone needs a little ugly in their life, don’t you think?

And, that’s why we love Uglydoll, and we hope you do too!

For unlucky individuals, “Do not pass go; Do not collect $200” is the most terrifying phrase of the money-loving game – Monopoly! A game that has allowed generations of people to buy and sell their way to the top without spending a dime, Monopoly appeals to the capitalist in all of us! I mean, who doesn’t like spending other people’s money – even if it is green, pink, blue, yellow, and white? I know I do!

So, who was the creative and conniving capitalist who started it all? Here’s a little history on Monopoly from Hasbro:

Monopoly was created in 1934 at the height of the Great Depression by Charles B. Darrow of Germantown, Pennsylvania. Darrow took his game design to the executives at Parker Brothers, who rejected the now popular game due to “52 design errors”!

Darrow couldn’t resist the promise of fame and fortune he believed his board game offered so he produced Monopoly on his own. “With help from a friend who was a printer, Mr. Darrow sold 5,000 handmade sets of the MONOPOLY game to a Philadelphia department store.” Luckily, people loved the game. As the demand for the game grew, Darrow once again appealed to Parker Brothers to help him fill his orders. Ironically, Parker Brothers agreed to manufacturer the game with the “52 design errors” that caused them to originally reject the game!

In its first full year on the market, 1935, Monopoly was the best-selling game in America. Over its 65-year history, approximately 500 million people have played this historic game!

Here are some fun facts about this favorite game:

• World records are maintained for the longest game in a tree house (286) hours, underground (100 hours), in a bathtub (99 hours) and upside-down (36 hours)
• The longest MONOPOLY® game ever played was 1,680 hours long. That is 70 straight days!
• In the 1970’s, a Braille edition of the MONOPOLY® game was created for the visually impaired
• The total amount of money in a standard MONOPOLY® game is $15,140
• In 1978, the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog offered a chocolate version of the game priced at $600

While the original Monopoly remains my personal favorite, the Monopoly market has branched out into a plethora of crazy-themed editions such as junior versions, television shows, pop culture icons, and so much more. Check out this awesomely 90’s Monopoly Junior commercial:

But, whether it’s the original Monopoly or a “new and improved” version, what I remember most about Monopoly is that – well, it never seemed to end. My parents and I would always give up before anyone actually won. I have never actually played an entire game, where a player ran out of money.

This post was brought to you by Nicole McCann, a future secondary English Teacher. Here’s a little more info (in her own words) about this dedicated future professional:

I began my education at Penn State with a B.A in English, but have since chosen to pursue a secondary education degree at Slippery Rock University. Since switching gears from appreciating language to teaching it, I find myself unable to stop thinking about ideas for classroom use. I am currently learning and discussing education on any and all levels—both the theoretical and the classroom aspects. I will be graduating with an M.A. in education in 2010, with future plans of being a secondary English teacher.

Source Citation:
“History and Fun Facts.” Hasbro.com. October 15, 2009. http://www.hasbro.com/monopoly/en_US/discover/history.cfm

I remember the good old days when extreme sports were skateboarding and skydiving, but as more kids and adults attempt to conquer extreme sports, sport innovators reinventing the concept of “extreme” in hopes of out-performing everyone else. While trying to create a sport no one has ever seen before, one amazing kid has combined two of my favorite childhood toys – the hop ball and the trampoline – to create the ultimate bouncing experience!

Now, you may love the original Hop Balls (as well as the colorful and sparkly ones made today), but did you ever dream of turning your favorite low-to-the-ground bouncing ball into a sky-high aerial assistant?

And while I loved attempting to perform front flips on my neighbors oversized trampoline, I never dreamed that it could be used as a building block for the most unconventional action sport I’ve seen to this day.

So, the question becomes what do you get when you combine a traditional Hop Ball, an oversized trampoline, and a dedicated aerial acrobat? Why, you ask? Here’s why … Drum roll, please!

(We don’t recommend you try this at home – ever!)

Can you believe this kid was brave enough to go toe-to-toe with two extreme bouncing forces and come out on top? I can’t! And (for 10 minutes after I saw the video), I was smug enough to think “it’s not that hard” until I took my old trampoline and my sister’s hop ball and tried to just bounce up and down – I failed miserably! This new action sport requires use of coordination muscles that I have yet to develop, which leaves me with a whole new respect for this fancy flipping, sky high daredevil.

Yesterday, thousands of people around the globe spent the entire day attempting to break completely obscure and unbelievable records during the 5th annual Guinness World Record Day – and I missed it! Though I wasn’t fortunate enough to participate in any number of this year’s amazing record shattering events and world-record attempts, let’s take a look at some of those mind-boggling feats.

America has its very own style when compared to the rest of the globe, and this year our record-breaking attempts featured that patented American feel. And the records are …

• Most people twirling lassos simultaneously – 23 wranglers stole the show, and the records, at the Stockyards Championship Rodeo
• Largest cheerleading dance – 297 cheerleaders from the Universal Cheerleading Association joined forces to break this artistic record
• Largest cup of hot chocolate – this steaming beverage measured 11 inches tall by 14 inches wide and held 4 gallons of liquid
• Largest collection of lipstick prints in 12 hours – Maybelline New York and the USO joined forces to shatter this record with 1,817 pairs of lip prints
• Most people sport stacking simultaneously – the World Sport Stacking Association excepted to bring 300,000 participants together from 1,406 school for this attempt

Some events are too amazing to not be seen in person (or on TV), so without further ado, let’s look at the records shown live on the CBS Early Show:

• Most apples chopped in the air using a sword in one minute – this record was attempted by martial arts master Kenneth Lee (there’s no word yet if he succeeded in surpassing his previous record of 23)
• Most hula hoops hooped simultaneously – Paul “Dizzy Hips” Blair hooped 132 hula hoops
• Longest dreadlocks – Asha Mandela’s dreadlocks were 19 feet and 6.5 inches long
• Largest cling film ball – Jake Lonsway’s ball weighed 281 pounds 8 ounces and measured 11 feet 6 inches across

In other parts of the world, Guinness World Record attempts were plentiful as the record-breaking spirit swept across the globe. Here are some kooky record attempts and successes:

• Largest bikini parade – attempted at the Opera House in Sydney, Australia
• Most nationalities in a sauna – Finland broke with record with a total of 76 nationalities
• Furthest distance to pull a double-decker bus with hair – this record was broken in the UK with a distance of 69 feet, 6 inches
• Fastest time to eat a bowl of pasta (Italy) – this pasta bowl was consumed in 1 minute 30 seconds

This was just a small taste of the dozens of records attempted and broken across the globe during yesterday’s Guinness World Record Day – I hope I help to break one next year!

For more information on the records broken, check out: http://in.sys-con.com/node/1184435