Amazing Toys

With our Day Out With Thomas™ post yesterday, we wanted to see more with the train in action! What better perspective than that of a family? Here is a well-done video from YouTube user “saltybagel,” starring two very cute (and as noted in the comments, well-behaved!) children. Listen closely and the baby even says, “Thomas!” This great example of the Day Out With Thomas™ fun is from the Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock, NJ.

Thomas the Tank Engine and all his friends are characters that have stayed popular (if not become more popular!) with girls and boys today. So, how amazing would a bigger-than-life Thomas, Sir Topham Hatt and a full slate of Thomas-related activities be to a child? For the 16th year in 2011, Day Out With Thomas™ events all over the world bring Thomas and his friends to life.

The “Leader of the Track Tour” will visit 45+ railways in the U.S. and Canada for the unbelievably unique experience of RIDING a Thomas train! Other activities vary by location, but may include tons of fun like petting zoos, face painting, Thomas storytelling and more to celebrate everyone’s favorite train.

As 2011 plans continue to be ironed out, be sure to keep up with the official website for ticket information and more. Here are some railroad websites that have already posted information for 2011:

The Strasburg Rail Road in Lancaster County, Pa. is one of the rail sites taking part in the 2011 festivities: on June 18-26, Sept. 17-25 and Nov. 18-20. They even have special shirts to commemorate the occasion. If you are interested in getting tickets, stay in touch with them on Facebook for ticket information.

Oklahoma Railway Museum will host Thomas later this fall, with trips on Sept. 23-25, and Sept. 30-Oct. 2.

Can’t wait till summer? We’re only weeks away from Day Out With Thomas™ events in warmer locales. The Copper Spike Train in Globe, Ariz. has rides 25-minute train rides set for Mar. 5-6 and 12-13, and the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish, Fla. will welcome Thomas on Apr. 2-3 and 9-10.

In the meantime, and we bet your kids don’t need help getting “revved up” for this event, take a look at our popular Thomas the Tank Engine Toys. A Thomas jigsaw puzzle would be a good way to pass the time until you hear, “All Aboard!”

Picture of cute child with Sir Topham Hatt, and the 2011 ad, are from the Day Out with Thomas™ website.

An extra-special, Christmas-themed toy stole the headlines earlier this summer. At the James D. Julia Toy, Doll and Advertising auction in July, the “rarest and most important of all early American tin toys” was sold, and at $161,000, became the world’s most expensive toy.

The Althof Bergmann Santa Sleigh features Kris Kringle himself and his blue sleigh. But instead of the iconic reindeer, the sleigh is led by two goats. See other rare toys and what they fetched at auction this year!

Of course, holiday-themed toys of all kinds help ring in the season! Here we put a couple in the spotlight:

Elf on the Shelf Set
The ultimate pre-Christmas gift, the Elf on the Shelf highlights the magic of Santa and provides a fun hide-and-seek game for kids. (Visit our site for a video about this toy!)

Groovy Girl Christmas Christa
One of the Groovy Girls is all set for a holiday party: Christmas Christa!

Christmas Window Art Book
Klutz’s popular Classic Window Art book has been revamped for the holidays! Turn any ordinary window into a “stained glass” masterpiece! The Christmas Window Art Book has peel-off paints and 101 designs.

Happy Holidays!

Santa Sleigh photos accessed from James D. Julia and additional information found at Lap of Luxury.

Despite the sheer inability to keep a steady hand, setting up a Domino Rally was one of my favorite things to do growing up. I never managed to construct anything like the following videos, but it was always a fun experience — even though it almost always ended abruptly with an unexpected earthquake (also known as my younger cousins).

The first video is from the 2006 Domino Day Convention. The second video is from FlippyCat of YouTube. He stacks dominos on their side, purposely leaning them against each other. This style allows him to create nearly any object with relative ease.

I’ve always enjoyed watching those “other sports” on TV, like World’s Strongest Man, billiards, and darts. It’s neat that certain sports and competitions, such as the Spelling Bee and Sportsmen competitions have become more mainstream. Though it’s been a few years since I’ve caught it on television, my favorite of all these sports has to be competitive juggling!

One juggler that really stood out from the rest is Thomas Dietz of Germany. He makes it look way too easy. Enjoy a couple videos of his routines and practice!

Do you or your kids want to test your skills? Learn the basics with the Juggling for the Complete Klutz Book or Schylling’s Classic Juggling Balls. Take juggling to a new level with Lunastix, all set for aerial tricks!

Those of you readers signed up for email updates from Growing Tree Toys will find out what’s new in our latest email, going out today, which is full of new brands and new toys. Some of them just came in for the first time this week! The email will highlight some of the latest and greatest brands, but you can always see what is new on the site anytime by visiting our New Arrivals category, which is updated as we receive new product for the first time.

We spend much of the beginning of the year searching out exciting new toys to add to our website, some of which we receive right away, and others we have to wait months to see again! That means there is always something new to see on our website – right up until the holiday season! We get excited about the new toys we are adding to the website, whether they are a new spin on an old favorite or a completely new concept in toys. There never seems to be shortage of products that kids are sure to love.

And while new is exciting, sometimes it is the longtime favorites that we always come back to when suggesting toys for shoppers – after all, just because they are familiar to us, doesn’t mean that they aren’t “new” to someone else! Some of the toys featured on our website have been available in our store from the very beginning almost three decades ago! So, how could you go wrong suggesting a toy with that kind of history?

So while I started out this post telling you about what is new, I thought it would be fun to look back and see what’s not new in toys. Like the Pogo Stick – we buy our pogo sticks from the company that originally created them in the US – and you can read all about their history here.

Or, do you know the history of the Yo-Yo? It is the world’s second oldest toy, behind the doll, and is still a favorite of children today. In fact, we have some REALLY cool new versions from Yomega that are sure to amaze – and sometime soon, Ellen is going to show you the tricks she has mastered with her Yo-Yo on our blog.

And, of course, you can’t forget Erector Sets! We still sell many of these popular building sets, making them a brand that has been building fun for over a century!

Which brings me to something that is both old and new – well, a classic building favorite that is new for the website! We have carried this brand in our store for years, but now LEGO® is finally available from us online! An obvious omission from our website for years, we have many of the new exciting sets in the most popular LEGO® themes, so be sure to check out our full selection.

But, I think the best thing about LEGO® and the internet is all cool YouTube videos that are available from ingenious people using LEGO® pieces and figures. Here’s a great one for your viewing pleasure (that some of our current sets could help recreate!):

Photo Credits: Credit to about.com for George Hansburg’s – Pogo Stick picture. Picture of the yo-yo designed by Ettore Ferro (“Mr. BIST”) called “Bistocracy”, the winner of the 2010 World’s Mod Contest.