Staff Toy Reviews

Between my two adorable nephews and a ton of cousins, I’ve learned that interfering with a kid and his or her toy car is downright dangerous! But, surrounded by car-loving kids, I’ve seen every car you can think of – pocket-sized, ride-ons, noise makers, and magic movers. Improving the awesome idea of a toy car seemed impossible until I discovered the Automoblox Mini Cars Three Pack from Manhattan Toy! Not only do they provide the wonderful play qualities of a traditional toy car, but kids are also introduced to the concepts of building.

What’s to like?
Who says mini can’t be mighty? The Automoblox Mini Cars Three Pack is the rip, roaring next generation of traditional Automoblox Cars. This small (but formidable) set features the super sporty A9S orange convertible, the practical M9 light blue mini van, and the rugged X9X purple SUV. This pack is a great way to kick off any child’s Automoblox collection since each of the colorful vehicles can be taken apart and their pieces can be mixed and matched – it’s like playing with a new car each and every time! My favorite colorful car combination features the mini van body, the SUV tail end and roof, and the front end of the convertible to create my miniature dream car. Plus, when kids want the cars back to normal, they simply follow the color coded pieces for reassembly.

While many people love the original Automoblox vehicles, there are two reasons I prefer the mini cars. First and foremost, the mini cars fit in the palm of your hand. This small size makes it easy for parents to toss the cars in their bags and pull them out almost anywhere. Plus, small cars make it even easier for small hands to play with them, and who doesn’t love that? The second reason I prefer the mini cars is because they do not have the removable connectors that the original Automoblox need to switch body parts. While connectors are great for color and shape recognition, this extra step when building new vehicles may frustrate younger kids.

I find that the Automoblox Mini Cars Three Pack is a great educational toy because it grows with your child. Toddlers love the simplicity of the cars as they push them throughout a room “Vroom-Vrooming” as they go. As kids get older, they will enjoy the challenge of creating their own vehicle styles and expanding the imaginative play possibilities. And even better, each Automoblox vehicle comes complete with a personalized VIN number that kids can register on the Automoblox web site. By registering your Automoblox, you receive special “perks” that are not available to the unregistered public.

At the end of the day
For $29.95, the Automoblox Mini Cars Three Pack (A9S, X9X, M9), for kids 3 years and older, makes a great gift for any car enthusiast – young or young at heart! I dare you not to wonder what you could create!

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

My time with Growing Tree Toys started 4 years ago when I worked part-time at Growing Tree Toys as a floor associate during my chemistry undergrad at Penn State. I have since become the warehouse manager, making it my goal that each customer’s order is fulfilled and arrives in perfect condition. During my free time, I love taking road trips to visit friends and family. They have helped shape who I am today, and I will never pass up an opportunity to have some quality time with them!

My daughter has always called her tiny toddler, Desi, her “little monkey.” And what do monkeys do? They imitate the actions of those around them, which is handy when little ones work on developing motor skills, hand-eye coordination and reasoning. Consequently, there’s no bigger incentive to tempt a toddler to learn these important skills than by having her imitate her favorite animal – the very animal after which she is nicknamed in fact! For frustrated parents, and grandparents for that matter, the Learn to Dress Monkey from Alex Toys combines every aspect of dressing from head to toe, preparing little ones for their next great adventure.

What’s to like?

The Learn to Dress Monkey is the ideal “doll” for little ones because it can go everywhere kids go and do anything kids want it to do: sit during play, contort into those pretzel positions only kids can create, relax in a toy stroller, and cuddle during nap time. I wish my favorite friend was that versatile!

Besides being a great take-along companion, this well-dressed Monkey features 11 common dressing activities to help youngsters develop those tricky motor skills, while emphasizing reasoning and sequencing as they dress and undress this cute, lovable monkey. I love that in addition to enhancing my granddaughter’s pretend play, the Learn to Dress Monkey is teaching her to zip, lace, button, snap, loop and buckle shoes, put on socks, and pull on overalls, as well as to remove and replace shirts.

After raising 4 children and entertaining 4 grandchildren, I can honestly say that the best part about the Learn to Dress Monkey is that it’s the model house guest – it’s quiet, washable, colorful, lightweight, and gender neutral. And, parents will love to have the Learn to Dress Monkey along on trips because it wears its entire wardrobe and only requires the occasional banana!

At the end of the day

A fun-loving “dress me” favorite, the Learn to Dress Monkey is perfect for children ages 18 months and up and retails for $34.95!

This staff review was brought to you by Darla, a Warehouse Shipping Associate. Here’s a little more info (in her own words) about this dedicated Growing Tree Toys team member:
I have worked at the Growing Tree warehouse since November 2008 assembling, wrapping and shipping toys to our customers. When I’m not sending toys across the country, I enjoy busying myself with all my hobbies: counted cross-stitch, Sudoku, bird watching (Cornell winter bird counts), collecting Wade porcelain, 2 pet society finches, the Bible, and traveling to East Africa. I live outside of State College, PA with my husband, a retired fisheries biologist, and we have 4 children (and 4 precious grandchildren).

Play rooms should always have certain items designed for function and fun – a toy chest, books, tons of toys, and a cozy place perfect for kids to sit, read, draw, and play. But, just because adults are used to traditional tables and chairs, doesn’t mean that the play room has to follow those rules! The colorful assortment of Silly Soft Seating from P’kolino is perfect for adding a bit of spunk and personality to any play room, while also serving as a piece of versatile furniture that is ideal for imaginative play!

What’s to like?

Just look at their goofy smiling faces – these P’kolino chairs are just begging to play with your young one! Available in 4 colorful and quirky designs, this P’kolino Silly Soft Seating collection is certain to inspire hours of imaginative play, as kids make up stories about their new friends or incorporate these creatures into the creative events of their day. And while toddlers will simply love to play with their new buddies, there is more to these cute creatures than meets the eye!

Due to the lightweight nature of the thick high-density foam construction, kids can easily disassemble their friends to turn them into what they really are: Silly Soft Seating! These 3-piece chairs come apart easily, with the removal of the head and mouth forming a low-to-the-ground seat that is not only comfortable, but convenient and safe for growing toddlers. And while it may appear like the remaining pieces have no purpose, the small mouth can be used as a booster seat and the head piece flips over to become a little play table. In addition to the multi-functional uses of these chairs, the Silly Soft Seating is also the perfect kid size, measuring 10”Lx17”Wx16”H when fully assembled.

When I first saw this seating in person at Toy Fair this year, I was instantly drawn to the bright colors and unique design – I love that these pieces are engaging and entertaining, yet still super functional for children. I know I would have spent hours playing with the assembled creature, while also spending just as much time finding new purposes for the pieces that fall outside the chair aspect. Why use this cool product just as a chair when it’s so much more?

I also love that this 3-piece seat is extremely durable, yet lightweight, for ease of use and the safety of young ones. These chairs offer a snug, secure seat for little kids, but the pieces are light enough that they can spend all day taking them apart and putting them back together again for a new-age twist on the Humpty Dumpty rhyme.

And, when a little too much love, play, and sitting has this colorful seating looking a little dingy, you can remove the cover and wash the durable micro-fiber fabric to make kids’ friends “just like new.”

So, not only will the Silly Soft Seating add punch and pizzazz to the interior of the play room as a functional furniture piece, but these chairs will spark the imaginative fires of growing toddlers by giving them a cute creature to use for playing, sitting, reading, drawing, and more. Who knows what kids will do with these great chairs!

At the end of the day

The Silly Soft Seating from P’kolino, priced at a reasonable $39.95 a piece, comes in 4 styles for kids 12 months and up, including the orange Iggy, the red Kiko, the blue Pipa, and the green Tias. They are so cute that I know you will want all 4 seats for a cozy creature collection!

Whether you’re going to visit the kids’ grandparents who live 3 hours away or trying to keep your kids focused on something other than cookies at the grocery store, there never seems to be a toy that can handle the challenge…until now! The Find It Glitz & Glamour Game from Find It Games is the hand-held, self-contained scavenger hunt game that will have kids spinning, shaking, and searching the day away.

What’s to like?

The Find It Glitz & Glamour Game is entirely self-contained – no complicated instructions, no loose pieces to misplace, and a million different ways to play! This pretty pink and purple game features 44 glamorous objects that every child can recognize including ballet slippers, a puppy, a cell phone, a curling iron, and the infamous penny – my favorite object to find since it really is tricky! And because every object is a different size and most blend with the recycled plastic pellets, finding all of them is always a challenge no matter how many times you play. Keep those eyes peeled!

Plus, when you run out of the included handy tear-off checklists (because you’ve played this game over and over again solo or with friends), there is a permanent list of objects printed on top of the canister so there’s always a list at your fingertips – play time will never be interrupted! Perfect for those times when pen and paper are nowhere to be found!

The Find It Glitz & Glamour is my favorite educational game because it builds deductive reasoning skills and patience, which enhance kids’ learning experience, but it’s perfect for improvisational play as well! I enjoy shaking the canister to create an impromptu maraca when I get tired of searching, but kids might love it for that reason first, rather than for the searching aspect. And, the octagonal canister ends make for easy-gripping to allow kids imaginations to run wild with endless possibilities as they search, toss, shake, and twist – the fun never stops with the Glitz & Glamour!

An awesome side-note – Find It Games cares about important causes! Find It Games has partnered with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to join the fight against breast cancer. From August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2010, they will donate $1.00 to the foundation for every Glitz & Glamour sold to retailers – with a minimum guaranteed donation of $25,000!

Not to be picky…

Now, while I think the Find It Glitz & Glamour Game is the perfect on-the-go distraction (and who doesn’t love that?), I discovered that after the objects are located they like to hang-out towards the outside of the canister. But perhaps this is actually the perfect play opportunity for kids! Find It Glitz & Glamour further encourages play by relying on kids to shake, twist and maneuver the objects back under the plastic pellets so the next game can begin! Or, change the rules of this scavenger hunt by challenging kids to locate objects in a certain order, which encourages kids to hide some of these objects again.

At the end of the day

For $19.95, the Find It Glitz & Glamour provides kids, 8 years and older, with lots of laughs, tons of play possibilities and a few free hours from “Are we there yet?” and “I want cookies!”

Let’s face it – kids are artsy. Whether they’re creating a colorful collage or designing fresh fashions, young artists will be begging for the latest and greatest art supplies for their needs.  Let me introduce you to the Introductory Art Portfolio from Creativity for Kids – the self-contained, artist travel tote that will have kids painting, sketching, and shading their way to Picasso-worthy perfection.

What’s to like?

The Introductory Art Portfolio combines three different artistic media in one complete package – watercolor, graphite, and oil pastels to deliver a complete creative palette! Creativity for Kids is partnered with Faber-Castell, who is known for crafting high quality, professional art supplies, so kids can begin their creative journey like a true artist. An artistic array unlike any other, this perfectly-sized portfolio features 6 watercolor pencils, 6 graphite sketching pencils varying in hardness, 12 oil pastels, an eraser, a stainless steel sharpener, and durable watercolor paper. For me, the watercolor pencils are the most fun because they work like a normal colored pencil, but when you brush water onto the drawing (with a paint brush or just your finger), the colors blend together to create a “washed out” design!

Plus, never fear for your child’s safety with this crafty portfolio because all the included materials are completely acid-free, which means they are better quality art supplies (and who doesn’t love that?). And, acid free paper is ideal for the preservation of artwork because it prevents your masterpiece from fading! Another great aspect of this artist portfolio is that all of the supplies can be stored in the vinyl case, which also includes convenient handles making it a perfect travel accessory! Perfect for those never-ending car rides!

The Introductory Art Portfolio is one of my favorite artistically geared activities because it encourages endless creative possibilities and further improves drawing abilities, both valuable assets for young artists, but it’s also perfect for teaching kids self-confidence. I’ll admit my drawing ability is limited to basic stick figures, but even I felt my artistic ability improve, just a little, after I tried applying the different techniques in the portfolio to my designs. Now my stick figures are a lot more colorful and slightly more realistic!

At the end of the day

For $27.95, the Introductory Art Portfolio provides kids, 11 years and older, with the perfect artistic tools, endless creative possibilities and a renewed motivation to craft a Picasso-worthy creation!