Toyology

Balloon bursting, nerve shredding fun

peter jenkinson — 2009-11-06T18:18:44+00:00

We've reported on a trio of fine contraptions from the Wallace and Gromit range before, this is the latest addition for some all round family fun steady hand action. Take the wire in hand and make you way around the dog shaped wire,touch the metal and a buzz will sound...If you're lucky - If you're not you'll be it by the full force of the balloon bursting, and this could happen on the 1st or 21st contact. Around £25 at PLAY

Classic Keyrings

peter jenkinson — 2009-11-06T17:16:33+00:00

We're always delighted when we find a childhood toy thats be remodelled into something a grown-up can put to use, whilst we barely remember actually playing with any of this trio from Fisher Price we know we did, or at least certainly recall observing someone else doing so. Each one of these shrunken replicas of toddler technology are fully working versions of their larger form, and even if your keyring collection has started to become a little excessive you should purchase these and use them as alternative Xmas tree decoration. £4.99 each at HAWKIN

Frustrating Spheres

peter jenkinson — 2009-11-05T16:25:36+00:00

The patience involved in getting a small silver ball to balance itself in one place for longer than a nano second is well known, guiding one of these said spheres down a course of any kind can only add to the desire let the said puzzle slip from your hands and accidentaly offer you a quick solution. Addictaballs won't do this of course as you'll have paid a few pounds for your maze encased in a transparent sphere and that you're grown up and past that "breaking" things stage. Twist, turn and tilt the sphere to guide you through the numbered 1-100 sections to reach your goal, at this point please do not revert to the behavious previously mentioned just pass it to someone else and watch with glee as their faces contort with frustration. From £6.99 at Iwantoneofthose.com

Break Dance duo - No Lino needed

peter jenkinson — 2009-11-05T12:27:14+00:00

This pair of plastic performers will put on an impressive one handed and head spin display, all they ask for is a quick wind-up. Electro accompaniments on an oversized ghetto blaster or the wearing of Tacchini tracksuits is optional. The included booklet does offer some tips on how to bust some moves yourself should you so desire. £10.95 for the 11cm set at PEDLARS

Toy Story 3 teaser

peter jenkinson — 2009-11-04T17:33:05+00:00

It isn't out until June next year but getting warmed up about it now means that we can unpack all our Toy Story plushes, vinyls, talking dolls and remote control cars and have themout on display once more. This doesmean the Transformer collection will have to move aside, apart from Devastator of course, he can stay!

Celebrate 40 years of Sesame Street

peter jenkinson — 2009-11-04T16:21:46+00:00

This'll leave some of you feeling your years, or older than you'd care to think you are, Sesame Street is 40 years of age, yup, the most famous kids programme on the planet reached this milestone and in its wakea legacy of comical characters who still have the power to induce a grin at their mere mention. Grab yourself a stuffed memory of your favourite character in the form of these fab muppet plushes from Firebox, alas not Kermit nor Miss Piggy - Haaaaaaaaaaaaaay Yah!

Create a Carribbean Atmosphere

peter jenkinson — 2009-11-04T15:31:57+00:00

You'll not be able to much about the weather conditions or the temperature outdoorsbut, abottle of rum, turn the heating up, whack on the Bob Marley best of CD and accompany your top tracks with our newly acquired Mini Finger Steel Drums. Reproducing an entirely acceptable steel drum sounds as you tap your digits around the drum segments there is also an ultra laid back option that allowsthe drums to play themselves so you needn't even lift a finger, just sit back and sip! £14.95 from GADGETS

Hamleys under the Hammer?

peter jenkinson — 2009-11-04T12:37:52+00:00

A once in a lifetime offer appeared on the Hamleys website yesterday afternoon, for almost an hour the website was placed on sale for the credit crunch busting amount of just £18, thats right, for less than twenty quid you were offered control of the world's leading toy shops online empire. This wasn't any kind of fire sale by the owners but a glitch apparently down to an expired domain name, which could have left them losing thousands of pounds in sales.

Canine Coin Saver

peter jenkinson — 2009-11-03T23:53:31+00:00

Pay homage to one of the unsung Toy Story Heroes, Slinky the Dog did save the day, his actions imperative in saving the day on at least one, perhaps only one, occasion! Stick a coin in this Slinky models mouth, pull the lead, and marvel as he swallows it,not knowing this could be bad for his digestive system, yet a brilliant start to that item you are collecting for -£14.99 at PLAY

Desktop "Operation Overlord" set

peter jenkinson — 2009-11-03T12:25:44+00:00

Not content with just a couple of minature soldiers and vehicles that you'll randomly pit against one another in some unknown battle of the front room? Then opt for a set such as this that lets you re-create the 6th of June 1944 when the Allies landed on the Normandy beaches. The D-Day collection set contains over 100 pieces including including beach head panoramic backdrop, tanks, landing craft, trucks, gun emplacements and soldiers plus all the brushes, paints and glue to make this set come alive. £36.99 at Argos

Keep Guessing

peter jenkinson — 2009-11-02T12:50:55+00:00

Fans of the original Guess Who from the early eighties mayhave been dismayed that updated sets no longer feature some of their favourite names such as Bernard and Derek, Guess Who extra takes it another stage further, almost asking you to forget it was ever a game based on odd looking face that even LEGO rejected. Guess Who Extra however still remains one of the best starter board type games for kids and the family to get stuck into. This new version features electronic sounds, lights and a timer as well as a number of interchangeable cards so you're not just stuck with 80's faces. £15.99 at The Toy Shop

Operation outfit is a fancy dress winner

peter jenkinson — 2009-10-30T14:02:59+00:00

Thanks DVICE

Iconic Ghostbuters carriage back on sale

peter jenkinson — 2009-10-30T11:37:45+00:00

Ok for now its only up as pre-order but this 1:18 scale has been unavailable for a while and although the site claims shipping isn't till 2010 the knock down price of £27.99 should see this one disappear quicker than a ghoul faced with a Proton gun. The ECTO 1 replica is packed with fantastic detail fit for any Ghostbuster fan and comes complete with a Slimer. Head over to Play.com for yours and fans of the film might want to check out this website, a Google map guide to all the places in New York wherethe ghost scenes were filmed

Gogo Crazy Bones fans gather round

peter jenkinson — 2009-10-29T11:09:37+00:00

This collectors edition set of Go Go's is up on pre-order at Play.com, the limited edition characters are delivered in a fine looking tin and you'll not be abl to lay your hands on this Advance team anywhere once this lot are sold, collectors head over HERE

Halloween Essentials - Part II

peter jenkinson — 2009-10-29T09:58:22+00:00

The universally acknowledged truth is that a party isn't a party until the jelly appears, so this rings true for the spooky season but of course the jelly must be brain shaped. Saving us all from hours of intricate carving here is the Zombie Brain Jelly Mould! Available in fluorescent green, so it won't get lost amongst your other body part jelly moulds, Zombie Brain Jelly Mould can also be used as an impromptu hat, lettuce storer or arbitrary thing that lives by the front door and houses keys and spare change. The possibilities could be endless! They're not. But they could be! As you may expect, the drill for jelly brain making is mix jelly, pour into mould, leave in fridge, take out of mould when set and serve. Whilst jelly is a fine choice in almost any colour pink Blancmange is undoubtedly best. £8.95 for a brain mould of your own.

Halloween Essential

peter jenkinson — 2009-10-28T13:05:21+00:00

If you're not into the imported Halloween of dressing up in vast and impressive costumes, roaming the streets carrying carved out pumpkins, amicably shaking down neighbours for 'candy' and holding huge parties where good looking people bob for apples then settle back into some good old-fashioned British Halloween fun. We used to love nothing more than sitting indoors watching Hitchcock films being repeated on TV, but that leaves us with a problem..What to do when the adverts are on? Freaky eyeball illusions is what! Essentially a magic kit with a twist, Freaky Eyeball Illusions is a collection of 'magical' eyeballs which allow the magician in question to seemingly produce eyeballs from thin air, make them float, multiply and then disappear again. Alongside the eyeball fun, the kit also contains a collection of optical illusions to be enjoyed from the comfort of your sofa. These include treats from 'hypnotic eyes' to personal favourite 'shrinking head.' All in all there are 13 tricks to choose from, enough to entertain loved ones through a wide assortment of ad breaks and beyond and more entertaining than dressing your Jack Russell in a pumpkin costume again. Possibly. Direct your eyes HERE and grab one for £14.99

Retailers association picks their Hot Dozen for this Yule

peter jenkinson — 2009-10-28T12:50:53+00:00

The TRA represents over 75% of the Uk Toy Industry and has a decent idea whats going to be flying off the shelves at any given season. Its Xmas picks for 209 comprise amixed bacg of stuff that all steps in at under £50, most we agree with, a couple we're at a loss to explain :

Bakugan Battle Pack, Spin Master (£19.99)
Battle Strikers starter Set, Mega Brands (£9.99)
Ben 10 Alien Force Kevins DX Action Cruiser, Bandai (£29.99)
Bendaroos Mega Pack, Spin Master ( £19.99)

GO GO Pets Hamsters, Character Options (£9.99)
GX Racers Tightrope Terror, Flair (£22.99)
Kidizoom Multimedia Digital Camera, V-Tech (£49.99)
Lego Games Minotaurus, Lego (£17.99)
Monopoly City, Hasbro (£24.99)
Princess Peppa’s Palace, Character Options (£39.99)

Atten-shun boiled egg fans

peter jenkinson — 2009-10-27T12:14:02+00:00

It's not that we're fussy eaters and need novelty items to assist us in eating our food here at Toyology Towers but whers the harm in adding a bit of fun to breakfast, might not wrok so wellif yuou have grown up guests tound for dinner. The latest item to catch out atention is this splendid boiled egg set, an army chap in his bearskin and tunic is where your hard boiled one sits before you attack and open the top before going in with your sliced toasted soldiers, cut into outlines of "at attention" troops. Superb gift for the hard to buy fors we say, well the ones that are partial to boiled eggs. £6.95 from Gadgets.co.uk

Desktop micro racers = Monster fun

peter jenkinson — 2009-10-23T14:34:02+01:00

Grab yourself a set of these mini RC racing cars before constructing a lap around your desktop, paperclip chicanes, post-it note cambers, ruler ramps and all manner of other stationary based hazards. Based on Mario and Yoshi character rides and a couple of classic Tamiya numbers each motor comes with an impossibly small remote control unit that doubles up as the charging station for refuelling purposes. You can also invest in a fine racing track that simply clicks together to give you an exceptional racing surface that can be interchanged into three different courses complete with chequered finish line and guardrails - exceptional bits of kit. Cars are £14.95 each or opt for a pair of micro-movers plus a track for £54.95 over HERE

Souper Spoon - Not JUST for kids

peter jenkinson — 2009-10-23T11:52:24+01:00

Quite clearly designed to make eating greens and the like a little less trouble than it should be for nippers here's another variation on a theme. This one does stand out well enough from the aeroplance shaped crowd and is easily transferable to the sides of grow-up bowls without felling too daft. Stand Souper to attention at your desk, he has moveable arms so perhaps get him to hold some post-its, most importantly though he is there to assist you in the eating of your soups, fruits and cereals.. Healthy hero spoon. £7.99 from FIREBOX