toyportfolio.com: Top GREEN Toys for 2009

Green toys used to mean a recycling truck here or there…or a paper maker, but now there are many toys that are either manufactured with a green mandate or promote a positive green message to kids.  The biggest trend are dolls made from organic materials–not all created equal in our book.  Green shouldn’t have to mean scratchy or boring in design or color.  Happily we received many that found the right blend of green and whimsy!  The other big category — trucks…many made of recycled materials – were a real draw to our testers.  Then there are the throw back toys–my personal favorite, the wind-up FM Radio.

Here’s the list of our Top Green Toys for 2009. Complete reviews on our our site, www.toyportfolio.com. Click on the toy name to read our rating/review.

Trucks

Eco Trucks (Sprig Toys)

Dump Truck (Green Toys)

Playmobil Recycling Truck (Playmobil)

PushAlong Hybrid Car (ImagiPLAY)

Building Toys

Plan Toys Build ‘n Spin (Plan Toys)

Citiblocs (Citiblocs)

Dolls and Dollhouse

blabla Dolls (blablakids)

Organic Joobles (Fair Indigo)

Earth Mates (Mary Meyer)

Plan Toys Green Dollhouse (Plan Toys)

Other Green Toys of Interest

Crayola Crayon  Maker (Crayola)

Elia Mini Chair (eliafun.com)

Ecotronics Radio (International Playthings)

Ecotronics Mr. Robot Head (International Playthings)

Pick of the Day: Crayola Glow Station

I was driving home yesterday in the dark and as we got caught in traffic…I started thinking about one of my favorite toys that I wished I had in the car.  There’s something about being caught in traffic that brings out my inner eight year old.   Last year’s Platinum Award winner, the Crayola Glow Station.  Read our complete review.

Three Gender-Free Fantastic Art Activity Kits

Finding arts and crafts activities that will appeal to both boys and girls can be challenging since so many kits are so gender-specific.

Here are three from our Platinum List that will appeal to everyone!

Creativity for Little Kids Finger Paints (Creativity for Kids)

Crayola Crayon Maker (Crayola)

Money Monster Banks (Creativity for Kids)

Pick of the Day: Crayola’s Glow Dome

Our testers enjoyed trying this new activity toy out where you can decorate both the outer dome and the inner stand.  What I really liked about it–it’s really an open-ended drawing opportunity.  Yes, there are suggestions and print outs for tracing, but the sky’s the limit on what you can draw.  If you don’t like what you’ve designed it’s really easy to wipe off your creation and start over with the six glow markers. What is also really cool–the dome spins and lights up- making this a super night time decoration.  There are several settings for the type of light show you can display. The only downside–the motor is pretty loud as the dome moves.

Pick of the Day: Crayola’s Crayon Maker

It’s back!  Last month I showed everyone had to make Crayon Muffins on the Today Show from old crayons…one of my favorite activities that I used to do with my mother as a kid.  Those are still fun to do–but it does involve an oven and you do have to be really careful about the hot tins, melting crayons, etc.

We were happy to see at Toy Fair that Crayola was bringing back their Crayon Maker (a former Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award winner)…this time with a huge improvement in design…you can see the crayons melting in the chamber (the old design had a solid piece of plastic).  The heating element is a 60W bulb (the tapered kind). I sort of wish the bulb was included–since not everyone has one of those bulbs hanging around the house but I can imagine the shipping issues would be too complicated.  There is a warning on the box that the bulb is not included…a plus. I really  have a problem with the small print warnings on some products- you get the product home, everyone is psyched and then you find you don’t have an essential element.

Just like the original — you load up your old crayons into the chamber–it heats up and voila you get new crayons! The chamber does not open until the tray has cooled–a very important safety feature.

There’s something so happy and life affirming to have new crayons…the possibilities of what you might do with them  always struck me (and sometimes meant I was staring at a blank piece of paper).  I also realize that I still feel  happy when I open a new box of crayons (the smell especially)…does that mean I’m forever 8?

Crayola 3D Chalk…what makes it 3D?

One of our testers who really liked the 3D Chalk kits just raised a great question…is there something in the chalk that makes it 3D or will the 3D glasses make all chalk 3D…we posed this question to the folks at Crayola…

“Yes, the 3D glasses will work with any Crayola chalk and out sidewalk
crayons.  The ones that come with the Crayola 3D Sidewalk Chalk Kit allow for the best results
because we paired warm and cool colors together.”

Al Roker had a fun time with these glasses on our outdoor toy segment last year…click here to watch the segment.

Crayola Beginnings Baby Drop and See

We got mixed reviews on the new Crayola TaDoodles Drop & See. This three level ball run is designed so that your toddler needs to push a lever at each level to release the ball to the next level.  The toy is marked 9 months and up and that’s where the problems arose for our testers.  Our nine month old testers could not make the levers work.  In fact a play group with mostly 18 month old toddlers also had difficulty. The biggest complaint is that the toy falls over easily–unless it’s against a wall which is hard to make happen when you’re talking about a toy for on the go toddlers.  Nothing like asking a toddler to only play with something in one location!

Even without the falling over issues, our older toddlers had problems making the red cat lever operate. Our testers were creative — suggesting that the levers should be bigger and that the base should be wider to address the tipping issue. Everyone liked the concept but all had suggestions on how to “fix” the toy to make it better.

The testers that were 2+ could make the toy work–and even our younger testers enjoyed making the balls go from level to level with help…but still, we think the age label is too off the mark to make this one an award winner.

Crayola Window Markers vs. Crayola Window Crayons

It’s really a toss up. The crayons have the greasy crayon texture – that really makes you feel like you’re drawing with a crayon on the window. The markers–which we have reviewed before–I just tried again.  They do fill in better than the crayons but they don’t give you the same tactile feedback as the crayons.  Even I think I need to stop drawing on the windows now….I’ve run out of room! Both the markers and the crayons are really a great value–under $5 for a set.

Pick of the Day: Crayola Window Crayons

My mother is giving a speech today at the University of Maryland  for her new book, Stanley Hayami: Nisei Son…go mom.  Apart from writing 50 plus children’s books and parenting books, my amazing mother has written this book–based on the diary of a young man who was sent ( along with 120,000 other Americans of Japanese descent ) to internment camps during World War II.  Stanley then served in the Army–and died serving his country.  My mother has taken this primary source and brought his story to life with such clarity and emotion, that people are moved to tears when they “meet” Stanley.  I recently heard her speak at NYU–and again I marveled at how my mother is such a gifted story teller.  I also highly recommend Dear Miss Breed–the story of a dedicated librarian who became an incredible and consistent source of support to so many children and their families sent to camps during WWII.

All of this is by way of my saying that my mother and I usually play with window markers and crayons together.  So I’m proud that she’s off giving another speech–but I miss that she’s not here.  I have just tried out Crayola’s new Window Crayons. At first I felt a little awkward coloring on our office windows by myself–but I’ve loosened up…and have created a garden of flowers and grass. Try it, it’s liberating.

If you’re ok with kids drawing on windows/sliding doors–this is a REALLY FUN activity. At only $4.99–it’s a great buy. Comes with five colors.

Trends from ToyFair 2009: Spin Master’s GloDoodle

We’re eager to test Spin Master’s new Glodoodle ($19.99/available this fall)…It promises to be a light up drawing platform.  Much like the classic Magna Doodle in design (with a stylus) or last  year’s  Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award winning Glow Station from Crayola that is now available in a travel size. You can draw on this board and then with a push of the button the image is suppose to clear completely.  Maybe because I grew up making long car trips — I always wanted something that I could play with in the back seat.   I know it would have cut down on the number of shoving fights with my brothers.  I guess in an era of built in DVD players in the car, it’s not the same issue–but it’s still nice to have a creative outlet that works after dark.