My favorite toy…so far/ sing-a-majigs

Fisher-Price's Sing-a-majigs!

We saw the Sing-a-majigs at toy fair preview last month and we weren’t allowed to talk about them. It’s like being told what your best friend is getting for their birthday — and not being able to tell for weeks.  So we were really excited today to see them again.

I thought maybe we had romanticized them…yes, at this point you can say–it’s a toy, get over it. But hey, this is what we do for a living. So when a really fun and innovative toy comes along–we get excited.

I’m happy to report that these cute little dolls (that will retail for a reasonable $12.99 each) are just about the best thing going. They babble to each other, they sing together and perhaps most remarkably they harmonize!  AND they’re easy to make work.

Watch the video.

Barbie and Nicole Kidman

All 126 of Barbie Professions!

I really love that the big push for Barbie this year has been her professions over the years. Yes, I think they could have used the word pediatrician instead of kid doctor and veterinarian instead of pet doctor…but in general we’ve always been big fans of Barbie when she’s not just stylish but using her brains!

So this year Barbie had a contest- for fans to pick her 125th profession. The winner:

Anchorwoman Barbie.  Love it.  I just thought it was funny that they put her in a similar pink (Chanel inspired) jacket as Nicole Kidman’s character in Time to Kill-where she aspires to be a tv anchorwoman. Both are sporting bangs.  Take a look.

There was apparently a HUGE push on-line to make the profession Computer Engineer…so being the smart marketers that they are…the 126th profession (coming out this year as well) is Computer Engineer Barbie.  Love her glasses!

Computer Engineer Barbie

Toy Fair Previews: Operation

Remember the old middle aged man from Operation. The big red nose. Kind of strange if you think about it too long. In any case, this year’s versions…Shrek and Ironman.  Apparently if you have a multi-million dollar movie coming out you can get your own version of Operation.  Sorry…no Brad or Angelina versions.

Hasbro’s Baby Alive Bouncin’ Baby

Take a look a one of the new novelty dolls for 2010. Watch our video.

Trivial Pursuit goes Vegas

Trivial Pursuit Goes Vegas

To appeal to a poker obsessed nation, Trivial Pursuit will have a  gambling/betting component for 2010.  You can bet on whether someone will know the answer.  Seems like an unnecessary complication–but may really make this classic more appealing to some.

What’s It All About Alfie?

If you get the movie reference, then chances are you probably remember the original learning toy, Alfie. For a generation that grew up with the Robot on Lost in Space, it was a pretty cool concept for a  toy. Hasbro is reintroducing Alfie at this year’s International Toy Fair in New York, and his reappearance I’m afraid pretty much sums up the feeling of an industry that faces a shrinking audience, a global recession and, oh yes, and still recovering from a little pr problem over safety issues.

I don’t know why but as soon as I saw Alfie, I kept thinking of the Godfather quote “go to the mattresses”… In addition to Alfie, there were lots of other familiar faces at both Hasbro and Mattel. Strawberry Shortcake, now a sophisticated 30 years old, has been up-sized, and is positioned to appeal to moms who played with the original. Monopoly, Battleship, Twister, Sorry, Life have all been reworked (often cleverly–sometimes tortured) into new variations–once again to appeal to that sentimental place in our toy-buying hearts.

If technology worked last year, chances are you’ll see it again with a slightly new look. Talking trucks, motion-activated rodents, RC cars that flip, virtual pets…they’re all back.

So while this may not be a breakthrough year of innovation (do you blame anyone for not betting the farm this past year on something untried?) — you will find lots of solid choices that may give you a strong sense of deja vu.

Dan Dunn: Speed painter – now puzzle maker

Artist Dan Dunn

This week it’s all about speed..skating, skiing.  So I was interested when I got a press release about speed painter, Dan Dunn.  He’ll be doing puzzles for Serendipity this year. It will be interested to see how his work translates to puzzles. In the meantime, you can watch him paint (FAST) at a recent Super Bowl event.

Sushi-Inspired Play!

The boxes of spring toys and books have started to arrive in  full force.  At the end of a very long day, I opened the last big box and had a wonderful laugh. Inside was a HUGE piece of sushi. This stuffed piece of sushi is really an ottoman. It also came with a doll and a side of salmon roe.

I’ve been reviewing toys for a long time- I’m rarely surprised anymore–but I have to say a toy that includes a salmon roe accessory, got me.

You have to wonder what was the a-ha moment here for Atlanta-based stylist, Mimi Tin, founder of sushistyle.com.   A graphic designer clearly not afraid to push the envelope, Ms. Tin has created this collection that is  inspired by the Pop Art Movement.

While at first, I was just shocked really–I have to say that the ottomans are very well-made. The dolls will most likely appeal to the tween/teen market. And the addition of the roe is just so fun, it’s perfect.

Does anyone need a HUGE piece of sushi furniture…probably not, but they are extremely witty.  The dolls retail for $29.95, the ottomans (Cucumber Pouf with Salmon Roe) or the Cali Pouf retail for $79.95 each at sushistyle.com.

Sushistyle.com's Mimi Tin

Monopoly: Old School

I grew up playing Monopoly with my brothers. Truth be told my involvement in any given round was pretty brief.  They were both older, I would trade away all the good properties…and I would be out of the game in what always seemed like minutes. To make matters worse, they had a rule that the loser always had to put the game away–so when they were done, I was left to put the pieces away.  When I got older and could play with my friends, my math anxiety would usually kick in and I would never want to be the banker…but still there was some math to be done. I was a big fan of collection the railroads.  When I first met my husband, I tried playing Monopoly with him. I quickly discovered he learned Monopoly from the same school as my brothers!

So when I had my kids, I determined to create  a kinder and gentler Monopoly environment.  We would be thoughtful and supportive….ok, so that lasted for about ten minutes. I quickly found that my kids loved the wheeling and dealing that their father and uncles enjoyed.  The games were always loud…often ending in some tears (and a family meeting about feelings and good sportsmanship).  I always wonder if other people play Monopoly quietly–or if that’s just our family. We’re pretty noisy in general.

If I look back on my Monopoly experiences, it’s a wonder really why I feel fondly about the game – but I do.

So when they roll out new versions, I’m always game.  Unfortunately, I haven’t really loved many of the “improvements”.  The last few years have brought an electronic scorer–taking away the wonderful math experience of paying for properties. Whether you could always do the calculations in your head (like my friend Lisa)…or needed a little paper…this was part of the game.

This year we got Championship Edition Monopoly…it comes with a trophy –and a nameplate that can be changed as the names change.  Now I don’t know about you–but in any of the houses I grew up in, this is just asking for a dispute. Even if your kids can share the title, I also really don’t like the score pad where you tally up the value of your properties. I much prefer looking at what you have and adding it up…the score pad complicates the whole experience.

For 2010, Hasbro is rolling out two new versions. One is Monopoly Revolution Edition ($34.99, available for fall 2010) – You’ll see that the game board is now round and looks ever so Apple-like. The round electronic game unit keeps track of where you are on the board and promises to have song clips including “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang and “Drive My Car” by The Beatles.  Ok, this may be fun–but it’s not really Monopoly.  Keeping an open mind though. 

Then there’s Monopoly U-Build ($19.99, available for fall 2010)…here you’ll notice you are building your own board.  This version inspired by the original looked like it could be fun.  The big selling point to parents is that the size of the board that you build will determine the length of your game play – so if you only have 30 minutes to play, you can customize the board accordingly…that’s a fun concept.

Is that Barbie or Debbie Mazar?

I got boxes of Barbies today–celebrating Barbie’s occupations throughout the years–as well as her  new jobs (more on that later).  When I got to 1965′s Student Teacher Barbie I was struck how much she looked like Debbie Mazar (Entourage).

Seriously, take a closer look.