Toys On The Brain

Archive for the ‘Pretend Play Toys’ Category

This workshop and tool set is a big deal for little workers. It includes plastic parts: nails, screws, washers, a place on the bench to hammer nails and screw in screws. Batteries can be inserted to activate a circular saw on one side, drill press and vice on the other, and a hand-held jigsaw. Hooks attach to the back to hold a saw, a hammer, and a screwdriver, and a slanted shelf has compartments for the faux wood pieces.

The set and all the parts are plastic, so while this makes for safer and lighter equipment, this work bench and its pieces are a little on the flimsy side. The bench is best used against a wall for support.

On the cool side, the bench and pieces look real to little kids. In no time at all, my three year old handyman was moving about - tools in hand - and “fixing” everything from the couch to the coffee table.

And the tool sounds for the saw, drill press, and jigsaw are impressive, though a bit loud (plan on wanting to remove the batteries from time to time). Included are pieces that look like wood that fit together with velcro and screws to make a bird house - a fun project for kids.

The neatest thing about this toy set is that the parts work together and really are quite similar to the way real tools work. The screws really fit in other pieces, and the screwdriver is really used to screw them tight. I think the materials could be sturdier on this set (especially for the price) but it is a great tool for learning and pretending.

Buy Black and Decker Junior Power Tool Workshop Online:

• at Amazon.com

Here’s one for the babies.

The Around Town Baby Driver is a fun dashboard with some pretty cute bells and whistles. It turns on with an attached ignition key and has a soft steering wheel that spins around and around with the simple bat of a hand.

A singing voice goes through abc’s, a little counting, and what each of the lights on a stoplight means (”Red means stop,” “Green means go,” “Yellow means slow down”). The voice can get a little annoying after a while, but my baby’s big brother literally learned the function of the various traffic light colors by listening to this.

There are buttons to push, a horn to honk, and a gear shift that moves up and down. The traffic lights flash in beat to the various tunes - great motivation for an infant to scoot or crawl close. My baby boy enjoys watching the lights and touching the buttons and steering wheel while on his tummy.

Other phrases recorded on this toy include “Fasten your seat belts!” and “Let’s go for a drive!” Good features include an automatic shutoff and slight volume control.

I recommend this toy for its ability to capture the interest of both infants and toddlers and the multiple fine motor challenges.

• VTech Kids Website

Buy Around Town Baby Driver Online:

• at Amazon.com

Now, I usually love Melissa and Doug toys. They tend to be durable, simple, yet fun. So when Small Person #2 saw this pirate chest in a store, we figured it was worth the steep price. After all, it looked substantial and had potential to be a fun pretend play prop. Well, looks can be deceiving and companies can be cheap - both are true here.

The first thing I noticed that I thought pathetic was the “secret compartment.” What’s so secret about a warped piece of wood with a hole in the end that doesn’t even fit properly over the bottom of the chest? It was less “secret compartment” and more “shoddy workmanship.” It doesn’t even lie flat on the bottom! Sheesh.

Next we come to the box itself. What seemed substantial in the store turns out to be incredibly poorly constructed. The lid doesn’t sit flush on the bottom of the chest, and within a few minutes of opening it a sliver of wood snapped right off. There’s just no excuse for that! The skull latch is cute, but only works in one direction - I foresee that being the next bit to break.

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There is very little in this world more amusing than watching a 3-year old play the role of Darth Vader to his 5-year old brother’s Luke. Imagine, if you will, a miniature Vader lisping “Luke, I am your father!” and Luke lisping in kind “That’s impossible!” Seriously cute stuff there. This adorable scene was all due to Small Person #1 receiving a Darth Vader Dress-Up Suit for his 5th birthday. Since he loves Luke and already had a Luke costume from Halloween (actually, 2, but who’s counting?), he was thrilled that his brother could use the Darth Vader suit to join him in some Star Wars role play.

The suit includes a jumpsuit with molded collar and chest, mask, cape, and belt. If your kids plan on reenacting scenes from the movies, you’ll probably also want to purchase some lightsabers, as the suit doesn’t come with one. As with any costume based on a movie, the quality isn’t great, but it’s adequate. Small Person #2 has a giant head, but the mask seems to fit fine; the costume is listed as fitting ages 3-10, but it’s pretty big for the 3 year old.

Of course, you’ll have to provide your own cute lisping Darth Vader and Luke as well - ours are a bit busy chasing each other over couches and around the Christmas tree. I don’t quite remember that scene in the films, but I’m sure there was a Christmas tree somewhere….

Buy the Star Wars Darth Vader Dress-Up Suit Online:

• at Amazon.com

As a rule, I hate Matchbox toys. I loathe those stupid little cars, I despise those tracks, and I’ve never thought highly of the quality of the toys they produce. Well, here’s a toy from Matchbox that I actually can’t find (much) fault with. The Matchbox Mega Rig Space Shuttle is one of the toys Small Person #1 has been begging for ever since he first saw it in toy catalogs. Well, today was his birthday and he finally got his shuttle!

The first thing you notice is that the shuttle is HUGE! It has tons of little pieces (bad) and can be assembled in many different ways (good). Of course, the favorite pieces for both Small Persons #1 and #2 are the little green alien (he’s squishy and has tiny suction-cup feet) and his purple flying saucer (it shoots missiles and makes really loud annoying sounds).

The best thing for Small Person #1, of course, is that most of his Star Wars Galactic Heroes figures fit in most of the areas that open up (and there are a lot of them). Luke has already been seen flying to rescue Leia from an odd-looking green creature, and Darth has stowed away on another part of the ship while holding Han Solo hostage.

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No, really, I’m not being weird here. A lot of kids love to play shop, including Small Person #2 (3.5 years). In fact, he sets up an entire store in the living room, including pretend money, products, and in the end he even delivers them. Heck, I get better service from him than most shops in the neighborhood. After our most recent session (which can last for an hour or more), I got to thinking what the best toys for pretend shopkeepers would be.

1. Play Money

You wouldn’t have much of a shop without play money to use. Admittedly, you could use real money, but, well… that’s just gross. And dumb. I mean, you don’t know who’s touched those bills, right? And really, with this economy can you afford for Junior to decide to stick a few under the fridge when you’re not looking?

Buy Play Money Online:

• at Amazon.com
• at Back to Basics

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When Short Person #1 (the 4 year old I care for) decided he wanted “a mummy and a sarcophagus” for his birthday in December, I knew I had a quest to fulfill that wish. Unfortunately, what I didn’t realize is that all the mummy toys out there pretty much suck. I guess making a child-sized sarcophagus complete with death mask and “jewels” for Halloween made his expectations just a tad high.

I finally managed to find the Mighty World Search for the Lost Mummy Play Set on Amazon. I knew it would be small, but really, what other choice did I have?

When it came, I was pleasantly surprised to see how many things it contained - from archaeologist figures down to itty bitty tools and water bottles. Of course, what an archaeologist needs a machete for I’ll never know, but it was cool nonetheless. After first impressions, though, reality took hold - how in the world were we going to keep track of all these tiny pieces? I tried fitting everything in the little crates and whatnot that came with the set, but there was no way that was happening.

In terms of enjoyment, Short Person #1 thought it was pretty neat… for about five minutes. Then he moved on to bigger and better things. As he starts to do more pretend play I think (hope) he’ll grow into it, but overall I’d have to say the set would be better for an older kid, especially one interested in archeology (I’d have loved it when I was a kid). Oh, and the mummy and sarcophagus, while interesting, were pretty tiny. Still, at least he got what he asked for! Though I believe his initial response was “I wanted a big mummy!” Well, I ain’t going to Egypt for ya, kid, so take what you can get!

Buy Mighty World’s Search for the Lost Mummy Play Set Online:

• at Amazon.com