Toys On The Brain

Posts Tagged ‘Mattel’

The holiday season is pretty much over, and you know what that means… lots of toys to review! As usual, the boys got more toys than they could ever conceivably need, so we have lots to choose from in the new year. First up? A toy Small Person #2 had on his list to Santa, and actually got (the other two things were “real duck” and “life-size nutcracker soldier” - shocking he didn’t get everything he asked for).

Flippin Frogs is produced by Mattel and is somewhat like the classic game Ants in the Pants. The goal is to get as many of your frogs onto the tree by catapulting them off of your little plastic flipper and then hoping they all stay put when the tree suddenly pops up at the end. Whoever has the most left on the tree at the end wins.

The great thing about this game is that it’s SHORT. It doesn’t take forever, but it’s entertaining enough that the kids want to play it more than once. The little frogs are fairly squishy, so if one gets catapulted into your face you won’t have to go to work explaining your black eye. The bad thing is that it’s actually kind of hard to do. The frogs tend to either fly over the tree or land so precariously that they all fall off when the tree pops up. Plus, Small Person #2 keeps forgetting to continue trying to get frogs on the tree once he gets one on. Of course, he’s younger than the recommended 5 years, but that’s not really a big deal.

You may be put off by the fact that this toy needs batteries, but fear not. As long as you play on the carpet, it’s not very loud at all, and it doesn’t run forever so you won’t find yourself going insane from the sound.

Overall, it’s a good little game. It’s not going to be teaching any necessary skills to kids, but not everything has to be educational, right? Just remember to put it away when they’re done; if you don’t, you’ll be finding the little frogs all over the room once the kids figure out just how high and far they can make them fly.

Buy Flippin Frogs Online:

• at Target
• at Amazon.com

Well, I guess I was right when I said that the economy would definitely affect the toy industry. One of the first signs came today in the form of Mattel announcing the imminent loss of 1000 of its workforce. They blame a combination of higher production costs and lower consumer spending for the move.

My guess? It’s not the last we’ll see of announcements like this. The focus on high-ticket toys this holiday season is really going to come back and bite the toy companies in their butts. But in the long run, it will probably be good for us - fire sales on the way!

• Original Layoff Article from Yahoo

As one of the consolation prizes for becoming big brothers, the boys received this Batman toy from their (much) older cousin. I had seen this in the store but wondered whether it would be a good toy for a 3 and 4 year old. Ultimately, I think my doubts will have been justified.

For now, the toy is pretty cool - you push the smaller vehicle holding the Batman figure into the larger until it clicks in place. Then you push down the top until it click, then both sides. Once that’s done, you hit the #1 button on the back - which opens everything back up - and then the #2, which shoots the smaller vehicle out of the larger. The motorcycle shoots out pretty well, and the boys have loved using it in different positions to make the cycle go in different ways. So what’s the downside?

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Wherever you’re from, you know who (or what) Barbie is. Every generation of American girls from the 1960s through today has, at one time or another, played with a Barbie doll. The question is, how many of us idolized her and how many despised her and everything she stood for?

On my part, I have to admit that I loathed Barbie. Oh, sure, I occasionally tried to conform by begging my Mom to get me one, then inevitably ended up cutting her hair and leaving her dangling naked over a dangerous precipice to be rescued by one of the GI Joes I stole from my brother. And no, I’m not gay.

I’m not sure why I hated Barbie so much; I loved My Little Ponies and couldn’t get enough of Rainbow Brite or Care Bears. I think it really was how she looked so ungodly abnormal, I just couldn’t get into roleplaying with something which barely resembled a human form.

But anyway, enough about me. What about you? What do you think about Barbie? Take our poll, leave a comment, let us know!

Buy Barbie Online:

• at Amazon.com