Anyone remember the Shining? Yes, the film with Jack Nicholson as the slightly deranged hotel caretaker! There's a scene with his kid cycling the corridors on a trike, its one of these, well a version of the same. The Original big wheel has shifted over 200 million units in four decades and now its back, an outstanding tribute to toy making of yesteryear and a trike that'll have kids falling over themselves to ride. £64.99 from Original Big Wheel Company
keeping one amused
We're unlikely to see the veritable amount of tat that surrounded the Royal wedding last year, we're hoping that celebratory and commemorative kit will all attempt to be as classy as this chess set (over optimistic perhaps). Each piece is handpainted, it truly is a glorious piece of kit that's certain to find favour with those who refer to parts of their abodes with terms such as East and West wing. It'll set you back almost £300 HERE for those interested parties.
Star Wars slot sets – At last
We've been treated to a fair few Scalextric licences over the years, James bond ones were pretty good, Toy Story didn;t float our slot-car racing boat, this pair of beauties has us grinning from ear to ear. Why we've had to wait for so long to get Star Wars and Scalexctric to tema up Darth only knows, and frankly we don;t give a Yoda because it's finally happening - Exactly when we're no sure. So, we have the Micro 1:64 scale Death Star Attack set with a Lord Vader Tie Fighter battling a Luke Skywalker X-Wing, the spaceships have working ...
Cherry picker is a sweet build
It took us a while getting around to building our LEGO Technic Bucket Truck, that’s cherry picker to most of us or elevated platform to those perhaps allergic to cherries or very posh indeed. It’s the machine used to rig up local Christmas lights or fix street lights, very clever vehicles they are too. Just like its real life ride this Bucket Truck has a set of gears to raise and rotate the platform on the back, two more gears let you deploy the outriggers at the side of the vehicle to keep it stable when the platform is fully ...
Off-screen action with Mario
In our scramble to put as many crossover category toys to the test this year (think Skylanders, Wappydog, Angry Bird plush etc) we'd somehow almost missed this plumber based box of racing good ness. The Mario Kart Battle pack features a Mario and Yoshi sat in their rides and an assortment of track accessories for you to establish where your hairpins and chicances should be placed. whilst you race the lights on the nift RC unit have lights which each represent an action you'd find on the console version, Mushroom: Gives a speed boost Green Shell: Sends your opponent hurtling backwards Lightning: Sends ...
Remember the posh Fox?
The upper class fox was at his very best in the eighties, close to the cuff humour for kids TV, often ridiculing his guests and co-hosts, quality Telly. Now you can own your own Basil Brush handpuppet, give him a squeeze and he'll let out his grin inducing laugh topped off with a legendary "Boom Boom" at the end. At just £12.99 seems like a no-brainer.
On January 27, 2010, In Toy Fair, by peter jenkinson
The Yo Yo has certainly made an impact on the visitors to Toy Fair but spare a thought for the demonstrators, this is what over Yo Yo'ing can do to your digits!
On January 27, 2010, In Toy Fair, by peter jenkinson
If your appetite for new toys cannot be tempered then follow @toyfair2010 for updates throughout the day.
On January 27, 2010, In Toy Fair, by peter jenkinson
Just a snap shot of yesterdays events, our heads are still spinning at the sheer amount of new kit on offer….We're composing ourselves and new posts throughout the day. The Tron Motorcycle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2GB0iroglM Yo Yo World Champ in Action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twGIL_KSdrU Opening the Doors – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bln-K-KS7Og
On January 25, 2010, In Tales from Toytown, by peter jenkinson
In just a few hours we'll be wandering amongst this years hottest new toy launches, excited? Just a little! We've a team of toyologists hitting the stands and if the previews are anything to go by we're in for an avalanche of great gear. We popped along the other day to Toy Fairs new venue, London Olympia, before a single exhibitor was allowed in and this is how the place looks before they set up..Keep back folks, its going to be a heck of a week.
On January 22, 2010, In Boys Toys, RC's and Robots, by peter jenkinson
Nikko have been off the scene for a while, we'll not dwell on why but assume the boffins have been holed up inventing R/C's and only let out when they thought they had something worth shouting about. Let us assist them in this vocal task, the Voice-Heli uses vocal controls to lift, land, hover and move from side to side, its easy to operate just stick on the headset and you're away. There's a ceiling sensor inside to keep it from damaging your often admired artex or letting it become entangled in your ceiilng fan. It can of course be flicked back to regular RC control but there are a hundred choppers out there you could play that way with.
One of the likely hits in playgrounds across the country this year is the Yo Yo, set to make a comeback with Wicked Vision pushing the classis Duncan brand and some fantastic spinners from Yomega, both sets are highly collectible, loads of colours, different features and with prices ranging from a few quid to a wallet busting £300 there's plenty to choose from. Certainly not just for the kids either, adults will ot be able to contain their joy at the resurgence of this retro craze and so they're expected to fly this next few months. Don't just take our word for it though, this Telegraph article looks at Yo Yo's in a little more detail wit a little help from us of course.
Tomy are looking for children with the same first names as the three
lead characters in Harry Potter. If your son or daughter's name is
Harry, Ron or Hermione and they are under 12 years old, enter this
competition and they could win the chance to meet an actor from the
Harry Potter films! They will also win the opportunity to visit Toy Fair in London, take
part in a press photo call with the Harry Potter actor and walk away
with a fantastic goody bag full of great toys from Tomy! The three winning children will be invited to London Toy Fair which is
taking place at the Earls Court and Olympia Exhibition Centre on 26th
January 2010 from 10.30 to 1pm. Here they will have the exclusive
opportunity to be among the very first in the UK to see all the
fantastic new toys available for the year. The prize includes travel for a parent and the winning child, entry to
London Toy Fair, a meeting with an actor from the Harry Potter films
and a goody bag with toys worth £50.
Putting together the most basic of paper aeroplanes is straightforward enough, although even these can be tricky to get airborne for any period of time. This set of PlanePads contains a variety of different designs on multiple tear-off sheets, just follow the folding guides on the underside of the paper and in no time you have a flying machine that should stay aloft. Each sheet is also decorated so your efforts will look impressive enough even when on the ground. £5.99 from PLAY
On January 11, 2010, In RC's and Robots, by peter jenkinson
Watch as the Stealthy looking Project 66 Street Trooper roars into action, morphing from vehicle into attack vehicle whilst stationary or in motion. Use the handheld control to transform the vehicle into the attack mode and fire rockets off at your target before switching back to stealth again. The Street Trooper also features working lights and uses tri-channel so you can battle three against each other. £44.95 from Otherland
