Toyology

 

 

 

 

 

They’re a very visual lot those playthings aren’t they, but we thought we’d try out a media platform where toys weren’t getting an airing. We approached the UK’s leading  parent and kid focused radio station to ask for a Toyology slot. The lovely people at Fun Kids radio said we could have tuesdays at 6:45pm and we said YEEEEEEEES. There are over 300,000 people across the UK tuning in every month on their DAB radios and also online and it infally confirms our status bestowed upon us by a few individuals of having “faces for radio” – FOr you 80′s kids check out this link to the Donna Summer classic tune that’s ben in our heads since securing our place on-air.

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Nearly christmas?

It’s that time of year again where we start getting inundated with people’s predictions of what are going to be the must have toys this Christmas. And, while we do like to consider ourselves somewhat of an authority on the subject, we also like to take other people’s views into account as well. Because we are nice like that.

So we look through the lists, and we look some more, and sometimes we see that they look pretty good.

Littlewoods have put together their Christmas top ten, and there are some sure fire winners in there. The Millenium Falcon (YES PLEASE!), the new Monopoly Electric Live (of course) and the Hello Kitty Coupe Pram (maybe) are all in there. But top of the list is the Innotab, and this is where we see a sure hit.

What with the disturbing fact that young’uns we know, as young as three, are more able with the latest technology than us someone in the toy market has cottoned onto the fact that adults all over the world are in desperate need of a way to keep their tablet computer screens clean. And whilst screen cleaner does exist, prevention is better than cure. And this is where the toy tablet comes into its own. We’re interested to see what competitors will hit the market in time for the festivities.

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Since being open-mouthed in NewYork earlier this year we’ve been eagerly anticipating a BUY button for the Air Swimmers, and now we’ve found one. Helium/Air mixed into their frame means they hover superbly, then its time to take them for a mid-air swim around the office. Selct your aquarian RC from Shark or Nemo lookalike and enjoy the fin moving display as you parade around the place. £39.99 for yours on pre-order HERE. Imagine the fun floating it about, just a bit of practice and some personally produced sound FX needed (Dum Dum Dum Jaws styleee) We’re big fans of the fin moving fisheee’s. Check them out in action HERE

 

Stop. It’s pixel time.

No your eyes haven’t gone funny, your computer screen hasn’t broken and you haven’t been teleport (via a hot tub time machine) back into the future – this is not only a completely accurate depiction of a clock. This is a REALLY COOL clock.

Pixel time is the 8-bit clock that tells the time whilst harking back to the simple nostalgia of yesteryear. Pixelated is in, you heard it here first, or maybe you heard it over at Firebox where you can buy this time telling wonder. Either way, at £19.99, we’re putting this on the office wish list. Check out other similar pixel type items including the Icon Watch too, which is shaped like one pixel, and the rather random pixel pick axe. Pixel axe…See what we did there?

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The tablet war is well and truly underway in grown-up gadgetland, the boffins at the two high tech kids toys corporations have busied themselves of late creating one for the under 6s (although aimed a the 4-9 Year old group) -a “who-will-win” is about to ensue. Leapfrog as first to market with their LeapPad have stolen some ground from the VTech crew, selling out in the UK already. The InnoTab has less on-board memory but they’re both expandable via SD cards and screen sizes are the same, VTech’s feels a bit more sturdy. We suppose it’ll come down to the availabilty of app’s in the end, both promising lots pre-Xmas. Neither has WiFi (no doubt for V2) and each are priced around the £80 mark…I feel a head-to-head test coming on? Anyone interested let us know and we’ll do just that! For now, we’re mighty delighted that our iPad loving kids now have a screen of their own to stickify!

 

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There have been many different enemies of the timelord and we’re into the 11th incarnation of the Doctor himself, the Sonic Screwdriver a trusty companion throughout many campaigns, has also had its fair number of guises. The new Personalise your Sonic Screwdriver comes with enough bits and pieces to assemble up to 80 combinations, just take apart the bits from the three pre-asembled battery powered units and create your own version. A sonic screwdriver a day keeps the Cybermen at bay. Yours for £19.99 HERE

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Pushing the outer limits of licencing isn’t easy,with Dalek salt n pepper pots done and TARDIS teapots old hat they’ve been thinking hard, well, turns out exactly the opposite. This range of plush toys though deserve a break, at first glance we were uncertain, but we’re moving to like quite quickly. The TARDIS is a top quality creation, add the working lamp for under-the-duvet illumination together with the classic Vrorp Vrorp sound when you give it a squeeze and it’ll certainly brighten up bedtime, although perhaps not assist in achieving ZZzzzzzz’s. There’s alos a choice of Daleks in different hues (Red Drone and Blue Strategist) these don’t have a light but do offer this pair of iconic threats when given a hug – Exterminate, exterminate!” or “You are an enemy of the Daleks, you must be destroyed” – Sweet dreams. £16.99 at FIREBOX

 

 

The folk at Horby Hobbies brought us a rather good Scalextric app last year, it hit top slot in the UK racing charts, entered top ten in the Arcade charts and featured in the top 20 overall app chart so, we’re expecting big things this time. Airfix Dogfight lets you select your aircraft from a range of WW1 fighters to modern superjets and then complete missions, dodging flak from the ground and dogfighting. Expect more missions to be released over thecoming months as well as an Android version late August. Grab yours iPhone owners NOW

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The new tablet device from Leapfrog that’s been causing excitement around the globe has sold out in under two weeks. The very clever LeapPad is due back in stock at the end of August and we can’t help wonder if it’s soaraway success is more due to parents wanting to keep juniors sticky fingers away from their precious iPad, well that’s why we want one.

 

 

A HUGE hit in its native Japan the Takara Tomy GX Buggy is available, at long last, here in the UK, it’ll not be hanging about for long, top twenty prediction right here for 2011 – Here’s why. This RC may be palm sized at just 10cm but do not let these diminutive dimensions deceive you.  Being such a lighweight (42 grams) means this car can get up to 22KMH (over 770kmh scale speeds) and this means, if you give it just a little bit of air it’ll give back some stunning aerial displays. Set yourself up a ramp as soon as yours arrives, get some speed up, and marvel as it leaps into the air, and, better still, with the self-righting roll wing surrounding it, will be back on it’s feet (wheels) in an instant and you’re off again. That’s not it either, it uses 2.4Ghz technology and not infra-red, so you can race up to ten at any time. Decent tyres, good grip, works well on carpet, better on wood floor, is fine outdoors, decent rear-suspension and rapid reaction front-end steering. Powered by a seperate charging unit taking 4 x AA’s, the car, after 20 minutes has enough juice for 7 minutes of full throttle action (up to ten if you ease up a bit). Everything here is positive, the price tag , of around £40 is toppish end for an RC car but ride punches right on it’s price tag. Check out the trick Tutorial HERE and dither not over your BUY button any longer. Without further ado we’d like to hand over a coveted Toyology GOLD to this fine RC.

 

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