Toyology

Utterly pointless toy of the year prize is awarded to this, Air Table Tennis. Toy you’re most likely to consider buying this week or sticking down as an entry on your Santa List award goes to this, Air Table Tennis. With no ball needed, it’ll not get lost, with no table needed you can satisfy your Ping Pong whims wherever and whenever you want. FLick the switch and make your serve, and marvel at the satisfying “clonk” sound eminating from the bat, then the sound of the ball hitting a table thats not there, the opponent (that’s the one, that’s not there) returns the shot “tock” and now it gets tricky, this isn’t just a sound efffects machine! You must now judge the speed of their shot from the time it takes to bounce on your side of the table and match the timing with a return hit and another, deeply satisfying “thwock” as you return the ball, and repeat – Your virtual opponent varies the speed of the return, this is getting addictive now and we’re only reading about it. This way please.

 

Tagged with:
 

 

 

Thundercats Hooooo!  Bandai are holding their first Thundercats Father & Son Clubs this weekend as the new toy lines hit the shelves, they’re running them at selected Smyths Toys Superstores tomorrow, Saturday 3rd December.  Drop in and check out the new range of Thundercats toys and join in the activities including getting the tools to make your very own Sword of Omens and of course a few comps to enter for a chance to win the neww toy range! Stores on-board where you can just turn up are Smyths Toys Superstores in Chadwell Heath Essex, Bury and Telford. All you have to do is repeat this chant when you arrive for free entry -)

Tagged with:
 

On the first day of christmas…

The time of advent joy is nearly upon us and we are more than a little bit excited. However, there is a childhood obesity epidemic out there people and it’s time to start thinking outside the chocolate box and inside the toy box.

We are very much in love with this year’s Playmobil advent calendar range -  a toy a day.. well it doesn’t exactly keep the doctor away, but it makes us really happy.

Yes, they’re a bit more pricey than your average chocolate buy one get one free alternative, retailing around £10-£15 dependent on your bargain hunting skills. But the plus side here is that you’ve got a reusable festive scene to get out year after year. Well, unless you choose the dinosaur version.

We don’t care, we’ve got both versions and we’re gonna let the dinosaur loose in the Christmas post office, free to rummage through Santa’s sack and wreak havoc all over the place and see what the little guy with the magnifying glass, teamed up with Father Christmas, is going to do about it. HA.

Quite frankly, it’s taking all of our will power not to open up all the little doors before the 1st December is even here.

 

Tagged with:
 

Tech for Tots

 

The latest installment of the Toyology slot on Funkidslive radio is all about “tech for tots” – This way for our five fab gadgets aimed at keeping the kids jam ridden mitts away from your shiny device.

Tagged with:
 

 

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 your opponent backwards, disabling them for several seconds
  • Banana: ‘Shoots’ the kart behind and pushes it backwards
  • Star: Causes your opponent to lose control

Added sound effects make this about the best non-pixellated based racing system around. Head over here for yours.

Tagged with:
 

 

 

 

 

The Angry Birds merchandise machine has had an eggxellent year and so it is no surprise that Farmville ownersZynga want a pieece of the plush (and much more) pie. As of 25th November Best Buy will offer eight exclusive FarmVille collectible plush toys, including a pig, goat, cow, sheep, chicken, duck, horse and rabbit, all dressed in seasonal winter clobber.  They’re US only for now but, if you really want one for Yule in the UK try this way. Each plush comes with ten free Farm Cash tokens and a digital code that can be used in FarmVille to collect a limited-edition, in-game version of the plush toy – Players who collect all eight animals will receive an in-game Super Orchard in FarmVille.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

With over half a billion, yes that’s right, 500 million Angry Bird downloads completed as of earlier this week, a plethora of merchandise and even a dedicated shop in China, it seems we’ve all caught the Avian bug of late. These strange looking creatures are attempting to jump on-board the bird loving craze and, unlike the Angry Bird plushes that make the on-screen noise,  this lot can carry a message, think carrier pigeon fashion. Record a message of up to 30 seconds then lob it over to your intended recipient who can then release it’s utterings, from your deepest feelings , words of wisdon, freindly advice or mild abuse. On pre-order now each Chuckimal is up for £11.95 this way

 

Year round oohs and ahhs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the annual celebration of Mr Fawkes failings now passed Firework fanatics will have only the odd annoying skyward bound explosion to satisfy their pyromaniac tendencies. This planetarium looking device is devoted to the indoor display of the colourful crowd pleasers, projecting a variety of disc based shows onto your ceiling. There are even accompanying sound FX, plug it into your external speakers and you’ll be acheiving opening ceremony style affairs. Select your show from the single firework mode so you can set one off at a time or from one of six different show-modes, it’ll set you back £130 but begin those comparisons to the real thing and you’ll be making savings overall, especially if you charge for attendance. Head this way for your whoosh, bang machine.

 

This week was the official Disney store Christmas launch, and us lucky so and so’s at Toyology were lucky enough to go along for a bit of celebrity spotting and to make some last amendments to our Christmas list.

Working with some 55 charities this year, including Great Ormond Street, those festive folks at Disney are going to be donating over 7,000 cuddly toys to children who would otherwise not be getting any pressies this year.

We went down to the flagship store on Oxford Street to join in the festive fun.

We drank: Prosecco, pomegranate cordial

We ate: risotta in parmesan crisps, turkey roulade on potato rosti

We made: a festive biscuit in the shape of a snowman (cleverly utilising a marshmallow as the hat might we add)

We saw: Peter Andre and family, Tamsin Outhwaite and Duchess of Kent (oo er!) amongst others

We liked: Everything! But we took home a wintery Minnie Mouse complete with ice skates.

Tagged with:
 

Looking for something?

Use the form below to search the site:

Still not finding what you're looking for? Drop a comment on a post or contact us so we can take care of it!

Visit our friends!

A few highly recommended friends...

    © 2011 Toyology
    Uses wordpress plugins developed by www.wpdevelop.com