Cast your minds back to the late 90′s, the first coming of this hamster/owl hybrid robotic toy with its very own launguage – Furbish. It was a bit of a breakthrough back then, learning, over time to replace its Furbish chatter with English words, that’s it, YOU talk the little cute critters to speaky the lingo. We’ve learnt that they’re making a return, the image suggests that the moving facial parts have been entirely replaced by and LCD screen, and that folks is all we have for you. We’re currently doing the rounds of Furby forums and liastening out for rumours and/or factual chatter from insiders which we’ll update on Twitter with #furbyreturns – follow us @toyologist

Oh there really is nothing like a massive, exorbitantly priced robot is there. This is BB Metal. He is three feet tall. He costs £699.95. He is awesome. And you know it.

Rather coolly it is made out of recycled car and bike parts – so you can feel like you’re doing your bit of course, this is an eco-friendly type purchase with green credentials. Because of this of course he’s not brand spankingly new and shiny, so don’t be disappointed when you open the box and see a pile of dirty, old spare car parts – the beauty here is in the design and innovation friends. And the size. THREE FEET. That’s taller than our office minions!

In case you’re still wavering.. hovering over the purchase button here we’ve come up with a handy list of uses for ol’ BB:

1. Guard dog

2. Butler

3. Coat stand

4. Conversation starter

5. Robot model

See, the options really are endless.

The name ‘Realism’ doesn’t exactly spring off the Toys R Us (or another similar retailer, there are plenty of others you know) shelves, grab you and scream ‘FUN!’ in your face. When we reveal that this is a game based on finances and stocks and shares, that’s probably not going to do much to change that. But the object of the game is to become a millionaire Rodney, so it must be good!

It’s a little ‘Game of Life’-esque in that each player gets a job, can buy life insurance and the like, even mortgage actually. But added in is the purchasing of property and shares and the building up of assets. Billed as a game for age 10+ as a great way to learn the fundamentals of investment, which considering the y’know current fiscal sitch (situation) and the ongoing debate that children aren’t taught nowt about money in schools, is probably a pretty good idea.

We’ll be honest, at £34.99 here it’s a bit of an investment in itself, but the idea is good and we’re slightly dubious about the idea that you can “enjoy the thrill of the financial rollercoaster”, but what the hell, we were getting bored of Ker-Plunk anyway.

Because there are not yet enough Angry Birds products, we thought we would bring to you on a somewhat murky Friday morn, the latest incarnation of the foul tempered fowls (see what we did there? Yes we know they’re not technically chickens, they are just non descript birds that are angry, but it’s Friday and we’re trying so leave it out).

So here is the Angry Birds Action Game, ta da! And it’s a whopper at a metre wide – check out that superimposed 100cm image for proof if you don’t believe us.

Still, despite the unnecessary sarcasm , this game does actually get the thumbs up from us and ten bonus points for attempting to recreate the actual premise of the much loved app. Play it indoors or out, you build you wooden shack and pelt the pig with your squidgy beanbag style birdy and score some points. Brilliant. Available to pre-order for £24.99 here

Still, there really are probably enough Angry Birds spin offs now..

If, when you leave the house of a morning, you really want to feel confident that your books and/or doors are being well guarded.. we can’t think of a better reassurance than having your own little army guy on duty.

Reminiscent of the chaps out of the Toy Story films the ‘Home Guard’ book end/door stop is just the right amount of novelty for the home, we feel. And someone to salute to when you come in of an evening too, who doesn’t want that?

Standing at almost 19cm tall and weight in at a hefty 1.125kg they should be more than capable of propping up all your Dostoevsky and Tolstoy… Not badly priced either at £25 from here

Ahhhh a bank holiday weekend. Three days of catching up on sleep and being annoyed that it’s raining outside when it’s supposed to be sunny, barbeque weather. If, like us, 5pm can’t come quick enough you might even consider beginning the all-important Zzz shaped catch up at your desk today…and how better to do so than with the ostrich pillow.
Simply place your head in the cosy, cubby hole and your arms in their designated nooks and let the sleeping begin. Granted, it may not be the most discreet of ways to catch forty winks in the office but for blocking out the glaring strip lighting and colleague’s chatter, you couldn’t want for anything more.

For those who want more information, it was designed by this guy here, and for those who just want a nap..well it’s probably safer to wait until home time

Amongst our favourite days of the year is this one that has been hijacked by Star Wars fans (and purveyors of all things Star Wars – who started it?). The Twittersphere is trending #starwarsday #starwars #maythefourth, fan boys and girls will be pulling sickies to stay home and watch boxsets, those going to work will be discussing their favourite moments from the series and those who have never watched a single Star Wars will be ridiculed all day with comments such as “never watched a Star Wars you have not”.  To celebrate this major excuse to do anything Star Wars based we have a competition, we’re going to celebrate this May the 4^th or Star Wars day by giving away two sets of spanking new LEGO® Star Wars™ sets – To win, we want your best Star Wars joke, read on……

Two lucky winners will bag themselves the iconic TIE Fighter™: Equipped with dual flick missiles and opening cockpit, this instantly recognisable and hugely popular starship of the Imperial Fleet returns to battle the rebel alliance once again! Boasting TIE fighter pilot, Imperial officer, Death Star trooper and R5-J2 droid minifigures, you’d be “unwise to lower your defences” with this mean machine. There is also a classic X-Wing Starfighter™ featuring wings that fold into attack mode, proton torpedoes, retractable landing gear and opening cockpit, this most iconic vehicle of the Star Wars™ universe returns to turn the tide in the battle against the evil Empire! “Even with sureness, there must be doubt” but not with this machine which comes complete with Luke Skywalker, Jek Porkins, R2-D2 and R5-D8 minifigures. LEGO® Star Wars™ sets are available from toy shops nationwide.

For further information visit starwars.LEGO.co.uk.

LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of the LEGO Group ©2012 The LEGO Group ©2012 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved..

So, Star Wars Jokes to peterATtoyology.do.uk – winners announced at midnight…

It’s almost like there are some kind of British and sport themed events ahead this year the way toys of these themes keep popping up… Still, we have a soft spot for retro simple toy Carddies anyway, so we forgive them.

If you’re not familiar with the award winning toy, it’s easy peasy: characters are printed onto card, littl’uns colour ‘em in, stand them up and presto – play time begins. As most parents will no doubt recognise, from Christmas mornings spend putting together horrible fiddly electronic crazy gizmo type toys before realising that their offspring prefers the box it came in, simplicity can often win out, and that is the secret of the success with this range.

With the new British and Sports themed sets released just in time for well, you know, new additions can play with old favourites and your child expands their Carddies collection, which already includes Cavemen, School and Knights sets among others. And as an added bonus they’re only £8.99 making them a pocket friendly treat for those extra bank holiday days off when it’s no doubt chucking it down with rain. Cynical, us? Never. You can get them here and also here.

Looking like it rolled straight out of an Aardman Wallace and Gromit production, the Big Ben piece de resistance of the new Lego Architecture range is certainly a bit different to what we usually get from the block building experts.

Softer than usual, more delicate and more realistic the range focuses not just on the building but the story behind the iconic landmarks in its range. From the Empire State Building to the Sydney Opera House and the Brandenburg Gate, it’s like a round the world trip in a toy store and we are more than a bit taken with the collection.

While die hard Lego fans may not appreciate the deviation from Harry Potter franchises, ninjas and space aliens, this could be just exactly what is needed to the ageing Lego fan who still wants to enjoy the product but can no longer justify to the wife why the Millenium Falcon Lego series still gets to sit on the mantlepiece..