Archive for the ‘Toys’ Category
Bowei Building Blocks
We have reported on a lot of terrific building blocks in the past, such as glow-in-the-dark Bloxels, the wood and magnetic Tegu, and all sorts of things that are Lego.
Steampunk Optimus Prime looks to be the bomb
We’re not too sure just how long the Transformers craze is going to last, but if you’re still into gigantic robots that decided to make our earth as their little playground, then the steampunk Optimus Prime you see here is primed (pardon the pun) to be a bestseller. Made by the Encline Design team, this steampunk model comes in an extremely detailed design, and Optimus’ vehicle mode would be the steam engine from IDW’s comic-book, Hearts of Steel. It won’t just be any model though, since it will come equipped with functional lights as well as wheels that roll, not to mention a detachable trailer which can double up as a secondary weapon just like the trailer that comes with his famouse firetruck mode. Standard red and blue colors have been mixed with relevant elements to turn this into a true blue Steampunk design, featuring gunmetal grey that delivers an adequate metallic look for its bronze smoke pipes and cannon-based gun. Guess it can get pretty expensive to delve into such a hobby seriously in the long run, eh, as there seems to be no end of collectibles in sight.
Skitterbot is one creepy robot bug
This is the Skitterbot, and this six-legged robot toy is designed to crawl across the ground at a rate of one foot per second. That is probably faster than most cockroaches.
U.bo Pet Robot
Take a look at this particular Virtual Pet known as the U.bo. I’m not certain how to pronounce the toy from Taiwanese electronics company Phison, but it certainly can do a lot.
36 Cube targets the brainy ones
Want to give your brain an exercise? The 36 Cube from Firebox might do the trick, and it is a no-brainer that spending £19.99 on a brain teaser of a puzzle is a good investment regardless of your age. Unlike Sudoku, you won’t need any pencils or pens to play this, and using your hands to manipulate a physical object while solving something is always magical. 36 Cube fills up this niche, and is a 3D version of Sudoku so to speak, where it is touted to have you hooked within seconds. Don’t discount the fact that it will deliver hours of infuriation while keeping you riveted for a long time to come. The whole idea of 36 Cube would be to place all 36 towers onto its skyline-style base to form a level cube. Sounds too easy like taking candy from a baby, but you will soon find out that it might just be mission impossible since the towers do vary in height, not to mention the bits on the base itself. Of course, there is the other issue of being unable to repeat the same color in any single row or column. Read the rest of this entry »
T-Shirt shop has life-sized Lego Car
I have made a lot of Lego cars in my day, but this is the first Lego car that one could drive.
Bananas Apebot to entertain kids (and adults)
Want to get aboard the robot revolution bandwagon? Let the Bananas Apebot help you out – boasting technological pedigree from Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, it relies on a special method of locomotion to enable it to balance on its spiraling arms, resulting in exceptional speed and power on carpet, hardwood, or even dirt. The Bananas Apebot is also full well capable of amusing itself via tap dancing, humming a song, and occasionally breaking wind – perfect for those who want a gag gift. Of course, just like any other human being, should its sleep be disturbed or if it is tipped over, the rambunctious simian “goes bananas” so to speak, exhibiting aggresive behavior like the pounding of fists, flashing of laser eyes and roaring menacingly – the only way to calm it down would be through a belly tickle. The Bananas Apebot runs off eight AA batteries with another 3 AAA batteries required for the remote control. We believe even adults will find its $79.95 agreeable. Read the rest of this entry »
MP3 Teddy Bear appeals to all ages
There is just something about a teddy bear that can break down walls of conflict between warring factions, never mind if we’re talking about boyfriend and girlfriend or mother and child. The MP3 Teddy Bear keeps things up to date despite being a plush teddy, boasting an integrated MP3 player as well as an internal speaker that should be enough to keep your ears occupied. Heck, the MP3 Teddy Bear can also be used to calm your fiesty kids down at the end of a long day, featuring 90 minutes of pre-recorded calming nature sounds and classic children’s songs such as The Wheels On The Bus, Brahms Lullaby, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Parents who are more creative can opt to throw in another six hours of their own music or voice recordings. A USB cable enables one to plug it into a computer for file transfer via the tried and tested drag-and-drop method. Buttons on teddy’s feet will allow one to control power, volume, and song selections. Powered by a trio of AA batteries, we would recommend taking batteries out of the MP3 Teddy Bear when you’re done as you wouldn’t want the batteries to start leaking after a while. Hammacher is asking $49.95 for the MP3 Teddy Bear. Read the rest of this entry »
Vertrax skateboard has a tank tread with electric motor
I always like covering the latest in skateboard technology, perhaps it is because I used to have a skateboard, and I know its limitations.
Hellophone for your little one
You might have a smartphone with your spouse holding another, so why not make sure Junior gets off on the right footing with the Hellophone? Touted to be baby’s first smartphone, this unique toy allows one to record a voice, letting baby figure it out for him/herself, or you can always leave a soothing message for your progeny whenever you’re away. Apart from that, it also keeps baby away from your smartphone – which is always a good idea. Retailing for $17.99 a pop, the Hellophone is highly durable in view of its target user group, and will sport a variety of colors as well with big and friendly buttons to make it easy to press. So much for getting them started on a touchscreen revolution, eh? Read the rest of this entry »
Diggin Squap could be a hit with kids
Want to get a new kind of toy for your bored kids who think that they have seen it all, and much prefer to remain cooped indoors at all times with their favorite video games without having to come out of their room? The $24.99 might just change their mind though, as it will net them the Diggin Squap – a new kind of toy that is fast gaining traction in Europe. All you need to do is wear it like a baseball glove, where opening the snap trap will launch the ball in the direction of your choosing. You can also catch a ball with the snap of your hand, and the entire idea of this would be to help kids learn hand-eye coordination and timing while encouraging active play. Each purchase will come with two snap traps and four balls to get you started. You can even play with yourself against the wall whenever the weather doesn’t permit, but that could be quite sad. Read the rest of this entry »
AIMEC robot child
This is Tony and Judie Ellis, and they don’t have a child. Instead, they have a robot that they created.
LEGO TECHNIC Motorized Excavator
Love building stuff of your own? The LEGO TECHNIC Motorized Excavator should not only be able to satisfy you, but your child as well. Of course, for something as complex as this, we would not expect him or her to be that young, but rather, at least 12 years old and above. After all, making a $199.99 purchase decision is never going to be easy for anyone especially in this day and age. When completed, what you get would be a fully remote controlled excavator that features double remote controls tracks which are able to run back and forth, alongside an arm which can be raised and lowered, carrying a shovel to dig. The cabin also works like the real deal, spinning a cool 360 degrees. The entire set comes with 1,123 LEGO pieces, so make sure you have a decent sized container to store everything. For more bang for your buck, it can also be rebuilt into a Tracked Loader. Read the rest of this entry »
Star Wars FX Removable Blade Lightsabers
Can’t get enough of Star Wars even after the space opera has been in existence for a few decades? Well, here is another piece of authentic memories from the movie to tide you over until someone somewhere comes up with a new Star Wars movie or book. The Star Wars FX Removable Blade Lightsabers from ThinkGeek is very different from the rest that you’ve seen so far, especially since it comes with a removable blade for easy transportation. For $129.99, you will get authentic power up/down effects whenever you ignite it and motion-activated sound effects which differ when you have a duel against hitting another object. The lightsaber blade will stay in place via a screw system, and can be easily removed once you’ve despatched off the Sith. Read the rest of this entry »
Intersecting Slot Car And Train Set
Buses and trains, cars and trucks. These are all favorite playthings for children, so why not get your holiday shopping done earlier this year with the Intersecting Slot Car And Train Set? It isn’t going to be cheap, mind you, burning a cool $299.95 in your pocket in the process, but at least this racing toy will bring together the throttle-happy thrill of a slot car set alongside the steady lumbering of a train set. Thanks to the track’s single intersection, it enables racers to replay that ever tense situation of beating the train to avoid high-velocity impacts, and it will require an innate sense of timing for your competitor to remain stranded at the crossing until the train passes. Hand-trigger controllers will be used to tear around the track’s seven curves, where one of them even includes a 180º hairpin turn for added challenge. The train itself comprises of a locomotive with a working headlight, four freight cars, and a caboose, and it can also move forward and reverse using the included transformer/controller. Each purchase comes with 11 pieces of track for slot car set, 15 pieces for the train set. Looks like kids aren’t the only ones to have fun with this… Read the rest of this entry »
Live Action Infrared Skeet Shoot
So you think your FPS skills are so great on the computer? Why not go for live shooting then? If you can’t afford some dough to go to a shooting range to practise with actual guns, there is a cheaper alternative here – the $49.95 Live Action Infrared Skeet Shoot. This unique game will challenge shooters to hit three flying targets, relying on a harmless infrared gun. All three targets will be ejected from the “trap” at pre-determined intervals, which is one every two to one every ten seconds, achieving dizzying heights of up to 7’, making it possible for indoor use as well just in case the weather does not permit. Whenever the gun’s infrared beam detects a “hit”, the plastic targets will “break” apart into two pieces as a reward. Shorter intervals will need faster “reloading” by pumping the gun, where it will then respond accordingly with a realistic loading sound between each shot. The targets can be snapped back together for immediate replay. The trap itself is powered by a quartet of C batteries, while the gun uses three AAA batteries. Read the rest of this entry »
Crossbow Pistol merges weapon technologies into one device
The ancient crossbow was a powerful ranged weapon, offering a range that is beyond that of the ordinary bow and arrow, but it had its drawbacks too, since it was heavy and cumbersome to tote around, and has a much slower rate of fire. Well, fast forward to today and you get the Crossbow Pistol, a £12.99 toy which would render the slingshot and pebbles setup for little ones obsolete. After all, even troublemakers of today will require pinpoint accuracy and a decent range, and the Crossbow Pistol offers them both. You won’t find anything that can knock down Goliath though, since the 3 darts with suckers on the end are perfectly harmless, sticking to glass surfaces or TV screens. Apart from that, there is also a space underneath to store them, making sure you can annoy your colleagues or family members at a drop.
Big Trak programmable tank
Want to wipe the dust off your brain the fun way? The Big Trak programmable tank could be the perfect fodder for such a scenario, as this cool-looking 6-wheeled tank is fully programmable, allowing you to dictate where you want it to go, blast away its imaginary photon beam as well as take a break by looking menacing even when parked. All it takes for the Big Trak to move forward a selected length, fire away and return to you is determined by a few simple instructions. It has an onboard memory that is able to store up to 16 commands at any one time, allowing your Big Trak to torment the cat and return to you nicely while you have breakfast, reading the morning paper. It does resemble the 1980s though in terms of design, featuring black/red/yellow stickers as well as a form factor that is based on the original’s contours. Big Trak’s capabilities include moving forward 99 lengths, pause, perform 360 degree turns, fire blue light photons and repeat thanks to loop sequences. It can be yours for £39.99. Read the rest of this entry »
NERF Longstrike Sniper Rifle
We’ve covered our fair share of NERF products in the past, and here’s one for those who prefer to remain in the background when they operate – we’re talking about the covert NERF Longstrike Sniper Rifle. Of course, it won’t be able to fire rounds from miles away like an actual sniper rifle, but at least you need not be too near your target to hit him/her/it. Measuring a meter long, this is the longest NERF gun to date, boasting a range of 35 feet – which is over 10 times the range of what a regular NERF pistol is able to achieve. If you happen to have your private room which is far away from everyone else’s cubicle, then it might be the perfect tool to have when you want to initiate a NERF gun fight in the office. At $49.99 a pop, it will come with a blaster, barrel extension, flip-up sight, quick-reload clip, six darts, and relevant instructions. Read the rest of this entry »
Kamikaze Go-Kart for action lovers
This is the Kamikaze go-kart, and I have included a video after the jump of it in action. I must issue a warning: the following images could be be considered pornographic.
Zig Zag Knot Puzzle
You won’t be able to cut this knot unlike cutting the Gordian Knot, but you might be tempted to take a hammer and smash it into smithereens. We’re talking about the Zig Zag Knot Puzzle that requires one 37-move sequence to unlock the knot – which means you won’t be able to find a different method unlike other puzzle games that has more than one way to arrive at a particular solution. Perfect for one to hone their pattern recognition, abstract thinking and problem solving skills. At $9.99 a pop, it might be the perfect tool if you want to break the ice among your new friends and colleagues, as it helps the quieter ones focus on something else apart from just trying to think of a particular topic to talk about. Needless to say, untangling this knot is a solo activity, making it perfect for the more reserved reaers out there. Nice to know that each purchase comes with the full 37-move sequence solution as well as full instructions to put it back together (which is actually a reverse of the solution, but you knew that already, didn’t you?). Read the rest of this entry »
Rubik’s Slide Puzzle
Another puzzle game to keep you occupied – we’re talking about the Rubik’s Slide Puzzle from Firebox. This will take a classic and literally place a twist to it, where practising your brain costs just £19.99. This ingenious new brainteaser might just be as addictive as the original Rubik’s Cube, where it packs more than 10,000 puzzles which can be played freestyle or against the clock if you’re looking for more challenge in your life. You can ’slide’ the lights into the correct position, with the option to ‘twist’ lights into the correct position as well. A single face of backlit tiles dominate this puzzle, where you are supposed to rearrange them into various patterns that are displayed at the start of each unique challenge. We wonder whether you will get a case of Rubik’s thumb if you spend more than enough time on this. Read the rest of this entry »
WowWee’s new robot is child’s dream come true
Most children would love to have a robot to do their chores, like cleaning their room.
Vinyl Gizmo Wears T-Shirt, so He’s Just Like You.
I’m a push over for Gizmo, the lovable main character of the Gremlins movies. Especially when he wears the Rambo headband in the second movie. And now, an exclusive partnership between designers OVER THE STRiPES! and the TOKYO CULTUART by BEAMS gallery has resulted in a vinyl Gizmo toy wearing a cute little tshirt. Even better though, it comes packaged with the exact same tshirt in people size too!
This metal puzzle is actually a gun!
I don’t know if we have any readers that are TSA employees, but if they are, then don’t let this on the plane!
Flowlab 14-wheel Skateboard for better corners
We have reported on a lot of skateboard technology in the past, such as the Robotic Skateboard and the 19 MPH Skateboard.
ChouChou Electric Butterfly
I saw this the other day, and I’m not certain why I didn’t report on it then. Normally, I’m all over the cool robot gadgets.
Nimble Noggin Dexterity Challenge
Since our brain is a muscle, it goes without saying that giving it adequate exercise is important to have it chugging along nicely. The Nimble Noggin Dexterity Challenge from Hammacher offers you just that, where this game of skill will challenge little ones to maintain a steady hand over a robotic corkscrew course. All they need to do is to turn the crank to power up the robot’s internal dynamo, followed by passing a metal wand over the twists of the antenna. Should the metal surfaces make contact, they will automatically complete an electronic circuit, letting the android buzz while flashing his lights crazily in robotic reproof, giving your child all the necessary motivation to start again and over again. Good to know that this $34.95 “toy” will not cost you much more down the road in terms of batteries, since it doesn’t require any and won’t need to be hooked up to an external power supply, with no parts getting lost adding to its appeal. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Paper Jamz
Overview
Set to be one of the top selling toys this Christmas (hey – it’s summer, OF COURSE the kiddies are writing their letters to Santa already) Paper jamz are a whole new way to experience rock and roll. You thought that Guitar Hero numbed down musical instruments? This … [visit site to read more]
Pen can do shredding and invisible writing
This is the “Paper Lacerating Pen”, and it has many features. At least two more than the average pen.
Mattel Loopz lets you have fun the modern way
Forget about button mashing, that is clearly old school (although by no means outdated) with the success of the Nintendo Wii and promise of the Kinect system from Microsoft being examples of how the gaming scene is changing. Mattel, toy maker extraordinaire, has also decided to join the fray by coming up with a new toy known as Mattel Loopz. It will utilize a range of infrared beam sensors which wil ldetect when you place your hand through a quartet of semi-circular rings. The game itself will come with 7 gameplay modes, letting you go solo or have fun with up to 3 other different people. Among the game modes include Music Studio, Freestyle DJ, Musicology, Reflex Master, Versus mode, Rhythm and Flow, and Repeat the Beat. In multi-player mode, players can create their own patterns to try and outsmart their rivals. Want to pick this up? It is going for $29.99. Read the rest of this entry »
Super Mario Kart: The Board Game
The other day, I discovered something very disturbing about myself and the rest of the world: we are addicted to franchises. Most of the movies this summer have been sequels or movie-versions of concepts with a proven track-record of success. I went and saw The Last Airbender, and even though I enjoyed the film, I realized that I had paid to see a movie that didn’t need to be made, because Avatar:The Last Airbender series was so good.
Water Wars is like paintball, but with water
I’ve never played paintball before, but I am told that those little balls can bruise the next day. What if there was a way to make certain that your opponent was hit, and not use painful (not to mention stain-full) paintballs?
Magnetic thinking putty is drawn to magnets
I think that it is false advertising to call this Magnetic Thinking Putty. Granted, it is magnetic, and we have some footage of this thing following a magnet. However, it isn’t thinking: “hey, a magnet, I think I’ll follow it”. No, this is physics that draws it, not any psychology.
UV Bubblegun makes summer more fun
You should get your kids outdoors during summer instead of having them all cooped up at home, sitting in front of the telly and thumbing the PS3 or Xbox 360 controllers all day long. With the UV Bubblegun, it ought to get those toddlers and pre-teens excited and pry them away from the Wii, since £9.99 will net you one of this innovative bubble blowing guns that featuers some super-cool UV lights to boot. It works well indoors too, but office workers who still have a kid’s mind might want to be a little cautious around their computers. If you happen to look into the gun itself, you can check out how the bubbles are manufactured, so be prepared to answer questions from inquisitive little ones. Each pull of the trigger will sprays a stream of bubbles, while lights within the gun will show up to illuminate the bubbles, making it work equally well in the light and in the dark as well. It will be powered by a trio of AA batteries which are included to help you get started right out of the box. Read the rest of this entry »
