Past Seal of Approval Reports | TNPC Home | TNPC Mall | Boards/Chat for Parents
The National Parenting Center and its Seal of Approval are registered United States trademarks
Navigator
Wagon
Radio
Flyer, Inc.
Do you and your kids love hauling big loads?
Do your kids love to be hauled by you?
If you answered yes to either question, then this wagon is for you.
Made of molded plastic with a side entry door for stepping out in style,
this wagon features big vinyl wheels that grip the road well.
These wheels keep the rumbling noise to a minimum.
Parents told us that other plastic wheeled versions drove them nuts.
The price, which is considerably less than it's wooden Radio Flyer
counterpart, was perceived as being a good value.
The instructions for assembly were clear and well illustrated.
Recommended Age: 1 1/2 and Up Price: $70.00
Kiddie
Cruiser
Discovery
Toys
Your little backseat drivers will love the power and sense
of control when they get behind the wheel of their very own Kiddie Cruiser.
This cute, solid carseat, stroller or highchair attachment toy produced
realistic sound effects that enthralled our little testers.
The toy is bold, bright and colorful.
It was a blast watching toddlers take off on an imaginary journey feeling
in control of their destiny. Hey a
kid can dream can't they? Kids
really enjoyed the sounds, like the starting engine and the horn that gave them
the instant gratification they crave.
Recommended Age: 12 mos. to 3 yrs. Price: $24.99
Blue's
Clues Bubble Blowers
Little
Kids, Inc.
How can you lose with two winners like Blue's Clues and
bubbles? The answer is, you can't!
Kids surrounded these bubble makers anxious to take a turn blowing
bubbles with Blue, Magenta, Pail, Shovel and the rest of the Blue's Clues gang.
We found the Little Kids bubble formula to be long lasting and the
blowers were both sturdy and fun. There
are at least two activities per package so at Price: $6 these toys qualify as a
bargain. Cute designs, able to hold
up to lots of use, and relatively easy to clean up after, these bubble blowers
are winners.
Recommended Age: 2 and Up Price: $5.99
Classic
Red Tricycle
Radio
Flyer, Inc.
The word "classic" is often overused in our
language. From music stations, to
movies and even food products, there are so many Instant Classics, Soon-To-Be
Classics and other classic wanna-be's that the word has lost much of its
intended meaning. Which brings us
to this Classic Red Tricycle from Radio Flyer.
As soon as we opened and assembled the bike we knew we were working with
the real deal. This metal and
rubber 3-wheeler is the stuff of our childhood (Remember back then, parents?
You will when you see this bike!). It's
been a while since we've seen a bike in this category that wasn't a Big Wheel
with plastic parts. Parents and
kids found this throwback-style bike to be both appealing and fun to ride.
Smoother, and quieter than its counterparts, the sentimental vote said
sometimes, it's good to go back to the basics, or the Classics!
Recommended Age: 1 1/2 and Up Price: $50.00
The
Community Puzzle
Biggwood
Puzzles are a pastime that spans many generations.
This very unique puzzle borrows the theme and then gives it a great
twist. Open the box and you'll find
the puzzle pieces you are accustomed to, but they are all blank!
Its up to you to pick a theme and decorate the puzzle pieces accordingly. This is a great one-time project. Ideal for group learning activities in settings such as
classrooms, scout troops, teens gatherings etc. Kids liked the activity and got a real thrill adding their
own piece into the larger puzzle. The
puzzle goes together easily and is not particularly challenging but that was
fine with our testers who appreciated the ingenuity. The final puzzle, which is your own work of art can be glued
together, framed and used as a keepsake.
Recommended Age: 3 and up Price: $9.99
Koosh Bubbles Easy Dipper
OddzOn,
Inc.
This bubble-blowing toy is an ingenious example of form
and function. Those kinds of
remarks are usually used in car ads, but we'll borrow it from them for our
bubble blowing review. The simple
trigger action of this colorful plastic contraption, delivers a perfect dip of
just the right amount of bubble solution (included in the kit) then it positions
the dipper perfectly so that you can blow, reload and blow again to your hearts
desire. The price makes this a
great "anytime gift", since we all know that bubbles are great any
time!
Recommended Age: 3 and Up Price: $7.99
Wild
Republic
K & M International
Once your child gets a loving embrace from one of these
adorably sweet rain forest primates you'll both be hooked.
These well-made monkeys, orangutans, and other lesser known species have
Velcro extremities that attach in a variety of positions, most notably around
your kid's necks and arms in a warm embrace.
There are 27 species of monkeys represented in the Wild Republic line and
all come with an informative hangtag about each one.
As an added bonus, those hang tags feature a password, which when used at
the company's web site, opens the door to more fun and games for your kids.
New this year as mini CD-ROM's which fit into your computer and have fun
games and information about your animal. What
a great idea! Several parents told us that they envisioned decorating their
children's rooms with a jungle theme using Wild Republic primates as props.
Recommended Age: 3 and up Price: $10.00
Folkmanis
Kidfolk Collection
Folkmanis,
Inc.
This group of adorably designed and colorfully costumed
children from around the world instantly grabbed the hearts of our testers. The
cute characters are actually puppets that fingers can manipulate.
Authentic little hangtags tell the story of each child/puppet's
background, their culture and personality.
The diversity of puppets and the unusual use of costumes and characters
were appreciated as well. The stories are real are, according to the literature,
true-life tales of children who actually live in the various regions represented
here. Parents told us that they
felt that they would be great for a school setting.
The characters have Velcro hands that allow them to hold hands with each
other. What can we say…they're
very cute.
Recommended Age: 3 and Up Price: $10.00 each
"Dress
Me" Baby Doll Bear
North
American Bear Company, Inc.
If there is a more soft and huggable teddy doll, it wasn't
anywhere near our testing centers. This
loveable bear caused quite a stir. The
sweet-faced dress-up bear uses easy Velcro fasteners to make dressing up a snap.
The bear comes with just the one outfit, but of course additional
clothing is available. The real
appeal of this adorable bear is the soft covering, the soft insides and the
undeniable appeal it holds for young and old who just want to cuddle up with it.
Parents pointed out the well-made features of the doll, including the
strong stitching and the quality of the clothes.
Recommended Age: 3 and Up Price: $40.00
Lucky
Stars Collection
Wild
Heart Ranch
We dare you not to fall in love with these adorable little
ponies who will snuggle with your children in bed at night.
What a huge hit they were with everyone who played with them.
Time and again we watched these little pint-sized plush animals work
their magic with our testers. There
is an almost instantaneous attachment to the small, adorable ponies with the
portable nightlight built right into the nose.
Wild Heart Ranch offers a pretty large assortment of ponies to choose
from, each with a unique style and coloring.
Each one comes with an identifying hang-tag with names like Moonbeam,
Comet or Painted Sky.
Recommended Age: 3 and Up Price: $8.99
Huggy
Sport Ring Toss
Hooray!
If you never thought Ring Tossing was a challenging activity, you should've been in our testing centers. Furrowed brows were everywhere as parents and children tried every tossing position and technique. Everyone had a lot of fun playing, missing more than we'd care to admit and laughing thanks to this terrific set from Hooray! Neatly packaged in a see-through carrying case, these soft yet sturdy foam rings fit well into any sized hand. The weighted base and five vividly colorful rings provided hours of playtime fun. There are these very ingenious indentations in the rings themselves where you should place your thumb for optimal tossing. Wish we could say it helped... Maybe a little more practice.
Recommended Age: 3 and Up Price: $25.00
Fire Hose Hero
Discovery
Toys
Strap it on and get to work. That's what our testers did over and over, delighted with
being able to squirt anything and everything within their range.
The design of the backpack-style waterwell, really enhanced the
firefighting imagination experience. Where
other soaker-type guns require the child to carry the weight of the water with
their hands and arms, the Fire Hose Hero puts the tank on the child's back.
The weight is then distributed allowing for greater movement, and
ultimately more fun. The pump
action of the nozzle section took a little getting used to, but once they got
the hang of it, our testers were squirting until it was time for a refill.
Recommended Age: 5 to 9 Price: $19.99
Huggy
Sport Bat & Ball
Hooray!
Do you have a little slugger at home?
Is Dad itching to start the baseball season off in your home?
This very soft, velvety baseball bat and ball set is great for toddler
superstars in the making. The set
is more like a plush toy with a soft covering, but don't be fooled it's cushy
outside belies its ability to really smack the ball.
Like other products in the Hooray! line, the Sport Bat & Ball Set
comes in a nice plastic carrying case. We
were amazed to see the eye hand coordination demonstrated by our little testers.
The oversized ball made for some really remarkable hits.
Sign 'em up!
Recommended Age: 3 and Up Price: $20.00
Sport
Utility Wagon
Radio
Flyer, Inc.
If there is a Mercedes of wagons, this has surely got to
be it. Dubbed the S.U.W., by its
manufacturers, the venerable Radio Flyer, it won't guzzle as much gas as it's
namesake, but it will set you back a bit. If
price is no object, and you are determined to have the finest wooden toy wagon
on the planet, then look no further. From
it's rugged, big tread, air filled rubber tires, to its had painted wooden
exterior, this is a terrific wagon that is built to last.
There is an ingenious system that limits the turning radius, making it
harder to tip over when moving at top speeds.
The instructions were clear and easy to follow.
Again, the price is going to be hard to swallow for most, but then so is
the price of gas these days!
Recommended Age: 1 1/2 and Up Price: $200.00
No More Night Mares
Wild
Heart Ranch
This sweet, soft and cuddly stuffed companion is destined
to become a bedtime favorite of many young children. You see, not only is "Lucky Stars" an attractive
and appealing horse, he also has a nightlight hidden in his nose that glows
gently at your child's touch. The
soft blue glow will stay on for a period of time and then turn itself off.
Your child has control over when and how to use the light.
This gave them a great feeling of control and calm.
No More Nightmares comes in three different horse styles, each with its
own legend and history, which parents and children loved.
Whether it's Comet, Moonbeam or Lucky Stars (seen here), No More
Nightmares will become a bedroom fixture.
Recommended Age: 4 and Up Price: $30.00
Huggy
Sport Bag of Balls
Hooray!
These felt covered colorful balls are great for all types
of play. This kit comes with 3
different sizes of primary colored balls. The
balls are soft but with enough body to be tossed with authority.
What little toddler wouldn't love a bag of balls, for that matter, what
parent wouldn't? The ingenious
see-though backpack carrying case is a great way to keep them together for
out-of the house expeditions. Sometimes the simplest toys are the most rewarding.
It has been our experience that little ones love playing with any type of
balls. To roll, chase after, play
with, or juggle, well maybe we're stretching the point there, but the simple
fact is this bag is a load of fun.
Recommended Age: 3 and Up Price: $15.00
E-Chargers
Flying Machines
Spin
Master Toys
Powered airplanes have an uncanny ability to catch the
fancy of just about everyone, the user, or anyone within eyesight of these
self-propelled flyers. The problem
in the past has been that most powered planes are very expensive and often they
are kept out of reach of young children. Spin
Master has developed a lightweight airplane that charges, takes off and flies
with amazing ease. A snap to
master, e-chargers are designed for young kids. The battery powered, hand-held quick charger really did its
job, powering up the plane for take off. Each
and every take off was filled with excitement and anticipation, even if the
ground or a tree interrupted the flight. The sound of revving engine contributed to the authenticity
and appeal. A note of caution, the
plane is lightweight and as such it can be fragile if played with too roughly.
The average distance of the flights are manageable for chasing after and
setting up again.
Recommended Age: 5 and Up Price: $19.99
Safari
Rush Hour
Binary
Arts Corporation
Safari Rush Hour is a wonderful, challenging addictive game that your whole family will love. It truly crosses all age groups like few games can. Kids as young as 5 were able to complete the early puzzle challenges and were so proud of themselves. Whereas trains and cars were featured in earlier versions of the Rush Hour series, now we move to the savannah, where wild animals roam. This smart, well thought out game requires logical patient planning and is done in such a way that you simply cannot pull yourself away. The game is easy set up and the clues are easy to follow. The choice of animals and pastel colors make this game very visually appealing. There is also a carry case, which parents noted was a very smart feature.
Recommended Age: 6 and Up Price: $20.00
Girl
Action Hopscotch Rock
OddzOn,
Inc.
Have you introduced your children to the timeless fun of
hopscotch? Do your kids leave
multicolored chalk boxes on your sidewalk?
The inventive folks at OddzOn have been hard at work and sure enough they
have come up with a really fun variation for this classic game.
By injecting music as a timing element they have managed to add a level
of urgency with, by our observations, often with sidesplitting results.
A soft, star-shaped rock replaces your old garden-variety stone.
As you throw it into the colored chalk (included in the set) box, music
begins playing and you must hop until the music stops.
There are three levels of play with longer musical sets.
We discovered that music pumps up the game just enough and really got our
testers going with lots of added fun.
Recommended Age: 6 and Up
Price: $12.99
Whales
Playmore
Boy, did we learn stuff about whales we never knew we
didn't know! This easy to learn
board game is deceptively simplistic. Basically
all you are doing is filling your whales up with barnacles based on the roll of
the dice. However, the wild cards,
which keep the game spouting right along, are filled with fascinating
information about these massive underwater mammals.
Both types of whales are represented here (baleen and toothed), and the
result is a fun, educational, yet competitive experience.
Recommended Age: 7 and Up Price: $28.00
Airhogs
Hydro Rockets Warpstream
Spin
Master Toys
The creative folks at Spin Master have taken their
ingenious air powered system to new heights with this very exciting, very cool,
rocket toy. Using the unique pump
action system to put both water and compressed air into the hand held launching
pad, the excitement builds, and as the countdown started, crowds gathered eager
to see the explosive launch. No one
left disappointed, or dry for that matter, as the rocket left a trail of water
behind as it hurtled as much as 100 feet in the air, almost disappearing from
view! As our testers wiped
themselves dry they readied themselves for yet another launch. With no batteries to wear out, the only thing that stopped
our testers was darkness!
Recommended Age: 7 and Up Price: $29.99
Frigits
Deluxe
Think
Of It!, Inc.
Turn your refrigerator into a creative destination with no
calories! Frigits is a magnetic toy
that is fun for the whole family. Colorful,
ingenious, free form play is the rule here.
Using the metal surface of your refrigerator you place an assortment of
chutes, funnels and other spinning and tilting devices in whatever position you
desire. After you build your
contraption, it's time to put it to the test with one of the marbles that comes
with the set. Everyone, young and
old, loved watching their functional designs end with a satisfying plop into the
marble gathering cup at the end. Watching
the designing phase was a real kick for parents who were amazed at the creative
energy their children channeled into making the coolest track.
Recommended Age: 7 and Up Price: $29.99
Lego
Creator Game
Warren
Industries
"It's a world famous building toy", "No
it's a great board game for the whole family", hold on there, you're both
right! Lego Creator is a wonderful
marriage of both. Fun, easy to play
and a game you will want to play again and again.
The real beauty of the game is that lots of different aged children and
parents can play together competitively.
The final results for both winners and losers are a finished LEGO toy
that can actually be played with. That
was very rewarding and young children were so proud of their accomplishment it
was seen as an added bonus. There
are small pieces so we would advise you to bring a Ziploc bag along when you
open the box for the first time.
Recommended Age: 7 and Up Price: $14.99
Vortex Mac Attack Real Grip Bat
OddzOn,
Inc.
He single handedly transfixed a nation with his pursuit of
one of baseball's most renowned records. He
is of course Mark McGwire and he has left his mark as one of America's greatest
heroes. Children on little league
fields and backyards across the country dream of being just like Mark, hitting
monstrous home runs and acknowledging the cheers of the crowd.
Now they can take one step closer to that reality with this Vortex power
bat. Featured in the handle of the
bat are molded indentations of Mark's fingers exactly where he holds his bat.
Everyone told us that they felt empowered just taking the bat in their
hands. How cool is that?
The air filled barrel of the bat allowed for the rubberized ball, which
comes packaged with the bat, to really soar.
Parents also told us that they liked the price.
Recommended Age: 8 and Up Price: $12.99
Generations
Familytime
Products, Inc.
Generations is a game that is much more than just moving
pieces across a board to the finish line. It
is a celebration of the family unit and all the uniqueness that it represents.
Only in a game like this, where close family members are encouraged to
gather and play, can question cards be on the order of, "Which family
member is always on time?" or "Who snores the loudest?"
It is the intimate nature of family closeness that is the strength of
this game/experience. The Challenge cards, with instructions such as, "The
holder of this card must serve refreshments to everyone else", or
"must clean up the game when done", made for good laughs, and good
fun.
Recommended Age: 8 and Up Price: $24.95
Mozart
Magic Cube
Em-bry-on-ics,
Division of Munchkin, Inc.
When you first glance at the packaging of this unique
musical exploration toy you know that this is a product that begs to be played
with. Indeed that's what we
witnessed in our testing centers as parents and children were fascinated with
this colorful musical instrument/toy. The
hands on experience features wonderfully rich sounds that your child controls.
With the touch of a button they can add or eliminate an instrument, this
allows them to learn what sounds they like and which sounds work well together.
Instruments compliment each other in a very interactive manner. The
product is solidly made and without a doubt it is fun for all ages.
Parents really enjoyed watching their children orchestrate a musical
composition as the Cube lent a hand towards the appreciation of music.
Recommended Age: All Ages Price: $39.95
Sagarian
Sagarian
Games
Despite the playing board's unique design, many of our
testers approached Sagarian with the belief that they were in for another trivia
game experience. They were
pleasantly surprised to find out that they were quite wrong.
Sagarian has added within its question and answer format, various levels
of alternative play. It incorporates other great group games such as charades to
make this game a fun diversion for the whole family. The questions are not your usual trivia exercises, in fact we
found that many of our testers were both challenged and tickled by the tasks.
Recommended Age: 12 and up Price: $31.95
For more information about The Seal of Approval or The National
Parenting Center
call: 1-800-753-6667
Hosted by VectraNet Communications
http://www.vectranet.com
Last Update: April 12, 2000