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Huggy
Buggy Rescue Vehicles
Hooray!
The
Huggy Buggy vehicle line continues to impress and attract our testers with its
adorable design and soft, squeezable feel.
This new line of cars and trucks sport the designs of favorite community
helpers such as the police, firefighters and an emergency medical service
people. The cars are solidly made
and can take quite a beating. No
matter what kind of aggressive play our testers had in mind the Huggy Buggy's
kept bouncing back ready for more. The bright colors, soft sides and great
rolling action made them a real favorite of parents who felt that for all the
imaginative role-playing, the price was just right.
Recommended
Age: 18 months and Up
Price: $9.99
Huggy
Buggy Action Vehicles
Hooray!
These
bright and colorful, roll on the floor toys were among the most played with toys
in our testing centers. The moving
parts, which are new this year, work exceptionally well and they add a new and
welcome level of play value to these hands-on toys. Kids never tired of filling, loading and dumping their Huggy
Buggy's. The unique design, which
is both soft and sturdy, drew a steady stream of positive acclaim from parents
as well.
Recommended
Age: 18 months and Up
Price: $14.99
Big
Builders Bricks & Columns
Busy Kids, Inc.
Most
preschools and other childcare centers have some version of building blocks
featured in the play areas. These
blocks offer a great environment for imaginative play and help to build spatial
skills. Busy Kids have created a
set of solid, sturdy and colorful cardboard blocks that are easy to assemble and
build any way your child wishes. There
are 3 sizes of blocks in this 40-piece kit.
There are also columns made of heavy duty cardboard that add a nice level
of architectural variety. The
colors are bright and very appealing. Parents
told us that they would consider this not only for their own homes but also as
gifts for their children's school.
Recommended
Age: 18 months and Up
Price: $20.00
Bubblin'
Glitter Bugs - 2 pack
Little Kids, Inc.
What
makes a bubble toy great is how quick and easy it is for your kids to start
making bubbles. These adorably
designed Glitter Bugs/Bubble Blowers worked great each and every time.
There is no learning curve just dip and blow.
The stream of little bubbles delighted our testers.
The spinning, sparkly wings added to the fun.
Our young testers loved glitter bugs, and the fact that there are two
bugs in each package priced under $5, made this a favorite with everyone.
Recommended
Age: 3 and Up
Price: $4.99
Piccolo
Educational Insights
Storytelling
and game playing meets the world of educational electronics in this learning pad
system from Educational Insights. Children
as young as three can easily control the interactive book and pen that, in
response to their touch, replies with spoken words, music and fun.
Included in Piccolo is a cartridge that accompanies a storybook.
There are optional book/cartridge sets that can be purchased separately.
The quality and clarity of the words and music really impressed our
testers. Each page of each book
offers an environment filled with touch points to explore and control.
The child has the option to listen to the story or to touch on characters
or objects. Virtually anything you
touch gives you instant feedback, and that is Piccolo's finest feature.
Recommended
Age: 3 and Up
Price: $59.95
Matchbox
- Sky High Rescue Playset
Mattel
Toy
cars have always provided children with hours of fun play and this playset from
Mattel builds on and enhances the experience.
Your child's cars are positioned in the sky-high garage ready to be
called on when an emergency occurs. By
turning the knob your child selects the vehicle right for the job and sends them
off to the rescue. This set is a
terrific center for active imagination play that boys and girls enjoyed
endlessly, or at least until it was time to go home. The set went together very easily with simple instructions
and the slick looking decals added to the mystique of an elite rescue team.
Recommended
Age: 3 and Up
Price: $18.00
DJ
Jazz'n Jam
VTech Industries
Wow,
how did VTech pack so much musical fun into one toy? This electronic keyboard/karaoke/DJ system provided hours of
fun, laughs and music for testers young and old. In fact, we're not sure who had
more fun. You can select any number
of musical instruments or sound effects to play with using the light-up
keyboard. There are plenty of other
devices available for making each composition uniquely your own.
From the "scratch pad" to the microphone where you can sing
along to new songs or old favorites, the DK Jazz 'n Jam really provides an
unparalleled level of creative license. Kids
loved using the record option to save and play back their voice or their
original masterpieces.
Recommended
Age: 3 and Up
Price: $39.99
Maggie
Raggies
Zapf Creation US
This
is one of the most adorable dolls you will ever see. Zapf Creation introduced us to Maggie Raggies and we all fell
in love. From their cute faces to
their themed outfit ensembles, every feature of these dolls put smiles on the
faces of our testers. The soft
colors of the clothing and accessories got rave reviews since they served to
enhance each doll's appeal. Maggie
Raggies are soft and very huggable. They
received plenty of hugs and kisses from our testers who loved their warm and
expressive faces. Parents told us
that they were reminded of old-fashioned rag dolls updated for their kids.
Recommended
Age: All Ages
Price: $19.99
E-Chargers
Submarine
Spin Master Toys
This
unique, fun pool toy was a big hit everywhere we took it.
The e-chargers system is so easy to use that even our youngest testers
instantly got the hang of sticking the handheld power pack into the sub and
e-charging it up. As we counted
down the time and the sub's batteries whirred to life the excitement level
built. When we actually placed it
in the water and watched it dive to bottom only to resurface for another run,
everyone would clamber to be next. The waterproof design of the battery charger was a real
stroke of genius, kids loved swimming along with their sub.
Recommended
Age: 5 and Up
Price: $19.99
Block-N-Roll
Taurus Toy Company
This
free form, open-ended construction/marble maze toy offers a new twist on the
familiar Lego Style design. The
colorful blocks which come packaged in this set feature a variety of molded
channels through which marbles race to the lowest point.
Children can build racecourses that range from simple to sophisticated
with any number of turns, drops, jumps, crossovers and more.
There are no cumbersome rules or complicated building instructions, all
you need is a little imagination. Sir
Isaac Newton would have loved this gravity-based toy.
Recommended
Age: 6 and Up
Price: $29.95
Sci-Rovers
DaMert Company
Testers
of all ages enjoyed playing with and exploring microscopic mysteries with this
new line of vehicles from DaMert. Each
truck features a unique built in function such as a telescope, microscope,
magnet or critter inspector. Parents
watched as their children rolled up to a site and went to work.
Science is everywhere and these well designed toys let your children get
down to the business of inspecting, examining and exploring the world around
them. Great for travel time,
parents liked the small size, which allowed Sci-Rovers to be carried easily in a
backpack. The whole idea of
learning while they play really impressed our testers.
Recommended
Age: 6 and Up
Price: $10.00
Vowel
Play
Timbuk II, Inc.
Timbuk
II has created a thoroughly engaging game that uses words and the visualization
of words in a fun and entertaining way. The
game offers a twist on the familiar game show Wheel of Fortune, where you see a
word spelled out before you minus the vowels.
The idea here is that you must identify as many words as you can before
time runs out. The underlying game
is baseball and together with a beautiful oversized diamond, correct answers
allow you to move around the bases. One
correct answer equals and single, four right gets you a Home Run.
Wrong answers are strikes and the desire to avoid them at all costs
really had our testers trying their best to make contact.
The biggest selling point for our testers was the varied age play.
Depending on your age or grade you played with a different card set of
varying difficulty. This variation leveled the playing field and made it fun for
the whole family.
Recommended
Age: 6 to 100
Price: $39.98
The
Renaissance Art Game
Birdcage Books
Using
fun, familiar games like Go Fish and Memory, the art world takes center stage as
the great masters and their brilliant works come to life.
Accompanied by an exceptionally well-written guidebook, players will
learn about da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rafael, Botticelli and others.
If the impressive packaging of this new game doesn't grab your attention, then
take our word for it, once you take a look inside you'll be glad you did.
Recommended
Age: 7 and older
Price: $25.00
Dino
Dodg'em
Binary Arts Corporation
Here's
the idea. You need to move your
three dinosaurs across and off the board before your opponent does. Simple enough idea, a race to the finish right?
Wrong, this little game involves so much more calculating, planning and
strategizing that whether you win or lose you will want another go at it.
Each time you do you will realize new moves available to you. It's a game of wits and cunning, even though the design and
size might fool you into thinking its a kids game.
Beware, once you start, you will be back for more.
Recommended
Age: 8 and Up
Price: $9.99
Duster
Biplane Kite
Go Fly A Kite
This
very cool kite was quite a hit on each and every playground we tested it at.
Pretty, colorful and durable, this kite is made with a fabric that really
holds up. Even when our inexperienced kite flyers crashed it the Duster
bounced back with flying colors making it a real winner.
The instructions are easy to understand and we were up and flying in no
time. The spinning propeller was a
real plus to the overall look of the kite.
Without a doubt, no matter where we were, heads turned when our biplane
took to the sky.
Recommended
Age: 8 and Up
Price: $22.99
FlipIt
Binary Arts Corporation
Looking
at the solution of a puzzling challenge as a prize waiting to be claimed is what
makes mindbenders a fun and entertaining diversion.
If you look at puzzlers as fun then Flipit is for you.
This wonderfully simple, compact game challenges players to solve a
series of game set-ups that are included in the set.
As the player you must flip your turtles on the game board from one color
to the other by jumping over other pieces.
Sounds simple enough, and in fact the first few challenges are
deceptively easy to do. Of course
by then they have you sucked in and you are in for the long haul.
Luckily for those of us with regular sized brains, the solutions are on
the back of each card. Our testers
really flipped over this tricky yet appealing game.
Recommended
Age: 8 and Up
Price: $11.99
That-A-Way
Binary Arts Corporation
Grab
your thinking cap before you attempt to tackle That-A-Way.
This puzzler is for those that love a good problem solving challenge.
If you are the kind of person who likes to think both logically and
visually, this series of forty challenges will test you over and over. As with many brain teasing games, the right attitude is
essential. Children with short
attention spans or who get frustrated easily will not enjoy the game while
others who enjoy digging in and seeking out the one and only solution, will
revel in the challenge and ultimate accomplishment of finding the answer.
For just $6, how can you go wrong?
Recommended
Age: 8 and Up
Price: $5.99
Galactic
Takeover
Binary Arts Corporation
Do
you remember playing "dots" as a kid?
You know the game, where you draw lines on a grid and try to complete
boxes to claim them as your own. Well,
if you do remember, or even if you have forgotten, you can reminisce with
Galactic Takeover. This game is
easy to learn, fun and quick from start to finish.
Against another player there are loads of opportunities to try new boxing
out techniques. We witnessed some
pretty addictive behavior in our testing centers, as best two out of three
challenges quickly became best of seven, thirteen etc.
This is a nice travel game as it neatly stores away in its own storage
case which doubles as the game board.
Price:
$9.99 Recommended Age: 8 and Up
Sunburst
Rage Stunt Kite
Go Fly A Kite
If
you've ever been to the beach or the park on a windy day, you surely have seen
pretty kites soaring above the treetops. Often,
after the initial launch, the kite flying experience is less active if you have
a good sustained wind. The Sunburst
Rage Stunt Kite turns the kite flying experience on its ear with a kite that is
made for daredevil tricks that will leave your park side neighbors amazed.
The twin strings allow for greater control which, when done right, can
have you performing dips, flips and dives that really allow you to ride the
wind. This kite is not for
everyone, but if you want to take your kite flying to the next level, this is
where you want to start. Enclosed
in the package is a CD-ROM (a real example of high tech, meets low tech), which
gives you a multimedia lesson about becoming a top gun kite flyer.
Recommended
Age: 10 and Up
Price: $12.99
Coodju
- Spell With A Twist?
Anomaly Games, Inc.
Are
you a good speller? No matter how
proficient you may think you are, Coodju will put your skills to the test in
this unique, challenging family game. Designed
for teens and adults, the idea of Coodju is to race against the clock to spell
words, but not in just the old fashioned start to finish manner.
Coodju turns the tables on great spellers with challenges such as:
spelling words backwards, with just vowels, something the inventors call
"outside/in" and more. The
game provides plenty of mental mix-ups and if you don't take it too seriously
(something we highly recommend), it offers lots of laughs as well.
Recommended
Age: Teens and Adults
Price: $24.95
For more information about The Seal of Approval or The National
Parenting Center
call: 1-800-753-6667
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Last Update: April 12, 2001
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