Though they were not immediately apparent, there were a few items at the 2008 New York Toy Fair that weren’t plastered with Hannah Montana. Here are a few items that I found promising, in no particular order:
SandLock Sandbox
If you’ve ever tried to build your own sandbox, then the premium price of this item will not matter to you one bit. One look at the locking corners and bungee covers (approximate time to finished sandbox – 20 minutes), and the experienced dad is reduced to saying “Yes! Right! Exactly!” like an idiot to the guy doing the demo. The corner seats are also clever, and the thing looks like it will last until the grandkids are playing in it. MSRP for 5′x10′ box of awesomeness with cover – about a grand.
Alternate uses: Could they not build a storage shed that goes together like that?
GIANTmicrobes
Talk about going viral, these little plushies are hilarious, yet authentic replicas of germs, critters and microbial whatnot. Your fuzzy replica of strep, staph, salmonella, or Chlamydia comes complete with an informational booklet with photos of your huggable friend in the wild. These guys have been around for a while, but it was my first sighting and I laughed my ass off in their booth. MSRP $7.95-$12.95
Alternate uses: office awards for most sick days.
Underwater Digital Camera Mask
Unleash your inner Jacques Cousteau with this crazy snorkeling mask/digital camera mashup. Swim down and have the fishes say cheese. How proud would the kid be of this slideshow? The fish I saw on the reef. One can only hope that the mask would work better than that five at the bottom of our beach bag that we can never get to fit right.
http://www.liquidimageco.com/
Sand-Goh
Pretty straight forward forms for building really cool sandcastles – an instant winner for me because I know my kids would be all over this. We are serious beach veterans, so you’ll just have to take my word that this will buy you adequate time to kick back and have a brew or two.
http://www.sandgoh.com
Morphibians
Let’s just go with the beach/pool theme for minute. One mental test I perform: if I put this toy in front of my kids, would I need to suggest how to play with it? With this land/sea RC, Bubba would be building ramps beside the pool before I even had a chance to set the package down. Not all new for 2008, but Kid Galaxy has expanded the line with some beefier models.
http://kidgalaxy.com
