As I dropped my youngest off at daycare this morning, the teachers’ in the 18 month old ro… more
Posts Tagged ‘Toys’
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Toy Scores a Trifecta
By Daddy Troy Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
Last night my children played together quietly without arguing. They asked to take their bath early, begging us to start it as soon as possible after dinner. And as a result both went to bed early, getting their first full night sleep maybe ever. For one rare night we were the functional family that every one thinks exists before they actually have kids.
The reason: a toy. More specifically a spy toy that allowed them to be a team, to collude and plot and plan a devious trap for their parents, one that had a big pay off: belly busting joy as their parents set off the Lazer Tripwire High Security System they had placed in the hallway near the bathroom.
I have never felt comfortable pretending. The Santa Claus thing feels awkward every time I lie. I help him with the word “prevaricate” when we play Scrabble, and it feels wrong. But last night I had no problem ignoring the whisper-giggles coming from the hall as they set up the tripwire. And why would I? The wife and I were actually having a conversation before dinner. I was more than happy to play along with the “its time for a bath, Dad” ruse. And if I over dramatized the event when I set off the alarm, who cares. We laughed all the way to the early bath.
Here are a few more reasons why I like this toy.
1. As physics teacher in a previous life, I am weary of photo gate malfunction. These seem pretty sturdy.
2. The UX on the base has some thought behind it. A light tells you when the beam is in the right position, and after a second a sound indicates that it is engaged. This makes the toy easy to use, and adds value to the kids experience. My seven year old had was able to get it to work.
3. I had the opportunity to tell my kid what a laser is, and the fact that this toy is not really a laser, but instead probably an LED. He will never misspell “lazer” in Scrabble again. (I gotta say putting quotes around lazer makes me laugh. This also dovetails nicely with the discussion we have been having about black light and the iCoaster rails.
4. When I told him what LASER actually stands for (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) he said “whatever” which allowed me to realize that I need to hit him with age appropriate acronyms from now on.
5. You can actually hit a beat by rhythmically interrupting the beam.
6. The base unit receptors can be put at angles other than horizontal, allowing for some creative placement.
Anticipation is a big part of this toy. For me too. I happily anticipate there will be a day when my kids actually surprise me with it. To which I will respond: Go get the Scrabble game kid. I am taking my etymology gloves off.
Id Like You To Meet My Daughter Brio
By Daddy Clay Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
As the kids crowded around the big boxes with a Swedish return address, I tried to adjust the expectations of the older ones. I told them that most of what was inside would be for Coop, maybe even everything. The bouncing on the balls of the feet told me that I had failed completely. My words were no match for the prospect of a giant box from a Swedish toymaker.
A while back, a woman named Helga, no lie, contacted me on behalf of a cool toy manufacturer. They were in the process of relaunching their website and wanted some articles and photos, and she asked if I would be interested in contributing some articles and maybe some photos. The pay would be in toys. Now, most self-respecting writers would probably turn such an offer down flat, but I jumped on it like Daddy Brad on a sixer of tallboys. Free toys? Ultimately the value of the goods didn’t really matter. Done and done. I’m that kind of writer. Need somebody to write 1000 words on diarrhea by next Tuesday for a bottle of Makers and a sack of lollipops, I’m your guy. It’s this kind of hard-nosed business sense that led me to invest heavily in online video.
Within five minutes of opening the box, I’m chest pounding, strutting proud that I’ve brought home the carcass for my pups. Coop and Ri-ri are busy putting together the City Rescue train set, improvising games. Bubba has busted out the throwback Labyrinth Puzzle game and is working the pitch and yaw controls with an enthusiasm that makes me want to set his PS2 on fire. But one package remains clamped tightly between my legs. Every time the kids ask about it, I ask a question in return about the toys they are playing with. When they finally get too close, I run to my bedroom and shove it in the very back of the closet. What could cause me to act in such a way? From their website:
This Dachshund pull-toy is a giant-sized version of our pint-sized classic. Measuring in at 2.5 times the size of the original 1953 design, this collector’s edition Dachshund features solid beech wood construction – and you can feel the weight! This pull-toy also includes the features that made the original so endearing. Off-set wheels make him “waddle”, a spring mounted tail bobs back and forth, and floppy head and ears move back-and-forth as he is pulled along. Packaged in a premium window box with carry handle.” It’s the kind of toy that parents that read Daddytypes would buy their kids to pull around their Lower Manhattan neighborhood. Coop is young enough to be interested in it for a little while, but am I going to pull a “collector’s edition” out of the original packaging so he can play with it for two seconds before going back to the HotWheels and non-public TV that his non-design minded, non-urban-hip parents allow him to indulge in? No way, José. So what to do with it? Is there anyone with a one-year-old that I care about enough to bestow it as a gift? Not freaking likely. Rig up some contest on DadLabs and award it to some faithful reader/viewer. Dream on, Bucko. Hoard it for resale on eBay to pay for college? Have another kid so she can play with it? An interesting thought. But would we have to name her Brio?
2008 New York Toy Fair Picks Part 2
By Daddy Clay Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
More picks from the New York Toy Fair. In no particular order…
Playing Mantis
I mean no disrespect to the beloved, creaking, listing hulk of a wooden playscape that is slowly disintegrating in our yard, but this modular unit from Hills with its galvanized steel tube frame, modern layout and tent-like forts really caught my eye. The play action looks to be much closer to what you might find in a school playground. Would the tubing achieve volcanic heat in the Texas sun? Probably. Would the “Ground Socket” anchors require blasting into my limestone-pocked yard with nitro? Probably. Would it be the coolest playscape on your block? You get it.
Chuck-O Pro
Even the good-humored folks that brought you “Gassy Gus” are evidently a bit skittish about calling a cornhole a cornhole. I am astonished and delighted that this horseshoes-era family game is making a comeback, one tailgate at a time. As lots of manufacturers seemed to discover in 2007, this simple but addictive bean bag toss game works for everyone in the family, regardless of age. The classic folding design by Fundex was the best I saw, and they even used the word “cornhole” (in the brochure).
Let’s Play Shop and Match
What hasn’t been said about the genius of Cranium games? Hullaballoo has saved my ass on more rainy days than I’d care to think about – though now they’ve updated it with an advanced mode, so kids of a wider age range can play. Now they are coming up with a series of activity games for preschoolers that seem to fall right in line with past hits. Shop and Match keeps the tikes busy scratching items off the grocery list right along with you. Anything to keep them from wanting to get out of the cart.
Bill Nye Paper Recycling Factory
My weakness for science kits here counterbalances the ick factor of the kabillions of toys at the Fair trying to cash in on the “green” movement. I think having kids make their own recycled paper is a pretty cool idea – bringing the concept of reduce, reuse, recycle home for them. I’m sure you DIY dads will scoff at having a “kit” for this experiment (can you recycle the box?), but it seems worth the carbon release to get a kid jazzed about solving the world’s problems (it was 93 in Austin yesterday).
Animal Scramble
It’s not just for breakfast anymore. RFIDs can be fun! This game combines high-tech, gadgety appeal with tear-assing around the house like a lunatic. The giraffe/sensor asks a question, and the player has to dash around to find the corresponding figurine. The set is really appealing and the play looks very promising – physically active with a learning element – great for active boys. A rival for Craniums Hullabaloo?
Toy Fairy Day 2
By Daddy Clay Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
For those of you who are worried that your need for branded goods from Hannah Montana and High School Musical will never be met: rest easy. I can report from the New York Toy Fair 2008 that there will be enough Hannah Montana plastic makeup kits and board games and karaoke machines to thoroughly decorate all the concentric rings of hell.
The other trend I noticed this year: no less than eight booths hawking testing gear and laboratory analysis to toy store owners and manufacturers. I demo-ed one hand held lead detector that was pretty cool. Instead of hiring washed up actors to deliver powerpoint presentations on the history of toy safety and blasting it over the PA, and PR teams to prowl the show floor, maybe the TIA or the CPSC should pop for a couple of these and, you know, pass ‘em around.
One PC note: a majority of these booths were staffed exclusively by Asian men. I did not confirm that these gents were Chinese, but wouldn’t that be a Wharton School-worthy case study of creating a market and offering a solution? Could they not get together and handle this whole lead issue on the other side of the Pacific? Am I channeling Archie Bunker right now?
But my two least favorite aspects of the show have to be the “Game Center” and the Pink Plastic Sequin Explosion Booths. The “Game Center” is on the lower level, and it’s a cluster of booths where mostly husband and wife teams stands and pitch their board games. I break into a trot down the aisles of this section hoping to avoid “the look.” The We-Just-Took-Out-a-Second-Mortgage-to-Follow-the-Dream look. These poor folks with trepidation and hope in their eyes, having left the good day job and dumped the life savings into what they hope will be the next big thing. I know the look well.
And then there are the Girl Booths. About every fifth one is a complete Pinxsplotion, full of frilly costumes and makeup kits and every other thing a father of daughters needs to be on guard against. We have to stand on the barricades, on guard against the pinkification of girlhood.
Now pink on a dude…that’s perfectly cool.
