tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75837347552022824622012-01-09T17:18:22.020-05:00A blog about toys. Mostly children's toys, but along the way we'll help mom and dad with their toys too!Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.comBlogger271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-90472024297042557362011-12-23T13:45:00.002-05:002011-12-23T13:45:28.403-05:00

My buddy at 52 Tiger says it's too "frustrating too often to recommend."

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-18410034549790995332011-12-19T14:19:00.000-05:002011-12-19T14:19:24.608-05:00

This reminds me of Omagles, which my kids STILL love (and we kept around since the 90s, sigh). Fort Magic is really just a series of struts and connectors which allow you to build superstructures that you can wrap with cloth for basically any type of fort you can imagine. So awesome, and my idea of a perfect toy, one which encourages creativity and active play!

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-82390060903447711412011-12-12T11:43:00.000-05:002011-12-12T11:43:29.043-05:00

If your kid wants a Mindflex or that Jedi Mind training thing, the one where you strap on headgear then "pilot" your ball through a maze? Skip it, pay a little more and get the MindFlex Duel instead. You can still play solo, BUT you can also play head-to-head, almost literally, as you essentially play tug-of-war with your concentration. The only issue is that people won't believe it works. But it

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-38673852130600625942011-12-06T11:45:00.000-05:002011-12-06T11:45:45.558-05:00

So awesome! My kids are getting some Harry Potter LEGO sets this Christmas, and I got my son the Ninjago Flame Temple with dragon -- it is huge! Anyway, this golden snitch is just adorable. And simple enough for mature kids to do, I think. I bet you could somehow paint or dye or stress a softball to look like a bludger.

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-44579350614878057922011-08-21T12:22:00.002-05:002011-08-21T12:22:51.713-05:00

I actually owned the 80's-era Star Wars craft book referenced in this article, but I think the new Star Wars craft book looks pretty cool, if a bit difficult for younger kids.

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-25179321036459862342010-10-12T18:52:00.000-05:002010-10-12T18:52:24.661-05:00

Nerf came out with a series of guns and they've been pretty aggressive with the lineup, frequently changing it around and introducing new models. OK, so I haven't tested all models, like the impressive N-Strike Vulcan. But I am seeing a lot of lazy design in the guns I have checked out thus far, including the N-Strike series guns Nite Finder Blaster and the truly horrible Recon CS-6. We tried to

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-29510263032783962352010-08-20T11:07:00.000-05:002010-08-20T11:07:58.988-05:00

Crunchgear has a video of the upcoming Nerf Stampede ECS-50. Yeah, it looks great. How soon before those bullets start jamming? We bought the Recon CS-6 and that thing is the biggest piece of crap I've bought from Nerf in my LIFE. It jams constantly. They put in a completely unnecessary "gate" for the bullets in the chamber that is supposed to get out of the way, but when you cock the gun, the

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-52430961069216516502009-02-05T23:34:00.001-05:002009-02-05T23:36:28.263-05:00

Just in time for Valentine's Day: The Love Teller (link opens iTunes). It's a "Love Tester" simulator complete with wood cabinet and incandescent lights (popular in the 20th century).Try it out, it's only 99-cents!

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-43068512931435090962008-11-24T09:56:00.003-05:002008-11-24T10:15:44.471-05:00

I had hoped to crank out a buyer's guide, but there are plenty of other sites out there rounding up the data that lil' ol' me couldn't compete. Instead, I want to suggest a few toys that I have found to be ideal for kids. That's a tough claim: "ideal." Really, is there an ideal? Everyone is different, right? Well, let's look at the opposite of ideal. Toys NOT to get:* Videogames above the

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-23081498722567089922008-11-17T11:46:00.003-05:002008-11-17T11:53:13.861-05:00

I went to college in the 90's and my first real console was a Super NES. There were a lot of standout games on the platform, but the ease of writing for the machine also created an industry of crud. Many of these lame platformers were simply marketing vehicles: Beavis and Butthead, Rocko's Modern Life, and even 7-Up had a game (although the 7-Up game featuring the little red spot guy was actually

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-66476972396004158462008-10-02T14:50:00.002-05:002008-10-02T14:58:18.156-05:00

When all the new toys are coming out! Yep, you Johnny-come-lately shoppers out there beware: the hottest toys this season are likely sitting on shelves now. Granted, the economy might make those toys readily available in December, but do you want to risk it?I'll post the toys we've got our eyes on soon, but for now, here's a sample:Imaginext has an entire line of superheroes (Batman and Superman

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-84328378237649283342008-08-19T22:05:00.003-05:002008-08-19T22:16:18.983-05:00

When Mario Kart Wii came out we were going on vacation and couldn't afford to grab a copy. Bad move! Just like the Wii itself, the game has been tough to find after the initial release. I'm not sure why-- it's just a disc and a wheel. Before the Wii we had trouble buying the Mario DDR game, and we heard it was because of quality control issues. I applaud Nintendo's efforts, but the Kart shortages

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-29012347182094847372008-07-19T21:03:00.002-05:002008-07-19T21:06:00.093-05:00

Neat and very detailed development blog of VIKTORY, a board game partly inspired by one of my favorites: Axis and Allies. Fascinating to see the iterative process of designing and building a game system.

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-85816127451354678832008-06-27T13:32:00.003-05:002008-06-27T13:35:07.618-05:00

Those American Idol toys McD's gave away for a while have caught the eye of Devo. Check out pic on Pitchfork to see why bassist Gerald Castle is suing for trademark infringement.

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-15813908364136106942008-02-01T11:00:00.001-05:002008-02-01T11:11:23.034-05:00

This is going to be a quick review as we've only played the game a few times. The real info comes in what I heard when the wife tried to start playing... You see, our daughter got High School Musical Sing It! for the Wii on her birthday (oh, yeah, we got a Wii over the holidays, yay!). She's a big fan of HSM, and a kindergartner, so we figured this would be a good match.Sadly, the game makes

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-15892234647594494712007-10-18T23:01:00.000-05:002007-10-18T23:20:50.548-05:00

Coming soon, reviews of:- Imaginext, the pirate ship, a dinosaur, the castle and the jungle playset- Leapster (not the max), plus about 6 games (details people, you won't find 'em anywhere else!)- Hot Wheels tracks vs. the knockoffs- DC SuperFriends figures (Green Lantern, Flash, Batman and Superman) from Mattel, for younger kidsStay tuned!

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-34731627929811231342007-04-14T08:40:00.001-05:002007-04-14T08:40:17.227-05:00

LEGO people marching Originally uploaded by toyblogging. LEGO's are some of the most fun, expansive toys you can buy. We recently got a big box of LEGO's that span a couple of generations. Problem is, when you get these old sets there are a lot of pieces missing. The other, bigger problem, is that you get a lot of flat "base" pieces. These are the flats that come with small sets, but you

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-59675895493689128542007-03-22T19:00:00.001-05:002007-03-22T19:00:45.104-05:00

www.tecaeromex.com-13 Originally uploaded by Smiles for the world. Disappeared from the previous post!

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-58101178567576461632007-03-20T20:45:00.001-05:002007-03-22T19:01:40.503-05:00

If you've ever seen Sean Connery fly around in Thunderball, you know what this is. A doggone Rocket Belt. Developed by Bell Labs in the early 60's, it was abandoned for military use because it doesn't fly too long.And it can be yours for just $250,000. If I were a rich weirdo living in Orange County, just waiting for the San Andreas fault to drop me into the ocean, I'd totally buy one.Check it

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-38291032396054465632007-03-16T08:46:00.000-05:002007-03-16T08:49:18.835-05:00

This one is for the older kids, and the ones with a DIY streak in them at that... Here's a nifty how-to on making a "plot bot" with some "spare" parts: AVR-baseed analog plotbot with an E-Paper display.Not for the faint of heart! You'll also need an antique plot recorder, which I haven't seen in ages.

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-18144975134634194852007-03-13T16:47:00.001-05:002007-03-13T16:47:53.153-05:00

IMG_2079 Originally uploaded by toyblogging. OK, upon further review the Shake'n'go planes aren't so bad. It took a little training for the kids, and maybe the launchers go get used to us, but they work really well now.The trick: gently load the plane until it clicks ONCE. Teach the kids this, and it'll start up the noises. Tilt down and up (the nose), or up and down, and it'll start

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-51294518541726524162007-03-12T16:09:00.000-05:002007-03-12T16:14:31.428-05:00

Would you pay nearly $50,000 for a remote-controlled robot? You might if you're the target demographic for Hammacher Schlemmer. I remember getting this catalog as a kid (ok, my parents got it, but never ordered anything) and drooling over the geegaws. H-S does put some big-ticket items in the catalog as a sort of "wow" factor, but $49,000+ for a working "Robby the Robot?" Wow.CNN Money has a very

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-22180778995939602952007-03-07T23:23:00.000-05:002007-03-07T23:54:28.521-05:00

We're big fans of the Shake'N'Go race cars from Fisher-Price. Now the F-P wants us to take to the skies. What next? Shake'n'scuba?Anyway, the Show Plane is a decent toy. The idea is you pull back on the catapult and release the plane to make it fly. But here instead of pulling the plane back (which you can do), you shake the entire launcher, and one tiny clip at a time, the plane inches backward.

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-25117800234537209802007-03-07T23:17:00.001-05:002007-03-12T16:15:37.571-05:00

what you'll need Originally uploaded by toyblogging. The unit we got probably needed batteries. They keep them live in the box, so a lot of shakes and sounds had run through the 3 AA's. The toy opener's friend is the Leatherman!

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-4927994981846194792007-03-05T10:52:00.000-05:002007-03-05T10:58:05.195-05:00

The Fisher Price "I Can Play Piano" is the modern successor to the old Miracle Piano Learning System (which used to be available for your computer or Nintendo Entertainment System). It comes with an AC adaptor, and plugs into your TV with an attached (and not removable) set of RCA cables. You can play just the keyboard without a TV, but the sound is limited and there are no special features when

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-31329082064863996062007-03-05T00:57:00.000-05:002007-03-05T01:03:46.367-05:00

These little puzzles are great for teaching numbers. One side presents the "problem" (either a counting tile, like 3 bees, or a math tile, like 1 apple being subtracted from 3 apples), the other side that fits is a number-- the correct answer.But with one kid at 5 and one at 3... Well, one does math and the other is still learning to count. So we just use some bags to divide up the math tiles and

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583734755202282462.post-69667377823124968582007-02-28T13:39:00.001-05:002007-02-28T13:39:20.018-05:00

More to come

Victor Agreda, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00574608056011871536noreply@blogger.com0