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The Barbie dolls I am about to talk about are not for the fainthearted price wise. But they are awesome collector’s edition dolls. This particular doll is fabulously dressed in a hot pink outfit. Her full-length faux chinchilla coat looks like she stepped out of a fashion magazine. Included in her awesome designer clothing, she is wearing pink thigh-high boots, chunky earrings and a designer bag. I don’t imagine she has on the sexy lingerie that obviously goes with the outfit but she does look like she is a model on a runway. Kimora also has her adorable little dog with her.

This is a gold label collector’s edition item and there is a very limited number available. Made by Mattel. There is no recommended age on this as I believe most would want to have it as a collector’s doll.

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Remember that commercial? Well, you would have to be old enough to have kids in their 30s if you saw the first ads. But they are one of those pre-schooler and very young school kid toys that is timeless. Although they are no longer on the market in their original form in toy stores and discount stores, they are still available and memorable. I like where these toys originated since they came from a television show that had been around since the 50s, Romper Room. Hasbro bought the television show back in 1969 and got the idea for Weebles from the bop-punching bag on the show. Weebles came on the market in 1970. Kids had hours and hours of fun with them. My daughter sure did love them.

Originally, they were made short and round with peelable stickers that wore off quickly but the fun remained. The original family comprised of father, mother, brother, sister and baby. After the tree house and cottage were introduced they became much more popular. Other accessories including vehicles were quickly following. After a time, Disney also produced character Weebles sets like the Magic Kingdom, Winnie the Pooh treehouse and cottage sets, Winnie the Pooh circus, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse set and many more characters.

In 1978, a new set of Weebles came into being called the Tumblin’ Weebles. While the other Weebles had a fixed weight in their bottoms, this type had a free motion weight thus making it easy for them to tumble when the child tipped them. Sets came out with them as well. In the 80s, they came out with Sesame Street characters Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster and, of course, Big Bird. A Sesame Street playground was available then too.

Weebles are still available through the Playschool brand at Hasbro though not in their original form. They are recommended for ages 3 and up (preschool).

Technorati Tags: sesame street, weebles wobble, weebles, toddler toys, preschool toys, romper room

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Tonka is a name I remember from way back. The Tonka brand trucks were manufactured for the first time in 1947 in a factory meant for garden tools. Mound Metalcraft Company was located in the basement of a school house in Mound, Minnesota near Lake Minnetonka. The first year, 6 people put together 37,000 trucks in that basement factory. Naturally, the baby boomers loved the toys so there was an immediate success story. All of the first production was sold out in a short few months. The creators of Tonka trucks believed that toys should be durable and long lasting. And now 250 million trucks later, they are still making sturdy, durable toys.

For more information on this rather extensive line of toys, please go to the official website for Tonka where they have far more than just a list of toys. There are games and puzzles for the kids, coloring pages, videos, demos and much more information than I could give you here.

Technorati Tags: cranes, trucks, kids toys, Tonka toys, Tonka trucks

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I got my first Mr. Potato Head for Christmas. I do not recall the year though I loved it at the time. Mr. Potato Head began his life in 1952 when George Lerner of New York City invented him. And based on a toy called ‘make a face’ that actually used a real potato for the head, Mr. Lerner decided to make his toy all plastic. He then sold his creation to Hasbro who marketed Mr. Potato Head with a styrofoam head for all those wonderful little facial expressions, noses, eyes and ears. There were instructions included that suggested using a real veggie for the head. I used a potato since I was a literal child and the thing was called Mr. Potato Head. Also, there was a drawback to the styrofoam head. If you really loved Mr. Potato Head and gave him constant expression changes, the styrofoam would get so many holes in it that it became useless. Thus, use a potato.

Strange and unusual: Mr. Potato Head received 4 write in votes in the election for mayor in Boise, Idaho, in 1985. Didn’t say much for the then incumbent mayor, did it? Or maybe it said all there needed to be said.

The manufacturer recommends for ages 3-5. 13 pieces included with a snap together body.

Technorati Tags: veggie head, preschool toy, hasbro, mr potato head, toys

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It cannot get any simpler than this. Of course, I remember block sets with the letters of the alphabet which always were to help a child learn their ABCs. But this 100 piece block set is going to do what your child wants to do, build something big. They come in five different shapes, have 50 natural and 50 paint colored blocks (non toxic of course). Blocks encourage hand/eye coordination in small children. Also included is a shape sorter lid for better cleanups. The whole thing comes in a bucket for easy storage. You can’t go wrong with a simple wooden block set for your pre-schooler.

The manufacturer recommends ages 2 and up. I also read a page that recommends for ages 3-5.

Technorati Tags: 100 piece set, wooden blocks, block set, wooden toys

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Called the toy makers dream, Lincoln Logs came on the scene shortly after Tinkertoys during the early 1900s. John Lloyd Wright, son of famous Frank Lloyd Wright, invented Lincoln Logs in 1916 during a time when the American builders were hard at work building cities. John had traveled to Tokyo where he watched construction on the Imperial Hotel. It was being constructed to withstand earthquakes by interlocking pieces. Wright came back home and applied that to make Lincoln Logs with interlocking wood pieces. The original sets were instant successes. After World War II, the baby boomers came along and the sets were hot again. Lincoln Logs were one of the first toys to be promoted on television, something else that was taking the country by storm. Ads were aimed at affluent people, the most likely to own a television set at the time.

Lincoln Logs were expected to be an educational toy then and are still that today. Many sets feature all wood pieces, have a variety of things that can be built, many types of sets available. Most are for children ages 4-8.

Technorati Tags: kids toy, construction toys, wooden toys, interlocking pieces, Lincoln logs

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Once again drawing from my childhood although at the time younger friends were playing with this toy more than I was, Etch-A-Sketch came out in 1960 after being introduced at the 1959 Toy Fair in Nuremburg, Germany by Frenchman, Arthur Granjean who called his creation L’Ecran Magique. Once it hit England, they called it DoodleMaster Magic Screen. Then when it came to America, a gentleman named William Casley Killgallon renamed it Etch-A-Sketch. Since then, kids and adults have been sketching with this amazing little screen. People have gotten quite good with the controls and now make incredible pictures with it. What happens when someone shakes the screen? Gone. And then you can do another picture.

Etch-A-Sketch is a timeless toy that will be here long after the flash in the pan type toys that are here and gone the next year. In fact, there is an official website that is interactive with your child. They can find the gallery where the pictures are kept. Fun and games gives your child an online Etch-A-Sketch to create his or her own online pictures. It also includes Concentration, Virtual Village and other fun things to do.

Technorati Tags: gallery of sketches, toys, concentration, timeless toy, Etch A Sketch

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There was a time when I was at the age that Barbie was a huge deal. I can’t think why that would be since I was about 13 at the time but that was the reality. I asked for it for Christmas that year by writing out my list of wants. My parents tell me that because my handwriting was not what it should be, what I got was a baby doll instead of a Barbie doll. I can laugh now but it wasn’t as amusing then. My friend got one for Christmas. And that was that.

Barbie has a fascinating history of her own. She was born in 1959. Her creator was Ruth Handler who, with her husband Elliot and friend Harold Matson , was co-founder of Mattel (so named by the MAT(T) in Matson and the el in Elliot) in 1942. Barbie became a household word by the time I knew about her in 1960. Ken came along a year or so later and became a hit too. Both were named from the couple’s children. She was created specifically to look like a model due to the trip Ruth had taken to Europe. Over the years, her popularity grew, more versions became available as well as a whole line of clothing and accessories like pets, younger sisters, houses, cars and so on. While Barbie has her critics who say her body is an unrealistic idea for young girls, she is still a highly collectible doll and quite a play thing for children today.

Mattel still has the Barbie collection for anyone interested in her. They sell the Barbie dolls for play and collecting.

Technorati Tags: Ken, Christmas, Barbie, models, Mattel, kids toys

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Slinky has changed over the years. I had one when I was a kid. You may notice me saying that a lot. That’s okay. I did have some of the toys I plan on featuring here since they were fun to play with when I was young. They are still here today, just in another form. In fact, the slinky I had was made of metal, would walk down the steps and was very durable. Today’s slinky is plastic and is more easily broken.

As with many toys, this one was found by accident in 1943 by Richard James, a scientist who was trying to find a way to make a meter to gauge horsepower on battleships. While working with tension springs, one of them fell to the floor. It just kept going. He saw the potential in it for a kids toy. Working on the gauge of steel for a couple years, he finally settled on it. Once his wife gave it a name, it was placed in the Gimbel’s stores at Christmas in 1945. He was so nervous about the sales of the slinky that he had a friend buy the first one. It wasn’t necessary. Over 400 were sold in 45 minutes and Slinky came on the market. Richard James and his wife, Betty, then founded James Industries with $500 and began production. The rest is history.

Slinky is available in it’s original metal form and the plastic form as well. Both are recommended for 5 and up.

Technorati Tags: James Industries, kids toy, metal toys, Slinky, plastic toys

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When I thought about my own Tinkertoy Set, I remembered how much fun I had building really strange things. A friend and I would play with the Tinkertoys for hours. It never occurred to me that they would some day be play things for my own kids or even grandkids. You could make vehicles, buildings and all sorts of alien stuff although, at the time, I do not believe we thought of it as alien, just something from our imagination. And it was so much fun to have such toys for hours on end. Yet, it takes imagination. Sometimes, the kids toys today just do not allow for that imagination to get into play. It’s all there for you already.

These Tinkertoy sets include both wooden and plastic parts. They appear to be smallish. The manufacturer suggests these are for ages 3 and up but if you have a 3 year old that still puts a lot of things in his or her mouth, I would suggest holding off on buying this toy for them. An older brother or sister would benefit more from this Tinkertoy set than at that particular age. You can find these toys at Hasbro’s website.

Technorati Tags: Hasbro, Tinkertoy sets, building sets, kids toys, wooden building sets

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