Toy Fair 2014 – The Next Kid Thing

Demo and Review: The Happy’s from Cepia

April 6, 2014April 9, 2014 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Coincidentally, Pharrell’s song, “Happy,” has created an ongoing movement, but it’s these new toys from Cepia that’s making us move!

Happyslogo

The Happy’s are an adorable line of novelty plush that are motorized, so it’s as if these pets come to life and can play with you. By incorporating IR technology, The Happy’s can perform tricks, make crazy noises, will play with you or explore independently. If you guys watch a bunch of tv like us, you’ve likely seen their commercial already!

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At Toy Fair earlier this year, I had a chance to listen in on a demo from Cepia executives. We watched the pets perform tricks, chase their balls, scoot in cars, but the best is when they explore and snuggle up to unsuspecting toes. The dogs, which varied in colors, scooted along the hard wood floor, and chased the interactive treats and toys. According to the makers, tricks include follow me, chase a ball, pounce, chasing tail, beg, wiggle and dance. So, minus the batteries and neediness, it’s almost like have just the fun of a real dog!

My toddler and six year old had a great time chasing our puppy around the living room. Though, I found that the pup had a much better time navigating on the hardwood floor, rather than on the area rug. The toddler had a much harder time understanding the Happy Treat and how to play with The Happy’s, but he did love it when it chased him. My six year old, who fits in the target demo, loved the idea of The Happy’s but, quite frankly, wanted more from him. He would’ve liked to be able to train it or teach it some tricks. Nevertheless, he loves the idea of getting another few of The Happy’s and the cool skateboard and car!

Dog on skateboard2 copy

The cute plush, with its interactive features make The Happy’s a fun toy for young grade schoolers. What I really love is that its gender neutral and even encourages group play. The Happy’s, which are available now, would make a super cute alternative to candy for those Easter baskets!

4 pups on white

In addition to the original four of The Happy’s, these accessories and play sets are available now:

Chase and Play

Ride-on Accessories

Fashion Carrier and Scarf

Deluxe Bed & Blanket

Rockin’ Playground

Agility Training Set

Full disclosure: This is a sponsored post and I did receive samples to review the product. As always, all opinions on NKT are my own.

Quirky Toy Fair Finds

February 26, 2014 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

With every Toy Fair that I attend, I come away with a good idea of the direction that toy makers are going. In terms of toys, we’re getting more tech-enabled, yet we’re riding the throwback wave. I try to mentally catalog the cool new toys and how the kids will receive them. As the experts say, ultimately, it’s the kids who deem the cool factor of these shiny new toys and games.

BUT… that’s not to say that the Toy Fair showroom floor doesn’t have its crazy aspects. There are some crazy-cuckoo ideas and then there are some crazy-cool ideas, too. And then, there’s the quirky things that find their way home with me. And by quirky, of course I mean unique!

So, here’s a round up of a few things that I found quirky-cool.

Lady Gaga Brush Buddies

Ok, so, I love Gaga. I would go as far as saying that I secretly wish I could be one of her little Monsters. But alas, I’ll just continue to rock out to Paparazzi full blast while carting my kids around in the car. Or maybe, just maybe, I’ll rock out to “Born this Way” as I brush my teeth. What!

Brush Buddies features a replaceable brush head and two buttons to play two different songs. Each song plays for 2 minutes, which is the dentist-recommended time for brushing teeth. This Lady Gaga Brush plays Born this Way and, aptly, Teeth.

Rabbids

Who doesn’t need a collectible rabid, um, punk rock rabbit? Inspired by the hit video game-turned popular Nickelodeon show, Rabbids Invasion Toys embrace the quirkiness of these characters known for their wild antics.

This line, which is a part of McFarlane Toys, features a new lineup of crazy toys that include a sound blaster, action figures, plush and blind packs such as this. As you can imagine, each Rabbid is just as crazy as the next.

Lil Bub

Unbeknownst to me, Lil Bub is a full-blown internet sensation; as in, she has upwards to 357k followers on Instagram, 34K followers on Twitter and very own Wikipedia page—celebrity status. Lil Bub, who was born with several genetic mutations, has a short lower jaw and toothlessness which makes her tongue always hang out.

She also has osteoporosis and short legs, which is said to restrict her movement. She’s doing well thanks to her owner and therapy. Lil Bub’s story has been a heartwarming sensation; her owner has sold Lil Bub merchandise to benefit animal shelters.
Lil Bub will now have her very own plush to benefit even more great causes. My cat has made a friend with the plush Lil’ Bub.

Mad Lab from Fairy Dust

While walking the aisles of Toy Fair, I’m always on the hunt for something different, even if it’s totally gross. Fairy Dust, makers of girly bath gels, lip gloss, sugar scrubs and DIY bath product stations often found at little girl spas, made me stop in my tracks when I spotted their bowl of eyeballs and zombie heads. Amidst the pink and sparkly backdrop, with table after table of beautiful tubs of lotion and soap, in one corner sat a gross-looking selection of stuff that I knew my boy would LOVE.

I made my very own tub of bath gel with a green soap that pumped out like ooze, threw in a layer of sparkles, plus a few zombie heads, eyeballs and a finger for good measure. Oh, and the finger? It unscrews and is a bubblewand.

As crazy as it looks, it was an absolute hit with my zombie and gross stuff-loving dude. Bath time has never been more crazy.

Emoji Icons

Everyone loves Emojis, right? The fact that emoticons are now embedded into our vernacular says a lot about us. Emoji Icons extended everyone’s love for our digital expressions of emotion. They made Emojis into a bracelet that can be personalized and it features the fun little faces and even the quirky little poop icon. ha!

Rattlesnake Eggs

Now, this last one wasn’t a toy sample or anything. It was actually given to me in a trade show survival kit from one of my favorites, Prince Lionheart.

The kit was so memorable and functional; I ate the granola bar and used an Advil that was included in the kit. But the rattlesnake eggs, well, that knocked me off my socks! I got a kick out of it, for sure! If you’ve ever seen something like this before, I’m sure you know what I mean!

Prelude to Toy Fair 2014

February 16, 2014 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

It’s that time of year again when toy makers, idea generators, retailers, movers and shakers convene at Javits for the 111th International Toy Fair.

There’s so much to be excited about this year, but in specific, I’m gearing up to check out the latest and greatest in fun, smart toys. Toys that aren’t just mindless, but instead, toys that have substance, smarts, interactivity and are sustainable.

Before setting foot into Javits, I know we’ll see a lot of monster and zombie-inspired toys. This segment, we know, has been a major hit with kids of all ages. Zombies and monsters aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

I expect to see a lot of new Disney properties brought to life in toys. With Muppets Most Wanted out in the spring, Captain America in April and Marvel-Guardian of the Galaxy out in August, Disney will be out in full force at Toy Fair per usual.

Toys will be smart, as in app centric or have some sort of parallel online presence. In fact, Alicia Keys, co-creator of the interactive children’s app The Journals of Mama Mae & LeeLee, will help cut the ribbon at Toy Fair’s opening ceremony on Sunday, February 16 at 10 a.m. Singer/songwriter/producer, entrepreneur, humanitarian and app co-creator Alicia Keys, along with Jessica Walton, have teamed up with Bento Box Interactive to develop a series of storytelling app experiences for tablet and mobile devices under the The Journals of Mama Mae & LeeLee franchise. The apps engage children 4+ on an interactive journey through stories, journaling, games and original music scored by Keys instilling important values for the target audience.

Alicia keys talks journals mama mae leelee 527x285 Photo credit: Aliciakeysmedia.com

From babies to big kids, I hope to seek out toys that both parents and kids love. But most importantly, I hope to find toys that have a bigger meaning; whether it’s toy companies involved in charitable foundations or toys that reach kids of all abilities or toys that truly transcend gender.

Be sure to follow along at #TF14 or #TFNY, and of course @jenrab on both Twitter and Instagram.