Tag: toys

NKT Fave: Chuggington Die-Cast Toys from Learning Curve

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Trains, trains and more trains. Thank goodness for trains and massive train tables! Toddlerhood possibly wouldn’t have been bearable without our trusty trains. I do believe I complained about the size of the giant train table the kid got for his birthday last year, but after endless hours of play, I’ll bite my tongue.  Good call, hubs!

During our summer of displacement, the kid constantly asked for his toys, but it was his trains and train table that he begged for on a daily basis.  And because of that, our trains and the bazillion pieces and accessories that go along with it will always be an NKT fave.

I love sharing the next big thing in kid products, and of course, toys! A few months ago, we shared the news that one of our favorite train shows, Chuggington, will be releasing toys here in the U.S.  Chuggington toys will be on the shelves in early October, in time for the holidays, but better yet, you can pre-order them now at Toysrus.com.

As a Chuggington Conductor, I’ve had the chance to get the latest Chuggington news as it breaks, so that I can share it with all of you.  This time around, we were able to get the new toys in our hands BEFORE they hit the shelves to be able to share a sneak peek with all of you.  In the spirit of the next kid thing, check out our video and review of the new Chuggington toys from Learning Curve.   Apologies for the shaky camera!

 

And because it’s my boy’s birthday next week, as promised, I want to give YOUR kids toys that my kid loves. Sooooo…

Giveaway

Want to win a Chuggington prize pack? The prize pack will include a Launch & Go Roundhouse, Straight & Curved Track Pack and a few Die-Cast Engines.  (Engines may vary from what is shown in my video.)

Comment below and tell me who your kids’ favorite Chuggington character is, and why.

The kid and I mutually love Koko because she’s feisty, strong-willed and fun.

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Sale alert: Hape Toys at Mini Social

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

I’ve pledged my affinity for a variety of sustainable toys, among them, of course, are the fun and educational toys from Hape.  Hape has a fantastic selection of toys that’s appropriate from babies to school-aged kids, but I personally covet their educational playsets and wooden puzzles.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of puzzles, today on The Mini Social, one of my favorite flash sale sites, is featuring Hape’s bendable Anamalz, Sporty E-racers and educational puzzles.  It looks like some of the toys are half off for a few days, making them great for stocking stuffers and Christmas gifts.  You do have to sign up, but the sales on The Mini Social are well worth it.

MoMA Adds Hoberman Sphere to its Collection

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Since I’m on the topic of innovative design, let’s talk about spheres, specifically, the Hoberman Sphere.

You probably know it as that colorful expanding and collapsing circular ball-like toy, but did you know that the Hoberman Sphere was originally a sculpture and the product version has been used as props for marching bands, devices for physical therapy, aids for breathing exercises, and to illustrate organizational and motivational business principles?

In fact, an original Hoberman Sphere was installed in 1992 (and re-installed in 2007) as the central exhibit in the Liberty Science Center’s atrium, which happens to be one of our favorite local museums.  Being greeted by the amazing 700-lb sphere at the LSC, is perhaps one of the kid’s most memorable aspects of the Jersey City facility.  I love that he associated this sphere with the LSC atrium, before he associated it with a toy.  Of course, now he just wants that giant sphere for his playroom!

 

 

photo credit: CateNJ

 

The Hoberman Sphere, which has been in production as a toy since 1995, is considered iconic for its product design.  Aptly, the Museum of Modern Art has added the Hoberman Sphere to its Action! Design Over Time collection.  According to MoMA, the exhibition investigates the dimension of time in human-made objects, products and interfaces, with the aim of providing a deeper understanding of contemporary design.

The Hoberman Sphere can be viewed at the MoMA, as well as the Liberty Science Museum, and of course, the toy version can be found at stores such as Target and Amazon.

The MoMA is located at 11 West 53rd St., NY, NY.

The Liberty Science Center is located at 222 Jersey City Blvd., Jersey City, NJ, and is just a short train ride away from NYC.

Cepia Unveils Next Zhu Zhu Pets: Kung Zhu

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Live from Toy Fair:  Here’s a sneak peek of Cepia’s next line of Zhu Zhu Pets: Kung Zhu. The ninja-themed Zhu Zhus are going to be marketed to boys, but after someone asked, “why not girls too?” the president of the company said they’ll address their focus.

The robotic hamsters, which were “it” toy for 2009 are hoping have another hit with these battling hamsters.  I will be sure to add more details later, but for now, here’s a glimpse at the new guys:

Go Big, Go Green at Toy Fair

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

So, it’s here!  For the past couple of days, I’ve been indulging in the excitement of Toy Fair, here in NY.  Because it’s an industry trade show, I’ve been busy working and meeting with various companies that reached out to me.

In case you haven’t already, be sure to join me on The Next Kid Thing Fan Page and twitter to see my updates throughout Toy Fair.

With thousands and thousands of exhibitors at Toy Fair, it’s obviously going to be difficult to cover every single company.  I will, however, try to do a roundup of products that are of interest, and perhaps, the next kid thing.

Yesterday, after my meetings, I spent the majority of my day walking the floor.  There are a lot of really great exhibitors, and of course, many new products that are being launched in conjunction with Toy Fair.  I made it a point to check out green and sustainable toys, and was quite pleased with the amount of products that have joined this category.

Some companies have been in the Green sector before “green” was its own category.  There are literally hundreds of fabulous toys, so for now, here are just a few of my findings.  (Please note, these photos are from my phone, but I’ll be sure to share much, much more tonight.)

 

 

 

 

Best of 2009: Baby Genius Toys

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

At any given moment when a good song comes on in our home, it’s likely we’re having a mini jam session with the kid on the guitar, dad on the keyboard and me often playing the drums. The 2 year old band leader who “distributes” the instruments accordingly, has the rocking out routine down to a science.

Because music is such a big part of our lives, I appreciate toys that encourage musical value and Baby Genius does just that.

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New year, new horizons

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Happy Monday and happy 2010, everyone. I hope you had a lovely holiday break and are recovering/transitioning ok! Our family enjoyed a very nice Christmas and quiet New Year; it was just the right amount of family time. After a hectic fall and holiday season, I took a much needed break from blogging and writing. Apologies for the lack of posts, but things will be back to normal this week.

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photo credit: Selva Ganapathy

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NKT Gift Glossary: great games

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Finally! I’m just now getting all caught up and posting my much delayed Holiday Gift Glossary! Over the next few days, I will be unveiling my favorite top picks for the NKT Holiday Gift Glossary. And oh yeah, I’ll be giving away a few goodies, too!

Today’s installment of the Holiday Gift Glossary is all about games! Check them out here or under the Gift Glossary tab above!
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Gift idea: Wooden Jewish Holiday Puzzles

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Undoubtedly, there’s a lot of excitement in the air for the holidays, but there’s another important celebration–the Celebration of Lights– that starts next week.

In 2009, Hanukkah begins at sundown on December 11th. For those that don’t know, according to the interwebs, Jews have given Hanukkah gelt to friends and family since the 17th century, but the custom of giving more elaborate gifts has only been around since the 19th century.

Gift-giving goes hand-in-hand with fabulous kid gifts, of course. One of my lovely Jewish friends mentioned this site, and I was hooked. They had me at Jonathan Adler!

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Over in the kid gift ideas, I spotted the Jewish Holiday Puzzles. Not only does it include a Hanukkah-themed puzzle, but this set includes Shabbat, Passover and Rosh Hashanah Puzzle as well. By Kid Kraft, the puzzles feature diverse shapes and comes with a puzzle rack for convenient storage. And thank goodness, all paints used are lead free and non-toxic.

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Wooden puzzles are definitely a favorite for us, and for many other families. The fact that four puzzles come in the Jewish Holiday Puzzles set, combined with its entertainment, educational and cultural value make these puzzles an ideal Hanukkah gift! These puzzles are in the $30 price point (not bad for 4 wooden puzzles!) and can be found on sites like Modern Tribe.

NKT Picks: Cyber Monday Deals

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

I hope everyone had a fun and festive Thanksgiving! And if you hit the sales on Friday, I hope you found some fantastic deals and made it home unscathed. My girlfriend and I are still reeling from the lack of sleep on Thursday night/Friday morning since we hit Toys R Us at midnight and pretty much kept going until 11am!

But for those of you who have saved your money (and sanity) for Cyber Monday, there are lots of great deals!  Most of these last until midnight, so be sure to check them out!  I’ll be sure to post more as I see them!

Here’s my quick roundup of Cyber Monday deals:

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Amazon video game deals
For the teen and tween set, undoubtedly, a few video games will make it to their gift list!  Need some ideas, or better yet, some great deals?  Be sure to head to Amazon today for some great Cyber Monday deals!

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LeapFrog

LeapFrog has a great lineup of Cyber Monday deals today, with select Tag Books and Leapster games as low as $5! I picked up a Leapster for my kid at the TRU Black Friday sale, so I will more than likely pick up a few more Leapster games for to add to the collection.  We’re huge LeapFrog fans!

·         25% to 75% off sitewide
·         Select Leapster games as low as $5
·         Select Tag Books as low as $5
·         Up to 75% off on our gift packs
·         Spend $50, get free shipping

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One of my personal favorite distributors is having some great Cyber Monday deals that start at noon and end at 9pm EST, including 30% off Anka High Chairs and 40% off Svan Scooters!  Be sure to go here for their complete list of Cyber Monday Deals.

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I cleaned up at Target on Black Friday, but it looks like they have a number of really great deals today, with the $500 off a Philips 47? 1080p 120Hz LCD TV catching my eye. You can check out their Cyber Monday deals here.  Here’s a great coupon for $7 off of $70 plus free shipping.

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Stride Rite

I’m a bit late on sharing this great info., but Stride Rite is having a ton of fan-only Cyber Monday giveaways…including a mystery grand prize worth $600 and more giveaways every hour!  Make sure you become a fan to score some great deals on their shoes, which includes great lines such as Robeez, Saucony, Keds and much more!

Gymboree
Online only & today only! Free shipping on any order & save 20% off. New line online now & in most stores 12/2. http://www.gymboree.com