First off I need
to apologize for my slacking off. I got through the reviews of the
first two Star Wars Black figures then never got the rest. The pics
are taken, I just never got to them. But I promise to be better.
Originally when Phantom Troublemaker asked about Christmas articles,
I had intended to do reviews of the 2013 Star Wars Christmas advent
calendar. That thing is crazy expensive ($39.99) so I was waiting
for it to go on sale as Target was choked with them last year. Of
coarse that means that this year it sold out and now is going for
stupid money on the internet. So onward and upward. Instead I
decided to look at the yearly top Christmas toys as presented by Toys
R Us. This year they made a list of 15 toys. I decided to go with
the Toys R Us list due to the fact it’s the first that comes up in
Google and the ones that most parents probably go to. So here they
are with a little commentary on each, thoughts about the whole list,
and what I think is missing.
Sofia
the First Royal Talking Vanity
I think every
little girl has some version of a pink and purple vanity to apply
make up. This one is Sofia the First the little Disney princess. If
you haven’t had to get one of these yet, they take up a lot of room
and the seat always falls apart. This one has six princess training
lessons and of coarse needs some amulet (sold separately) to activate
some more lessons. This is one of those toys that your kids will
love for first week, then sits in the corner until you sneak it out
to give to charity while they are visiting grandma’s.
Despicable
Me 2: Minion Dave
Its unclear
which toy Toys R Us is promoting here. In picture on the main site
it looks like its an action figure but when you click the link it
takes you to some plush toys. I though the first movie was great and
never saw the second but I do remember the toys clogging the shelves
for months. Also didn’t this movie come out the in summer? I
think this may be a case of Toys R Us promoting some over stock.
The
Ugglies
I had never
heard of these until I read this list but now I think my boys will be
getting them. The Ugglies are gross dog puppets that make farting
and burping sounds. What else could a little boy want? The only
thing I’m worried about is the part where if you leave it alone, it
starts to snore. Not looking forward to hearing that. Also they
come with adoption paper. Because that’s what kids are worried
about. Making sure they have legal rights for their decisions
involving their toys.
Doc
MCStuffins Deluxe Get Better Check-Up Center
Once again here
is a toy that will take up tons of room and probably not get used
much. However I really like that it’s a girl make believe toy that
doesn’t involve make up or cooking. I got nothing else on this
one.
Ever
After High Dolls
So when I first
saw these I thought the Monster High people must be pissed. Then I
do some serious research and found these are just a fairy tale spin
off from them. I have the same thoughts about these that I do about
the Monster High dolls……I dread when my girl becomes a “tween”
and it’s okay to dress like this.
LeapPad
Ultra
DO NOT BUY THIS.
I have seen this toy in so many kids houses and let me tell you what
happens to it. It sits there, abandoned. Kids love tablets its
true, but these have apps that are obviously made cheaper and kids
know. When my son was younger I got him whatever the equivalent to
the Nintendo DS was and you know what he played? My DS. Just spend
the extra money and get a kindle or an iPad. It will get actually
get used.
LEGO
Legends Of Chima: The Lion Chi Temple
LEGO is a big
deal at our house. We have tons of super hero and Star Wars sets.
All three kids watch Ninjago repeats but just aren’t into Chima.
Comparing the Chima merchandise to all the Ninjago stuff from a few
years ago, I think Chima hasn’t been the success that they hoped it
would be. Like all the big LEGO sets, I’m sure that this one is
impressive put together then you get to enjoy watching $100 dollar
set be torn down and spread around the carpet, never to be put
together again. If you are going to get a big set, I recommend
Arkham Asylum. It’s awesome and has a Damian Wayne mini-figure
(because lets be honest, those little figures are the real reason
kids want these sets).
Crazy
Cart
It’s a mini
go-cart that spins around and drifts. It’s $400. If this held my
weight we would be getting this for Christmas.
XBOX
One
Where to start
with this one? I have an Xbox One. I love it. There are currently
five games I can think of that are appropriate for kids out right now
(Lego Marvel, Just Dance, Angry Birds, SkyLanders and Kinect Sports).
Four of those you can get on system that you already have. My kids
love playing the XBOX but I don’t think it would be on any of their
lists - at least not until there are some big new games. Older kids
that can play the first person shooters would appreciate it, but
again those are all out on other systems. Plus let me tell you how
much fun it is to have children trying to use the voice controls at
the same time. For some reason this one just sticks out to me more
as one that the company paid a bunch of money to get it on the list.
I’m not sure why.
FurReal
Friends Cuddles My Giggly Monkey Pet
This is another
I had never seen or heard of but I stopped when I went to its page.
Look at that face. That will not be coming into my house.
Big
Hugs Elmo
Another
Christmas, another Elmo. Wait, is Elmo strangling that kid on the
box? So this Elmo has electronics that let it “hug” your neck.
That sounds safe.
Shimmer
n Sparkle Cra-Z-Loom Rubber Band Bracelet Maker
We have this
toy. You know what you make with it? A mess. HEY-OOOOO! If you
enjoy making friendship bracelets then this is the toy for you. And
by you, I mean you. No kid under 10 can do this by themselves so you
end up making a bracelet while your kid goes and plays on your iPad
instead of the LeapFrog thing you bought. This is another that
sneaks into the trash after bed time.
Tabeo
e2 8 Inch Kids Tablet
Another piece of
junk kids tablet. Seriously, Kindle Fire HD’s go on sale for $99
all the time. Just buy that. You are going to eventually anyway
when it breaks down or your kid refuses to play with it because it
doesn’t have Netflix.
Flutterbye
Flying Farie Dolls
Remember those
action figures when you were a kid that when you pulled the string
they flew up in air? This is like those only electric so you don’t
get your hand pinched when the rope pulls in. God did that hurt.
These are also great for shooting at your siblings.
SkyLanders
Swap Force
At work, there
is no toy I have heard about more that this. If you don’t know,
SkyLanders are little figures that you put on a base who then show up
in a video game. The new twist is that you can mix the parts on the
figure to get different powers in the game. I’ve played this game
a lot and I have to say it is really fun and even young kids can play
it. A warning though: To get all the figures you need to start from
scratch you are looking at spending least $250.
So those are the
top fifteen toys. A couple of big toys I noticed that were not on
there:
-Furby Boom -
All my kids want this thing. I’m still unsure what a Furby does
except apparently steal government secrets. My kids are getting
these and I am not looking forward to hearing them.
-My Little Pony
- This show and the merch are huge. They have even put out dolls
like Monster High called Equestrian Girls that are everywhere.
-BattleBorgs -
One of the boys is getting this for Christmas and I can’t wait.
They are like Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots controlled with Wii
controllers. They look super fun and I can’t find the individually
packed robots anywhere now.
Its interesting
to see what isn’t included on this list. For one, there are no
traditional action figures. Gone are the days where these list’s
were populated by He-Man, Star Wars, and GI Joe. There also aren’t
any superheroes. First the comics and the movies went to the adults.
Now with price of action figure’s prices going up and up it looks
like that’s where the toys are going too. In fact there isn’t a
big traditional “Boys” property on there at all. There also
doesn’t seem to be one big toy that is in short supply this year.
I’ve see all of these toys on shelves multiple times (except for
that monkey, I’m not looking for that), so it looks like we are
going to be denied a holiday season of parents out to kill over a
doll grown from a vegetable.
Now I’m going
to buy me one of those farting dogs.
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