Archive for June, 2010

A Post-It Mario in the Real World


I came across this excellent video today. In the same category as the "Pixels" video we posted recently, it is a video game come to life in the real world featuring Mario.

I found the original site (I think) that this was posted and got a very poor translation from the Japanese description.

The best I could determine was that it was posted on June 8, 2010. The video was made with Post-It Notes (or generic versions) for some sort of festival. It took 2 weeks to make in an empty school and cost about 5,000 Yen (about $55.00 US).

Cool Toy of the Day: You!

toy story 3 toy creator
Dave as a toy

Have you ever wondered what you would look like if you were in Toy Story? I know you did. Well, now you can find out.

Head on over to the Toy Story 3 Toy Creator. It’s a very cool online application that lets you choose from many variables (not too many, though) such as skin color, hair, facial features, clothes, etc. to create yourself as a toy.

When you are done, you can save your creation in various formats such as a full size cut-our, iPhone image, IM icon, or a wallpaper. Check out my picture below posing with Buzz and Woody.

The application is also very fast and yet uses a great industrial interface for changing features.

And there’s one other great feature using what’s known as Augmented Reality. Once you are done with your toy, customize and print your toy box, print it out, and use a webcam to hold your toy box in your own hands… virtually. Very cool, although I had some trouble with this feature. And I expected to be holding my toy, but instead it was the box. Odd.

toy story 3
Dave and friends

Dave’s Cool Toys site down in spots for updates

Dave's Cool Toys Logo

Dave’s Cool Toys site has been down and the shopping cart is still offline at this time. There are also some little glitches in some spots and our email was down for a while.

As we mentioned in a previous post, we are in the process of moving our site to a new server and updating the shopping cart software to allow us to improve it in the near future. We expect to have things back up and running shortly.

Watch for better product layouts and more features on our shopping cart in the near future!

Cool Toy of the Day: Silly Bandz

silly bandz
Silly Bandz

After yesterday’s post about the most expensive toys on Amazon, I started wondering what the most popular toys on Amazon were.

The single most popular toy on Amazon at this time is Silly Bandz. Specifically, Silly Bandz Fun Shapes 24 Pack. Silly Bandz and similar items have become extremely popular everywhere in the last few months and is certainly the hottest toy this summer. Originally just rubber bands, kids have started wearing them as bracelets, giving them away, and trading them. We recently had a family trip to the beach in New Jersey and the boardwalk was full of crane games with Silly Bandz as the prize. Apparently they are so popular that they are causing a distraction in some schools, causing them to be banned. This is a sure sign that kids will want them. Titus Elementary School in Warrington, PA had a novel idea. They banned Silly Bandz, but if students or parents donated $1.00 to a Haitian relief fund, they could wear a few Silly Bandz, and if they donated $5.00 they could wear as many as they want. The school raised $1,700 in less than a week.

There are even entire websites and blogs dedicated to Silly Bandz

The most sought-after Silly Band is reportedly the Phoenix
, with the dollar sign in second place. The top ten (from most- to less-popular) is:

  1. Phoenix
    silly bandz phoenix
    Silly Bandz Phoenix
  2. Dollar Sign
  3. Dragon
  4. Gecko
  5. Baseball
  6. Tree Frog
  7. Rock Handz
  8. Gorilla
  9. Longhorn
  10. Bronco

They are made from Silicone, so there is not a latex allergy issue with them. And they are relatively inexpensive at about $5.00 a pack. You just may want to check with your child’s school before letting them take them along.

What’s the Most Expensive Toy on Amazon?

Jet Service Vehicle from Playmobil

Out of curiosity, and a comment from a friend, I went looking on Amazon for the highest priced toys. What I found stunned me.

The highest priced toy I was able to find on Amazon was the Playmobil Jet Service Vehicle, priced at $100,000,000.00. That’s One Hundred Million Dollars (if I’m reading it right)!

Oh. Plus $5.99 shipping.

So what is the deal with this toy? Is it really selling for this much? I don’t know. I would have to guess it’s a typo or a publicity ploy or something. Or maybe they used the wrong photo and it’s an actual Jet Service Vehicle.

I found the same item on eBay for $13.00, so it doesn’t seem like it’s worth that much. I also found it new for $18.19.

Stephensons Brothers Rocking Horse

The next lowest toy price on Amazon was the 123 Soft Activity Book by Kaloo priced at $39,099.00. I suspect this was supposed to be $39.99.

The first legitimate item I found with a high price on Amazon was an outdoor modular play set for $21,295.00. It’s a lot of money, but it seems at least appropriate for the item.

The first item with the highest price, that’s an indoor toy, and seems legitimate, was the Stevenson Brothers’ Limited Edition Rocking Horse for $7,600.00. Each horse if custom built to customers’ specifications. This limited edition horse is made to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen of England’s Golden Jubilee.

Dave’s Cool Toys Blog
We post news about new toys on our site, new toys in the market, general toy information, or stuff we just thought was cool (usually toys).

We welcome your feedback and comments.

Be sure to check out our toys at Dave's Cool Toys. We work hard to find toys you won't find at the big box stores. Now go out and play!

Dave Ference

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A few things we thought you should know:

Some of the links on our weblog will not take you to Dave's Cool Toys, but to other sites. If you purchase an item from that site we may, or may not, receive a commission on that purchase.

All toy reviews are honest and will give you the good, the bad, and the ugly, even if it's a toy we sell. We receive no compensation for any toy reviews.

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We've done our best to make sure that information on our weblog is accurate. Some items may be rumors, gossip, or hearsay. We will do our best to make it clear when it is, and will correct anything we find to be wrong.

Thanks!