Dave’s Cool Toys Blog

Archive for the ‘Cool Toy of the Day’ Category

A very expensive crafty Christmas

It’s the last shopping day of the holiday season. So I got to wondering what the most expensive toy on Amazon might be.

So I did a quick search and my results were the award-winning Crafty Christmas costing $726,098.00!

Wow!

What could possibly make Crafty Christmas that expensive?

A quick look at the description made it clear. The kit includes "holiday stickers, buttons, felt, sequins, sticky gems and more". That stuff doesn’t come cheap!

Crafty Christmas isn’t technically sold by Amazon. Clicking the link actually takes you off-site to the actual reseller. On their site the price is a slightly more modest $29.98, leading me to believe that the price on Amazon is a mistake. (You think?)

So I continued on to try to find the most expensive legitimate toy. The next most expensive was a Modular Playground costing $50,441.40. That price certainly makes a bit more sense, although I wonder what made them add the 40 cents to the price. But it’s not quite a toy.

Next I found the "Estes Apollo Saturn Flying Scale Model" for $14,986.75. Hmmm. I don’t think that’s an accurate price. There was no description, but I found it elsewhere on Amazon for about $70. My search continues.

What I found next is amazing.

The Stunning Hansa Grand Dragon Could be Yours

It’s the Hansa Grand Dragon. The price is $12,499.95. And I think that one is legitimate.

The Hansa Grand Dragon is a full-scale plush animal. It’s 116" long (over 10 feet) 40" wide and 98" high. Hansa plush animals are hand-sewn inside-out resulting in minimization of seams. Their bodies are "sculpted" so you get the impression of underlying musculature. Some of their creations have as many as 240 different parts. Stuffing is done by hand and carefully placed. Since they are not machine made, each one is unique, with slight variations. The Grand Dragon is a special order. Oddly, Amazon charges $8.95 shipping.

Hansa makes more reasonably priced plush and they do look absolutely realistic. Prices are in the more reasonable $10-$50 range. I absolutely love the Plush Elephant Mouse costing just $14.00. And if you’d like to see an amazing example of their quality, check out the Beige Hen, costing $49.75. It’s absolutely worth the price.

I was doing some last-minute Christmas shopping today at the King of Prussia Mall. There was a store there selling Robohorses.

What is a Robohorse? Imagine a rocking horse that doesn’t stay in one place, but runs around like a real horse. They’re actually pretty cool. Although I don’t know a lot of people that have enough room in their house to ride a robotic horse around it.

The prices weren’t really to bad. They ran up to about $250.00.

Check out my video from today below.

Piggyback Bandz

Unless you were hiding under a rock, you probably know that one of the big toy fads lately were Silly Bandz.

First I want to say that when I first saw Silly Bandz, I had a "why didn’t I think of that" moment. Then I had a "why didn’t anyone else think of that before" moment.

Now I’m having a "why didn’t the company that makes Silly Bandz think of this" moment.

The toy that made me think that is Piggyback Bandz. They took the shaped rubber band one step further and added an extra little band to the edge. When you wear them, the little extra shape sticks up in 3D on your wrist.

	Football Piggyback Bandz

Aside from the usual shapes, they also have letters. The letters are great because you can combine bands and spell words and short phrases with them on your wrist.

Piggyback Bandz come in eight themes at this time: Glam, Football, Groovy, Sealife, Alphabet, Cool Rides, Safari and Extra Letters.

The only place I’ve found them for sale is on their own website.

Here’s a quick promotional video of them. It’s not a very good video. But it shows the concept.

Barbie’s Fashion Fairytale Palace

If you’re looking for a great deal on a last-minute Christmas gift for a little girl, head on over to Amazon where they currently have an amazing sale on the Barbie Fashion Fairytale Palace. Regularly priced at $114.99 it’s currently on sale for only $34.99.

It’s inspired by the new animated Barbie movie "Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale" so little girls can act out their favorite scenes from the movie.

Features include pink carpet, a VIP drawbridge, movable dance floor elevator, vanity area, and transforming bed to wardrobe (apparently space is limited in fairy castles).

Since it’s over $25.00 you also qualify for Super Saver Shipping. It will be delivered in 5-8 business days for free.

via coolest-toys.com

Edison Talking Doll with mechanism

As Christmas draws near and we’re all shopping for the newest electronic devices, I thought we’d step back a few years to one of the earliest technology-driven toys.

In 1890 Thomas Edison began selling the very first talking doll. It was quite a technological achievement at the time. Aside from being the first of a long line of talking toys, it was also the very first phonograph marketed for home entertainment with a pre-recorded cylinder.

The Edison Talking Doll stood 22 inches high and weighed four pounds. It was constructed with a metal body and articulated wooden arms and legs. There were two versions of bisque heads, one from Simon & Halbig and one from Bahr & Proschild. The price was $10 with a simple chemise, or $20-25 with full dress.

The dolls came with a mechanism inside that would play a short nursery rhyme when the handle was turned. There were 12 available titles such as Little Jack Horner or Mary Had a Little Lamb and the disks were not interchangeable. There was no motor mechanism, so children were expected to crank the motor at a steady rate in order to hear the recording properly.

The very first doll was sent to the Emperor of Germany and a few others were sent to various other important people. They first went on sale at the Lenox Lyceum in New York on April 7, 1890. The price of the doll was fairly steep at the time, equal to about two weeks salary for the average person. Apparently it got a lot of attention in the press. The Oroville Mercury stated "Toydom will be revolutionized". They may have been right about that, but they were not accurate on the success of the Edison Talking Doll.

	Edison Talking Doll cylinder reproduction

Unfortunately the dolls were only marketed for a few weeks. Although they had shipped 2,500 dolls, only about 500 were ever sold, and many of those were returned by unhappy customers. Production ended the beginning of May, 1890 and the dolls were withdrawn from the market.

There were many problems with the dolls. The biggest being that the recordings were not terribly good. There was no way to mass-produce the cylinders, so each one had to be recorded individually in wax on the disk. Edison himself commented that “the voices of the little monsters were exceedingly unpleasant to hear.” You can hear them yourself at this website.

Because the disks were recorded in wax, they soon wore out. The disks were also not stable and eventually cracked. For this reason, there are none of the originals available today.

Recording the dolls voice

There were also legal problems that may have led to the end of production. Edison had an arrangement with Bell for the wax recording method used in the dolls, but it only applied to dictating machines. He apparently decided to stretch that agreement to cover the dolls, but Bell did not agree and apparently took legal action, possibly stopping the sale of the dolls.

All the returned dolls, along with all the remaining stock had their phonographs removed and were then sold off cheaply. For this reason, most dolls that survive today have no mechanism, or are fitted with a reproduction mechanism. Reproduction disks are also available which incorporate wire mesh in them to eliminate the cracking problem. They sell for about $100.00.

There were other legal problems as well. William W. Jacques actually developed the first prototype for the doll based on Edison’s original tinfoil recording method. Jacques and his partner Lowell Briggs licensed the Edison name and began the Edison Phonography Toy Manufacturing Company in order to produce the dolls. However, Edison soon took over the company even before the dolls were manufactured and demoted the founder, which led to years of lawsuits.

Obviously, for all their faults, it was a milestone in the toy industry. Talking dolls became a standard item and are certainly still popular in various levels of complexity today. A quick search on Amazon for "talking doll" returned 1,650 results. One curious search result is a CD from L. Gonze titled "Ghost Solos" which features the Edison Talking Doll recording of Little Jack Horner".

Continue below for some additional photos!

	Closeup of the talking mechanism

	Edison’s Talking Doll unclothed

	Engraving showing operation

	I talk!

	This ad shows the list of verses available.

Sound of Music Singing Goat

I came across this video this morning (see below) on YouTube. Yes, it’s an animated plush goat singing the Goat-herder song from The Sound of Music.

First, I have a confession to make. Every time I see The Sound of Music
on TV, I have to watch the Goatherder song. Dorky, yes.

Although some of the videos I found on YouTube of this goat claim it’s rare, I did find it on Amazon.

What I can’t determine for sure is whether it’s Julie Andrews singing the tune. It certainly sounds like her. The song in the movie includes the children singing (trust me), so it’s not from the soundtrack.

The other thing that struck me about this video is the editing. Someone went to some trouble. Enjoy!

View-Master my3D

This is awesome!

Hasboro has reinvented the View-Master.

OK, at first that sounds like a really bad idea, and maybe it is. We’ll see. They’ve tried to update the View-Master before and I thought it sucked. One example is the Talking View-Master. I used to like to listen to the Jurassic Park Lost World one just because it sounded so bad. I liked the slide that said "Mommy is angry". I’m easily amused.

The View-Master is obviously a classic toy. The basic version has remained unchanged for many years. I have View-Master reels that belonged to my father when he was a child and they work with current viewers. Classic.

But this sounds great. At least to me. It’s the View-Master my3D. It’s basically 3D lenses in a device that will hold an iPhone or iPod Touch at the other end. In it’s most basic form it will view 3D images just like the original View-Master. But with both free and paid apps, it could be much, much more. For example, with the motion sensing capabilities of the iPhone, 3D images can move around as you move your head, so you can be looking around at an entire 3D environment. There will certainly also be 3D movies, trailers, etc. And there will also be 3D games. This could be great.

The View-Master my3D will be available in Spring at a price of about $30.00. Presumable, it will include at least one app. Of course, it will also require and iPhone or iPod touch. I will be looking for it at Toy Fair in February. Check back.

Peepee Teepee in action. Well, waiting for action.

This past weekend we visited Gift Fair in New York City. Had a great day wandering around and visiting vendors.

One of the oddest things we saw was the Peepee Teepee. It’s a little cloth teepee that you put over a baby boy’s penis during changing to avoid those dreaded urine fountains.

As far as I can tell, the Peepee Teepee doesn’t adhere in any way, so I don’t really see how it could possibly stay in place during a diaper change. And, as one reviewer on Amazon pointed out, one good stream of urine would knock it right off. Now you have urine spraying and flying, wet Teepees too.

They come in a set of five in a little laundry bag. They’re made of cotton and are machine washable. You can also get different patterns such as Camouflage.

My guess, not too practical, but would make a talked-about gift at a shower.

Peepee Teepee, set of five, washable. Selling for about $10.00 on Amazon.

My friend, Rich, sent me a link to this video of a Wooden steam engine model. It is clever, useless, fun, and beautiful. What every toy should be! The engine is powered by a vacuum cleaner and runs quite fast.

The creator has posted a website with detailed information on how he built the engine and plans available to purchase ($10.00).

Have you ever wondered what you might look like as a Bobblehead? Unless you are a famous sports figure or celebrity you might never know.

Until now.

Personalized Bobbleheads

Yes, now you can have your very own likeness as a Bobblehead. The price is steep… at around $80.00-$120.00 depending on your choice. The head is fully customized from a photo you supply and you choose from 190 body types which includes variations for many occasions. Some body choices are female doctor, bodybuilder, TV reporter, cheerleader, lawyer, etc. There’s even a "Man on Toilet" Bobblehead.

Of course Personalized Bobbleheads are a perfect gift for a graduation, wedding, or many other special events. They can even be used as cake toppers.

The heads are hand-sculpted in poly-clay to your likeness. There are also couple versions and versions with accessories, such as riding a motorcycle (these cost more).

There are various competing companies making Personalized Bobbleheads. Most work basically the same way. You send in a quality photo that complies with their guidelines, choose a body to go with it and in some cases select hair choices. It takes anywhere from 3-6 weeks for your Bobblehead, so plan ahead (pun intended). Your finished Bobblehead will be about 6-8 inches from most suppliers.

As you can see from the photos, Personalized Bobbleheads are caricatures. Some suppliers don’t allow returns.

	Some Personalized Bobblehead Real-Life Examples

Toy Story 3 Silly Bandz Version 2

I posted before about the Toy Story 3 Silly Bandz and complained that they didn’t include the new toys from the movie.

Well, I stand corrected (sort of). There are 2 new versions of the Toy Story 3 Bandz and one of them includes the new characters.

Version 2 once again seems to be characters we’ve already seen in previous movies including the Alien, Piggy, Potato Head, Rex, and Buster (or is that Slinky Dog?)

Version 3 includes Lotso and the crew of bad guys from Toy Story 3.

Both versions are selling on Amazon for about $6.00

Toy Story 3 Silly Bandz Version 3

Banzai Falls Original Water Slide

I’ve blogged previously about the Banzai Waterpark and their deceptive advertising.

Today I came across some reviews of the Banzai Falls Original Water Slide.

First of all, let me say that the manufacturer’s images seem to me to be deceptive. I will let you decide, though. Check out their images and those of customers posted here.

It seems like this category of toys is notorious for at least somewhat deceptive photos of their products.

Customer reviews on Amazon and elsewhere bring up another problem with the slide… durability. Some customers had seams ripping out almost immediately, others found that by the second summer, the liner had crumbled and it would no longer hold air. One customer got about 2 hours of use out of the slide before it was shot. Reports include the water hose popping open at the seam, seams coming undone, footholds ripping around the edges,

	A more accurate photo of Banzai Water Slide

One customer pointed out that the splash-down pool at the bottom of the slide was far too short and that the kids keeps hitting the edge, sometimes going over it.

The slide carries a 200 lb. weight limit. Users must be careful that this limit is not per child, but overall, so that kids must climb and slide entirely one at a time to avoid going over the limit on the inflatable hilltop.

Reviews almost always said that it was a great item that the kids loved while it lasted. Even though it may not be quite as big as implied by their product shot, it certainly looks fun. But you would have to be prepared for the fact that it may only last a few days or weeks. One summer at the most.

Banzai Falls Original Water Slide lists for $379.00. Oddly enough, between the time I began writing this review and the time I posted it, Amazon no longer had this item available. It wasn’t sold-out, just gone along with all the bad reviews.

Two more user images of the slide

Just ran across this terribly disturbing video. After a little research I discovered the little creepy thing is called the Magic Monster. If you find that you really need more information on this strange contraption, check out this website for lots more information on it than I’m prepared to post here (lots of pictures).

I must have one!

Dastan

Today’s cool toy is the Lego Barechested Dastan Prince of Persia Minifugure.

I have not seen The Prince of Persia movie. But this minifigure character is Dastan, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. The princes in the Prince of Persia video game world did not have names, known only as "Prince".

	Skeleton Minifig

The Dastan Minifigure is a great likeness of the character. He even comes with two swords! Although at $10.00 he is a little pricey (and this is apparently a reduced price). By comparison the same character with his shirt on is selling for $5.00 and Hassansin
is only 49 cents.

Another great Minifigure from the movie is the Skeleton. I love him and he’s only 25 cents.

The Dastan Minifigure is very cool and is a great example of the incredible variety of characters created by Lego. These little "action figures" are only about 1.5 inches tall, and yet the designers have managed to capture incredible unique traits in them.

Early Lego characters had no moving arms or legs and no facial features. Their character was mostly defined by the hat they wore. They certainly have come a long way since their release in 1974.

There is also a large community of Minifigure enthusiasts that not only collect the little guys, but modify them through the use of painting, decals, mixing and matching pieces, or even remolding them. For the collector, you can even buy Minifig Stand (in various colors) for displaying your favorite characters.

One of my favorite items is a poster of the anatomy of a Lego Minifigure.

Toy Story 3 Silly Bandz

I recently posted about the most popular toy on Amazon, Silly Bandz. Today’s Cool Toy is Toy Story 3 Silly Bandz . Yes, you too can wear your favorite Toy Story 3 characters on your wrist. Although, I have to say there don’t seem to be any new characters from the 3rd movie in this set. They don’t even include Lotso. Oh well, they’re still cool.

Apparently these are actually called "Logo Bandz" rather than "Silly Bandz". Although the package calls them "Character Bandz"

Toy Story 3 Silly Bandz, $6.94 on Amazon, 20 bands per pack, 5 different character shapes, in 4 different colors. Officially licensed by Disney.