Dave’s Cool Toys Blog

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!

OK Go has once again created a great creative music video. This one also includes creative animation, which is something I love, which you might know from the flipbooks and other items we carry at Dave’s Cool Toys.

Their new video uses 2,430 pieces of toast with animation burned onto each one. I’m not sure, but I think they re-used some.

Anyway, it’s wonderful and I hope they keep it up! Enjoy

Via Gizmodo

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.

Jakks Pacific Spa Factory Aromatherapy Fountain & Bath Benefits Kits

You buy an aromatherapy kit for your child.

You may be concerned about allergic reactions, or kids getting the substances in their eyes.

One thing that probably wouldn’t enter your mind would be the possibility that the jars might unexpectedly explode.

But that was the case with the Jakks Pacific Spa Factory Aromatherapy Fountain & Bath Benefits Kits.

This product was originally recalled in January, 2009. At that time there were 88 reports of exploding jars resulting in 13 injuries to children. Since that recall, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission has received 12 additional reports of exploding jars and 13 injuries.

The problem is that carbon dioxide can build up in the jars, causing the unvented lids to blow off, becoming a projectile. In addition, when water mixes with the bath fizzies it can create citric acid, which can burn eyes when the jars explode.

I found these kits available on Amazon . I would expect that the kits that are still for sale have new lids that won’t explode, but you never know, so if you purchase them you should inspect them immediately.

If you own this product you should immediately take all jars away from children and carefully unscrew the lids to prevent the buildup of pressure. Contact JAKKS Pacific at 877-875-2557 to receive free replacement jars with vent holes.

Sesame Street has pulled a segment from the show featuring Katy Perry after it appeared on YouTube and received comments from parents that were angry about the amount of cleavage she was showing.

Here is Sesame Street’s official statement on the video:

"Sesame Street has a long history of working with celebrities across all genres, including athletes, actors, musicians and artists. Sesame Street has always been written on two levels, for the child and adult. We use parodies and celebrity segments to interest adults in the show because we know that a child learns best when co-viewing with a parent or care-giver. We also value our viewer’s opinions and particularly those of parents. In light of the feedback we’ve received on the Katy Perry music video which was released on You Tube only, we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of Sesame Street, which is aimed at preschoolers. Katy Perry fans will still be able to view the video on You Tube."

Was it that bad? Decide for yourself. Below is the video (at least until they remove it from YouTube as well).

I love OK Go. Their videos are wonderful. They are somewhat of a throw-back to the time when MTV actually played music videos and artist made an effort with them. Here’s a new one for White Knuckes.

Dogs rule!

Today’s post has nothing to do with toys. It’s a "unique" video I came across today.

Enjoy.

An excellent video of soap bubbles by Sterling Johnson on Stinson Beach. That’s all.

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 Dream Home

The next time you rent a Bouncy Castle for your kids party, you may be getting something a little extra… lead poisoning.

OK That’s a bit extreme.

The New York Times reports that the California Attorney General has filed a lawsuit that claims that some, if not all, of the rented inflatable houses, castles, and amusements contain unsafe levels of lead in the vinyl they are made from.

An investigation by the Center for Environmental Health, in Oakland, tested several dozen houses and found that they contained between 5,000 and 29,000 parts per million of lead. Those measurements are way above the federal limit of 90 to 300 parts per million.

Robert Field, a defendant in the suit, and senior vice president of Cutting Edge Creations argues that the suit could put thousands of small-business owners that rent the inflatable fun-houses out of business, hurting California’s economy.

OK. His argument is "let us continue to rent party toys that have thousands of times the legal limit of a harmful substance because the economy is bad and you should ignore the problem for financial reasons".

The suit and investigation did not include Bouncy Castles sold to consumers. These should fall under the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and require testing prior to being sold. I only found one recall which was for a problem with the fan housing breaking and one alert in which children were bouncing out of a Playskool Moon Bouncer due to overinflation.

What is a parent to do if you want to rent a Bouncy Castle? One spokesman for the Center for Environmental Health recommends that parents should have wet-wipes available and children should wipe their exposed body parts (hands, feet, face) after bouncing to reduce the risk.

Haven’t you ever wondered what The Chimpmunks really sound like? Here’s the The Chipmunk Song, Christmas Don’t Be Late, slowed down to hear their actual voices.

The song isn’t really slowed down, rather pitch shifted. Althought when they made the original, they recorded the voices at half speed, and, when played back at full speed, their voices would be higher. I would guess they needed to also speak and sing more slowly when they recorded it. But by electronically shifting the pitch in this video, the song stays the same length.

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).

Jedi toy painting

Artist Robert Burden has created a wonderful work of art entitled "The Birth of a Jedi". It’s oil on canvas, and stands 10 feet x 7feet.

If you’re wondering how this fits in to a blog about toys you will understand towards the end of the video for the closeups

Of course if you’re wondering that, you probably haven’t visited my blog before (I go off-topic a lot).

The painting covers events in Return of the Jedi when Luke is rescued by Han and must be kept warm in the belly of the TaunTaun. Although I remember them being white, or gray.

Scroll down for a time-lapse of the 7 months it took to paint.

via Gizmodo

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

A few weeks ago I posted about “Poop Up Pool” and wondered in the post whether it was a real photo or a photoshop fake.

Yesterday I got a message from a Krissi in Sweden that she’d seen this product, live and in-person in her local store. She took a photo with her cell phone and it’s posted below.

Here is what she said about it:

“This is from a Coop store, one of the major grocery chains in Sweden. It looks like the source from the first photo in your blog post was also at a Swedish Coop, since the price tag is the same. This isn’t the first time that poorly proofread Chinese import products have been on the shelves here…definitely the biggest howler though.

I tried to find this product on Amazon again and the only product that came up was “Dirty Jobs Season 4“. This says a lot about the show.

	Poop Up Pool Confirmed!