New Toys
New Toys
Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Chair (for toddlers and infants, ages 0-2)
Reward curiosity and encourage experiential learning with three fun ways to play. Content updates automatically and includes songs, phrases, and sounds that match a child’s age and stage of growth.
Street Dogs Combines the Love of a Dog with the Fun of a Truck
When it comes to four-legged creatures, children can have as much fun with toy trucks as they can with dogs, both of which are great for pulling kids away from their devices for some fun, active playtime. Jakks Pacific has combined the fun of dogs and trucks together with Street Dogs, an adorable line of dogs on wheels.
Designed for kids ages 3 and up, Street Dogs are mechanized canines available in multiple styles, including Buster, Bumper, and Roxie. I spent some quality time with Bumper, who comes with a remote control bone and is pre-loaded with four AA batteries, just like his puppy pals.
Each dog can bark, chase its tail in circles, wiggle and wag, and take a nap just like a real dog. But, when it comes time to get moving, this dog will leave Fido in the dust. Street Dogs utter 50 fun sounds and phrases, and can perform 11 exciting tricks, giving kids an interactive experience.
Simply switch on the button right next to the tail to get started, and follow the illustrated manual to begin training your new best friend. Pulling Buster’s tongue engages him in a rousing game of tug-o-war, and kids can place him on his hindquarters to activate begging mode, making him instantly start whining. Once kids press the button on his bone, Buster will spin 360 degrees with his paws facing up, ready for a treat! A stroke on the back of his neck makes him calm again, and he’ll yap in approval. Get him back on all fours, press the remote control within a range of four feet, and walk ahead to take Bumper on a walk. Pressing the collar button can also activate five tricks including chase, race, and more.
As friendly as he is, Bumper is ready for some defense as well. Kids can activate the guard dog mode by placing Bumper 6 to 7 feet away from any object, then press and hold the collar button for three seconds and listen for the activation audio prompt. Now, any moving object within a two feet range will convert Bumper into a guard dog, causing him to move to-and-fro with excitement.
When left idle for 10 seconds or more, Bumper will produce pleading barks and sounds to engage kids to keep playing—and to remind parents that the battery is still on. If left idle for more than a minute he’ll go into battery saving mode, or just go off to sleep like a regular dog.
Street Dogs’ interactive features catch the attention of preschoolers easily, keeping them on their toes with an entertaining variety of tricks. And even though Bumper is all fun and games, kids will still learn a thing or two, including how to process instructions, the basics of animal training, and even some mild vocabulary lessons, since this dog has a lot to say.
Join the Frozen Buzz with Operation: Disney Frozen
Based on Frozen Fever, Operation: Disney Frozen, from Hasbro Gaming, follows the story that Elsa and Kristoff are determined to give Anna the best birthday party ever. However, a flurry of mini snowmen sweeps in and creates chaos, and they’re on point to run the whole party. In the game, kids have to collect the mini snowmen while avoid getting buzzed to help make Anna’s birthday party perfect.
Game set-up is super easy: Just pop out the little snowmen and place them in the matching spots on the game board. The game also requires two AA batteries that are not included, so make sure you have them on hand (and put them in the board before you put in the snowmen—my biggest mistake). Then place the tweezers where all players have access to them.
On each player’s turn, he or she selects a snowman, and uses the tweezers to remove it from the gameboard without touching the metal sides. True story: I have such anxiety about hearing that buzzer (as I did in the original Operation game in the past) that even just typing out the instructions makes me tense. I should probably see someone about that. Although, truth be told, I feel like the stakes in this Disney Frozen version are much lower. Sure, I’d love for Anna to have the perfect birthday party, but I also feel like that’s not as serious as trying to remove the “Spare Ribs” from that terrified-looking Operation man. Amiright?
ANYWAY, if you successfully remove a snowman from the game without setting off the buzzer, you get to keep it, and the player with the most snowmen at the end, wins. Hooray! It’s also great to play as a one-player solo game, letting you practice your skills and see how many tries it takes you to collect all of the mini snowmen on your own.
Like the original Operation, the gameplay takes a little bit of finesse, so the recommendation for kids ages 6 and up seems like the perfect fit. It can be a bit frustrating for younger kids who don’t quite have the dexterity, so cooperative play, rather than competitive play, might be a better way to start out for younger snowman surgeons.
The board of this Disney Frozen version features fan-favorite Olaf, and an adorable birthday party scene of mini snowmen wreaking havoc. This game provides the classic play pattern of Operation with new characters that kids love, which makes it a win-win for the whole family.
Play-Doh Crazy Cuts Is a Wacky Way to Become a Hair Stylist
Mothers enjoy styling their little one’s hair with crazy ribbons, high ponytails, plaits of different genres, spikes, fringes, and more. With thePlay-Doh Crazy Cuts play set, fromHasbro, children can earn their chance to become a hair stylist.
Just right for kids ages 3 and up, Play-Doh Crazy Cuts allows children to mold colorful clay into wacky hairstyles. The play set comes with the Play-Doh compound in six bright shades, two barber chairs, two styling molds, four cutting tools, and three character thimbles—a man, a woman, and a child—each ready for a haircut.
Dig out the colorful Play-Doh compound from the bucket and push it inside the character thimbles. You can use one color or mix as many as you like. Set up the barber’s chair so that its pedal allows its lever to go up or down with every rotation. Then place the character on the chair, so that the base of the thimble slides into the slot on the seat.
Now rotate the pedal to push the clay into the thimbles, allowing colorful noodles of hair to grow out of the character’s head. With every rotation, the hair will grow longer. Of course, stuffing the thimble with as much clay possible in the beginning allows for longer tresses.
Kids can use the plastic scissor to cut the hair down to any length they wish. They can also use the styling mold to set the hair in spikes or a cute bob. The styling molds fit onto the thimble’s head like a helmet, giving the messy hair a clean cut. However, hands can be the best available tools for kids, allowing them to shape a fringe, a handlebar mustache or a goatee with their nimble fingers.
The Play-Doh Crazy Cuts play set is a great way to inspire the artist within your child. The molding set, colors, and clay are similar to the tools a sculptor might use. Moreover, a tactile set like this one is a great way for 3 year olds to explore the world with their hands and learn elementary skills like counting on their fingers.
Play-Doh Crazy Cuts is also a unique introduction to fashion. Kids can now learn to style their own unique look through the crazy experiments they conduct with clay!