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ASTRA Best Toys For 2009

December 9th, 2009

ASTRA - The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association’s mission is leading the way through play by providing quality products that help children have fun, achieve success and lead happy, healthy lives. Toys that get you back to the basics. Toys that teach children to imagine and play, not sit behind a video game or in front of a TV for hours.

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) was founded in 1992 on a simple premise: to bring members of the independent toy industry together to help each other succeed. Since then, they have grown to be the largest association for companies in the toy and children’s products arenas, with more than 1,000 members, including:

• Independent toy retailers

• Specialty toy manufacturers

• Manufacturers’ representatives

• Industry affiliates

• Suppliers and service providers

• Other children’s businesses including furniture, equipment, publishing and entertainment companies

This year ASTRA has put together a list… The Best Toys for Kids: 2009 which was released by the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) just in time for Christmas! It contains toys for good, old-fashioned, make-it-up-yourself, belly-laughing play that’s great for kids. It’s a great reason to pass by the hordes of anxious, exhausted shoppers at the usual big box stores and try a new way of more relaxed, productive shopping for toys that are actually healthy for your kids. Shopping in specialty stores locally which you can find here on ASTRA’s store finder!

This year’s winners are:

Infant Play (0 - 12 months)

* Sophie Giraffe by Calisson In
* Natural Skwish by Manhattan

Toddler Play (1 - 3 years)

* Twilight Ladybug by Cloud B
* Wee Wedgits by ImagAbility

Pretend Play - Role Play

* Tea Set from Recycled Milk jugs by Green Toys
* Shopping Cart by Melissa & Doug

Pretend Play - Fantasy Play

* Reversible Knight/Dragon Cape and Reversible Knight/Dragon Hood by Creative Education of Canada
* Egyptian Pyramid by Playmobil

Constructive Play

* Automoblox Vehicles by Manhattan Toy
* Magformers Multicolored 30pc Magnetic Building Set

Creative Arts Play

* Create Your Own Pop-up Books by Faber-Castell Creativity for Kids
* Sticky Mosaic Twinkle Tiaras by The Orb Factory

Scientific Play

* Snap Circuits Green by Elenco
* Power House Green by Thames & Kosmos

Active Play

* Ezy Roller by Ezy Roller
* Original Djubi by PAV/Moonracer

Game Play (3 - 7 years)

* Chickyboom by Blue Orange

Game Play (8+ years)

* Bananagrams by Bananagrams

Just For Fun

* Mini collectable Eraser by BC Office

Classic Play (Older)

* Doinkit Darts by Marky Sparky

Classic Play (Younger)

* Magnatiles by Valtech

SO, this holiday season check out these great products and more by visiting your local ASTRA retailer.

I was provided with sample products by ASTRA to facilitate this review. I was in no other way compensated and all opinions are those of my own.

Feel The Fury!

November 24th, 2009

I think all kids love to play tag. Nerf by Hasbro has taken the game of tag to new levels with their Dart Rag line and you can now Feel the Fury when you grab a Nerf Dart Tag Fury Fire set for your kids.And did you know that there are Nerf Dart Tag Leagues? Did you know that there was a National Championship Game for Nerf Dart Tag? Yes, there really is! The winners received $25, 000. You can check out more about that HERE, right now I want to tell you more about the Dart Tag Fury Fire set, because I can tell you…it is so much fun! Remember, we live in the middle of nowhere, we have woods. Those woods give us a great place to play and we have had more fun with the Nerf Dart Tag. I need to work on my aiming skills a little. Tate says I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. Anyway….

Don’t let the action stop-keep up your hail fire of awesome blasting excitement with 10-dart pump action blasters! Choose the green or orange blaster, put on your UVA and UVB ray-protecting VISION GEAR glasses and start blasting away to hit the target zones on your opponent’s vest and score points. Plus, with each blaster’s auto-advance barrel, there’s no pause in the game and no stopping the excitement!

2-Player set includes 2 FURYFIRE blasters, 20 DART TAG darts, 2 scoring vest, 2 sets of VISION GEAR eyewear and instructions for 6 official DART TAG games.

Fury Fire Dart Tag is rated for Ages 8 and up.

Play safe. Always know your play environment. If the conditions are severe, please exercise caution.

CAUTION: Do not look directly at the sun. This is not a protective device.

CAUTION — Do NOT at aim at eyes or face.

To Avoid Injury: Use only darts designed for this product. Do not modify darts or dart blasters. Always wear Vision Gear provided.

The set comes with everything needed for play.

The “guns” are bright green and orange…one color for each side. Each one holds 10 darts for continuous action.

And thank goodness refill packs are available because AHEM, someone has lost a few. We won’t mention any names or anything to protect anyone who may or may not be innocent.

Hasbro provided me with a sample product for review and testing purposes. I was in no other way compensated for this post. All opinions are those of my own and please remember that individual results may vary.

Chuck E Cheese and ICEE Slushy Maker

November 20th, 2009

Kids everywhere will LOVE the Chuck E Cheese Pizza Maker and the ICEE Slushy Maker by Think Wow Toys this Christmas.

Chuck E Cheese has been known for years as THE place to go for parties and pizza, now you can bring the fun home with the Chuck E Cheese Pizza Maker Play Set. The set comes with ingredients to make 4 pizzas in your microwave and the play set is used for storage of all the supplies. Refill kits can be purchased as well. Suggested retail price of the Playset is $19.99 and can be found at Think WoW Toys along with all of their other products.

I have loved ICEE’s for as long as I can remember and that tradition has carried over to my kids. We love to stop and grab an ICEE when we are out and about town and now we can have one at home. The ICEE slushy maker makes delicious slushies in under 5 minutes and is so easy to use. You just Prepare, Mix, Shake and Enjoy. The starter kit comes with the maker and packages to make 3 slushies and retails for $9.99. Refill kits are available.

So check out Think Wow Toys for some of your gift giving needs this Christmas.

Think Wow Toys provided product for this this post. All opinions are those of my own.

The Marvelous Toy (GIVEAWAY)

November 19th, 2009

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED !!!

You can however visit The Marvelous Toy for ordering information and you can always check out some of the other great giveaways going on here at The Post-It Place.

If you are looking for a very special gift to give a child in your life the Christmas…Here it is!

It went zip! when it moved

And bop! when it stopped

And Whirr! when it stood still.

It was The Marvelous Toy!

For nearly half a century, “The Marvelous Toy”-composed by the legendary singer/songwriter Tom Paxton-has enchanted children and adults alike. A simple tale about a mysterious, magical, and mystical toy that a father gives to his son-and that eventually gets passed down to the next generation celebrates a child’s sense of wonder. The witty, evocative lyrics spark the imagination. No surprise, then, that the song has been recorded by countless major artists, from Peter, Paul, and Mary to the Chad Mitchell Trio to John Denver, and won legions of fans through the years.

Paxton’s marvelous song has finally become a stunning picture book-oversized, wonderfully packaged, and complete with a CD offering three songs sung by Tom himself plus a music-only version of “The Marvelous Toy” to sing along with. Featuring incredible and wildly imaginative art by Steve Cox, illustrator of the award-winning Pigs Might Fly, the story is now as amazing to look at as it always has been to listen to.

This is such a great book and CD combo. It will be passed from generation to generation as children try to imagine what The Marvelous Toy could be and you will find yourself singing the song and reading the book time and time again.

To Enter: Visit the THIS site and leave me a comment telling me why you would like to win it. All entries must be received by November 30th at 5 PM EST. All entries must have a valid US mailing address. Winners will be selected at random and will have 3 days to respond to the verification e-mail.

Want Extra Entries:

Blog about this contest and The Marvelous Toy, with a link back to here (leave link where the post can be found).

Subscribe to The Post-It Place (either by a reader or request in your comment to be added to the e-mail list for contests and giveaways).

Place my button on your blog (leave link it can be found at).

Follow me - Jillybean01 on Twitter and Tweet this contest making sure to use the @Jillybean01 (leave ID in a comment and I will follow you back).

Follow Me on Facebook.

Great Stocking Stuffers!(GIVEAWAY)

November 12th, 2009

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED !!!
But you can always check out Wholesale Keychains and order one for yourself today.

Stocking stuffers are always the hardest thing for me to come up with…but this year, I am on the ball! Look at what I have found:

PepperSpray KeyChains! Perfect for Erin while she is out running the roads, traveling to and from her new job. It will give me and her both a sense of protection. I also do my Mom’s stocking and think one of these will be perfect for her as well.

For Bric’s stocking this year the perfect addition will be a Flash Drive Keychain. He is constantly having to take data back and forth from home to the office. And with this flash drive attaching directly to his keyring he is sure not to loose it.

And what kid doesn’t love keychains? I think every child I know has a collection. So for Tate, we have a game keychain. Operation. He loves this game and can now play it while on the go. Oh, and they have plenty of other game and toy keychains to choose from. Monopoly, Boogle, Trouble, Clue.

All of these keychains and many, many more can be found at Wholesale Keychains and Keyrings. AND you can enter to win one! There will be 3 winners. To enter all you need to do is visit Wholesale Keychains and have a look around. Leave me a comment stating what your favorite is or which one you would pick for a stocking that you have to fill.

AND  if you order before November 30th, you can receive 10% off your order by using the coupon code :   postit when checking out.

All entries must be received by Nov. 27th at 5 PM EST.All entries must have a valid US mailing address. The winners will be selected by random. Winners will have 3 days to respond to the verification e-mail or another winner will be selected.

Want Extra Entries:

Blog about this contest, with a link back to here (leave link where the post can be found).

Subscribe to The Post-It Place (either by a reader or request in your comment to be added to the e-mail list for contests and giveaways).

Place my button on your blog (leave link it can be found at).

Follow me - Jillybean01 on Twitter and Tweet this contest including the @Jillybean01 (leave ID in a comment and I will follow you back).

Friend Me on Facebook

Wholesale Keychains provided the products for review and giveaway. Opinions are those of my own. Please remember that individual results may vary.

Pro Mini Hoop

November 2nd, 2009

In this edition of the Holiday Gift Guide meet The Pro Mini Hoop. Every Basketball lovers dream:

Finally, a mini basketball hoop with the look, function and durability of a pro-grade basket. Indoor and over-the-door basketball will never be the same. Pro Mini Hoop is Perfect for the home, office or dorm. Complete indoor basketball set comes with 5″ Mini Hoop Ball.

The Pro Mini Hoop made the gift guide by being fun, durable and affordable.

* Includes pro-grade, spring-action break-away rim for slammin’.

* Easy assembly and mounting

* Foam padded side on door mounts

* Includes 5″ diameter Mini Basketball

* 9″ diameter spring-action “break-away” steel rim

* 18″ x 12″ clear polycarbonate shatter-proof backboard

* Perfect for the basketball fanatics in your family

And at $29.99 it makes the perfect gift for that boy that is always throwing paper balls at the waste basket, that loved one that is stuck in an office all day or any sports lover in general. We have loved playing with the Mini Pro Hoop…and it is durable. Durable is my favorite aspect. When you have boys, you understand durable very well. My other favorite feature? The door gets shut to play. That means I get some peace. And quiet. I love peace and quiet. And for that, I love the Pro Mini Hoop even more! (And don’t tell, but when I get the chance, I go shut the door and play myself…remember, Mum’s the word.)

SKLZ has many great products to offer for many different sports. Their motto of Practice >Play >Win says it all. Baseball lover? Check out the Hurricane. Golf? The Gyro Swing would be perfect. And for all you parents that spend hours at the ball field…you should really check out the Sportbrella for yourself.  So, whether you want a training aid or just plain out fun SKLZ has something for you and those on your list this Holiday Season!

Trick Or Treat

October 31st, 2009

A friend called us for some computer help on Thursday. I met her in Hicktown to pick up her computer so that Bric could fix a few issues that she was having…and she had one of her dogs with her. Oh my stinking heck…I fell in total LOVE. After we talked for awhile and I left with her computer in tow, all the while thinking about how adorable her dogs are. She had given me one of her business cards and I went to check out her SITE and see the puppies that she has up for sell. Well, today I went with her to Chattanooga to run an errand and then I went Trick or Treating at her house and this was the treat I came home with:

Meet Yuffi. Named by Tate after some character off of Final Fantasy. She is this tiny little ball of fur that is so sweet and cute beyond belief.

She is a Toy Australrain Shepard and will only get to be about 11 inches tall and weigh about 10 pounds when fully grown.

Roxie is very unsure of this new “ball” that we have. But she sure like when that little “ball” runs around and around the couch. She thinks it is her new toy. But the funny thing is that when I am playing with the puppy Roxie gets all over me and “fusses” at me for messing with HER baby.

Trick or Treating sure was fun this year!