Toys with faces, toys that move, and toys that require imagination led the pack at the annual Minnesota Parent Toy Testing event, held in late fall.
This year, we divided the testing into two separate sections. First, the adults (the staff at Minnesota Premier Publications) unboxed and assembled the toys, installed batteries, placed stickers, and then also played with the toys. Then, after about two hours, the children of our staffers, plus a few special guests, arrived to lay waste to our offices and scatter toys hither and yon throughout the editorial and graphics offices. The children let us know they could care not at all for how difficult it might have been to put a toy together, nor how much of a dent it might put in an adult’s wallet—just that this toy was really fun and they wanted it. No fighting, no biting—everyone played well together and had a good time!
One thing to remember: get batteries! Here is a look at what captivated the children this year.
TOYS WITH FACES
This is a category that includes not just the kind of dolls you can dress, administer to, and cuddle, but also action figures, “pet” style plush toys (some include toy hair driers!), and ponies of all kinds.
Top toys with faces
For babies: Pure Nature Pudgie Puppy (our five-month-old tester clearly liked its squeak and size); Baby Whoozit (plenty of areas to grab onto; big, animated face to capture baby’s attention); Play ‘N Learn Color Me Hungry Hippo (colors, shapes, counting, food, two languages, helps baby learn about cause and effect)
Pure Nature’s Pudgie Puppy, habausa.com; age 6 months+; $20
Baby Whoozit, manhattantoy.com; age newborn+; $11
Play ‘N Learn Color Me Hungry Hippo, toysrus.com; age 9 months+; $25
For toddlers: Mooshka dolls (the cloth dolls are easy to tote, colorful, and have sweet, benign expressions); Hide-N-Go Moo (we like matching baby to adult barnyard characters; place characters in the barn roof, open the barn doors to get them out); Bedtime Peppa Plush (a sweet looking toy, not too big, sings a lullabye, and lights up as she counts sheep)
(right) Mooshka dolls, mooshka.com; age 2+; $13–$25
(left) Disney Princess Palace Pets, target.com; ages 4+; $$6–$30
For little kids: Doc McStuffins Magic Talking Doc & Friends (this toy could also fall into the imaginative play area); Disney Princess Palace Pets (adorable and a top choice among the younger set); Lalaloopsey “Loopy Hair” dolls (just watching the father/daughter exchange as he was trying to get the box open, all while his daughter jumped around yelling, “Yay! Yay!” was enough for us to know this toy was much desired)
Doc McStuffins, toysrus.com; ages 3+; $33
Lalaloopsey Loopy Hair, lalaloopsey.com; age 4+; $12–$35
For older kids: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Flingers (with a caveat from an adult that the toy pizza object is small and could be lost after the first fling); Madame Alexander Favorite Friends doll (well crafted good sized doll with modest but funky attire, price point is very good compared to other dolls of this size)
TMNT flingers, toyrus.com; age 4+; $13
Madame Alexander Favorite Friends “Mixed Prints” doll, tinyurl.com/mlsev9r; age 3+; $60
Could go either way: Little Tikes Giddyup N’ and Go Pony (we were surprised the kids didn’t glom onto this toy. Sadly, the pony sat forlorn through most of the testing. Bottom line: if your kid doesn’t love it, this pony will take up too much room in a play area to keep for very long)
Giddyup N’ Go Pony, toysrus.com; age 2 to 5; $80
Skip these: Bratz, Beatrix, and Fairytale High dolls (the hypersexualized styling turned parents off); Big Hugs Elmo (spindly almost ‘unhuggable’ arms and also, the kids just weren’t all that interested in him); Lalaloopsey Workshop dolls (too many parts to get lost or vacuumed up mistakenly); Breyer Chalkboard Horse (difficult to write on the horse because of its contoured shape and chalk smudges easily, so you can’t really play with the horse—though pretty—and retain the decoration)
UP, UP & AWAY
These are toys that propel objects (or people), toys that fly, or toys that move along the floor. Some traveled much faster than others, some fell short, others just simply amazed us.
Top toys that move
For babies: Reeves First Friends Car (colorful electronic car with a horn that beeps and lights that flash. Press the head of the kid inside the car and the car will move forward); Y Pewi Yvolution (we like how it advances from teaching how to walk to forward and sideways riding)
First Friends Car, reallygreattoys.com; age 1+; $41
Y Pewi Yvolution, yvolution.com; age 9 months+; $50
For toddlers: wheelyBUG (sturdy, simple, and adorable. A great alternative to regular “car-style” scooters); Sustainable wooden pickup truck (it’s a good size to fit a small hand; we appreciate its simplicity); Tap ‘n Tilt Roller Rack (we like the cushion protected corners and the colorful wood rack design)
Wheely bug, princelionheart.com; ages 18 months+; $55
Tap ‘n Tilt Roller Rack, bkidsfun.com; age 18 months+; $30
For little kids: Illumivor Mecha-Pede (we were told, “I like it ’cause it has lights. The lights show you where it is. You can see it in the dark!”); Beywarriors Shogun Steel Octagon Showdown Set (very popular with the K through grade 2 boys, the Beywarriors spin, crash, and ricochet against the walls of the arena); Road Rippers cars (hear the engine start up, see lights, hear sounds, the jet extends out and the car takes off. It’s just tame enough to be safe, but the kids were captivated)
Illumivor Mecha-Pede; toysrus.com; age 6+; $40
Beywarriors Shogun Steel Showdown Set, hasbrotoyshop.com; age 8 and up; $40
Road Rippers (various styles), toysrus.com; age 3+; $18
For older kids: Add it up Archery Set (requires skill to hit the target, plus the point tallying to improve math proficiency is welcomed, though the lack of feathers on the arrows make accuracy a bit more difficult); SkyViper Quadcopter (this hovercraft requires skill, is best used outdoors, and got tangled up in the nearby test pony’s tail, but ultimately it was one of the most sought after toys at the testing—both adults and children alike); Star-Kick Solo Soccer Trainer (best used outdoors or in the gym but we love that it helps improve ball control for young soccer players but keeps the ball with the child; available for three ball sizes)
SkyViper Quadcopter, toysrus.com; age 12+; $70
Star-Kick Solo Soccer Trainer, tinyurl.com/mvqpj27; age 4+; $13
Could go either way: Nerf Vortex Revonix 360 Blaster (this was a really fun toy—for adults. For kids? The “you’ll shoot your eye out” factor was a bit too high for our comfort levels. But to reiterate, this was a toy kids were clamoring to play with and phrases such as “ so awesome!” and “dude, let me try that!” were heard); Flying Heroes launcher (fun but really an outside toy—projectile hero could easily pick off something breakable in the home; three heroes are available)
Nerf Vortex Revonix 360 Blaster, walmart.com; age 8+; $38
Skip these: Go Go Smart Wheels by VTech (a bit too flimsy with unattached pieces); B-Daman Crossfire Break Bomber Battlefield (adult testers said it was fun but the walls need to be higher because the marbles go everywhere!)
IMAGINATION ADRIFT
As for “imagination”—we mean play sets, music-making, and art kits, those toys that allow kids to make choices and dream up scenarios.
Top toys that inspire imagination
For babies: Mirari Pop! Pop! Piano (tons of fun; simple, but cool); Skip Hop Mirror Puppet (peek-a-boo never goes out of style); Giraffe Safari Activity Gym (a parent commented that she thought the product was great for babies; she liked the support pillow; and that it was not too noisy)
Mirari Pop! Pop! Piano, amazon.com; age 1+; $25
Giraffe Safari Activity Gym, skiphop.com; age infant+; $75
For toddlers: Haba Musical Eggs (rattling, tinkling, jingling—each solid and colorful egg makes a different sound); i-Mat My Animal World (“really accurate and actually works pretty great,” mentioned a parent; changes languages easily (three available); stimulates a visual connection between picture, sound, and word; like that it provides a cushioned surface, especially for those homes with hardwood floors); Haba Pegging Game (received a 2013 Seal of Approval from The National Parenting Center. We liked that it helps exercise fine motor skill with sorting and stacking)
Haba musical eggs, habausa.com; age 2+; $30
i-Mat My Animal World; creativebabyinc.com; age 18 months+; $80
Haba Pegging Game; habausa.com; ages 2 to 6; $45
For little kids: Hobby Horse (a classic wood and fabric toy—with an upgrade: a sound chip in the right ear activates neighing sounds; the caveat: hopefully won’t be converted into a weapon as the kids get older); Junior beads (non-toxic and a safe alternate to chew on versus hair, nails, or clothing); Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Combat Shell (the transformation to hero-in-a-half-shell will be complete!; adjustable straps fit over the shoulders and around the waist; inner handle for use as a front shield is handy)
Hobby horse, mamasandpapas.com; age 2+; $35
TMNT Combat Shell, toysrus.com; age 4+; $15
For older kids: Fascinating Facts Human Body Game (a really cool way to see how all of the organs fit within the body); Bendastix Botz or Bendastix Braceletz (we like that it’s a “bend, build, shape, and make” kind of toy that can be remade over and over to suit whatever whim your child has); littleBits Modules (a great means to make STEM education fun through the construction of 10 different projects including making a drawer alarm to prevent siblings from digging through your stuff!)
Fascinating Facts Human Body Game, lakeshorelearning.com; ages 7–11; $30
LittleBits premium kit, littlebits.com; age 8+; $149
Could go either way: skwish stix from Manhattan Toy (it suctions to the tabletop but there’s a fear baby might get a hand or arm stuck when the toy “skwish”es back)
skwish stix, manhattantoy.com; age 6 months+; $24
Skip these: Easy Bake Ultimate Oven (boring, you can’t even watch anything bake); Learn to Recycle! Activity Kit from Lakeshore Learning (there are better ways to learn how to recycle; the words on the cards are pretty complex for the age four it touts as its beginning target age to play; PlaySkool Advent Calendar Pony Farm (flimsy openings for each day—won’t last, too many small pieces)
TOYLAND!
Where are the best toys in the Twin Cities and outlying areas? Everyone has their favorite shop; here are a few suggestions.
Air Traffic // Products for active children // Various locations • airtrafficonline.com
Build a Bear // Create your own teddy bear // Mall of America • buildabear.com
Disney Store // The official site for all things Disney // Mall of America • disneystore.com
Games by James // Family games and puzzles // Various locations • gamesbyjames.com
Hub Hobby // The Midwest’s largest hobby store // Richfield, Little Canada • hubhobby.com
JM Cremps // A boy’s adventure store // Dassel • jmcremps.com
Kiddywampus // Modern, creative toys // Various locations • kiddywampus.com
Lakeshore Learning // Educational crafts // Various locations • lakeshorelearning.com
Lark Toys // Attractions and toys of all kinds // Kellogg • larktoys.com
Marbles: The Brain Store // Mall of America • marblesthebrainstore.com
Moss Envy // Natural and eco-friendly toys and products // Minneapolis • mossenvy.com
Nickelodeon Store // For all things Nickelodeon // Mall of America • shop.nick.com
Pacifier // Baby gifts and more // Minneapolis, Edina • pacifieronline.com
Peapods // Natural toys // St. Paul • peapods.com
Red Balloon // Books for young people // St. Paul • redballoonbookshop.com
Target // The latest toys // Various locations • target.com
Totally Kids // Toys for autism, and more // Bloomington • shoptotallykids.com
Toys // The latest toys, plus tried-and-true classics // Mall of America • tinyurl.com/oejwjox
Wild Rumpus // Books for young people // Minneapolis • wildrumpusbooks.com
