wanna play? - Double Duty Daddy

fun
•
toy box
wanna
play?
BEST
TOYS
We’ve never met a talking
toy like this: Speak into
Fisher-Price Dance & Move
BeatBo and he repeats your
phrase to a danceable
beat. It’s hysterical! 9 to 36
months, $40; fisher-price.com
2 015
Here at Parents we get the year’s new toys sent to us months
before the holidays (lucky us!) and invite kids of all ages
to come in and give them a whirl (lucky them! ). Turn the page
and see the others that came out on top. by JESSICA HARTSHORN
photographs by JEFFREY WESTBROOK
NOVEMBER 2015
45 P A R E N T S
fun
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toy box
Birth to 12
months
Three activity rings on the adorable
Skip-Hop Explore & More Rocking Owl
Stacker are chunky and especially
easy for the littlest hands to work with.
6 months+, $16; skiphop.com
We’ve loved their teether necklaces,
and now we’re impressed with the
Chewbeads Baby Gramercy Stroller
Toy that looks chic even as your baby
chomps it. Birth+, $15; chewbeads.com
A 6-month-old tester was fascinated by Yookidoo Gymotion Robo Playland,
unique for its two battery-operated vehicles, one dangling a toy above her
and the other whirring along the side. Birth to 12 months, $70; amazon.com
Babies love but can’t always hold a
round ball; grabbable rings on the Tiny
Love Rock & Ball give them more of
a shot. 3 months+, $15; amazon.com
Playskool Fold ’n Go Busy Elephant is
portable and easily tucks into your
diaper bag so you have it handy when
you’re desperate for a baby-distractor.
3 months+, $25; hasbrotoyshop.com
PA R E N T S
46 N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5
Hand-knit from organic cotton, Estella
Baby Security Blanket takes a lovey a
step further with a built-in finger
puppet. Birth+, $30; estella-nyc.com
Described by one parent as a “tough
mudder for babies” minus the mess,
Little Tikes Lil’ Ocean Explorers 3-in-1
Adventure Course provides crawling,
sitting, and standing entertainment.
6 to 36 months, $80; littletikes.com
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toy box
Ages
1 and 2
For five of the last six years, this guy
has made our list! The 2015 Playskool
Play All Day Elmo knows when he’s
hugged or bounced, and leads games
like “Red Light, Green Light.” 18 months
to 4 years, $60; hasbrotoyshop.com
We like a sports set that doesn’t require
much adult help, and the Chicco Fit &
Fun Mini Golf set delivers. Even tiny tots
were able to sink a ball by themselves.
2 years+, $25; chiccoshop.com
Pop-open playhouses abound, but we
love this variation: Haba Croco Kuno
Dragon Crawling Tunnel, which had
testers wiggling and giggling right
through. 12 months+, $70; habausa.com
Kids gravitate toward kitchen toys, and
LeapFrog Number Lovin’ Oven bakes
math into the fun with food divided into
fractions plus phrases about time and
temperature. 2 years+, $25; toysrus.com
Ever see a child dragging her
tipped-over toy pup behind her on its
leash? Tomy Push Me Pull Me Puppy
solves that with a leash that zigs as
your toddler zags, so the dog stays
upright. 12 months+, $30; amazon.com
The caboose transforms into a
separate wagon that your toddler can
push or pull on the updated VTech
Sit-to-Stand Ultimate Alphabet Train,
and new counting, time, and letter
games make this one educational ride.
12 to 36 months, $50; vtechkids.com
PA R E N T S
50 N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5
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This remote-control hero flips around
impediments by waving his big arms in
a circle; our testers gleefully followed
Jakks Pacific Hulk Smash like it was
one of the craziest things they’d ever
seen. 4 years+, $70; walmart.com
Ages
3 and 4
win toys!
We give them away
at parents.com/
win-toys.
See page 189.
Spin Master Bunchems! are an
innovative art form—soft, small burrs
that kids stick together to make cool
creations. 4 years+, $25; toysrus.com
Master builders, unite! With 790 pieces,
Lego Classic Large Creative Brick Box
is the most vast, open-ended collection
in years. 4 years+, $60; lego.com
Girls in our testing room went straight
for the Mattel Barbie Color, Cut, and
Curl Deluxe Styling Head, eager to try
nail art and neon clip-ins. Parents take
note: She comes in three shades of
skin and hair. 3 years+, $30; kmart.com
Mesmerizing movement! Fisher-Price
Spinnyos Giant Yo-ller Coaster lets
your kid direct spinning discs around
a track. They’ll crash through barrels
and bounce back up, seeming to defy
gravity. 3 to 6 years, $50; toysrus.com
PA R E N T S
52 N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5
Enhanced graphics elevate the huge
catalog of learning games on the
Android-based LeapFrog Epic Kids’
Tablet. 3 to 9 years, $140; bestbuy.com
This toy got no downtime on testing
day! Doc McStuffins Pet Vet Checkup
Center begs for stuffed animals to visit
as patients, and several kids can share
the “office.” 4 years+, $80; toysrus.com
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toy box
A kid holds a stamp to a glowing color
on Crayola Color Wonder Light-Up
Stamper, then it works on Color Wonder
paper (but nothing else in your house).
No ink to dry, and you can switch colors
anytime. 3 years+, $25; crayola.com
No, it doesn’t pop! Players win
International Playthings Buddy’s
Balloon Launch game if they make the
balloon lift off when it’s their turn to
crank the arm. 3 years+, $20; intplay.com
Fans of the Nick Jr. TV will love the
Spin Master Paw Patrol Patroller,
which is long enough to fit all their
favorite characters inside (doubling as
toy storage). 3 years+, $60; target.com
Ages
3 and 4
Puppet fun: We bet parents will slip a
Hasbro Jurassic World Chomping
Velociraptor Head on their hand as
soon as their kid lets go of it. 4 years+,
$20; hasbrotoyshop.com
Our testers couldn’t get enough of
wielding a kiddie drill to make patterns
with Educational Insights Design & Drill
BrightWorks; at least one mom went
home with the deets to pass along to
Santa. 3 years+, $40; amazon.com
We like that Lakeshore Learning Fully Furnished Adventure Treehouse—in addition
to being sturdy and good-looking—attracted both boy and girl testers wanting to
play “family.” Sweet! 3 to 6 years, $50; dolls sold separately; lakeshorelearning.com
PA R E N T S
54 N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5
Hasbro FurReal Friends StarLily, My
Magical Unicorn is a new FurReal star.
She’s big, with blinking eyes, fluttering
wings, a glowing horn, and a berry to
“eat.” 4 years+, $120; hasbrotoyshop.com
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toy box
Ages
5, 6, and 7
feed
me!
We love these toys that are kind enough to tackle tough emotions! Your child can
write down a fear or a concern and feed it into one of Gerd Hahn’s Worry Eaters.
It’s up to you whether to peek later. 3 years+, $16 to $23; haywiregroup.com
Answer dino trivia, then gently remove
the bones—without touching the
sides—with Uncle Milton T-Rexcavator.
5 years+, $20; unclemilton.com
The new Zing Firetek Zeon Bow includes
glowing arrows that stick to windows
and can clear the height of a house.
That glow helps you find them on the
other side! 5 years+, $15; walmart.com
PA R E N T S
56 N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5
Testers delighted in posing a question
to Jakks Pacific Aladdin Magic Genie
Lamp and then spinning its top for a
funny answer. 5 years+, $17; target.com
No parent will have to help transform
Hasbro Super Bumblebee from robot
to car; at last, it’s easy enough for your
child to do frustration-free. 4 years+,
$50; hasbrotoyshop.com
Remote-control Spin Master Zoomer
Kitty will dazzle kids by chasing a ball
and otherwise acting like a real cat;
there’s a black-and-white version too.
5 years+, $100; toysrus.com
Kids (and, okay, our staff members) got
a little addicted to Smak-a-Ball. The
hoops make catching and returning
the blow-up ball easy, so your kid and
her partner can get a good volley
going. 6 years+, $24; fatbraintoys.com
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toy box
Ages
5, 6, and 7
Disney Playmation Marvel Avengers
Starter Pack has Ironman-inspired gear
that relays missions. The wearer ducks
and runs to battle the bad guy; Captain
America’s help is optional. Stay out of
the way! 6 years+, $120; disneystore.com
Crafters can fairly quickly create
scarves and headbands with minimal
assistance from you, using Lakeshore
Learning My First Weaving Loom. 6 to
11 years, $30; lakeshorelearning.com
These size-adjustable ice skates turn
into in-line skates, featuring Elsa and
Anna! Our 5- to 8-year-old testers could
master PlayWheels Frozen Convertible
Ice Skates. 3 years+, $50; toysrus.com
Go behind the
scenes of our
toy testing! Watch
at parents.com/
2015-toys.
More pieces! That’s what kids building
their own contraptions need, and
the new GoldieBlox Craft-struction Box
delivers. 6 years+, $40; goldieblox.com
This year Mattel View-Master partners
with Google and works with your phone
to deliver stunning 3-D, 360-degree
images that make kids feel like
they’re standing in a city or even in
outer space. 7 years+, $30; target.com
For children who love the challenge of a long blueprint, assembling the
Lego City Spaceport has a cool payoff. 6 years+, $120; lego.com
PA R E N T S
58 N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5
Download the free app for Crayola
Color Alive Action Coloring Pages, and
your child’s drawings leap off the
page and move around your device’s
screen, even posing for selfies with
your kid. 4 years+, $6; crayola.com
fun
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toy box
Ages
8 and up
Is your child hooked on Minecraft
videos? He can create his own
storyline, using Mattel Minecraft
Stop-Motion Movie Creator and your
own smartphone that takes still shots,
streamed together with the free
app. 8 years+, $33; mattelshop.com
It’s all the DIY rage: Klutz Finger Knitting
helps kids master this needle-free,
take-anywhere craft skill. 8 years+,
$22; klutz.com
The vast new American Girl Truly Me collection of dolls and accessories allows
more customization than ever; we appreciate this service-dog accessory kit that
helps ensure everyone can be included. 8 years+, $115 per doll; americangirl.com
The fun of Educational Insights Read
My List! Game is trying to remember a
list or creatively adding to it. Bonus, say
our testers: It’s portable for trips! For 3+
players, 8 years+, $15; amazon.com
Tech-adorb-osaurus: WowWee
MiPosaur works with an app, but it’s
not required; he’ll follow his ball or
owner too. Our testers begged to take
him home! 8 years+, $120; target.com
Don’t toss the Yomega Kendama Pro
box; it lists eight variations of “catch”
that we bet your child hasn’t tried,
making this ancient game new again.
8 years+, $20; yomega.com
PA R E N T S
62 N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5
Race a friend or a virtual rival using the
Anki Overdrive Starter Kit. Games start
on the free app but take place on track,
such as the piece above, designed
by your kid. 8 years+, $150; anki.com