Cat lovers rejoice, now you can have all the “fun” of cat ownership without the litter box. That comment may reflect the sentiment of some of our more ambivalent cat “lovers”, but it did not diminish the admiration they had for this unique puppet from Folkmanis. The face, which is an odd mix between and […]
Children absolutely loved this tortoise from the moment they laid eyes on it. There is something very personable about this fellow, so much so that many parents reported how their children took the puppet in as a favorite pal almost immediately. Max, Jake, Henry and Thomas were just some of the names we heard that
The excitement of playing with a new computer is thrilling no matter what age you are. LeapFrog recognized this and designed a keyboard for toddlers that is bright and colorful and features an assortment of software that is both fun and educational. Kids will learn their letters and colors while playing as well as developing
A great way to introduce kids to the computer, more precisely the new ClickStart system, is to use familiar characters. LeapFrog understands this and wisely secured the gang from Finding Nemo for it’s new software title. Kids will happily play along with Dory, Nemo and the rest of their underwater pals in a variety of
There is so much fun to be had with the Brightlings Exploration Station that our littlest testers had a hard time pulling themselves away. Whether it was plopping the balls into the chute or clapping along with the music which is suitably bright and cheery. Considering the size and price of the toy, our testers
Part of the new lineup of Brightling toys for babies, these Leapfrog manipulatives offer a wonderfully interactive experience for the very young. Perfectly sized to fit a baby’s hand and quite visually appealling thanks to brightly colored designs, our testers were both stimulated and attracted to these toys. Parents believed that the small size would
The three brightly colored dancers included in this Brightlings set were instant favorites among our pre-toddler testers. There is always something about light-ups that catch the eye of little ones and in this case it was the green Dancers, who lit up when you push his button on top which was the object of considerable
Another winner from the Brightlings line, Matchers drew raves from parents who praised its ability to introduce colors and shapes as well as cause and effect reactions. Manipulating the colorful, textured pieces was quite easy for the suggested age featuring equal measures of fun and curiosity which held the attention of our young testers. As
This adorable stacking toy impressed our testers with its durable design. The plastic stacking Brightling pieces were put through the wringer during testing and came out the other end shining. Of course stacking toys are best when they fall down, which happened over and over again, much to the giggling delight of our little testers.
This “Test Kit” had several of our testers debating whether it was more of a scientific exploration experience or a true gaming experience. Parents pointed out the wealth of scientific information that was provided in a clear, non-school-like venue. The preteens loved the challenge of matching up everyone as aliens and of course thought the










