A game that might leave you 'flushed' with excitement!

Another game kids will probably love playing is Hasbro's Toilet Trouble. You can get wet with this game when you flush the mini-plastic toilet and have to beware of an unexpected spray of (clean) water. A funny toilet flushing sound effect will add to the fun. The spinner is cleverly designed as a toilet paper roll. You have to flush the toilet handle to match the number you got on the spinner. And of course you hope you don't get sprayed with water! Players are safe if they hear the flushing sound, but no water is sprayed. Who knows which flush will be the one that sprays water, eliminating that player? Continue taking turns spinning the roll and flushing until one player has not been sprayed. That player wins the game! Toilet Trouble includes a game base, toilet base, toilet tank with toilet paper roll spinner, toilet bowl with lid, and instructions. It's suggested for ages 4 and up. And of course, there's a caution: To Avoid Injury: Use only clean tap water. 2 AA Alkaline batteries required. (Demo batteries included.) I did not get to experience this game in person, but our friends over at Time To Play Magazine shared their video with us:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7zIpQR527Q

Hasbro commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxM_WgXPvhg 

Kids love Folkmanis puppets, but they're not the only ones.

I love Folkmanis puppets too. They're so original and creative! At Toy Fair 2017 Folkmanis Puppets announced a new puppet collection. For the first time they're bringing iconic Disney characters to life with detailed, full-body puppets of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Pluto. The company says these heirloom quality toys offer superior play value and are designed to last for generations for those who want to collect aqnd cherish them as collectibles. The Mickey Mouse puppet comes to life when you animate mouth and hands through the access point in the back. There are also pockets in the gloves to wave, clap and blow kisses. 22” tall. And don't worry, there's a Minnie Mouse too. Also 22” tall. Both are for ages 3+ with a SRP of $73.99 for either one. But wait, there's more! There's Donald Duck with a movable mouth and hands that bring his feisty personality to life (just use your imagination.) And of course, Pluto: The gang’s loyal canine companion Pluto has an expressive face with movable mouth and perky ears. Animate Pluto's perky ears with a squeeze to the low-tech airbladder at the base of each foreleg. Operate one or both ears to amuse and delight friends and family. Be sure to watch the video to see Pluto in action. Donald and Pluto are 22” long. Ages 3+. SRP $65.99. All should be available now, March, 2017. 

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/49OUVNelCso

Company website: www.folkmanis.com

Folkmanis Disney Puppets on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lEFqF6 

Drones Like No Others I've Ever Seen.

These really unique drones I found at Toy Fair 2017 are from a brand new line called Drone Force from Alpha. They're a team of fun and easy to fly RC creatures, each with different performance and battle features. The new drones you'll see in the video of this show include: 

·Stinger: Alien drone technology at your fingertips! Take control of the skies with stable and intuitive flight control. Feature a durable exoskeleton roll cage for safe and strong indoor flying.

·Arachno Fury: The spider... that flies! Perform flips, dips and dive bomb stunts indoors and outdoors, with an easy to use controller! (Green & black in photo.)

·Raptor Strike: With a built-in targeting system, the Raptor Strike can take aim and fire dual missiles in flight! Safe and fun to fly indoors and outdoors.

·Angler Attack: The terror of the sea... illuminating the skies! Electro-surge attack with brilliant, luminescent LEDs and Glow FX! Features one-touch takeoff and landing for easy indoor and outdoor flight.

·Morph Zilla: (The strangest of them all!) Surface to sky mayhem! Drive on the ground in Ape Mode, morph into action and then fly in the air in Drone Mode. Easy to morph, stunt and fly,

both indoors and outdoors. (Purple & yellow drone in picture.)

MSRP of the new line will range from $24.99- $79.99. Recommended for Age: 6+. Available: Fall 2017

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/ba1VP-V5eGw 

Company website: http://www.auldeytoys.us/

How do you run the new Lionel Train with Bluetooth? There's an app for that!

Kids love trains and they love their digital devices. So Lionel thought: why not combine the two? And they did just that with The Polar Express LionChief Set equipped with Bluetooth Technology. The Polar Express has been capturing imaginations and hearts for over 30 years, but now this new Bluetooth version offers you smoother operation and better sounds as you run the Polar Express train with your smart device. As of February 2017, the iOS version of the app is available, and the spokesperson said the Android version will be available soon. THE POLAR EXPRESS BT set Includes 2-8-4 locomotive and tender, two coach cars, plus an observation car. There's also four articulated movie characters, enough track to make a decent sized oval, and a wall-pack power supply so you can get up and running right out of the box. Other features include: RailSounds RC sound system with steam chuffing and engine background sounds, whistle, bell and user-activated announcements. You can even change the sound of the whistle and the bell via the free Lionel app. MSRP: $419.99, but discounts are usually available once the set is available. http://www.trainworld.com/ doesn't show it in stock, but when they do, they show the price as $329.99, so that's $90 off. Prices as of 3/2/17. (I have bought train gear there, but have no affiliation with them.) 

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/E_AS8wuZOao  

Company website: http://www.lionel.com/

Crayola helps bring animation to a kid's made-up story.

When I stopped by the Crayola booth at Toy Fair 2017, the first question I asked was "does Crayola still make crayons?" Yes, they do. But over the years they sure have branched out into all sorts of fun creation devices for kids. One of the newest on display was the Crayola Magic Scene Creator. As you'll hear in the video, the spokesperson says that kids love to make up stories and this new fun toy can help bring their stories to 'life'. It comes with 70 motion cards and six markers. The motion cards can be things like the sky, the ocean, etc., or animals, butterflies and other things kids relate to. The motion cards appear stationery just before you place them on the Magic Scene Creator. But once on the back-lit device they appear to be animated. By today's standards it's not a lot of animation, but I think very young kids will think it's magic. Kids can use the included markers to draw on the screen or even the moving images. When they're done they can erase what you've drawn on the screen with a dry or damp cloth. There's room to store the markers and motion cards in the back of the Magic Scene Creator. It should start to appear in stores in July, 2017, and sell for less than $20. 

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/7cjxcubvgGo

Company website: http://www.crayola.com/