toys, toys, toys!!

One of the best things about the holiday season is it gives me an excuse to buy new toys. I even buy a few for the kids. :-) This year our buyers have outdone themselves finding cool new toys as well as some blast-from-the-past Things. I can barely walk through the warehouse without finding something I want to buy!

First off, I had to get this animated T-shirt. It has a glowing equalizer display that reacts to music or any sound. There's a hidden pocket inside for the remote control that has both an on/off switch and high or low intensity options. You just flip it on when you're close to the music and watch the shirt dance. Check out the movie clip to see it in action. I already got a Light-Up Moon for my niece. She's totally into astronomy, which I think is amazing since she's only in grade school. You hang it on your wall and it matches the moon phases outside. She's going to love it. Since, like her uncle, she's a science nut, I think she'll also like this digital microscope that connects directly to your computer.

If you're into electronic Things, you'll have to check out these new radio controlled toys. The Laser Megabotz Tanks come equipped with laser cannon and shields. Once your tank gets hit, it can't move for four seconds, leaving you vulnerable to more and more hits. After ten hits, you're out. You can either play with a friend, against the computer or just let the two bots fight it out with each other. And this radio controlled Spaceman is totally cool. It comes with a jet pack and propeller and has LED lights so you can fly it around in a dark room for that total spaceman effect.

Remember Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots™? Well, we have them! They came out in the sixties and we used to play with them endlessly. I remember the thrill of watching my opponent's head pop up with the big power punch. I also remember getting my own block knocked off by, of all people, my sister. And speaking of nostalgia, we have two tabletop versions of the old classic arcade games, Frogger and Space Invaders. You play them exactly the same way, with joystick controllers, and even the sounds are just like you remember them. I'm trying to figure out an excuse for why I need both of them in my house.

Our 3-D Tic Tac Toe game is a high tech version of the old pencil and paper game. The pieces actually levitate by the magic of magnetism. And our Laser Strategy Game is the first-ever board game with built-in lasers. The object of the game is to take out your opponent's pharaoh while shielding your own pharaoh from harm. The laser beam bounces off of the other mirrored game pieces, so you have to plan each move carefully to put your pieces in position to make a perfect laser beam to the enemy pharaoh. Let me just say this: it's more challenging than even chess!The toys just keep piling up in our warehouse, so watch this space for more. As for me, I can't wait!