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Thursday, November 8, 2007

Aqua Dots Recall




Spin Master Ltd., the North American distributor of Aqua Dots, a popular brand of children's toys, ordered all products in the line to be removed from stores in Canada after a similar version sold in Australia caused several children to have seizures and require hospitalization. Aqua Dots, named by Toys "R" Us in September as one of the top 15 toys for the holiday season, are being recalled across Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia after revelations that at least three children were hospitalized after swallowing small beads that come with the product. The popular Aqua Dots sets consist of hundreds of small coloured beads that can be formed into various shapes and designs that stay in place with a spray of water.
The beads contained a chemical that turns into gamma-hydroxy butyrate - commonly known as the date rape drug GHB - when swallowed. The drug can cause increased euphoria and energy, but is also commonly linked to bad reactions or overdoses, including nausea, seizures, vomiting, loss of consciousness and even death.
Sears Canada, the Hudson's Bay Company, Mastermind Toys and Toys "R" Us Canada said they have halted sales of all Aqua Dots toys and removed the products from store shelves at the request of Spin Master Ltd., the toy's distributor.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Toys R Us launches toy safety website

This according to Reuters,retailer Toys "R" Us said on Wednesday that it is expanding its efforts to inform shoppers of the latest toy recalls after a slew of Chinese-made toys were recalled this summer due to unsafe levels of lead paint.
The retailer said it has launched a toy safety Web site that includes information about its safety procedures and specific recall information. Toys "R" Us also said it is introducing an e-mail notification system for recalls and adding bilingual recall notices.
Toys "R" Us is owned by a consortium that includes Bain Capital Partners LLC, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co and Vornado Realty Trust.

(Reporting by Nicole Maestri)

Monday, November 5, 2007

Mattel Recall Website

The Mattel site let's consumers select a recall from the list and follow the link to learn about that recall. The list includes Mattel recalls announced since August 4, 1998. This site should be helpful to anybody who purchased Mattel toys in that time frame.You can check the site out herehttp://service.mattel.com/us/recall.asp

12 Best Toys of 2007

Toy Wishes Magazine released the Toy Wishes Hot Dozen 2007, a list which for the past several years predicts accurately the best selling and most popular toys of the year.Toys featured on the list are usually sold out during the holiday season. Here is the Hot Dozen in all their glory. Enjoy!



American Idol Talent Challenge
Young fans of Fox's "American Idol" can test their singing talent at home. The unit, which also features a Karaoke mode, connects into a TV and comes with a DVD, microphone, mixer and 12 songs.
After you've had your turn, hear what "Idol" judges Randy, Paula and Simon have to say about your performance.




RECALLED: SEE POST
Aqua Dots Super Studio
Toys Wishes magazine call this "one of the most innovative activity sets" to hit the market in a long time. Kids can use the translucent, multicolored beads to create cool designs, or they can follow the templates to make their own patterns.
After the design is complete, spray with water and the dots seem to magically adhere.



Barbie Girls
Barbie Girls is a two-part concept. It's a Website that comes to life on BarbieGirls.com, where girls can create virtual characters, design rooms, shop at the mall using virtual money called "BBucks" or just hang out and chat with their other virtual friends.
The second component is the "Barbie Girl" device - a doll-shaped MP3 player that comes with its own accessories. The MP3 player can hold up to 120 MP3 songs with expandable memory.



Eye-Clops
Ever wondered what a bug looks like magnified 200 times? How about a hair or a dollar bill? The Eye-Clops is a powerful electronic magnifier that plugs into your TV to give a new perspective on virtually anything that kids want to explore.



Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Toy Wishes says this is the latest in a series of hard-rocking video games that were among the first to use established videogame platforms in a new way. Hook up the guitar peripheral to your PlayStation, Xbox or Wii and get rocking. The new version includes tracks from Alice Cooper, Beastie Boys, Smashing Pumpkins, Heart and Kiss.



Hannah Montana Singing Doll and Pop Star Stage
The Disney Channel's wildly-popular teen sensation Hannah Montana has her own doll that sings actual songs from the TV show. Her fans can also put on a concert with the fold-out Pop Star Stage that hooks up to any music player.



Nerf N-Strike Disc Shot
With this "ultimate target game," kids load foam discs into the disc launcher and foam darts into the blaster. A wireless remote that attaches to the blaster lets you shoot the darts to different heights and angles to make the game more challenging.



Rubik's Revolution
Toy Wishes magazine says this is one of the first puzzles to earn the endorsement of Professor Erno Rubik, creator of the first Rubik's cube. Rubik's Revolution has six electronic games that are challenging for all ages.



Smart Cycle
Fisher-Price has figured out a smart way for busy parents to keep an eye on their energetic toddler. It's called a Smart Cycle - a stationary cycle that uses TV plug-and-play technology.
Once the Smart Cycle is connected, kids hop on and start pedaling and steering their "on-screen vehicle." It comes with learning software that contains three play modes. In the Driving Mode, kids pedal through different environments. In the Learning Mode, they can use the joy stick to play games and learn letters, numbers, shapes and colors. In the Big Race Mode, they can race against other vehicles. Fisher-Price said parents can buy additional games like Dora's Friendship Adventure, Sponge Bob's Ocean Adventure and Barbie Fairytopia.



Spotz
This activity toy is just the thing for creative tween girls, according to Toy Wishes magazine. Pick a picture from a magazine or the Internet and put it in the Spotz Maker and you'll get a cool collectible button. Spotz also has its own Website at Spotzgirl.com



Swypeout Online Battle Racing
Swypeout is a breakthrough in action, adventure and excitement, says Toy Wishes magazine. Connect the USB scanner, go to the secure Website and swipe the collectible trading cards to power up for thrilling races. Kids can play with friends around the corner or around the country.



Transformers Arm Blasters & Movie Ultimate Bumblebee
The success of this year's "Transformers" movie guaranteed that Transformers would reemerge as one of the hottest action toys. The Transformers Movie Ultimate Bumblebee is half Camaro, half robot. The Transformers Arm Blasters converts right on the arm from Autobot or Decepticon into a full-force, soft-dart blaster.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Great Christmas Toy Ideas

Well as we all know christmas is just around the corner and if you're like me and you're still clueless about where to start for christmas shopping join the club. There are so many choices out there you become overwhelmed with what to, where to go , what to buy, should you shop online or a physical store. It's enough to make anyone throw in the towel but you know you can't you got poeple depending on you to get best gifts possible because you're known for you're great gift ideas, but they don't know how hard it is to come up with these ideas. Well I'm here to tell you don't give up and don't give in because you've gotten through this every other year and this year will be no different. So to make things a litle easier on you I have included some interesting toy ideas and information for everyone to look over right here in one spot so hang in there and have a merry Christmas.

Christmas Gifts For Children

Christmas time is fun time for Children. Children are always very excited about arrival of Christmas because they get lots of gifts. Every child has their own dream about the kind of gift they want during Christmas. So if you are thinking of buying gift for Children you should spend little more time and attention to get the best gift for Children during Christmas. Let us find out what can be done. Children get many toys at Christmas. Why not buy children something different such as a day at a theme park? The range of gifts now available for children is very large. You get- Bicycle... (read more)

Author: cd mohatta

Christmas Toy Purchases

There is a seemingly endless choice of childrens' toys. Aside from the basic task of determining whether the child already possesses a given toy, you need to consider a number of factors including age appropriateness and safety.
Make sure that the toy is appropriate
Before you make any toy purchases have a think about the age and stage of development of the child. For example, don’t buy the latest full-suspension mountain bike for a toddler who has barely mastered their first tricycle. There will be plenty of opportunities to buy these sorts of toys for the child in the future. In g... (read more)

Author: Joan Thompson

Best Kept Shopping Secret

Never Know What to Get That One Friend or Family Member That Has Everything? What About Those Who Live Far Away? Those Who Are Picky and Hard To Shop For? We Have A Solution For You! Check out www.NikkisCollectiblesandGifts.com! You will see that see that we carry merchandise from home decor, toys, collectibles, clothing, jewelry, kitchen ware, candles, outdoor decor and much, much more. Do we have Gift Cards? You bet we do! We have $10.00, $20.00 and $50.00 gift cards you can purchase for those picky people or even gifts for the holidays or those distant friends or family members. Are you in ... (read more)

Author: Nicole Cooper

Find a Variety Of Toys For Children At Christmas

Most children love to play with toys, regardless of time or place; however, toys tend to take on an altogether more important significance at Christmas time. And whether you're looking for Christmas toys for your children, young relatives, or to give to charity, you'll always find yourself surrounded by toys as the world enters the festive season. Collecting toys for charity at Christmas time has been a long-running annual affair for countless charitable families, as well as many church groups. At Greyfriars Church Centre in Reading, for example, people have already begun sending toys an... (read more)

Author: Andrew Regan