My Favorite Toys At Disneyland!

So here's a great Shaggy Dog story --- literally!

Yesterday we sold our last Folkmanis Shaggy Dog puppet to the Prop Manager at Disneyland. Our dog will be used by a new character Disney is developing for the California Adventure venue!

Kind of fun, huh? Especially since Disneyland is Su's old stomping ground from her SoCal days. She tells stories about being able to see the Matterhorn out her bedroom window!

So when we pulled Shaggy Dog from our puppet rack, his other puppet friends asked him, "What are you going to do next?"

His reply? (All together now...) "I'm going to Disneyland!"

My Favorite Toys Has the Mustache Ice Cube Tray!

My Favorite Toys at University Mall in Carbondale, IL, has some hairy news!

Those zany folks at Accoutrements have done it again. If you have a hairy lip or know someone who does, you gotta have.........The Mustache Ice Cube Tray, which lets you make elegant mustache-shaped ice cubes!

No more of those old-fashioned cubist cube ice cubes – now, treat your guests with some respect and serve them the finest cooling devices in all of the land. The tray is made of silicone, and can make up to 8 mustaches at one time! That means it is eight times stronger than your average man, who can only grow one mustache at a time. Come see!

2012 - Our Best Toy Fair

Yup, Toy Fair 2012 WAS a big (and good) deal for us. This was our seventh Toy Fair since we opened My Favorite Toys at University Mall in Carbondale in 2005, and this year was was the most productive.

Don't mean to sound like the Midwestern tourists, but any trip to Manhattan is quite a trip! Observation #1 from Suzanne: Nine out of ten women in Manhattan wear fashion boots, even on dry pavement. #1 observation from Sam: 999 out of every 1,000 vehicles are taxis. Well that's a bit of an exaggeration, but there are more than 13,000 cabs registered in New York City, not to mention the illegals who accost you at airport baggage claim with a deal that is usually twice as much as the real cabbies.

With more than 1,100 exhibitors and 100,000 products displayed over three stories of the Javits Convention Center, it's difficult to give rapt attention to everything. It's always exciting to check out the potentially hot toys, games, puzzles and puppets for the year. Just as important to us is to find the treasures among the smaller and newer manufacturers for items that will run under the Big Box stores' radar screen (Of course, once the little guys like us help bring these worthy toys to the retail market, the Wally-Marts often steal them away).

This year we were also focused on finding more made-in-USA items, and we made some headway in that regard.

During the next few days we'll report more specifics on some of the winners we found that will appear at My Favorite Toys this year. Stay tuned!

Slingshot Flying Monkey Rules At www.MyFavToys.com

Never has there been such a popular primate at www.MyFavToys.Com or at My Favorite Toys, our brick-and-mortar store at University Mall in carbondale, IL!

This monkey is nothing short of outrageous! The monkey can be shot long distances using his elastic arms. Put two fingers in the hand pockets, pull back and let go. The soft, furry monkey is pretty funny with his cape and mask, like some sort of super hero monkey. As an added bonus, every time you shoot him, he lets out two loud monkey calls. If your office needs some seriously funny props, you have to get the Slingshot Flying Monkey.

Ever since our morning TV appearance on the local ABC affiliate, WSIL, folks have been streaming in for the screaming monkey.

If you aren't within driving distance of our store, you can order a this guy for $5.95 plus $4.95 shipping. Heck, order a few for all the monkey flingers within your sphere of influence(same $4.95 shipping charge no matter how many you purchase).
Beware! We know of some pretty inferior smaller versions being sold as "original" slingshot monkeys. Rest assured that our source is, indeed, the real deal!

So lookout! Incoming screaming monkey headed your way!

www.MyFavToys.com Slingshot Flying Monkey Lives On!

Never has there been such a popular primate at www.MyFavToys.Com or at My Favorite Toys, our brick-and-mortar store at University Mall in carbondale, IL!

This monkey is nothing short of outrageous! The monkey can be shot long distances using his elastic arms. Put two fingers in the hand pockets, pull back and let go. The soft, furry monkey is pretty funny with his cape and mask, like some sort of super hero monkey. As an added bonus, every time you shoot him, he lets out two loud monkey calls. If your office needs some seriously funny props, you have to get the Slingshot Flying Monkey.

Ever since our morning TV appearance on the local ABC affiliate, WSIL, folks have been streaming in for the screaming monkey.

If you aren't within driving distance of our store, you can order a this guy for $5.95 plus $4.95 shipping. Heck, order a few for all the monkey flingers within your sphere of influence(same $4.95 shipping charge no matter how many you purchase).
Beware! We know of some pretty inferior smaller versions being sold as "original" slingshot monkeys. Rest assured that our source is, indeed, the real deal!

So lookout! Incoming screaming monkey headed your way!

CESL Students Visit My Favorite Toys To Discuss Entrepreneurship

On Friday, April 29, we hosted a super class of 25 students from the Center For English As a Second Language program at SIU-Carbondale, led by instructor Kamden Summers. The students represented countries from around the world. They are enrolled in a highly-regarded program to learn English. Many of the students will continue on at SIU in undergraduate and graduate programs. Included in the program are contextual experiences, such as the trip to our store. The class was interested in how to start a small business and the opportunities and risks to be considered.

Green Toys - 15% Off For Earth Day At www.MyFavToys.com And My Favorite Toys

That's right, 15% off all Green Toys products from now through Earth Day, April 22, either online at www.MyFavToys.com, or at our brick-and-mortar store, My Favorite Toys, University mall in Carbondale, IL. Our line now includes: Blocks, Dish Set, Spoons and Forks, Tea Set, Dump Truck, Recycling Truck, Stacking Cups, Race Cars, and Race Cars On Flatbed Truck, Fire truck, Sand Play Set, Tool Set, and Tugboat. Click here for details.

Aside from the great play value in Green Toys products, they meet two of the objectives we're pursuing at My Favorite Toys --- finding "green" playthings and stocking more items made in the USA.

All Green Toys products are 100% made in the USA. To be more specific, they are produced in California, a state known for strict toy safety and environmental laws. It's cool to buy USA, but also think about this: transportation is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gasses. We all know driving less is good for mother nature, but did you ever think about how many miles a toy logs before it ends up in your local store?

Their toys are truly local creations. Every step in the process, from milk container recycling to toy production to final assembly, occurs in California. Their raw materials and toys aren't shipped from overseas, which saves a lot of energy and reduces greenhouse gasses. It also guarantees your toys won't get seasick before they get to your home!

Green Toys products are tested by nationally recognized, independent, third-party labs (located, yes, in the USA.) They contain no traceable amounts of Phthalates or BPA. They are also designed without any external coatings, eliminating the fear of lead paint.

They use recycled milk containers as the main ingredient in creating our toys. Yes, the exact plastic milk jugs that you and your family drink from every day. When you finish your milk and toss the container in the recycling bin, these milk containers are collected at your curb by a local recycling company, who then sorts them from all the other types of plastic. Next, the milk containers are reprocessed into super clean fresh plastic. For you plastic geeks, the plastic material they use is called high-density polyethylene (or HDPE). This material is considered one of the safest, cleanest plastics around.

Green Toys environmental mission even extends to their packaging. They strive to minimize packaging, and all of their boxes use as little material as possible. All Green Toys products are packaged in recycled corrugated boxes with no plastics, cellophane or twist-ties, and are 100% recyclable. So, not only are they earth-friendly and ready for your recycling bin, they are really easy to open for those little fingers just itching to get at the toys!

So come check out the Green Toy products at My Favorite Toys, University Mall, Carbondale, or at www.MyFavToys.com, and with a 15% discount on April 22, Earth Day!