Monday, October 12, 2009
Whoopie! Halloween Is Coming At My Favorite Toys!
So a young professional was in our store this morning, asking whether we carry whoopie cushions.
"Of course," we say, and directed him to the Pranks and Magic section.
Back he came to the check-out counter in a couple of minutes with two whoopie cushions in hand.
"Playing some tricks at lunch today?" we asked.
"No, my daughter has decided to be a giant whoopie cushion for Halloween. Just need some sound effects," he replied.
Now this is a Halloween costume we'd like to see. Hope she comes through the treat-or-treat line at our store at University Mall in Carbondale on Halloween night.
Friday, October 9, 2009
My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com Now Have Hiking Joe Bender and Hiking Jane Bender!
They're here!
Hiking Joe and Jane Bender, the latest in the Hogwild series of Benders, arrived today!
These new Benders are really cool! Joe and Jane have magnets in theirs hands and feet so they stick to most metal objects, including their own tins with built-in compass. Each comes with a backpack and walking stick so even when you are not enjoying the great outdoors, Joe and Jane can imagine that they are.
The Hikers, Joe and Jane, are sold separately, and each are discounted $1.00 from the suggested retail price of $9.95. So that makes their price, uh, let's see --- $8.95!
They're available at out brick and mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL or at our online store, www.MyFavToys.com.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
My Favorite Toys and the "Hot Toy List"
So it's October and by now the corporate toy chain (we won't mention names but can we say "giraffe") has published its hot toy list for the Holidays.
To which we say, "Beware!"
To the the corporate toy chain, "hot toy list" primarily means, "items we want to push and we hope we can convince you shoppers to create a frenzy for a few of them." And sadly it usually works....then by January 15 those must-have toys are never heard from again.
At My Favorite Toys we ourselves will publish a "Top Ten Toy List" in about four weeks. But our list is based on customer preview reactions, creative play value, developmental benefits, and, yes, just plain fun. Our list is not tied to the latest movie, or TV show, or electronic fad.
And as an independent, family-owned, enterprise, we then compile the items ourselves --- our list doesn't come through a national edict from a corporate headquaters hundreds of miles away.
This approach is consistent with the way we run My Favorite Toys, our flagship store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL, and our online store, www.MyFavToys.com all year around.
Give us a try this Holiday season. We'll serve you with quality toys, puzzles, games and puppets....and whether you shop at our brick and mortar store or at www.MyFavToys.com, we'll treat you as a valued friend, not a commodity in a warehouse store!
...stepping down off our soapbox now!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Pig E. Bank is back at My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com!
Pig E. Bank is back!
You may remember this popular item from Christmas, 2008. When you place a coin in the slot on Pig E.'s back, he will tell you what coin you have deposited and keep track of your savings on his LCD screen. The LCD screen also allows you to adjust your balance when making a deposit or withdrawal. "Pink Edition" Pig E Bank (pictured above) is a great tool to teach kids to recognize coins and count money while saving their pennies. Pig E. also comes in a flashy chrome style.
Turn your little spender into a big saver! Pig E. is available at our brick-and-mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL, or at our online store at www.MyFavToys.com.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
My Favorite Toys 's Favorite Wind-Ups
As we receive wind-up toys from companies such as Toysmith, California Creations and Schylling, our favorites change every few weeks.
Our current favorites are the Neverfall Bumpercars (pictured above) nifty little characters in bumper cars that, well, won't run off the edge of a table or counter. They never fail to elicit a customer response such as, "How do they do that?"
Come check them out at our brick-and-mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
My Favorite Toys Says: Deck The Malls With Boughs and Toys!
Let's face it...regional shopping malls have taken a beating recently from retail analysts who chirp about the recession-caused store vacancies.
So it's interesting to see toys on their way back to the mall for the upcoming holiday season. Sears is wading back into the business with toy stores within their mall locations in a few big-city markets. And this week Toys R Us announced 80 temporary stores to open in 80 major-market malls.
Hmmm...suddenly malls are "in" for toys!
Here at University Mall in Carbondale, IL, My Favorite Toys knew this already! We're headed into our fifth Holiday Season, grateful to customers through southern Illinois, eastern Kentucky and southeastern Missouri who have supported us!
The success at our locally-owned and operated brick-and-mortar store has allowed us to broaden our base via www.MyFavToys.com, our online store.
Yes, it's nice to know the "experts" now share our view that there is still life at the mall!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Tearing Up The Wind Ups
A wide range of customers enjoy the Schylling old-fashioned tin wind-ups at My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com. But we can't remember the last time someone bought several of them to take apart.
That was the plan of a young woman this afternoon, a metals work major at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale. She's planning an exhibit on tin wind-up toys, so she decided she needed to know how some of the classics --- such as the Schylling Duck On The Bike--- work.
We'll look forward to her exhibit and will pass along the dates for blog readers within driving distance of SIU and our brick-and-mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Best Pals, Katjan, and My Favorite Toys
A few days ago we posted a feature on Janet and Kathy Lennon's rag doll line available at My Favorite Toys, our brick-and-mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL and at our online store, www.MyFavToys.com.
Since then several customers have asked whether these are the same dolls as the Best Pal dolls and the dolls from Katjan, Inc.
The answer is "yes." The Lennons' company is Katjan, and the rag dolls are referred to as Best Pal dolls.
And, oh, by the way, we also carry the Best Pals CD, which contains a wonderful group of some of the Lennons' favorite childhood songs
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Here Comes Timmy The Tractor From Local Entrepreneur, Angie Wyatt
It's always fun when we introduce a new product or line at My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com. Doubly so when the developer of the item is a local person and someone we know personally.
Such is the case with our new Timmy the Tractor line, introduced by Angie Wyatt, known to area TV viewers as the news anchor on WSIL-TV.
Angie married into a farm family, and "from raising cattle, to making hay, to growing a crop, I found all aspects of farming to be fascinating," she says.
When her son's first word was "tractor," she sensed a bit about her future! "After scouring the aisles of toy stores, I realized there wasn't much of a selection in character-type farm implements," she said.
As a result, Timmy, the soft plush, interactive tractor was born. A paperback book, "Hay Day," actually preceded the release of the plush Timmy, and that book will be the first of a series which will also include Manny the Mower, Ralph the Rake, and Bill the Baler.
We also carry Timmy The Tractor t-shirts in sizes 2T and 4T at My Favorite Toys's brick-and-mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale.
A theatre production is another aspect of the Timmy series, and maybe even TV and big screen productions will follow.
We're pleased to welcome Timmy to our shelves and online offerings!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Spinmasters At Toys R US
DATELINE - WAYNE, NJ --- "Toys R Us' net earnings more than doubled in the second quarter of 2009, helped by lower spending levels and despite a drop in same-store sales."
“We are pleased with our performance for the first half of this year and believe our results clearly demonstrate that we can successfully operate and achieve results in any economic environment,” said Jerry Storch, chairman and CEO, Toys R Us Inc. “Our second quarter results delivered on our expectations, and the team did a great job growing margin rate while managing expenses.”
What a spin! Sales decline, so expenses (purchases and people?) are cut, and this is success? This, at the same time TRU is gobbling up FAO Schwartz and what was left of KB Toys.
What a contrast beween the "Monster Giraffe" and locally-owned, customer service- oriented mom and pop toy stores who understand the true stakeholders --- the community of kids, parents, and grandparents who seek quality products!
Want to know what we really think? :-)
Monday, September 7, 2009
Workin' Joe Bender At My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com --- A Labor Day Tradition!
Happy Labor Day, 2009 from My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com!
What would the day be without Workin' Joe Bender from Hogwild Toys! This item has been discontinued by Hogwild, but we still have them, and still at $8.95 each!
Workin' Joe has always been one of our favorites. As pictured above, Joe comes in a tin "real man's" lunchbox, and includes posable magnetic construction barrier and orange pylon. Now are you ready to work?
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Lennon Sisters Rag Dolls at My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com
During the 1950s and 1960s, a staple of weekend TV was the Lawrence Welk Show, and a primary feature of that program were the Lennon Sisters. Viewers were treated to the angelic voices and sweet harmonies of Janet, Kathy, Peggy and Dee Dee.
Now forty years later, Kathy and Janet have introduced an adorable set of Best Pal rag dolls in beautiful outfits!
My Favorite Toys currently stocks all five girl dolls in the series as pictured above: the Kathy and Janet dolls, and the three multi-cultural dolls --- Lilly, Isabelle, and Sofia.
The dolls are the winners of the Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence, and are a delightful, nostalgic step back to the wonderful rag dolls of the past.
At My Favorite Toys at University Mall in Carbondale, IL and at our online store, www.MyFavToys.com, the dolls are sold at a $3.00 discount for $21.95 each!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
My Favorite Toys = www.MyFavToys.com
Periodically we remind our friends who google our online store that we are www.MyFavToys.com. There are several My Favorite Toys brick-and-mortar stores with similiar website domains.
Yup, for the web store with thousands of quality toys, games, puzzles and puppets, it's www.MyFavToys.com.
Of course anytime you're within driving distance of My Favorite Toys, our flagship store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL, we hope you'll drop by and say hi!
Friday, September 4, 2009
The Monster Giraffe ....And My Favorite Toys
So the news comes today that Toys R Us has purchased the KB Toys web site and other KB "intellectual property." With TRU's takeover of FAO Schwartz a few months ago, it seems TRU really is the only national toy store left. What a shame.
Fortunately there is a healthy and growing body of locally-owned, independent specialty toy stores throughout the country linked through membership in the American Specialty Toy Retailers Association (ASTRA), of which My Favorite Toys at University Mall in Carbondale, IL and www.MyFavToys.com is a proud member.
Stores such as My Favorite Toys are in the community and of the community. We provide old-fashioned customer service. We offer play areas in the store for our young customers. We make our own decisions about what toys, games, and puzzles to stock, instead of those decisions being controlled at a corporate distribution center.
We are friends with local schools and community groups, and proceeds from our sales support the local economy, instead of being shipped off to a national office.
We are grateful for shoppers everywhere who are passionate about the importance of preserving local specialty toy stores as community assets! Thank you!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
My Favorite Toys Has You Covered!
Yesterday we mentioned a couple of suggestions for "creative" bandages in our post on college care packages. Well, our staff Director of First Aid wants you to know that My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com have plenty of other "out of the box" bandages in addition to the BooBoo Kisses and Bacon varieties already suggested.
Consider the possibilities for your family's scrapes and skins! As pictured above we have bandages, 12-15 to a package, in these themes: Cowboy, Ninja, Bling, Pirate, Crime Scene, Bacon and Eggs, Skin Art, Fairy, Enchanted Unicorn, and, yes, even Toast --- that's right, bandages that look exactly like a piece of toast!
So whenever you or a loved one is reluctant to wear a bandage out in public, slap one of these babies on and you'll be, shall we say, the toast of the town!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Time For A College Care Package?
So the college kid has been out of the house at school for a week or two....and you know she's/he's missing Mom's brownies and laundry facilities.... and you're looking for the appropriate care package to make her/him smile?
Along with those edible treats, how about an AV Club Pennant for the dorm wall, or some Stickman In Peril stickers, or Waxed Cupcake Dental Floss, or a tin of BooBoo Kiss Bandages? These items, pictured above, are a few of the goofy offerings from Accoutrements, one of our favorite vendors.
When My Favorite Toys set up a booth at the Southern Illinois University Welcome Fest Event for new SIU students, the Accoutrement bandages were a big hit (we took the Bacon Bandages along)!
So check out all the fun Accoutrements items at our brick-and-mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL, or, if you're not within driving distance, see them at our online store
Monday, August 10, 2009
'Tis Our Season To....Start Getting Ready!
We're back!
The www.MyFavToys.com and My Favorite Toys blog has been dormant for a spell, but we've been really busy backstage the past couple of weeks!
A month ago we were poking fun at retailers hawking Christmas in July sales. While we're not advertising Christmas, we are placing orders and receiving our first wave of items for the holiday season! The photos above from last week show Kit looking for space in our warehouse while Sam attempts to manage UPS and freight trucks arriving at our back door simultaneously!
We'll be telling you about a few of the great items in all those boxes during the days and weeks ahead!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Making Friends at My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com!
In yesterday's blog posting, we recommended a Wall Street Journal opinion piece on the importance of independently-owned specialty retail shops. Stores such as our family-owned My Favorite Toys at University Mall in the heart of the United States in Carbondale, IL.
We also work hard to provide a personal touch at our online store,www.MyFavToys.com. Although it's a bit more difficult to get to know our customers in this venue, we are often able to provide items for special occasions. For example, yesterday we shipped a "dinosaur family" ---- two green T-Rex puppets and a hatching baby dino from Folkmanis Puppets as gifts to a customer in Indianapolis. A young customer in our brick-and-mortar store is pictured above admiring this family before we shipped them!
This morning, our last four Collectors Series Saturn V rockets from Action Products International blasted off to Lexington, KY, where they will become centerpieces at a wedding rehearsal dinner for a young NASA space program designer. Pretty neat, huh?
Just two reason why, when customers browse our store and muse, "Wow, you must have the best jobs in the world!" we just smile and nod yes!
Friday, July 17, 2009
In Praise Of Shopkeepers!
Happily, more and more consumers are supporting the notion that locally-owned, independent specialty retail shops are important to a community's vitality and future.
This perspective is expressed magnificantly in yesterday's Wall Street Journal column, "In Praise Of Shopkeepers," by Joseph Epstein. We highly recommend it to shoppers, store owners, local governmental officials, and well, everyone!
Of locally-based specialty shops, Epstein says, "The element of unpredictability, of delightful surprise, should be part of the adventure of shopping -- an element precluded by the standard stores never owned by anyone on the premises." At My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com, we certainly strive to offer our customers such "delightful surprises" that can't be found in the warehouse big box stores.
Epstein says, "Running a good shop is a service to one's community, of much greater value, in my view, than the work of two hundred social workers, five hundred psychotherapists, and a thousand second-rate poets -- and more honorable than the efforts of the vast majority of the members of Congress. A nation of shopkeepers..... sounds more and more like an ideal to which a healthy country ought to aspire."
Thursday, July 16, 2009
My Favorite Toys Still Has Swimming Pool Benders!
Oh no, the Swimming Pool Benders by Hogwild Toys are being discontinued! Hogwild has exhausted its inventory and will be shipping no more to suppliers.
But wait! My Favorite Toys, our brick-and-mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale (IL) and our online store, www.MyFavToys.com, still have a limited supply in stock. So, quick, while the summer swim season is at its peak, you can be the proud owner of this set ---- Mojo Bender with his fin and snorkle and Ginger in her stylish two-piece.
Click here to get your Swimming Pool Benders!!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
"Is It A Bag Or A Backpack?"
Jake (above) doesn't care what you call it! What's important is that the My Favorite Toys Reusable Bag is large enough to hold the Thomas Wooden Railway Rolling Gantry Crane that Jake purchased today with his birthday money!
The bright "green" bags are turning up in lots of places since we introduced them on Earth Day this year. In fact, two southern Illinoisans connected on vacation at Myrtle Beach, SC, last week when a My Favorite Toys shopper recognized our bag another vacationer was using as a beach bag!
It's a neato bag, really, larger than many of the reusable ones, and with pockets on either side for drinks, snacks etc. Right now, this $3.25 value is free with a $35.00 purchase at My Favorite Toys at University Mall in Carbondale.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
It's Getting Easier To Be Green!
Kermit the Frog will be happy to hear the news --- it's getting easier to be green!
At My Favorite Toys, our brick and mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL, and at www.MyFavToys.com, we're working with manufacturers to offer "green" products to our customers.
In fact, Playthings Magazine reports this week that an environmental labeling group, EcoLogo, is developing a program for certifying the environmental friendliness of toys.
"Growing numbers of toys and children's products have been making environmental claims like 'all natural' and 'earth friendly' without consistent meanings to the terms and without providing any proof of the accuracy or relevance of the claims," says Scot Case, executive director of the EcoLogo program. "The new EcoLogo standard will define clear criteria that products must meet before they can claim environmental leadership."
We just received a great product from Thames and Kosmos, one of our primary suppliers of science products. The Power House/Green Essentials is an experiment kit with book that introduces kids 10 years and old to regenerative energy sources and sustainable living, while teaching basic concepts in physical science. By building a model house and nine other energy-related devices, one learns about energy from the sun, wind, plants and electrochemical reactions. The kit creatively integrates physical science lessons with the story of a group of island dwellers learning to live sustainably on a remote island. To survive, they must learn how to harness the power of the sun and the wind, and other natural resources. As the participant reads their story, he/she does the same projects. The full-color experiment manual guides the participant through all the activities. It's priced at $79.95, which is $10.00 less than the manufacturer's suggested retail price.
If you are a www.MyFavToys.com shopper, click here to buy Power House/Green Essentials, or, if you are within driving distance of our Carbondale store, come visit us!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Playing With Your Kids When (Shhh!) You'd Rather Not
Parents want to be more than just parents. We want to be good parents—and by “good”, we mean exemplary. That’s why we try so hard to get it right. We cuddle up with the kids as often as possible to read a bedtime story. We work to strike a balance between predictable family routines that anchor our children and unstructured time that gives them space to test their creativity. For us, parenting is about much more than keeping them safe, clean, and fed.
And because we know play is important, isn’t it the highlight of our day when we get down on the floor with the little ones to build with blocks or put four-piece puzzles together? Well, actually….maybe not. Many parents may be reluctant to admit it, but some of us just don’t like playing with our kids very much. Are we bad parents?
Relax. Here’s the thing. For some adults, engaging with kids and their play really is the highlight of their day. For others, frankly, it’s just plain boring and not very much fun. It’s not about good parenting or otherwise. It’s all about your personality.
It makes sense that not everyone is wild about playing with their kids. Think about how it feels for a child to adjust to your world—say, when you go shopping and they tag along. Ten minutes feels like three days to them. It’s really no different when you adjust to your child’s play world, which is all about make-believe and ever-changing rules that you don’t understand and high energy activities that may exhaust you after a long day at work. Ten minutes of that will feel like an eternity to some moms and dads, and reasonably so.
Research supports this claim. Princeton University professors Daniel Kahneman and Alan Kreuger found that while parents generally insist playing with their children is among their favorite activities, the time they spend doing it gives them about as much pleasure as housework does. Research also demonstrates that parental engagement with children during play can support literacy development and imaginative thinking.
If kids’ play is indeed so important, and you’re one of the parents who don’t find it so interesting to play with your child, what should you do?
Some suggestions from the staff at My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com:
*For your parent-child play include activities YOU like to do. If you like museums, take the kids and bring colored pencils and paper to “copy” masterpieces together. (Make sure your budding artist keeps his creativity on the paper!). Visit parts of the museum that have interest for both you and your kids, like dinosaurs or miniatures exhibits. If you like leisurely walks, set up a scavenger hunt for your little one along and bring her along. If you like books, make books together—you a scrapbook, your child a story for grandma.
*Keep it short. Find games or activities you can finish quickly without feeling rushed. For instance, the 12 to 15 minute games such as Hula Hippos from Gamewright are great. If you find your attention wandering during play, opt out by telling your child, “It’s time for me to stop playing now, but you can keep playing by yourself.” If the activity requires two people, show your child how to adjust the activity to do it by herself.
*Give yourself credit. If the get-down-on-the-floor play is only slightly more tolerable than the endlessly-push-the-swing-at-the-park play, and you’re feeling guilty about not wanting to do any of it, give yourself credit for the things you are doing. Sometimes parents get a bit narrow in their definition of play and they don’t realize that reading, for example, ‘counts’ as play and can be made even more playful by acting out the story together. An ‘I Spy’ game at the grocery store is wonderful play, even if it’s in the context of another non-play activity.
Parent-child play does support healthy child development and help create treasured memories. Yet you don’t have to have the play repertoire of a preschool teacher or the non-stop energy of your neighbor who never seems to do anything except play with her kids. So relax. Your child will thrive if you just let yourself be you. After all, the real, authentic you is the most important person in the world to your little one.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
More Sales, More Friends For www.MyFavToys.com and My Favorite Toys!
So yesterday's Wall Street Journal reports continued handwringing by major retailers about upcoming back-to-school sales and prospects for the remainder of 2009.
The article reports that "Some chains have cut inventory as much as 20%, compared to previous years' levels."
Not so at My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com! Our sales are up in excess of 7% for the first six months of 2009, and success at both our brick-and-mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL and our online store have allowed us to expand, not reduce, the number of new and creative items, such as new Joe Benders, Uglydolls, My Name Piggybanks, new Science sets, new puzzles, etc. etc.
These are items that MIGHT be available in the big chain stores months or years from now. As an independently-owned specialty toy store, we search for new and innovative products, so they are available to you, our customers, first!
We thank our strong base of customers for responding to this approach. You allow us to continue to invest in creative, educational and just plain fun toy, games, and puzzles for kids of all ages!
Thank you!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Who would have thunk it? Metallica and Pink Floyd as lullabies, soothing your newborn to sleep?
Yup, www.MyFavToys.com, our online store and My Favorite Toys, our brick-and-mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL, have teamed up with New Sounds, Inc. to offer the Rockabye Baby! series. These CDs transform timeless rock songs into beautiful instrumental lullabies. The soothing sounds of the glockenspiel, vibraphone, mellotron and other instruments will lull your baby into a sweet slumber.
No kidding, the songs of U2, the Stones, Beatles, Metallica, Radiohead, the Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, Eagles, Tool, Green Day and the Ramones can do that.
We play these CDs at My Favorite Toys and parents have gone wild over them. At this point, Metallica is the best seller, followed by the Beatles.
Click on the names of one of the groups above to purchase one, or, if you're within driving distance of My Favorite Toys in Carbondale, come visit us!
Monday, June 29, 2009
More Zaniness From My Favorite Toys And Hogwild Toys!
If you've visited My Favorite Toys, our brick-and-mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale, Il, or www.MyFavToys.com, you know we're nuts about the Benders and other goofy products from Hogwild Toys!
So perhaps you can understand our happy dance over today's news that six new Hogwild products are coming later this year, including two new Benders. (If you are not yet a Bender zealot, they are durable plastic-coated wire characters, in a myriad of themes, that have magnets in their hands and feet. You can bend, sculpt and pose The Benders into nearly any position imaginable. Most Benders come in their own tin; it's where they sleep when they are not hard at work or play.)
Hiking Joe and Jane Bender, complete with backpack, walking stick and built-in compass, will join guys like Mountain Bike Joe and Rock Climbing Joe.
Other products-to-come include the Rabbit Peeler, the fruit and vegetable peeler in the shape of a bunny, the perfect complement to the Pizza Shark and Alli-Grator, currently available.
You'll also not want to miss the new Bristlebot, billed as part robot and part toothbrush!
We know, our Hogwild line may seem a little weird, but it's proof that My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com cater to adult kids as well as to the little ones! Most Hogwild products are recommended for kids-at-heart aged eight years or older.
We'll let you know when these new guys arrive!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
(More than) Halfway To You Know What!
We know, we know, this may be the last thing you want to hear (depending on your age!), but, yup, we're halfway to Christmas and Hanukkah! Good old St. Nick made his first pass for the year through My Favorite Toys the other day to talk to us about his upcoming plans.
He left town qucikly however, inasmuch the heat index in southern Illinois was somewhere past 105-degrees!
Santa said he'd be back for more serious talk about November 1!
Jigsaw Puzzles Are Great Developmental Projects (And They're On Sale!)
Many educators today agree that the skills needed to complete a jigsaw puzzle are fundamental. The humble jigsaw puzzle can help stimulate your child's concentration and logical thinking processes. Jigsaw puzzles can teach reasoning and problem solving skills as well as hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness.
At My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com, we're partnering with Melissa and Doug for a "Buy Two, Get One Free Melissa and Doug Floor Puzzle Sale." The sale includes the new 2009 puzzles such as Safari Social, Traffic Jam, and Alphabet Express, as well as the M & D floor puzzle classics. The U. S. Presidents Puzzle has been updated to include President Obama!
So visit us at www.MyFavToys.com to take advantage of this special (Even though each puzzle will tabulate as a purchase, for every three floor puzzles you buy, we will deduct the cost of one from your total, and will email you with the actual total to be charged to your credit card).
Or, if you're within driving distance of My Favorite Toys, our bricks and mortar store in Carbondale, IL, come see us there!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com Partner With Melissa and Doug
My Favorite Toys, our brick and mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL, and www.MyFavToys.com, our online store, enjoy a strong partnership with Melissa and Doug. Offering quality wooden toys, puzzles, puppets, train sets, arts and crafts, dollhouses, and much more, Melissa and Doug is clearly a leader in the specialty toys market.
Among the most popular Melissa and Doug products at My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com are our magnetic dress-up sets, for kids 3 and up. This delightful series is a 2009 update on the old paper doll concept, with sturdy wooden dolls and magnet-backed wooden clothes and stands, including Nina Ballerina (pictured above), Maggie Leigh, Joey, Princess Elise, Abby & Emma, and the newest set, Best Friends Forever!
Click here to purchase Nina, or click the Melissa and Doug option under "Manufacturers" on our homepage to find the other items in this series. Or, if you are within driving distance of our Carbondale store, come see Nina and her friends there!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
It's Bikini Bender Time At My Favorite Toys!
If it's June it must be Bikini Bender season! Yup, My Favorite Toys, our bricks and mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale , IL, and www.MyFavToys.com, our online store, have teamed up again with Hogwild Toys, those goofy, creative folks from Portland, to offer a series of four Bikini Benders, each with a folding beach chair PLUS a personal accessory. Britney, pictured above, has a boom box, Ruby has a water bottle, Carmen has a book, and Lucy has sunglasses. Click to buy one now, or come visit us at My Favorite Toys, at University Mall in Carbondale, the capital of southern Illinois!
Benders, as you surely know, are durable plastic coated wire characters that have magnets in their hands and feet. You can bend, sculpt and pose The Benders into nearly any position imaginable. Most Benders come in their own tin—it's where they sleep when they are not hard at work or play. The Bikini Benders sport a really neat "sun tan lotion" tin!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Bananagrams For You!
If you like Scrabble, but get dragged down by Slow Jack (who takes 15-20 minutes for each turn) or Johnny Dictionary (who has to look up just one more word) then you will love Bananagrams. Bananagrams gets its name from the banana-shaped bag that holds the tiles and makes it so easy to take wherever you go. This easy, on-the-go feature can fill your children's time in the car, while waiting in resturants, at grandmother's or out from under your feet at home. It is also a great way to entertain family and friends after dinner or if you just need a break for a quick and quick witted challenge.
Bananagrams is a FAST and FUN word game that requires NO pencil, paper or board. All you need is a table. It's a big favorite at My Favorite Toys, our brick and mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL. If you're not within diriving distance, click here to buy one!
Bananagrams is a FAST and FUN word game that requires NO pencil, paper or board. All you need is a table. It's a big favorite at My Favorite Toys, our brick and mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL. If you're not within diriving distance, click here to buy one!
Monday, June 1, 2009
What A Child Learns By Giving.....and Receiving
One of best parts of owning a specialty toy store like My Favorite Toys at University Mall in Carbondale (IL) is the role we play in birthday gifts --- families rushing in on the way to a birthday party looking for help in selecting a present; grandparents needing a gift to ship to the grandkids on the other side of the country; parents selecting small items for the birthday party goody bags, etc. etc.
Can you remember a favorite gift you received as a child? Maybe the chemistry set your parents brought back from a trip or the porcelain piggy bank from your best friend. You enjoyed and cherished the gift because of the giver. Likewise, you remember with pleasure gifts that you've given, made all that more special by the joy of the recipients!
What does a child learn from giving? Giving helps the child develop empathy by imagining someone else's desires and needs. Little ones assume their wants are shared by their loved ones and may offer Mom or Dad a favorite stuffed toy. As children grow socially, their gift giving extends to playmates and siblings. It is important at this stage to involve the child in the process, from considering what the other may like, to selecting, wrapping, and presenting the gift. By school age, children are ready to practice true charity --- giving beyond their own circle and to the needy.
What does a child learn from receiving? Receiving comes naturally to children as that's how they're born into the world. Sincere appreciation and the social skill of expressing thanks are what children must learn. When Baby hands you her stuffed toy, do you cradle and kiss it --- or cast it away? The day after the birthday party do you gather up and exchange your child's presents? Or do you say, "What wonderful gifts from your friends!"
At My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com, we are grateful that you choose us to help you select quality gifts to help your child develop. Thank you!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Does Your Ice Cream Cone Have a Motor?
It's time for ice cream! Nothing like scooping up a double-dip cone of mint chocolate chip, heading outside, then working the cone frantically (and usually unsuccessfully) to catch the drips. It's terrible! Why, you can get carpal tunnel from twisting your wrist every which way turning that cone!
Well, dear blog reader, fear no more! The My Favorite Toys Morotized Ice Cream Cone is here. It automatically turns your ice cream cone while you lick. No more manually rotating the cone! What could be better. Click here to buy one or if you're within driving distance of our store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL, come visit us!
Well, dear blog reader, fear no more! The My Favorite Toys Morotized Ice Cream Cone is here. It automatically turns your ice cream cone while you lick. No more manually rotating the cone! What could be better. Click here to buy one or if you're within driving distance of our store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL, come visit us!
Friday, May 29, 2009
.......And Then There Was One
Upon entering FAO Schwarz's Manhattan store, the iconic wonderland of specialty toys, you are greeted by a 3-story clock tower singing "Welcome to Our World of Toys. The adventure is about to begin."
Well, maybe now you'll have to fight your way past the goofy-looking Geoffrey the giraffe, because the magical adventure of the oldest toy retailer in the country is about to change for the worse. Yup, Toys R Us announced they are gobbling up FAO, immortalized in the 1988 Tom Hanks movie, "Big."
Why should we be surprised? Since the early 1990s toy stores have been squeezed continuously by the Monster Marts. First there was Child's World, Child Palace,and Circus World, then Zany Brainy, and more recently KB Toys. All are gone from the scene.
Toys R Us CEO Jerry Storch says, "We will work tirelessly to preserve the distinctiveness and integrity of the FAO Schwarz stores and brand as we grow the business and, indeed, take the brand to even greater heights.”
Excuse us? This is the same Toys R Us charged with anti-trust violations for trying to muscle out the competition? The same Toys R Us that squandered its leadership in the toy industry and has seen its market share fall from 25% to 16%? The same Toys R Us that had to be bailed out by a real estate holding company in order to survive?
So now there is basically one major toy retailer which, along with the Big Box giants, Walmart and Target, can dictate even more to toy manufacturers who are already reeling from the soft economy and dramatically increased costs.
In one sense, there's really nothing new here. Independent, mom and pop retail stores across the spectrum of products have been zapped from the marketplace by the mammoth corporate reatilers for the last three decades. Our community of Carbondale, IL, a heartland university town of 25,000 permanent residents, has felt the pinch of the loss of hometown, local retailers just as other communities across the country.
Fortunately there are still mom and pop toy stores with heart and soul, customer service, and creative, educational and silly toys you won't find at the MonsterMarts.
My Favorite Toys at University Mall in Carbondale is one of those stores, and we work hard to instill the same spirit into our web store, www.MyFavToys.com. We enjoy knowing many of our customers by name, and we're delighted to watch the youngsters who visit us grow up right before our eyes. We're proud to hear middle-aged and senior shoppers exclaim, "I haven't see this toy since I was a child," or hear a young adult say, "I wish there was a toy store like this when I was a kid."
We do all of our own buying, instead of our stock coming from a mega distribution center. We can listen to our customers and try to find items on special order. We can take time to visit a bit with customers and get to know them. We can provide more customer service than, "Oh yeah, I think the toys are in aisle 87."
We so much appreciate the strong base of customers who share our passion for constructive toys, puppets, puzzles and games. We pledge our very best efforts to maintaining the quality and spirit of My Favorite Toys, despite the threat of a continuing march toward the faceless monopoly of the mass market!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Teaching Your Little "Free Spirits"
To paraphrase Neil Sedaka, "Growing Up Is Hard To Do!" My Favorite Toys, our brick and mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale (IL) and www.MyFavToys.com, our online store, have teamed up with Free Spirit Publishing to offer books from the Toddler Tools Series.
As parents of toddlers in years gone by, we've always respected the Free Spirit folks as a leading publisher of learning tools that support young people's social and emotional health. The Toddler Tools books include:
-Clean Up Time
-Bye-Bye Time
-Naptime
-Listening Tim
-Manners Time
-Sharing Time
Other titles we especially like, from the Best Behavior series, include "Diapers Are Not Forever," Tails Are Not For Pulling," and "Pacifiers Are Not Forever."
Click here to purchase any of the $7.95 titles or, if you're within driving distance of our flagship store in Carbondale, come see us!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Zing! New Summer Fun At www.MyFavToys.com and My Favorite Toys!
Zing Toys has arrived at My Favorite Toys, our University Mall store in Carbondale, IL and at www.MyFavToys.com, our online store. Try the Zartz Fun Pack --- an "Urban Dart" with two hand darts for two-person play. It's pictured above.
Or how about the Sporteez, a sports version of the original Zeebeez pop ups. Check it out in this video:
Sunday, May 24, 2009
The Flingshot Monkeys Are Back!
One of our most fun and popular items the past year has been the amazing, screaming Flingshot Monkey. Kids and adults alike have furiously bought up these guys. You place your fingers in the monkey's paws as shown above, pull on his tail, and the monkey goes flying across the room, emiting an attention-getting screeching scream!
After a dry spell of no available inventory, the monkeys are back!. You've never had so much fun for $5.95! They're easy to ship as well, so pick one out either at My Favorite Toys, our brick and mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale or our online store. Click here to buy one!
After a dry spell of no available inventory, the monkeys are back!. You've never had so much fun for $5.95! They're easy to ship as well, so pick one out either at My Favorite Toys, our brick and mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale or our online store. Click here to buy one!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Melissa and Doug Floor Puzzle Sale at www.MyFavToys.com and My Favorite Toys at University Mall!
That's Right! Even though our everyday price on Melissa and Doug's award-winning line of floor puzzles is discounted from the manufacturer's suggested retail price, during June we are running a "Buy Two, Get One Free" Sale on ALL Melissa and Doug floor puzzles!
We've stocked up on these great puzzles, such as the two below, in anticipation of this sale, but they won't last long. So come visit us at http://www.myfavtoys.com/ or at My Favorite Toys, our brick and mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale! Buy Two, Get One Free!
It's VBS Season!
Directors and teachers throughout southern Illinois and across the country are gathering supplies for Vacation Bible/Church School!
Several VBS themes offered by the church-related publishing houses this year focus on camping, hiking, safaris, crocodiles and boomerangs!
Group's "Crocodile Dock" screams for crocodile puppets, figures, and plush animals to augment the theme. We have Folkmanis puppets who can tell the story or just be a play toy for the children.
Gospel Light's "Kids Camp Son" has a camping theme. Camping play sets or inexpensive compasses can serve as thematic play.
Safari themes take children on an imaginary trip to Australia. Animal figures from National Geographic, Schleich and Safari, Inc. can augment that curriculum. Or how about Australian hats for the teachers?
Yes, My Favorite Toys, our brick and mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL and http://www.myfavtoys.com/ can help to help accessorize the special VBS week.
Come visit us!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
My Favorite Toy's New Spring Line ----Sunny Patch From Melissa and Doug!
My Favorite Toys at University Mall in Carbondale, IL, is pleased to announce the new Melissa and Doug line, Sunny Patch Products. This is a delightful, colorful series of spring gardening tools, boots, raincoats, umbrellas, playground balls, and sprinklers.
The items just hit our shelves today, so they are not yet on the http://www.myfavtoys.com/ website, but if you're in southern Illinois, we invite you to come check out these great items!
The items just hit our shelves today, so they are not yet on the http://www.myfavtoys.com/ website, but if you're in southern Illinois, we invite you to come check out these great items!
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