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!

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!

(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!

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!

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!

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!

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!