Silly Bandz Arrive At My Favorite Toys!

The craze that started in Birmingham, AL last year has hit the Midwest! Yes, indeed, Silly Bandz are here! They are the hottest fashion jewelry!

These colorful rubber band-like guys return to their original shape when you take them off the item they're holding (or off of your wrist). Pick from Zoo Animals, Pets, Fun Shapes, Princesses, Dinos, Sea Creatures or Alphabet Letters. They come in packs of 24 (36 for the Letter packs). Wear them, collect them, or trade with friends!

Be the first in your neighborhood to join the next national craze! And they're now available at My Favorite Toys at University Mall in Carbondale, IL, or soon on our website at www.MyFavToys.com

My Favorite Toys --- Your Trusted Source For Atomic Food Containers!

Tired of scampering to the refrig to devour last night's chicken and rice leftovers and discovering some other household inhabitant has pirated your snack?

Then our Atomic Food Containers from Hog Wild Toys are for you! This set of three plastic bowls in industrial strength colors are FDA approved, dishwasher/microwave safe, sealable air-vented wonders. They absolutely scream "Keep Out! This tasty lunch is mine!" There will be no more mixups because these containers are instantly recognizable...and highly questionable! Their labels read, "Nuclear Waste: Eat and Glow," "Experimental Meal: Consume At Own Risk," and "Biodangerous: Yesterday's Leftovers."

The set of three bowls is $8.95. Order yours today at www.MyFavToys.com or if you are within driving distance of our brick and mortar store, My Favorite Toys, at University Mall in Carbpndale, IL, come see us there!

My Favorite Toys and www.MyFavToys.com --- A Mom and Pop Operation!

My Favorite Toys at University Mall in Carbondale, IL is definitely a Mom and Pop store. Oh, we do have other staff, and we carry the latest brands of toys, games, puzzles and games (in fact we stock unique and up-and-coming toys from small manufacturers before the Big Box stores grab them)!

And we pride ourselves on customer service, and knowing many customers by name. We delight in watching our customers grow from newborns to big kids!

But we also work hard at making www.MyFavToys.com,our online store, a Mom and Pop cyberstore. Sound like a contradiction in terms?

Well, it is a bit more difficult, but we often chat back and forth at info@MyFavToys.com with customers before and after a purchase is made. This pleases but surprises most of our customers. Just the other day we responded to a customer who had ordered an item that was out of stock but soon to be returning. We explained this and asked the customer how he'd like to proceed. "I've never had an online store take the time to respond so quickly and thoroughly to an order, " he wrote. We thought, "Doesn't everybody?"

Apparently not. So this motivates us to become even more widely known as "that great online site that thinks it's a Mom and Pop store."

We also remember our new friend, Grace, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, who purchased a "Lily" My Name Piggy Bank from us. Both Grace and we had to jump through a few hoops to get the transaction completed. Upon her receipt of the Bank, Grace sent us a picture and told us a little about Lily, the recipient. We exchanged holiday greetings and Grace promised to visit us in Illinois when she visits the United States. Now is that cool or what?

So you get the idea. We're a Mom and Pop business, whether in person at our brick-and mortar store or "on the web!"

What Should My Favorite Toys Bring Back From Toy Fair?

In two weeks, we'll be galloping through the hundreds of manufacturers' booths at the 2010 International Toy Fair in New York City. Our goal is to find the very best toys, games, puzzles, puppets and books to offer to our customers at My Favorite Toys, our brick and mortar store at University Mall in Carbondale, IL and to our friends who shop at www.MyFavToys.com, our great online store.

We invite your participation in this venture. What products would you like us to seek out at Toy Fair? Let us know, and we'll do our best, and then report back to you personally upon return from the Fair. Come give us your requests in person at My Favorite Toys, or email your ideas to: info@MyFavToys.com.

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.

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.

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!