I've been told by more than a few people that I have a knack for choosing christmas presents for kids. I seem to find the ones that last for more than a few months and are usually not too pricey.
So this year I thought I'd try using my powers for good and for the next few weeks I'll visit some of our local retail stores, play and experience all the toys, and come up with a list of those I really enjoy.
This first trip is from Wal-Mart - which we swung into quickly by taking advantage of the time change.
Monster Treads Tractor - for the John Deere Nut - $9
This tractor has soft rubber wheels and a rather resilient chassis. What makes it a lot of fun is there's a button that makes it jump up and down. You can slide up the top part which is where the batteries are stored.
Really good for any kid that likes trucks and tractors and things with wheels.
Barbie Puppy Swim School - $20
With girls you can almost never go wrong with cute puppies. Cute puppies that swim around and come with a Barbie is a gold mine. The dog (named Taffy because Barbie is a harsh mistress) can swim if you wind its tail which may or may not work long. But again, cute puppy that can be carried too and fro.
Fisher-Price Imaginext Spike Chomper - $14
Got a child on your list that loves dinosaurs and has a younger sibling to annoy? This is perfect, as you put your hand up its larynx (also a good anatomy tool if you want them to become ENT doctors) and squeeze so it chomps down. It says a few cute things but not too annoying or too loud.
It also comes with a bone, which will probably get lost fairly quickly but if you just press on his tongue or the child puts random things in it he'll either make yummy or yucky sounds.
Go Baby Go Bat & Wobble Penguin - $20
I almost got this for a baby on my list last year but found something that fit his stacking needs a bit better.
Regardless this thing looks like tons of fun for the 6month and up crowd (though your 13 year old may not be as appreciative). It's a penguin you can bash around with brightly colored balls in it.
Heck, I kinda want one when I need to work out some aggression.
Delicious Boutique My First Oven - Sadly no pictures to share. ~$20
Got a child that loves to cook? This oven is adorable. There are three buttons that light up the oven and the dials up on the stove light up the burners under each bubbling pot.
It's not too big so it's pretty portable and would work well for any cooking/kitchen games.
Delicious Boutique Deluxe Cash Register - ~$20 Again no pictures
There's a lot here like most cash registers, you have your calculator, your scanner that beeps, a scale, the little microphone. The really fun and sinfully loud part is the inclusion of an actual working conveyor belt. It doesn't move that quickly and like I said makes an ungodly noise but sometimes that's half the fun.
Play-Doh Puppy Time - $13
As I said before kids love puppies, and kids love making stuff. So here kids get to make puppies and things for puppies.
With this play-doh set you form the baby puppies from what looks like underneath the mom (leading to a very confusing birds and bees talk), you also make treats and toys for the puppies from various molds. And, probably the most fun part, you get an extruder that makes kibble.
Give it enough time and I'm sure the baby dolls will be eating nothing but neon pink kibble.
Tempo's Rocking Guitar - $36
This thing is fun! The strings are made of nice thick strands that unlike the FP guitar next to it are far enough removed from the middle you can really string like crazy. There are various buttons that add different sounds and singing from their tiger man who isn't too annoying.
I didn't really have time to press every single button on the thing as we had to move on but I really wanted too and as we left the store that was the one that stuck with me the most. I kinda want to play with it again.
And those are a few of my fun finds from Wal-Mart. I still have a few more stores to hit up and see if anything catches my eye so tune in next time.
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