Last weekend, Macaroni Kid Hickory/Western Piedmont hosted our Toy Time party at hOpscotch Children's Boutique in Conover, giving kids an opportunity to try out some new toys for the upcoming holiday season. Kids (and parents too) had a fun time playing and just about everyone walked out with a toy to take home. View pictures from our party in our Facebook album.
Our featured toys from Macaroni Kid National included Pinkie Cooper Travel Collection Dolls, Bananagrams: Fruitominoes, Disney Princess Palace Pets & Beauty Salon and Furry Tail Friends, Little Passports, Kiwi Crate, MessMatz, Animal Soup Game by Haywire Group, and K'nex Tinkertoy. Read on for reviews of a few of the toys we tested out and feel free to email me with questions you may have about these or any others!
Kiwi Crate
Kiwi Crate is a monthly subscription service recommended for kids ages 3-7. Each month, the bright green crate arrives in your mailbox containing all the supplies you meed for two projects, allowing your child to get hands-on with art, science, crafts, imaginative play and more. They even send you scissors in the welcome package; the box has everything you need for the crafts including the glue, tape, paintbrushes, etc. My daughter actually had a 6 month subscription last winter and while I do think she was a little too old for some of the crafts at the age of 7.5, I loved that many of the projects were simple enough to keep her occupied by herself. The crafts were creative, cute and even educational. Parents at our toy party gave this toy a 9.8/10 overall rating, mentioning fun for the whole family, fine motor skills practice and creativity as this toy's main pros. Individual holiday crates start at $12.95, with monthly subscription services starting at $16.95. Get 30% off your first month of Kiwi Crate with code MACARONI30 (discount expires 11/27/13).
Pinkie Cooper Travel Collection Dolls
These dolls, about the size of a Barbie, and their coordinating pets are dressed in outfits inspired by fashionable cities. There are three dolls in the Pinkie Cooper collection: from Beverly Hills, Paris and London. Each doll comes with a pet, accessories (our London doll came with a camera and umbrella), a hair brush and a collector travel sticker. Kids can follow along on the jet-setting dolls' travels in an online blog, providing an educational piece. The little girls at our party, ranging in age from 3-8, most enjoyed brushing Pinkie's hair and found it cool that you can change the dolls hairstyles by interchanging with that from another doll. Parents gave this toy a 7.8/10 overall rating and a higher 8.4 rating in the fun/entertaining category. The Pinkie Cooper Travel Collection Doll with Pet is recommended for girls ages 4 and up and has a suggested retail price of $19.99.
MessMatz
Neat freak moms like myself will really appreciate this product! Made of 100% silicone rubber and a perimeter lip, MessMatz will contain any mess or spill. Use it for the kids' messy projects even if you've just cleaned the house. The mat is food safe and non-toxic, cleans up easily with soap and water and rolls up for quick storage. Parents gave the MessMat a 10/10 rating and loved it for its durability and easy clean up. Measuring 18.5” x 32”, the mat sells online for $29.99.
Animal Soup Game
This board game from Haywire Group is perfect for preschoolers. Players travel around the game board collecting matching colors needed to create their animal soup. With a 20 min play time, this game is perfect for the short attention spans of kids ages 3+. There's no reading required and the 2-4 players all play on every turn. Your child will be having so much fun with Animal Soup, they won't even notice that they are learning about colors, matching, and animals while playing! Parents give this game an 8/10 rating overall, with the kids enjoying the silly animals. Purchase this game for your next family game night at the suggested price of $19.99.
Tinkertoy
This classic, timeless toy from K'nex spark imaginative play and creativity in boys and girls ages 3 and up. Kids of all ages can build whatever pops into their mind with Tinkertoy. The durable plastic parts snap and stay together, allowing children to "imagine, build and play" for hours! We featured the 65 piece essentials value set which includes spools, rods, flags, washers, end caps and more with building ideas for 7 models. Parents rated this toy a 9.17/10, naming creativity, imaginative play, multiple options, and complex thought patterns as pros of this $22.99 huildig set.
Overall ratings for other toys not reviewed
Little Passports - 9.5/10
Fruitominoes - 8.9/10
Disney Princess Palace Pets - 7.8/10
Congratulations to our toy party winners, as follows. I think everyone walked out with a toy or two!
Becky von Osinski - Pinkie Cooper & Fruitominoes;
Elle Wallace - Tinkertoys;
Carrie Sanford - Kiwi Crate;
Katie Clontz - MessMatz & Kiwi Crate;
Stephanie Gill - Fruitominoes & Palace Pets Pamper Spa;
Amy Walker - Animal Soup;
Yowill McAbee - Little Passports & Fruitominoes; and
Dana Andreasson - Furry Friends.
Disclaimer: I received complimentary products for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own or those surveyed.
