droolicious : holiday gifts

Oliebollen's Shopping Sweep

elizabeth leach — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 13:35:00 GMT

This is fun. Every day until Tuesday, Dec 2, there will be five free items hidden around the Oliebollen site. Yesterday some of the prizes were Small Paul tees, Pookie plush dolls and Room Seven Pillows. Details after the jump...

Here's how it works: Go to Oliebollen and when you see a free item, just add it to your shopping cart. You'll know it's free because it'll say so! There are also super deals sprinkled around the site. Oliebollen gives you clues here so check back every day and then start the shopping sweep! (You must purchase one item and finish the check out process in order to receive your free items.)

Shop Oliebollen.

Meet Spike, Your Very Own Pet Dinosaur

elizabeth leach — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Fact: Boys love dinosaurs. Fact: Boys love remote control. Fact: Boys love robots. Fisher-Price’s Imaginext, Spike the Ultra Dinosaur is all three. Standing 27” tall, Spike walks, opens and closes his mouth, blinks his eyes, growls, snorts, rears up on his hind legs, and (if he’s being a good dinosaur) you can feed him a boulder!

Spike is as "ultra" as a dinosaur can get without going back in time to prehistoric times. The wireless remote is super easy to use with pictures on the buttons of what you want Spike to do. Recommended for ages 3-10.

Find Fisher Price’s Imaginext Spike the Ultra Dinosaur here for $129.99.

And Spike is at the top of Toys "R" Us Hot Holiday Shopping List. (Read that post here.)

Babble Giveaway: Win a LeapFrog Didj + Hannah Montana Game! (Ends 12/1)

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:04:00 GMT

When we first got some hands-on time with Didj, LeapFrog's new learning-game system designed to knock that learning-averse DS Lite out of your kids' hands, we went gaga: Not only does Didj play like a typical high-quality handheld -- which is to say, it blows away the simplistic graphics and gameplay usually associated with learning games -- but it also packs enough character-based kid allure to keep little ones returning to it.

This week, in fact, LeapFrog announced the latest in its series of licensed games, a Hannah Montana title aimed at girls in 3rd through 5th grade, and we've got a copy of the game and a Didj to play it on ready to give away to one lucky Droolicious visitor!

To enter the contest, just email your name, address and daytime phone number to us at babblecontest@gmail.com. On Dec. 1, we'll draw one winner from the pool of entries to receive a brand-new Didj ($89.99 value) and Hannah Montana game ($29.99 value).

Here's the skinny on the game -- which helps to teach multiplication, division, vocabulary, and time management skills -- straight from LeapFrog:

Help Miley study so Hannah Montana can take the stage! Miley is scheduled to perform as Hannah Montana this weekend, but only if she passes her big test at school on Friday. With four days to go, can you help Miley make the grade? Use your skills to fly through quizzes and puzzles so the show can go on! Earn points as you play to customize the game with outfits, dance moves and special effects for Miley's concert, and choose the skills you need to study for school!

For the full specs on Didj and the LeapFrog Learning Path online tool exclusive to all three of the company's "LeapFrog Connected" systems, visit the LeapFrog shop.

LEGO City Advent Calendar Holds 24 Days' Worth of Bricks

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:04:00 GMT

With 41 days left till Christmas, you've still got ample time to nab a 2008 LEGO City Advent Calendar. The box itself functions as the calendar, with each of the 24 windows concealing a LEGO City minifigure or accessory, and the last day of Advent revealing the biggest surprise in the set.

$29.99 from the LEGO Shop, and if you order $70 in additional goodies during your visit, shipping is free. (Shipping promotion expires Dec. 1)

NERF N-Strike for Wii Breaks 4th Wall to Let You Shoot People

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:04:00 GMT

OK, that's being a little dramatic: Yes, you can actually blast people with the "Switch Shot EX-3" dart blaster that comes bundled with NERF N-Strike for Wii, but these are NERF darts we're talking about, and as for the game itself, it's a far cry from Halo.

Fire away! Picking off targets in NERF N-Strike.

That said, NERF N-Strike is (figuratively speaking) a total blast for young gamers, as it throws them into a series of fun, fast-paced challenges such as blasting targets or picking off robotic enemies -- no blood or excessive violence here.

The game's multiplayer capability, which lets up to 4 friends jump into battle simultaneously (additional EX-3 blasters are $14.99 each; make sure you get the Wii-compatible one), is also a great way to bring serious NERF action into a playdate without having to chase foam darts around your house later. Just exchange the EX-3's dart chamber for a Wii remote to start blasting away onscreen.

$56.99 (regularly $60) from Amazon.

Busy Zoo by Parents Toys

elizabeth leach — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:30:00 GMT

If you're like me, you're already thinking about holiday gifts for your baby or kids and you're also wondering how you're going to deal with another gigantic mass of plastic. (Especially, if you're in small space!) The Busy Zoo by Parents is made of wood and is a great alternative to those plastic activity tables.

The Busy Zoo doesn't light up or sing, so you won't get all those songs stuck in your head and you won't need to change the batteries. Instead, your child can sing! This beautifully designed activity cube has five sides of toys that encourage abstract thinking, problem solving, and help your child develop motor skills. This toy is recommended for 12 months and up, but I think it would also be great for younger babies, too. Just plop them in front of the Zoo and let them play!

I have my Busy Zoo right in the middle of our family room. I love the color scheme! Find the Busy Zoo ($49.99) and the entire collection of Parents Toys at Target.

Move Over American Girl There’s a New Doll in Town

Lisa Mulcahy — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:45:00 GMT

If your little princess thinks American Girl Dolls are the greatest thing since sliced bread, look out. Now there’s some competition in the customized doll arena.

Like American Girl Dolls, you can order My Twinn Dolls, $149, with the same hair, eye and skin color as your daughter. The difference: My Twinn takes it to the next level. You submit a photo of your child so their doll artisans can in essence make a “mini me.” Freckles, unique birthmarks, dimples, they do it all. Sure to be a hot holiday item, no two dolls are ever the same.

Personally, these creep me out; then again I’ve never had a daughter. Surely little girls across the country will disagree with me.

Very Big Toys: XGlider Foot-Sized Inline Skateboard

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:04:00 GMT

"Once you get the hang of it, the possibilities are endless." Ah, and there's the catch with XGliders, as the retailer's website makes clear: Actually getting on these foot-sized inline skateboards -- imagine rollerblades that don't actually attach to your feet -- is half the battle. If you can make it that far, odds are good that you'll be cruising around in no time -- or at least doing some interesting faceplants in the driveway.

For my money, the hardest part of the learning curve comes from the combination of the tight turning radius, the lack of foot straps, and the fact that your feet are working independently. (Imagine a Ripstik without the connection between either wheel.) The XGlider's ridged surface acts as a sort of non-abrasive grip tape, but it's also pretty handy when you work your way up to doing tricks, since it's kind of hard to nail kickflips with your feet still attached to a board.

Check out this clip for a perspective that's a bit more realistic than the usual zipping, flashing, professionally shot demo:

And now that we're up and cruising around with old Will, here's something to aspire to, courtesy of the zipping, flashing, professionally shot demo:

$99.99 from SkyMallSports.

Very Big Toys: Razor PowerWing Three-Wheeler

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:04:00 GMT

In anticipation of the holidays, Razor rolled out its newest three-wheeler, the PowerWing, this week at Toy Wishes Preview 2008 in New York. While at first glance it looks as though someone slapped a hot-rod-style spoiler onto the back of the company's trademark scooter, that little extra in the PowerWing's rear end has some nifty functionality.

The PowerWing's 68mm rear inclined caster wheels keep your weight behind the handlebars (the front wheel is 125mm, or around double the size of a typical skateboard wheel), and to accelerate either down hills or on flat surfaces, you just move from side to side on the "wings" and let gravity do the hard work. Obviously, this makes things a little complicated when going uphill, but at that point you can just push the PowerWing like you would a regular scooter.

Tricks, on the other hand, become much easier with the PowerWing: You can lean to zip around tight corners, and shift your weight to pull off side drifts, wheelies, 360s and spinouts. There are around 8 million amateur videos of the thing in action on YouTube, but here's the PowerWing's trick potential captured in a little over three minutes:

There's a front-wheel hand brake, too, so you don't need to rely solely on foot power to slow down, and the PowerWing folds away for storage when you're done tearing it up. Best of all, though, those wings accommodate up to 220 pounds of grown-up, so you can pull out the PowerWing to play while the kids are at school.

$99.99 at Target.

Cram and Jam: LeapFrog's Crammer Study System Launches

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Aimed at grades 3 through 8, LeapFrog's Crammer Study and Sound System rolls into stores today, and as with the equally impressive Didj we covered not too long ago, this one's as much a winner in design as it is in practice. Where the Didj sneaks curriculum-based learning into grade schoolers' hands through a vibrant, Nintendo DS-style shell, the Crammer is clearly designed for those kids' older siblings: The gadget looks like a cross between an iPod and a GPS device, and like the former, it also plays digital music files, making it the rare learning device kids won't be shy about showing off in the hallway at school.

Obviously, any music collection you load into the Crammer is meant to be secondary to the device's greater purpose, and given the storage space, we're only talking around 10 hours' worth of music, anyway. Navigating through a click screen, kids can access over 16,000 math, science, language-arts and social-studies questions, some examples of which the folks at LeapFrog were nice enough to provide for us (scroll to the bottom of this post if you're the impatient type). The Mac- and PC-compatible LeapFrog Connect Application, which comes bundled with the Crammer, also lets kids drill a little deeper into their test prep: Just upload content to the device via a USB cable to create your own digital flash cards for whatever subjects happen to be the current focus.

Like the Didj, the Crammer is also connected with the LeapFrog Learning Path, a free online tool that lets Mom and Dad track how kids' study habits are progressing. Data moves from the Crammer into your customized Learning Path every time the device is connected to your computer, and whether you choose to access the Learning Path through your Web browser (where you also get tips on learning enrichment) or through email progress reports, you can review what the kids are downloading and how they're using the data.

Available for $59.99 from the LeapFrog Store, the Crammer Study and Sound System also packs two games and a Spanish translator. You can customize the device with an accessory/skins kit ($12.99) and a soft case ($9.99), and if you haven't yet seen the frog/firefighter commercial that's been floating around, here's an extremely quick look at the Crammer in hand:

Last but not least, here's that sneak peek at the Crammer's questions we were promising -- check these out to see if you are indeed smarter than a 5th grader:

Grade 5 Science Questions:

1) What do creatures in the deep ocean use light for?
A) to lure in food
B) to see better
C) to signal danger
D) to read

2) Where is the Earth’s most carbon found?
A) In the atmosphere
B) In oceans
C) In fossil fuels
D) In plants

3) What is the name for the type of energy stored in chocolate?
A) Mechanical energy
B) Electrical energy
C) Chemical energy
D) Delicious energy

Answers:
1) A
2) B
3) C

Grade 5 Math Questions:

1) Find the next three numbers in the following pattern: 10, 11, 13, 16, 20...
A) 25, 31, 38
B) 24, 29, 35
C) 25, 30, 36
D) 25, 31, 40

2) A recipe calls for 2 pints of water, and you have a one-cup measure. How many cups do you need?
A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 8

3) In space, each point has 2 coordinates to describe its location.
A) True
B) False

Answers:
1) A
2) C
3) B – each has 3 coordinates

Grade 6-8 Math Questions:

1) Assume that 16% of the pretzels in a bag are broken. If a bag contains 177 pretzels, how many are broken?
A. 30
B. 11
C. 34
D. 36

2) What is the balance of the following bank account: $198 earns 15% interest for three years?
A) $290.27
B) $301.13
C) $305.45
D) $287.10

3) What is the area of a square field 50 yards on each side?
A) 50 yards
B) 100 yards
C) 6,250,000 yards
D) 2,500 yards

Answers:
1) A
2) B
3) D

Do Good: IFAW Gifts for Animals

Mir — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:00:00 GMT

Here's the perfect holiday gift for the tiny animal lover (or her parents) on your holiday gift list this year: Visit animalgift.org to donate money to an IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) animal campaign -- right now they are featuring elephant preservation, Russian bear cub rescue, or Canadian baby seal rescue -- and your good karma comes with small trinkets to pass along in commemoration of your gift. No, you don't do it for the pen and pencil set, colorful card, brochure, or even the canvas tote bag, but it's a nice little bonus. (Not to mention that this is a much more socially acceptable way to support wildlife than just standing around and spray-painting people's fur coats.)

Give Kids the Concept of Clean Energy with Discovery's Hydrocar Kit

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 21:03:00 GMT

Forget crystal radios: If our generation had had access to science kits like the Hydrocar ($79.95 from the Discovery Channel Store), who knows how much less clean-energy work our kids would be inheriting. Just add water, and the polymer-electrolyte-membrane (don't worry; I had to Google it, too) fuel cell converts it into gas as the twin hydrogen and oxygen tanks fill before your eyes. A terrific holiday gift for eco-minded and intellectually curious kids alike, it's recommended for ages 12 and up (mostly due to the small parts and higher-level concepts). Although if younger kids can get a handle on it now, that's probably all the sooner auto makers can scale it into mass production tomorrow.

LG Migo Puts Cell-Phone Fun Into Your Kids' Hands, Parental Control Into Yours

Aaron Burgess — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:02:00 GMT

There's something to be said for using cell phones as digital leashes, although if you're letting your first grader roam about town to where he or she actually needs a cell phone to check in, we should talk. If you want a glorified walkie-talkie, however, or a handy to keep tabs during trips to the mall, there are plenty of options; and with the LG Migo, your kids get a fun, kooky-looking phone while you get an easy way to stay in touch within sensible roaming boundaries.

Given the age range to which it's geared -- those green antennae don't bring to mind Shrek for nothing -- the Migo is built on ultra-simplicity: There's no dial pad, and your kids can only dial out to one of four pre-programmed numbers, as well as to whatever emergency number you set to the big, red "help" key (it's preset to 911). You control the programming with a code, so the kids can't monkey around with your settings, and outside of the aforementioned dialing keys, kids only need to memorize that "send" and "end" correspond with the Migo's "Yes" and "No" keys, respectively.

Lest kids think you've got total control over their fun, the Migo can be accessorized with its six included wristlets and carabiners, and it also comes with a sticker pack for decorating and allows for additional customization with 10 different ringtones. You'll need to activate it through Verizon Wireless, but it understandably doesn't support features like voice mail, text messaging, Web browsing or Verizon's "Get it Now" downloads.

The LG Migo may not currently be available in your calling area -- visit Amazon.com for availability and discount information.

Pick Up a Talking Microscope for the Littlest Microbiologist on Your List

Aaron Burgess — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 16:03:00 GMT

The Spark Talking Bug Identifier is ideal for the warmer season when creepy-crawlies abound, but when your bug-hunting kindergartener has research in mind for the cold months, Spark's Talking Microscope ($29.95) makes a great holiday gift. While its three "C" batteries are sold separately, the set includes everything you see here: a 5x-magnifying microscope that narrates what you're viewing and tests your smarts via true-or-false quizzes; seven illustrated cards that diagram the microscope and activities; a "Lab Assistant" booklet so Mom and Dad can follow along; and of course, 12 premade specimen slides that give kids a close-up view of critters ranging from brine shrimp to scorpions. Recommended for ages 5 and up.

EA's Smarty Pants (Wii) Packs Trivia Fun for Everyone

Aaron Burgess — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 17:02:00 GMT

While it doesn't have many frills, EA's Smarty Pants is a party-style trivia game for the Wii that'll keep adults and older kids (or at least prodiguous little ones) alike entertained for hours -- and at over 20,000 questions, that's a literal estimate. You can play by yourself, but odds are you'll spend more time in one of the game's two multiplayer modes -- either competing head-to-head against up to three friends, or breaking into teams for family-style co-op play. You can also set the game's difficulty based on the players' age, so your first grader won't need an advanced knowledge of pop culture to feel like a valuable part of the team.

From there, gameplay's a breeze: Flick your Wii remote to spin the Wheel of Fortune-style game wheel (see above), and get served up a trivia question from the category you land on: from arts and entertainment to video games, sports and fashion. This is where Smarty Pants really gets competitive (and fun), too, as you've got to buzz in using the Wii-mote to have a shot at answering. If you're playing in countdown mode, you'd better buzz in quickly, too, because you can lose points as the seconds tick away.

Smarty Pants supports Mii avatars, so you can upload a bit of yourself into the game to make it feel even more competitive. And what kind of competition would it be without a little bit of "Who's your daddy?" at the end? As our corporate-casual friend below demonstrates, there's even a victory dance:

Unlike seemingly every other team-oriented game these days, Smarty Pants doesn't come loaded with minigames or flashy online components, and visually speaking, it's light on bells and whistles, too. But trivia buffs will love the fast-paced challenges and variety of questions, and if you're stuck on a holiday gift for the Wii-owning casual gamer on your list, you'd be hard pressed to find a better starting point.

Smarty Pants is rated "E" for Everyone.

Capture Holiday Memories on the Fly with Flip One-Touch Camcorders

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 18:05:00 GMT

If you're looking for a no-fuss way to capture family memories this holiday season, Flip Video's Ultra Series Camcorder ($179.99, or $149.99 for the 30-minute model) will make you the envy of everyone within viewfinder range. Small enough to fit in your palm, it's just about the handiest (no pun intended) digital-camcorder line going, with one-touch recording and 2GB of built-in memory -- enough for around 60 minutes of high-quality video -- making it even easier to use.

It doesn't look half bad, either, with a variety of color choices, from pink/white to sleek black, designed to match both gender and style preferences. The camera's built-in software lets you upload videos to AOL or YouTube, and it plugs into your TV (via a cable) and your PC (via the ultra-cool USB arm, pictured below) for instant sharing.

Perhaps the best feature, though, is the size: It's compact enough to keep tucked away in your purse/murse at all times, which means no more forgetting to pack the camcorder the next time you're rushing out the door to holiday dinner, kids' soccer games, school assemblies or any other occasion you'll regret not having filmed later.

Scene It? for Xbox 360 Asks You to Name This Famous Actor, Film

Aaron Burgess — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 19:02:00 GMT

If you guessed Harrison Ford in Witness, you're enough of a film buff to dive into Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action, Microsoft's Xbox 360-exclusive new spin on the beloved DVD game. Bundled with four wireless buzzer-style controllers (pictured below -- watch your back, Wii), the game includes more than 1,800 questions never before used in any other Scene It? game, as well as five new puzzle challenges to keep the multiplayer action going.

Like the DVD game, it's also packed to the teeth with film clips, stills and audio files, and in challenges such as "Quotables," you're put on the spot to finish lines from famous films. "Clip Study" tests your recall skills after showing film clips of up to two minutes in length; "Invisibles" leaves crucial items (characters included) out of the frame and asks you to identify the film; and in "Child's Play," you identify the film based on hand-drawn pictures of a famous sequence.

It's a little corny, but this trailer shows the extent to which Scene It? Lights, Camera Action takes advantage of its new console format to become more than just a console rehash of a popular game. And don't mind that it's rated "T" -- it's as appropriate a substitute for family video night with your older kids as it is a party-starter for your next grown-up get-together.

Holiday Gift for Gamers: Ceramic White PlayStation 2 with SingStar Pop

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:02:00 GMT

The buzz on it has been growing for a while, but the sweet-looking SingStar PS2 Pack ($149.99) is finally available everywhere. Unfortunately for those of us not into karaoke games, the only way to score a PlayStation 2 console in ceramic white is to buy this complete bundle, which includes the core system (plus DualShock controller) along with two microphones and a copy of SingStar Pop. At under $150, though, it's a small price to pay, especially if you're not ready to make the much bigger investment in a PS3. Considering the number of great kids' games that continue to roll out for the second-generation system, anyone reading this via Babble probably falls into that category.

Mercifully, There Are 'I Can Do That' Games

Kelly Mills — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:07:00 GMT

As one member of a super-dorky board game playing family, I have noticed that aside from the old classics, the vast majority of "bored" games for kids are halfhearted versions of Candyland with some themed character slapped on the box. This is why I'm so thrilled by three of the Seuss-themed games from I Can Do That: You to the Rescue, Sing Your Heart Out, and the namesake game, I Can Do That. The games are absolutely creative, and here's a rarity: the playing pieces are quite clever, like the Horton visor-thing from You To the Rescue, the foam fish bowl and bent rake from I Can Do That, and the musical sled from Sing Your Heart Out. The company was founded by a former Cranium guy, and the games are $19.99 apiece, a very small price to pay for something that will save your ass next time it rains.

Midair Ping-Pong Death Match: Verticon Air Battle Arena

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:32:00 GMT

You got your Pokémon in my Magic: The Gathering -- and, hey, who invited the Busy Ball Popper? Aimed at ages 7 and up, Wild Planet's Verticon Air Battle Arena ($24.99) combines the combative fun of trading-card games with the arena-style gladiator action of Robot Wars, and sends it one more level over the top by having the battle take place in midair. Just activate the airstream and use the snap-on weapons to arm your ping-pong-ball-style warrior (from "Soroms" to "Brattezans," over 25 floating fighters in all are sold separately): Two orbs enter, one orb leaves.

Besides the warrior packs, Wild Planet makes a few add-ons that aren't necessary but definitely enhance play if you've got money to burn: The $19.95 Sound Battle Attachment locks onto the Arena and adds motion-activated sounds and three electronic games, while the $14.99 Team Combat Attachment includes two additional warriors, weapons and a strategy map, as well as the ability to kill your opponent's airstream in mid-combat. Play nice, kids.

Verticon Air Battle Arena and accessories are available at Amazon.com (use links above) and offline retailers everywhere, as well as through Wild Planet's online store.