By Alex Nunez on February 17, 2012 in
This week saw the Toy Industry Association's Annual Toy Fair set up shop in New York City's Jacob Javits Center. The massive exhibition space was crammed with two floors worth of exhibits. We spent a day braving the crowds and roaming the halls, eyeballing everything from Air Swimmers (yes, again) to zombies. Click past the break to see a photo gallery of some of the interesting new and upcoming products we came across.
Air Swimmers are back, with reinforcements
ConsumerSearch readers know to stay away from these things, but their success this past holiday season means Air Swimmers are back in force. In addition to the original shark and clownfish, there's now a large-mouth bass and a slew of officially licensed "swimmers" for Angry Birds, SpongeBob Squarepants, various Pixar properties, and familiar superheroes like Batman and Iron Man. Be strong and resist the temptation, people. There are no happy endings here.
The Mentos-powered Soda Geyser Car is awesome
One of the best products of the whole show was the Soda Geyser Car from Be Amazing Toys. It's sold as a complete kit that lets you convert a bottle of soda into a Mentos-fueled (a pack of the mints is even included in the package) street rocket.
Once underway, the car hits speeds of up to 35 mph and goes 100+ feet. It's spectacular to watch, so we shot this video of the demo:
As you can see, the rep uses Diet Coke. It makes for a wild display, but the ensuing mess is horrific. We'd use something a little cheaper and cleaner, like seltzer. MSRP for the kit should be around $25 or so.
A history lesson via the Bachmann Libery Bell Special
One of Bachmann's new 2012 HO scale train sets is this, the Liberty Bell Special. In the years after the Civil War, the Liberty Bell traveled around the country visiting cities hosting major exhibitions as part of an ongoing effort to restore a feeling of unity.
The train that pulled the bell was known as the Liberty Bell Special, and in 1902, an accident and ensuing fire that broke out while the train was pulled into a siding threatened to destroy the bell itself. Because there was a slight incline, the flatcar the bell was mounted on was able to be decoupled and pushed away from the rest of the wrecked train, saving the Liberty Bell in the process.
Bachmann's representative, who relayed the interesting story, said that it took the company a fairly long time to get the designs of the locomotive and coaches correct, as there's very ittle info about this incident. In fact, much of Bachmann's research came from a single rail enthusiast, who shared his trove of info on the topic with the company. The set itself includes the locomotive, two coaches, and the flatcar with the Liberty bell, along with track and a controller. The suggested MSRP is $225.
Is your kid the next Fernando Alonso?
Berg had lots of cool pedal cars on display, but the level of detail on this, the Ferrari F1 Mini Pedal Go-Kart, caught our attention. Fitted with a full nosecone, sidepods, and rear spoiler, covered in all of Ferrari's actual F1 sponsors, the $525 kart is waiting for little Fernando Alonsos to start their trek to the grand prix circuit. The best detail of all, however, is the steeringwheel, which simulates the same multifunction unit Ferrari uses in its real F1 racers.
Building and storytelling combined in new Lego Duplo sets
In the sprawling Lego booth, a lot of interesting new items were actually in the Duplo section, geared toward the youngest builders. The Lego Duplo Busy Farm set contains blocks to build four little animals, along with a board book that tells a story and doubles as the instruction manual. It'll hit stores in June and sell for $13.
Lego talks to moms, here's what comes as a result
Lego's representative explained that the company talked to a lot of American moms as they planned their 2012 new product lineup. Moms are big on integrated storage with toys, which led to this, the Lego Duplo Creative Sorter set. It includes blocks to make three animals and a tree, comes in a bucket to easily store everything, and has four stackable plastic lids that double as shape sorters and assembly instructions. It came out in January and retails for around $20.
Duplo introduces transitional building kit
If you're a parent whose kids are very into Lego toys, you know that the instruction manuals are apt to get worn out very quickly. The Lego Duplo My First Build set is designed to transition young children from the very basic Duplo sets to more detailed models. This $25 set, out now, includes parts to build an entire little neighborhood, and instead of standard paper instructions, the directions are printed on thick cardboard stock.
iBuKu Pets make that hand-me-down iPhone more fun
IPhone and iPod Touch owners know the routine. You get your shny new bauble, and within a couple of years, something much newer and better has replaced it, and you old phone is outdated, slow, and likely has poor battery life. You upgrade your device, and in many cases, the old one is handed off to the kids to play with. This is where iBuKu Pets come into the picture.
Available in a variety of animal shapes, the toy acts as a soft but rugged protector for the iOS device that's easy for little hands to grip. To help with old, weakened batteries, you'll be able to order models with built-in supplemental batteries, and even ones that support wireless charging via a Powermat-style device.
In addition, the pets will include a downloadable app that gives each pet a selection of faces, as well as educational games. The company's founder also told us that they hope to add a philanthropic element to the apps, and are seeking partnerships with some well-known charities. Due in Spring 2012, pricing has not yet been announced.
A nifty pedal-powered scooter from Kickboard USA
This is the Pedal Flow, a new hybrid scooter from Kickboard USA that's due at retail by Christmas 2012. Will it join the ranks of the best-reviewed kids scooters? Time will tell.
As you can see, it combines a traditional scooter profile with small bicycle style wheels, pedals, a coaster brake on the rear wheel, and a traditional chain drive. (Early prototypes used a belt, but it stretched too much, so the tried-and-true chain made the cut.)
The Pedal Flow's long neck and handlebars fold down and to the side. Lock it in place, and the neck acts as the carry handle, and the scooter can stow easily out of the way if you use it for commuting to school or the office.
Mining for gold in Lego City
Duplo didn't have the only cool stuff in the Lego booth. The newest expansion to the Lego City series of kits is mining-themed. The Lego City Mine ($100) and Mining Truck ($35), are both due in August 2012. While the mine is loaded with detail, its the mining truck that really strikes a chord with this "older kid," blending Lego with an old-school Tonka-truck ethos that's hard not to love.
Kids can now be masters of horror, with Legos
Monster Fighters is another new line due from Lego in August 2012, and it's killer. (Pun intended.) This set, "The Mad Professor and His Monster," is basically a Lego version of Dr. Frankenstein's lab, loaded with detail and his famous monster. There's even a lighted element kids can activate to simulate the moment the monster gets charged into life. Not shown here, but also included, is a car with two monster hunters ready to battle. When it hits stores, this kit will retail for around $50.
This play rifle has an antenna for a reason
Vying for a spot on our list of the best-reviewed RC Cars this year will be this, the new Maisto Tech Armered Attack RC. It's a 17-inch long rifle that shoots soft discs. Fun, right? But nothing really special -- until you realize that the trigger section comes off and acts as a remote control for the front section, which is on wheels, so you can hunt down your targets from a distance. MSRP on this one is still TBA.
Skateboarding just got a lot more versatile
Another instant favorite for us was this new 2012 item, the Rockboard Descender. As you can see, it's a traditional skateboard deck, only instead of regular wheels, you'll find tread-covered three-wheel sets attached to the trucks. The name, Descender, hints at this board's purpose, downhill all-terrain rifing on surfaces like grass and dirt that you simply couldn't do with a regular skateboard. Rockboard provided us with a demo video that you can watch below. It's worth a look. The Decender comes out in Spring 2012 and will cost around $130.
Is the Force strong with your trivia skills?
This is what $30 going *poof* looks like in your humble correspondent's checking account. Scene It? The popular (and absurdly fun) DVD movie/TV trivia game, has secured the Holy Grail of all licenses, Star Wars. Scene It? Star Wars comes out in Fall 2012, just in time for the holiday shopping season, with content covering all six Star Wars films. It's also the first Scene It? game to add a streaming element.
In addition to the DVD, an online code will allow owners to play on a laptop or iPad as well. We demoed the iPad version in the booth (photo in the next slide), and it's beautiful, with a crisp HD presentation. The rep who gave us the demo explained that beginning witrh the Star Wars game, all future Scene It? titles will include the streaming element as well.
Launching at the same time as Scene It? Star wars is Scene It? Movie Night, whose content covers hollywood blockbuster films released over the last 20 years, with titles as diverse as the George Clooney drama, Up In The Air, to Transformers.
Scene It? now supports streaming
Thanks to a new streaming element, future Scene It? movie trivia games will be playable on computers and tablets. Here, you can see what Scene It? Star Wars looks like on an iPad.
New wagons from Step2
Step2's Wagon For Two Plus is one of our best-reviewed toy wagons, and it's getting some company. The red wagon in the foreground is the new Step2 All Around Wagon, which, in addition to seating for two, allows parents to flip the seat bottoms over and cover the footwell, making a flat surface good for hauling items (or snoozing toddlers). There's also a trunk at the rear, which can be loaded up with diapers, wipes, and other necessities that are accessible even with kids inside the wagon. The All Around Wagon arrives in stores this summer with a retail price of around $80. The All Around Canopy Wagon (the blue one in the background), a Costco exclusive, has all the same features but adds the red canopy. It'll sell for $100.
More cupholders than my car
My Ford Mustang has exactly two cupholders. The new Step2 All Around Wagon has six: four inside for the kids (plus a little shelf) and two more for the adult doing the pulling, mounted on either side of the handle. That handle folds away, too, so that the wagon can be loaded into a car with less difficulty.
Your kids will have a nicer kitchen than you do
Step 2 already makes the best-reviewed, most realistic play kitchen highligted in our most recent report. This one might be even better. The new Step2 Grand Walk-In Kitchen & Grill, a Toys 'R' Us exclusive, will retail for around $260, and its name says it all. It's freestanding, almost like a playhouse, with its own floor, workspaces on three sides and a 103-piece accessory kit. All the expected appliances are there, and there's even a pretend BBQ grill.
One of the things the Step2 rep we spoke to told us is that the company has done a lot of research with parents. As a result, the color palettes used in sets like this are more in line with ones you're likely to find in people's homes. The same goes for the company's new outdoor toys and playhouses; fewer bright primary colors and more natural tones. After all, you're going to be looking at these toys for years. Might as well make them as visually appealing as possible.
Quick-charging, palm-sized Mario Kart RC cars
Tomy's new Mario Kart Wii Micro RC Interactive Battle sets include track elements, powerups, and two RC cars (Mario and Yoshi, or Luigi and Donkey Kong) that you can use to race and battle just as they do in the popular Wii and DS games. The "battle" part of the equation comes in when your racer gains a power-up. You're notified by a light on your remote, and can hit a button to apply the effect against your opponent.
The ultra-portable RC get around five minutes of runtime off a five-minute charge. No fancy charging adapters are needed, either: just click the car onto the remote as shown, and it'll charge off the latter's disposable battery supply. Highly detailed and a lot of fun, each battle set will retail for around $30 when they hit stores in June.