Hamm appears in all three movies.

Go see all three Toy Story movies!

What the story is best known for is the fact that its main character, Pinocchio, was a wooden toy who somehow came to life and dreamt of becoming a real boy. His most distint feature was that every time he told a lie, his nose would grow a bit. And since he never seem to stop from lying, it kept growing and growing.

The story has been rewritten and adapted by many authors into cartoon and movies and has become a literature classic.

Now that you got your answer, you should definitely go ahead and read the whole book. You can find The Adventures of Pinocchio on Amazon for about $12.

Awesome as they are, many parents have asked whether there is more to them. Do they help children learn something, or they’re simply fun?

If you think about it, there are a number of things that your child can learn using toy phones.

One of the most common ‘educational’ uses for toy phones is helping children learn numbers. There are plenty of models who will produce a distinct sound every time a different digit is pressed. Some will even go as far as reciting the number that was just pressed. Through repetition, it is inevitable that the child will eventually get a good understanding of the 0 to 9 digits.

The LeapFrog Chat and Count Phone will do more than just that, it will play a series of songs about counting. All the child has to do is to push a button and let the music play

Pushing any one of the 10 digits will make a puppy Scout appear on the screen and play it in a fun way.

Other toy phones will help your child learn a series of phone numbers, in case of emergency. This “Fun-2-Learn Cell Phone” for instance, will help your child remember up to three of them .

Don’t take any educational claim for granted!

While it is true that toy phones can be educational, don’t make the mistake of expecting your child to learn all numbers over the night. There is no toy in this world that will do that, no matter what the manufacturer says.

I’d suggest simply letting the toy be fun and not trying to make an ‘educational’ goal out of everything that your kid does or plays with. There is a whole lot more to learn from simple things.

Also, especially in this case, the educational value will be most apparent for 4-5 year olds. It would be quite abusive to expect a two year old to learn how to count.

That being said, you should take a look at this selection of toy phones and choose one that you’d most like your kid to have.

What are your thoughts?

I can’t say I’ve pointed out all educational uses that a toy phone can have. What are some of the ways that you think would help a child learn more useful things?

Leave your answer in the comment section below!

Toy Story has been one of the first computer generated movies to truly capture children’s imagination and, with the release of its two sequels, it only managed to increase its fan base.

For every child who’s been fascinated by the movies, throwing a Toy Story themed birthday party may well be one of the greatest gifts one could think of. Imagine your child, surrounded by his friends in this kick-ass fantasy world.

Once you decide to organize a themed party, you need to think of a lot of things, which all have to be there. Among the important accessories that you’ll want to have are the hats. You may ask everyone who’s invited to bring his own, but, as the good host that you are, you’d want to have them prepared yourself. There’ always somebody who forgets.

So, where do you find Toy Story party hats?

I’ve done the research and, pretty much all the available models are found both on Amazon and Ebay and there aren’t many differences in price. Take a look at the hats selection here.

By why stop at party hats? Nobody says you have to limit yourself with that. It’s your kid’s party! You can choose whatever you find appropriate.

I really think that you can also throw a couple of real Toy Story inspired hats, just to show who’s really the boss.

What about other party accessories?

Throwing a themed birthday party requires a couple other things besides hats. You have to think about decorations, confetti, candles, blowouts and a lot more.

The great thing is that you can find all of these. Take a look at this selection of Toy Story party supplies on Amazon. You’ll find everything you need to make sure that your kid’s party will be amazing. You can even think of complete costumes!

Your Thoughts?

Tell us your ideas for throwing an out-of-this-world themed birthday party? What’s the surprise that you’re preparing for your child this time?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Drop a comment in the section below!

Toys “R” Us Times Square

It is commonly referred to as “The World’s Greatest Toy Store”, covering a total of 110,000 square feet of pure joy. It is a definite ‘must stop’ place for every family visiting the city, offering a fantastic shopping experience and an awesome time for the kids.

Visitors of “The Center of the Toy Universe” have the chance to marvel at the roar of a life-sized Tyrannosaurus Rex or play in a 4,000 square foot Barbie dollhouse. They can ride a kick-ass indoor rollercoaster or the enormous 60-foot indoor Ferris wheel, with 14 individual themed cabs where kids can sit right next to their favorite cartoon character.

The shopping center opened its doors in 2001 and it was part of mayor Giuliani’s quest to transform Time Square into a large family friendly hotspot.

These days, Toys “R” Us has become an integral part of the Times Square’s image , along with the next door Hard Rock Café and the giant TV screens, making it one of the brightest spots of the city.

If this is the famous New York City toy store you were looking for, then there is no doubt about it, you must visit it!

You can find it at:

1514 Broadway
New York

To find out more about it, you can visit the official “About Toys “R” Us Times Square” page on their website.

FAO Schwartz

Another very popular New York city toy store and highly targeted touristic attraction is FAO Schwartz. Opened in 1870, it became one of the world’s most celebrated shopping spots thanks to its enormous size and incredible selection of toys. Its displays are as impressive as those of any museum.

The store was featured in the Home Alone 2 movie.

You can find it at:

767 Fifth Avenue
(Fifth Ave at 58th Street)
New York, NY 10153

Your thoughts?

Have you visited the store in Times Square? How did your child like it?

Tell us about your experience in the comments section below!

Every now and then, from this incredible pool of ideas, you discover another toy that simply blows your mind. I just found one!

Much to your daughter’s delight, there is now a brand new line of stuffed puppies called Tini Puppini which are so adorable that you’ll have a hard time saying no. Just a quick accidental look and you’re forever in love with them!

What makes Tini Puppini puppies irresistible?

First of all, they’re not just puppies. Oh no!

You know how little girls love to dress up their dolls, change their outfit, and brush their hair? Of course, that’s what makes dolls fun.

Well, that’s exactly what they’re doing with these stuffed animals. They play on this universal need to take care of small, vulnerable beings.

How can you possibly imagine something more adorable that this? Take a look at this picture below. It has the tiny pink shoes, the really cute dress, the adorable look in its eyes and of course – I wouldn’t have imagined it any other way – a well thought hair bow. A nice final touch

Tell me that’s not the most breathtaking toy you’ve see in a while!

How about the extras?

The toys come with a series of accessories that will keep your daughter busy. There’s the removable outfit, four platform shoes, a monogrammed Tini Pupinni brush, a sparkly tiara hair accessory, a little pearl necklace, a dog collar and a silver puppy “bling”. Quite a few of them.

Even so, after a while it might get old to dress the dog with the same outfit, so you can get a completely new one! You can get another set for a bout $12. Take a look.

If that’s not enough, you can also buy a really fancy bag that your little princes can use to “carry her Tini Puppini around the town”. It is lined with cozy leopard print and also comes with a bone pillow and blanket. Just so the tiny pup has a comfortable place to sleep in

It works both as a carrier and a bed for the plush puppies. Find out all the details here!

Your Turn!

Go take a look at amazon where you’ll find a small selection of Tini Puppni stuffed puppies. I would love to see more of them, but that’s all there are for now.

How does your daughter enjoy them? Are there any particular ways that she’s found to have a really good time with them?

Leave your comments below!

We love pirates! For whatever mischief they did throughout the history, we all have this romantic image of a villain, wearing his eye patch and cool pirate hat, oftentimes with a wooden leg and, of course, the faithful talking parrot keeping an eye on the seas.

We grew up with the likes of Sea-Goin’ Sam, “the blood-thirstiest, shoot-’em-first-iest, doggone worst-iest buccaneer that ever sailed the Spanish main”, Jack Sparrow, and a whole bunch of other Hollywood pirates. As a kid, you cannot help but fall in love with these characters.

Catch phrases like “Ahoy Mates!”, “Shiver me timbers” or “Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest! Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!” are classics. Merely hearing them once in a while sends you to a world of fantasy and unbelievable adventures.

For every one of these villains, one of the most prized possession, besides the huge treasure chest, is his ship.

Any pirate that wants to be taken seriously and be feared by the unsuspecting folks that he runs into has to own a huge, fearsome ship with a legendary name!

So, where can you get a wooden pirate ship for your child?

I’ve searched the web to find some of the most interesting such vessels and I’ve come across a couple of deals that are really worth taking a closer look.

One of the first ships that caught my attention was the Seven Seas Wood Pirate Ship sold by Magic Cabin.

While it is definitely not the most detailed piece of woodwork you’ve ever seen, it does come with a series of features that every young pirate will definitely enjoy playing with. If has some of these authentic features that make any make believe play so much more authentic.

These features are:

-a crow’s nest with a rope ladder

-an anchor

-two skull and crossbones flags

-a steering wheel that actually works

Of course, the ship has a working crew of four pirates, who handle two cannons, a lifeboat and a treasure chest.

To find out more, go take a look at the Seven Seas Wood Pirate Ship pageover at Magic Cabin.

Another pirate ship that caught my eye was Ryan’s Room Pirate Ship from Small World Toys.

This one is definitely one of the best looking ships I could find, but it seems to have some manufacturing defects. It kind of tends to fall apart. But if you make sure to glue it back whenever some parts fall out, your child should be fine playing with it for a long long time. To take a closer look, take a look at the Ryan’s Room Pirate Ship on Amazon.

Finally, there’s the Deluxe Pirate Ship Play Set from Melissa & Doug

Unlike other pirate ships, this one really looks like a not too frightening toy that kids would really enjoy. It might be a little to stylized, but it still cool. Find out more about it here.

Some of these pirate ship remind us of one of the most popular punishments the pirates used: walking the plank! I loved seing those scenes in the movies.

Since there are quite a lot of wooden pirate ships to choose from, you’ll find a nice selection of them in the box below. Enjoy!

With all the care and effort that we put into making sure our homes are as clean and germ-free as possible, it is at the very least a bit strange that somebody would even think of launching a collection of plush microbe toys.

But it did happen and, what’s really shocking, it is actually quite successful! Kids love the Giant Plush Microbes, but adults enjoy them a lot also. They’re great props for when you have your friends over

I must say that the idea is neat. You take something that nobody in the world would even consider wanting and turn it into a really cute, fluffy toy that is simply irresistible. That’s genius!

What better way to learn about the icky things?

What the producers insist on, and I agree with them, is that these stuffed toys are actually educational. You know that the flu, for instance, is bad for you. But with these cute stuffed toys, you can actually visualize how the virus looks like and interferes with your organism.

The Giant Plush Microbes are especially great if your kid is fascinated with science. Not only can he play with them, but also you can explain him what those microbes do to the human body. It is a pretty entertaining way of learning about these things. Who knows, maybe it will spark your child’s interest and he’ll later end up a successful doctor.

Each of these plush bugs comes with a card describing the diseases and the symptoms it generates. As somebody said it all too well, “Yucky and Wonderful!!!”.

How do you find the Giant Plush Microbes?

Just like in the real life, there’s a bunch of giant microbes from which to choose from. So the manufacturers have decided to categorize them according to the way they are transmitted and the way they affect the human body. Here are a few words about each of them:

In my opinion, the most spectacular or all these pests are the Aerials, which include annoying insects such as mosquitoes and a variety of flies. With these plush toys, you can now get a closer look at their anatomy so that the next time you want to squash them, you can do it while admiring their unique physique.

You’ll see that the Critters are also a really fun bunch. Definitely a colorful and diverse gang, I can certainly say that these are the ones that kids will love most. You have the bed bug, the flea, the dust mite and a handful of other lovely insects.

I also enjoyed the Infarmeries category. Did you know that the Chicken Pox germ looks like a chicken? Well, hey there, Captain Obvious! I really had no idea where that name came from

Don’t you hate Alimentary illneses? They always seem to happen at the wrong time. Well, you’ll learn to love them once you see how cute the E-Coli bacteria looks like!

You’d think that Exotic illnesses like the Bird or the Swine Flu are some bad ass viruses that look like a miniature version of The Hulk! You’d be wrong. I don’t think I’ve see a virus that looks more harmless than that. But appearances are treacherous!

Curios how some of the Tropical viruses look like? Well, you’ll be surprised how cute some of them really are, like the West Nile or Malaria.

Well, I could go on to describe all the other categories, but I’ll stop and just mention the ones that are left: Ambulatories, Menageries, Maladies, Corporeals and Venereals.

Just like I said, the Giant Plush Microbes are fantastic plush toys because they’re educational for kids and also interesting for adults who enjoy shocking their friends.

To get your hands on them, go see all of them on Amazon.com, where you’ll get a really good bargain!

Combining these cuddly and irresistible plush animals with the internet, you get this spectacular experience that is unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Of the hundreds of stuffed animals in the family, the Webkinz Husky is definitely one of the most popular. Just look at it! So precious! It’s a fantastic addition to your child’s plush toys collection.

Just like all Webkinz stuffed animals, the Husky also comes with a special code that allows your kid to enter the virtual Webkinz World where she can build up an entire family of plush toys.  This little simulation is unbelievably fun and it takes the interaction with her collection of toys to a completely new level.

Whereas back in the day a kid would have to play-pretend serving a cup of tea to her dolls or cooking, she can easily click a button or two and actually have the toy do that. Talk about technology..

That website is so beautifully designed that even preschool kid can get around its features with ease. A fun way to play and an interesting approach to getting more comfortable around computers.

What is cute about this little pup is that when you ask “how are you feeling”, it tells you something that totally melts your heart: “You and I are best friends forever!” Awww! Isn’t that sweet? Makes you want to snuggle it!

And not only that, but it has a whole range of funny responses to your questions. Not that the other stuffed animals are boring, but this one sort of stands out.

You can find out more about the other pets in the family on the Webkinz stuffed animals page that I wrote a while ago.

So, if you think that the Webkinz Husky is the stuffed animal that your child will adore, then go ahead and buy one from Amazon.com for only about $7.50.

Well, in my opinion, the famous Uglydolls aren’t ugly at all… or you can say that another way: They’re ugly, but sooo cute!

So, what’s the story with the Uglydolls?

These fluffy little cuties have been around for over ten years and kids loved them for all this time. The fist Uglydoll came to life in 2001.

As the story goes, that year, Sun-Min Kim had to go back home as her student visa expired, leaving her boyfriend, David Horwath, back in the States. While she was away, he was writing her numerous letters, and each time, he closed them with a small drawing of a character he called Wage.

One time, she decided to make David a surprise by sending him a hand sewed doll of Wage. He liked it so much that he showed it to a friend who was the manager of the Giant Robot toy store in LA. He thought it was a product pitch and immediately ordered more. David asked Sun-Min to sew and send more of them.

Since the appearance of the dolls was somewhat funky, not beautiful by any conventional way, they decided to turn the whole thing on its head and name them Uglydoll. Just to see what happens. They sold out on the same day they arrived!

Well, after that first event, Sun-Min and David felt they were onto something, so they started designing more of these dolls. They turned their little passion, a game between two lovers, into a worldwide craze.

The Uglydolls became even more popular as on her first day of school, Natasha Obama wore a Babo keychain on her backpack. You can imagine how every kid in the country went nuts over thee curiously looking Uglydolls.

Over the last ten years, they’ve put together an entire army of characters. If I were to guess, I’d say at least 125 of them. First, there was Wage, but soon after that came Babo and Ice-Bat and they made a great team.

How can you find them?

You’ll find that the plush Uglydolls come in four different sizes, the Little Uglys priced at 10$, the Classics, priced at about 20$, the Jumbo Characters, priced at 40$, and the Clip-Ons which your kid can hang on just about everything, from backpacks to door handles, or use them as keychains.

All Uglydoll plush dolls are handmade, so that each piece is a somewhat unique.

Each of the dolls has a small tag which describes the personality of each character. You obviously want to know what kind of cute ‘monster’ you bring into your house, right?

Beyond Uglydoll dolls

With such a successful character, it was only natural to expand the product offerings. I already mentioned the keychain that Sasha Obama has, but there are also a series of Uglydoll books, clocks, stationery, action figures, tin toys and even clothing. There was even one set of Uglydoll cups. Nice!

Take a look below to get a glimpse of the Uglydoll universe!