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!

But this time I’m terrified! They are now coming out ready for war and destruction. There are no longer some cute and cuddly plush toys, they’re frightening!

I’m talking, of course, about the new Angry Birds Knock On Wood Game

You didn’t expect them to stay safely inside your phone forever, right? After capturing the hearts of kids and adults everywhere, the highly temperamental birds are leaving the touch screen in yet another form, this time as a really entertaining game.

The new game set from Mattel includes three different birds and three pigs, a few wooden blocks and a number of other props to make the palace more interesting.

The set includes a slingshot to launch the furious birds against the fortress of the pigs. Just like the touch screen game, kids can calibrate the angle and the force of the jump in order to produce maximum damage… or to at least make the pigs fall from their outposts.

How will the kids play Angry Birds knock on game?

Pretty much like the virtual game.

One of the kids will pull a card with a simple structure drawn on it. He will have to build it using the blocks in the package and place the pigs as indicated.

The other player has to use the slingshot to launch the indicated birds against the pigs’ structure. He can control the trajectory as he thinks best so as to inflict as much damage as possible. Depending on the number of pigs killed and the wooden blocks destroyed, he earns a number of points.

Both kids take turns building the structures and bringing pain to the evil pigs. The first one to reach 1000 points wins the big pizza

Also, as the game advances, the missions get become more difficult, and they are worth more points.

How cool is it that kids can play their favorite phone app in real life? And not only kids! It is designed for 5 years old kids and up, but I can see myself playing this with my friends. It’s a lot of fun.

Truth be told, it takes a little more skill than the virtual game. But it is so much cooler!

It’s just as silly and childish as the mobile app and that makes it so addictive.

Totally worth it!

P.S. Go claim a set of the Angry Birds Knock  on Wood Game for your kid now. You’ll both love it!

But, oh my god! For the last month or so, I’ve been completely hooked by the Angry Birds Rio game! I got myself one of those smart phones and now, every time I get the chance, I can’t help destroying some stuff and killing some evil monkeys!

The angry birds are now for real!

It was all fun and cool to have those furious feathered animals at your disposal.. Whenever you felt like throwing something, they were right there.

Well guess what! The angry birds are now coming out from the virtual world and are ready to kick some ass! Are we all in danger??? What can we do?

Relax!

They’re only coming out as plush toys! Can you imagine what the world would look like if they were actually alive and ready for destruction? God, have mercy on us

So yeah, the Angry Birds plush toys are now available and every kid out there who was hooked by the video game can now do the same thing in the house. You know, things like knocking off fragile and expensive decorative you may have in the living room The physics work pretty much the same as in the video game

Ok, I was kidding… No child would try to do something like that…

I really believe that they’re really fantastic as plush toys. They’re characters that many kids and, well adults, have fallen in love with.

Here’s a video they’ve made. It’s super hilarious. I was laughing hysterically when I saw it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eyig_V-_5o

And below you’ll find a selection of the Angry Birds plush toys you can find on Amazon. Have fun!

Simple system, worked for ages.

Now, babies love plush toys. A lot! They soft, just like mommy’s gentle touch. They’re colorful and simply lovable!

So, maybe it was somewhat inevitable for these two ideas to somehow be put together into something even more interesting. That’s how the Wabbanub infant pacifiers took shape.

You take the regular pacifier and attach a super cute plush animal to it and you get this unique toy.

The animals can be anything from puppies, kitties and little ducks to lions, giraffes and elephants.

On the paper, the idea is great, but does it really work?

Do the Wabbanub pacifiers do their job?

What’s the whole point of a pacifier? It’s to give something to the baby chew on, something that feels almost like mommy’s breast, so that she can exercise his gums and, maybe most importantly, keep quiet for a while. Right?

It’s been known that once they’re bored with their pacifiers, babies simply spit them out. Parents sometimes get frustrated by this. Do Wabbanub plush toys help the baby hold it for longer?

Parents report mixed results. Some swear that with the new toys, they’ve completely got rid of the old problem, while others say that on the contrary, their baby spits it more often because she doesn’t need to physically spit it… all she needs to do is to hit the toy and bam, it’s out.

One other problem that I noticed is the fact that with a classic pacifier, the baby can easily crawl and run around the house and still keep it in the mouth. It’s not uncomfortable.

That’s not gonna happen with the heavier Wabbanub toy attached to it. It’s gonna come out the second the baby leaves the start line.

So, is it worth it?

If you’re talking strictly about pacifiers, I honestly believe that a classic one is much more appropriate. A baby needs something light to chew on, and she doesn’t need to pull the weight of a plush toy every time she moves her mouth. And you actually have pretty colorful and attractive designs to choose from.

On the other hand, who can resist a cute plush toy? And there are parents who swear by their Wabbanub infant pacifiers, so you might want to give them a try.

Here are a few you could choose from.

The name itself means “great” or “big”, although I can’t say in what language

The firm has made a name for itself selling toy trucks made of metal. Metal! None of that girly plastic stuff. They really mean business. And with names like Mighty, Tough or Thoughest, you can’t get more suggestive than that!

The classic Tonka bulldozer

The Tonka bulldozer is one of their classics, having stood the test of time. The first version of the toy was launched decades ago and it is still selling strong.

The bulldozer and just about any other Tonka toy are perfect for boys from 3 years and up going through their heavy equipment phase.

I remember when I was a kid, I did get a huge truck and I was carrying everything with it: rocks, buckets of water, earth, puppies I could fit in there myself.

Now, if you decide to get a bulldozer for your kid, make sure to order the metal one. In the last few years I’ve seen that Tonka has gone a little soft and started selling plastic vehicles… Definitely a negative point for their image, but they still do manufacture the metal versions of their classics.

What’s a parent to do?

Without trying to add to the clutter, I’ve put together a short guide to help you get an idea of the types of toys recommended for babies in every development stage. I’ll cover toys for babies 0 to 6 months on this page.

If your little bambino just happened to grow a little older than that, I’ll post a guide for babies of 7 to 12 months in a couple of days.

Without further ado, let’s go into the fun stuff.

What does a baby of 0 to 6 months like to do?

Toys for this age are primarily designed to stimulate the infant’s senses. Esentially, they’re made for looking, listening, sucking and fingering.

Infants really like seeing:

• Simple designs
• Bright primary colors (red, green, blue, black and white)
• High contrast
• Clear lines and features
• Human faces and especially the eyes
• Something like a bull’s eye pattern

Babies 0 to 2 months don’t move all that much, so they enjoy seeing or hearing interesting things… like a beautiful bed time story.

Babies 2 to 6 months on the other hand are blasting with energy and they show a growing interest in touching, battling, shaking, turning, kicking, mouthing and tasting objects.

All infants enjoy variety and toys made for watching are so much more appealing if they also move and produce some sounds. Just not too sharp or too sudden.

So what toys do I recommend?

For infants of 0 to 2 months, there are a few classic toys that have stood the test of time.

• Soft hand puppets, held and manipulated by adults. They’re great, especially if you make that into a fun theater act.
• Stuffed toys, such as small plush animals, music box animals (operated and monitored for safety by adults)
• Grab-on soft toys
• Soft Squeeze balls and texture balls
• CD or otherwise music with gentle and regular rhythms.
• Books. Every baby loves hearing the parent’s voice, and telling a story is a great way to do it.

For infants of 2 to 4 months

• Simple baby rattles, in all shapes and colors. They make those sharp noises that immediately catch the attention, and with their bright contrasting colors, they easily make the baby focus.
• Teething toys
• Light, sturdy cloth toys
• Squeeze toys
• Toys that you can suspend above or to the side of the baby for batting or grasping. Careful, don’t use long strings which may pose a danger.

For babies 4 to 6 months

• Mirrors (large enough and unbreakable), fastened to the crib or playpen.
• Music boxes
• Soft blocks

A few safety points that you should consider

All toys must respect all the safety features recomended for babies, but mountable toys should especially have that. They all should have:

• No sharp points or edges
• No small parts that can be swallowed
• No glass
• No long strings

I was born in ’88 and even in the early ’90 when I was definitely following them on TV, I couldn’t really fully get their story. What I do remember, and vividly in fact, are the action figures that every kid that was a couple of years  older than me seemed to play with.

There was something about them that made me really want them. I never got one of my own, but a kid is always ingenious and finds a way

What are the main characters on the series?

There are four teenage mutant turtles that make up the team, and there is also their sensei, Splinter. The main cast is named after some of the most important Renaissance artists:

Leonardo, named after the famous Leonardo Da Vinci, is the leader of the whole ninja pack. He is the best fighter of them all and he wields two katana. He is Splinter’s first and most devoted student.

Raphael’s got a Brooklyn accent and you know that when you hear it you’re talking to a badboy. You wouldn’t want to mess with him. He will be super sarcastic and make you burst out laughing, but he’ll also kick your ass pretty bad.

Michelangelo is the kid of the gang. He’s not really interested in the whole fighting thing, but he does handle a pair on nunchaks. I remember my uncle was also mad about the TMNT series and he too built himself two different pairs of nunchaks. I somehow managed to break them, but hey, I did have fun

Donatello is the scientist of the group and he almost always prefers to solve a conflict peacefully, using his intelligence instead of his bo staff. Even so, he’s not somebody to mess with.

Splinter in the group’s sensei. He’s a mutant rat, expert in the art of ninjutsu. He always teaches the four useful techniques, adding a couple of words of wisdom.

A lil’ bit of history

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premiered in 1984 as a comic book. A few years later, in 1987, they released the first animated series, followed by more that lasted well into the 2000’. Some have kept true to the original story, others did not.

There were also four different Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films released over the years, with the last one in 2007.

TMNT Toys

With the popularity of the comic book and the cartoon series, TMNT toys easily became the top collectibles for every kid in the day. With the release of the new TMNT movie in 2007, the turtle are back in vogue and new toys were released, initially only with the four turtles and soon after with the other characters, like Shredder, Casey Jones, and a Foot Soldier.

Well, unfortunately, because the series has pretty much passed its high point, many of the action figures that made kids go nuts in their day are no longer available… for that, all we can do is hope for a re-issue or, who knows, maybe see them in a museum..

What’s next?

There is a planned TMNT series in 2012, so most likely we’ll see a whole new wave of toys. Nevertheless, we’ll have to wait and see. Until then, here are the TMNT that are currently available.

I was right! They’ve released two more sequels in the next few years, The Meltdown, The Dawn of Dinosaurs, and they’re now working on a fourth! Yeah, Continental Drift! Can’t wait to get my hands on it!

The entire series has been so successful because it appeals both to kid and adult audiences. There is plenty of funny stuff for everybody.

And while the stories were great intriguing in and of themselve, what really made them come to life were the characters. From the first scene which is always Scrat trying to get his hands on his nut, it’s all a continuous laughter.

Ice Age Plush Toys

Since the movie was such a hit with kids, it was only natural for a whole bunch of toys to be made after it. Well, I believe that the most interesting of all are the Ice age plush toys.

Well, actually, I’m not even sure there are others…

Scrat

First, you’ve got Scrat, that nut-manic squirrel that’s going to do everything just to get its paws on that last nut left in the world. Always just one inch short of reaching it, he gets itself in al sort of weird and funny situations.

And when he finally gets it…something has to happen and so he loses it

The plush toys picturing Scrat have kept his funny appearance and they’re just as hilarious a he is.

Sid

Then there is Sid… Although Scrat is definitely unusual, Sid is by far the strangest looking character in the movie. I don’t know what’s the funniest… his pointy tooth or his whole body. The plush toys based on Sid are awesome!

Diego and Manny

Now I don’t want to say that the Diego the tiger and Manny the mammoth are less funny than the other two, but they certainly are the more serious of the while gang. They actually have real problems to deal with and not just the daily trivia.

These characters are the ones that give the movie its solid foundations, making it a bit deeper than the surface comedy.

Other characters

Each of the three movie that came out so far has a bunch of other characters that hel build the story.  The first that comes to mind is Buck, from The Dawn of Dinosaurs, the mentally ill weasel that helps the original gang get away from the hungry dinosaurs. He’s so messed up that you simply cannot not love him.

There’s a whole bunch of Ice Age plush toys to choose from. Your best bet would be to go for your kid’s favorite character (most likely Scrat or Sid). Otherwise, they’re all super nice. Here’s a nice selection below.

What has made Webkinz take over the world like this in such a short time is the fact that they’re more than just simple plush toys. Each of these pets comes with a ‘secret’ code which allows kids to go online on their website and play with a digital version of the animal.

Kids of all ages can go to the internet to play and have a whole lot of fun. Ok, so you’ll need to help you kid a bit if she’s preschool, because there is a little reading to be done, but once she gets the basic idea, you won’t be able to keep her away from the computer!

The virtual pet lives in his own room and your kid can do everything to decorate it with posters, furniture and get all sort of indoor or outdoor equipment. She can even buy a swimming pool, using what they call ‘kinzcash’. Catchy name, isn’t it?

And, with the popularity Webkinz these days, there’s a  great chance that your neighbors’ kids also have their  own pets. So, in the virtual room, a child can invite all her friends’ pets over and play together with them.

Kind of like the tea parties in the old days Just, digital!

These are the sort of things that make toys catchy these days.

Webkins animals are more popular now than Teddy Bears! Can you imagine that?

So, what’s their story?

When they first came out, there were only a dozen or so different animals. Within a year, there were already 100 of them and now, there are more than 300 unique pets to choose from! The most popular of all is probably the Webkinz Husky.

You know what that means? Yes! There’s no way on Earth you can get them all in one room:)

There is even a market for trading Webkins ‘secret codes’!

Where can you get your hand on them?

The best place would be your local toy store, where you can get your kid to choose one herself, after playing around with a whole bunch of furry animals in the first place. But as I said, getting all of them in one place is impossible, so the second best place, and my favorite, is the internet.

The Webkinz pets collection on Amazon is probably the biggest in the whole world. You’ll spend hours taking a close look at each pet before you’ll be able to decide on just one! They’re all equally cute.

Above all, they have an incredibly low price tag. You’d think that for all those cool internet features and what not, they’d make sure to charge a lot more. But they don’t!

Isn’t that great?

So go ahead and find your kid great Webkins plush animal. You can find a couple in the box below.

The main storyline in a few words

Well, this time, the story no longer takes place in Radiator Springs as in the first movie. The plot takes the characters all over the World, to Tokyo and the French Riviera where Lightning McQueen has to race, among others, the champion Francesco Bernoulli, an Italian formula one car played by John Turturro.

But get this! The story takes an unexpected twist and somehow, Mater, who turns out to be the main character in this movie, gets involved in deals that are in the realm on international espionage. Obviously, that happened thanks to his talent of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, running into the wrong people and falling in love with a beautiful spy

So he’s mistaken for a real spy and now has to prevent the bad guys from sabotaging McQueen’s race. And he has all the secret gadgets at his disposal.

Of course, there is some drama, with McQueen getting mad at Mater and not understanding him, but that’s all in the past in the end when the world is saved and all is good.

What are the new toys based on the Cars 2 movie ?

The first toys that we can find are those based on the main characters, like Lightning McQueen and Mater. The’ve been the kids’ favorite and they haven’t changed much from the first Cars movie.

But there are also the new characters in the mix, like Finn McMissle, a british intelligence officer who help Mater in achieving the secret mission he’s got involved in.  Another one is Holley Shiftwell, a purple beauty that Mater falls in love with.

The coolest of all, however, I believe is Siddeley the Spy Jet Transporter. This is the plane that takes Mater and the other spies throughout the world.

If you take a look below, you’ll find a box with all the Cars 2 toys on Amazon, with their prices.

Your kid will love them!