The Star Wars Death Star Trench Run set is on sale for $89.99, plus you get a free $10 “Star Wars Bucks” gift card good for purchases in 2012. But Star Wars deals aren’t the only sales … you can pick up a nifty Crayola Digital Camcorder for about $40 for that budding Steven Spielberg in the family, Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure sets for about $8, buy one get one at 50% all LEGO sets, $30 Nintendo 3DS, 50% electric guitars, bikes for $50, free games with the purchase of an XBox Kinect controller … there’s even a wired PS3 controller for FREE with the purchase of a PS3 game system (and they’ll toss in a $25 TRU gift card)!

The two day sale ends tomorrow night, with TRU staying open round the clock until then. But I wouldn’t wait until the last, last minute because that store will look like a picked over warzone by then!

Hat Tip – Rebel Scum

The Marines have been collecting Toys for Tots since 1947. Semper Fi!

And it’s grown far beyond and extra curricular activity for off duty Marines. In 1995, the Secretary of Defense approved making the annual Toys for Tots drive an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve. Over the last 62 years, the US Marine Corps Reserve have distributed over 400 million toys to more than 188 million needy children and the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation has added to the toy collections by purchasing nearly a half billion dollars in toys to insure that no child gets left behind at Christmas.

And this year, as with any year, the campaign needs your help. You know the mission – pick up an unwrapped toy for a boy or girl and look for one of those dashing jarheads sitting next to a collection box near the entrance to the store. Or, you can Swing by http://www.toysfortots.org/ to make a cash donation to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation. While at the site, you can find more information on a toy collecting center in your area.

Semper Fi and Merry Christmas!

“On Black Friday, we saw the pent-up demand to shop for the best deals AND the must-have toys. So, we’re recreating the excitement and savings of Black Friday with ‘Super Sale Saturday’ at Toys“R”Us stores,” said Greg Ahearn, Chief Marketing Officer, Toys“R”Us, U.S. “We believe our customers will be delighted with the unprecedented Saturday savings, extended hours to shop and even more inventory on some of the season’s hottest toys.”

In addition to storewide savings on construction sets, learning toys, ride-on toys, collectibles and more, Customers can find out about the more than 85 mystery doorbusters by visiting Toysrus.com and Facebook.com/Toysrus beginning Friday night. Those who have registered their e-mail addresses and/or mobile phone numbers will be alerted to the deals by e-mail and SMS text messages.

Some of the special bargains include:

FREE Victorious Fashion Doll with the purchase of a Victorious Tote – $16.99 Value
SAVE $100 on Furreal Friends Butterscotch Pony – Was $199.99; Now $99.99
SAVE $70 on Step2 Neat & Tidy Cottage – Was $169.99; Now $99.99
SAVE $30 on the RAZOR Siege or Powerwing Scooter – prices vary
SAVE $30 on Disney Princess Royal Talking Princess Kitchen – Was $69.99; Now $39.99
60% OFF Ben 10 Alien Creation Chamber Laboratory – Was $49.99; Now $20
50% OFF Fast Lane Stunt City Playset – Was $39.99; Now $19.99
50% OFF MindFlex Mental Game – Was $79.99; Now $39.99
BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE ALL Moshi Monsters 1-Pack, 3-Pack and Plush – prices vary
BUY ONE, GET ONE 50% OFF Citizen Uglydoll plush – prices vary

In addition, Customers who get to the store at 6AM, will be able to take advantage of deals on these items in limited quanitites:

Air Swimmers® eXtreme from Animal Planet™
Angry Birds™ 5-Inch Plush from Commonwealth®
Lalaloopsy™ Littles dolls from MGA Entertainment®
Poppin’ Park™ Elefun® Busy Ball Popper® from Playskool®
Sesame Street® Let’s Rock! Elmo™ from Hasbro®
Xia-Xia™ from Cepia, LLC

And customers can earn 10% back on their purchases by joining Geoffrey’s Customer Loyalty Program, Rewards“R”Us. Stores will be open for extended hours this weekend as follows:

Friday, December 2: 8am – 1am
Saturday, December 3: 6am – 1am
Sunday, December 4: 7am – 12midnight

Looks like some great deals to be had!

Hat Tip – AFI

It doesn’t take but a cursory look at the tricycle to see the problem. There are several rotating fairy figures, including Tinkerbell that rest on the top of the handlebars right in the way should a child fall. And while a child may not get cut upon them, it’s painfully obvious to CT that it’ll certainly hurt to hand upon them. Sometimes we wonder who thinks up these things and, more importantly, who doesn’t see the danger at Disney? I know, they’re probably thinking that a tricycle is such a stable platform, there is no way a child will go head over heals and land on that handlebar. Still, the danger is there.

The trike is green, purple and white, with yellow wheels. “Disney Fairies” is printed in the front directly below the handlebar. It was sold at Target stores from July through December of 2009 for around $50. If your child plays on one, you are advised to take the toy away and contact Kiddieland at 800-430-5307 or visit their website www.kiddieland.com.hk for a free replacement handlebar.

“So many children fall in love with the whimsical wonder of princesses and all the goodness that they represent,” said Ms. Andrews. “Joining Target and Disney to host this annual event nationally will help us to recognize and celebrate the uniqueness that lies within every child.”

The spokesperson for National Princess Week is Julie Andrews – who played Mary Poppins, in the Disney film. And, although Ms. Andrews was never cast as a princess, she did play the Queen of Genovia in the “Princess Diaries,” which will also be celebrating it’s tenth anniversary as part of of the promotion. That, coupled with the fact that she’s “practically perfect in every way,” and you have the ideal spokesman for National Princess Week.

As part of National Princess Week, Target and Disney will be offering great deals on Disney Princess’ merchandise featuring princess characters such as Ariel, Cinderella and Snow White. Merchandising will include clothing and costumes, toys, books, CDs and DVDs, personal care items, and more. Additionally, Little Brown Books will be launching a new Disney novel series for girls called ““The Very Fairy Princess,” which was co-written by Julie Andrews’ and her own princess, Emma Walton Hamilton.

Hat Tip – The Toy Book

The concept is simple. The vehicles, which sell 2 for $20 at the Disney Store and online, have Bluetooth circuitry in them which enable them to pair up to the iPad or iPad 2 and allow it to control the virtual world of Radiator Springs like it was cruising around on a real town street. Kids can stop by Flow’s Cafe, barrel through mudd puddles, and even knock other virtual cars off the road or shoot them with missiles. And kids can customize their cars with unique effects like horns, colored exhaust, and more by trading in their hubcaps.

Just on it’s face you could guess that Steve Jobs is on the Disney Board. And you’d be right. So this type of synergy makes sense. But really, what parent in their right mind would hand their kid a hard plastic toy and allow them to bang it around on their $600 iPad screen unless they had a bullet proof screen protector on it? And even then I’m not so sure. Which is why I think this has the allure of a parent waking up one day and realizing that beautiful iPad screen is scratched up and Dad needs a new toy. I wonder if the Disney Store will start selling iPads online?

Hat Tip – KTR

Here’s the particulars – head over to DisneyStore.com and check out the costumes on sale. The 25% off deal will be applied when inputting COSTUMESHIP at online check-out. Free shipping for purchases of $75 and up. The extra 25% off is only for costumes and must be purchased online. But still, that’s a pretty substantial deal and it also includes adult costumes as well. Which is pretty good for those of us looking to maintain our Peter Pan fantasy!

Hat Tip – Bargain Briana

The models included in the recall are as follows …

Models included: Disney Hannah Montana Pogo Stick, the Disney/Pixar Toy Story Cruising Cool Pogo Stick, the Disney/Pixar Cars Pogo Stick, the Disney Princess Pogo Stick and the Disney Fairies Cruising Cool Pogo Stick. Look for manufacturing date codes between 01/01/2009-022CO and 11/30/2010-022CO.

The recall was prompted by a child who fell as a result, fracturing her skull and chipping a tooth. Four other children have also been injured using the toy, with 82 other reports to the Consumer Product Safety Commission of issues causing falls to children.

The pogo sticks were sold at Burlington Coat Factory, Kmart, Kohls.com, Target and Toys R Us from February 2009 through June 2011 for about $20. Consumers are advised to stop using the pogo stick immediately and contact Bravo Sports at (855) 469-3429 between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT for a full refund.

Hat Tip – About Toys

Here’s a few that will be available at the HasbroToyShop Booth on the showroom floor:

G.I. JOE SKY STRIKER VEHICLE WITH STARSCREAM DECO AND 3.75″ COBRA COMMANDER SPECIAL EDITION FIGURE

This is where the worlds of G.I. JOE and TRANSFORMERS combine as the Sky Stryker Jet comes the legendary Decepticon Starscream. Comes with the evil COBRA Commander figure, which can fit in the cockpit of the jet. Cost is $49.99, (Ages: 4 & up)

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON SPECIAL EDITION ULTIMATE OPTIMUS PRIME FIGURE
This is a slick TRANSFORMERS MECHTECH ULTIMATE OPTIMUS PRIME action figure with a special edition foil-wrapped, slide-out package and customizable sticker sheet. The MECHTECH ULTIMATE OPTIMUS PRIME figure features lights, launching projectiles, electronic battle sounds and phrases and three modes of conversion – vehicle, robot, and robot with “mech suit.” The trailer, serves as weapons depot and command center, converting into the ultimate “mech suit” for OPTIMUS PRIME. Price: $79.99
(Ages: 5 & up)

TRANSFORMERS PRIME OPTIMUS PRIME FIRST EDITION FIGURE
Based on the Hub’s hit animated series, TRANSFORMERS PRIME, this special edition OPTIMUS PRIME figure converts from robot to truck mode and features a premium decor only available during Comic-Con figure. And, the packaging becomes a wearable accessory for the leader of the Autobots. Price: $19.99, (Ages: 5 & up)

Other cool toys available include STAR WARS VINTAGE REVENGE OF THE JEDI SPECIAL EDITION DEATH STAR COLLECTOR’S PACK, MARVEL LEGENDS THOR SPECIAL EDITION FIGURE, NERF N-STRIKE TRANSFORMERS BARRICADE OPTIMUS PRIME RV-10 Blaster and more.

And look for the cool ComiCon panels featuring Hasbro’s TRANSFORMERS Brand Panel (Thursday, July 21 from 2:30 – 3:30 PM in Room 24ABC)
Hasbro Studios “The Making of ‘Transformers Prime’” (Thursday, July 21 from 3:30 – 4:30 PM in Room 24ABC),Hasbro STAR WARS (Friday, July 22 from 11:00am-12:00pm in Room 7AB), “Evolution of Transformers Animation” presented by Shout Factory and Hasbro Studios (Friday, July 22 from 5:30-6:30 PM in Room 8), and Hasbro MARVEL (Saturday, July 23 from 2:00 – 3:00 PM in Room 9)!

See you at the Con!

Hat Tip – TFormers

The kit contains six minifigures including Captain Jack Sparrow, Davey Jones, Bootstrap Bill Turner, WilL Turner, Hammerhead, and Gibbs. But there are some on the boards who aren’t tall that impressed. In fact, they seem to think it’ll be a dud because it not only has a less detailed design, but key minifigures are missing including Barbossa. And it seems to be based on the second film “Dead Man’s Chest.” That makes sense as the Pearl was mentioned in On Stranger Tides to have been sunken by Blackbeard.

And they may have a few points here. First, the set only contains 804 pieces, whereas the Queen Anne’s Revenge set has nearly 1100. But I think they’re pushing it on the minifigs. It’s a good collection and what’s really cool is that there’s a hidden bonus minifig in the female sculpture on the bow of the Pearl. We’d like to see at a few more cannon though as two on each side seems a bit light for this marauder of the high seas.

Look for it to come in November, just in time for Christmas.

Hat Tip – EuroBricks