Coolest Toys

Some kids like to build Legos, others like to blow stuff up. But there must be a section of kids out there that likes to solve cold case murders judging by the CSI Facial Reconstruction Kit. Based on the long running, #1 rated CBS drama CSI (or CSI Miami, or CSI New York, or CSI [insert city name here], this kit allows kids to learn a mix of science, puzzle, art, and fantasy, as they work painstakingly to recreate the face of a victim from the skull left behind.

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The budding little civil engineer in the family would love this classic toy … ERECTOR SETS! Since 1913, erector sets have been used by kids to create everything from cranes to buildings, towers, excavators, bridges and more. The Erector set can teach kids to build just about anything they can imagine, but also teach them creativity, observation, deductive reasoning, logical thinking, principles of mechanics, physics & problem solving.

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With video games dominating the game playing world of youngsters these days, it’s hard to even get them to look at something so low tech as a metal football field rattling from electric currents while little plastic football men randomly move along in an attempt to drive a fabric football across the goal line. And often, ending up congregating in the corner as the field hums with an annoying buzz. But that’s the allure of Electric Football, a classic game that kids all over the 60s and 70s played with both passion and patience.

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Okay, not really. Not even close. But seriously. A hand cranked toy ride along locomotive set for over $4,000?! That’s some serious spoiling of the toddler. But I gotta admit, it sure looks cool.

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Every kid had a View-Master growing up. It was just way too cool to get that 3d effect looking at everything from cartoons to pictures of Disneyland, or even of man walking on the moon. And with a simply click of the advance lever, and you got to see another. And another. Or, slip out the wheel and put in another one. After growing up, I rather lost track of the old View-Master until I went to a restaurant and was given the desert menu on a View-Master. And I thought, my God, what genius! All you need is a scratch and sniff and it would be a rapid rise in sales.

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When I was a kid, I loved air hockey. Toss a couple of quarters in and feel the gentle breeze coming out of tiny pin holes as you slam a floating plastic puck back and forth to score with a loud, clanging Clunk! Followed by the traditional “yeah!,” and some trash talking. Repeat. That kind of hockey is intense and a blast and thanks to “Face-off Frenzy Power Band hockey, “ kids can do it in just about any room in the house. All you need is a clear floor. Here’s how it works.

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(2nd in a series)

Thinking about Lincoln Logs reminded me of that marvelous collection of sticks and wheels known as Tinker Toys. Also made of durable wood that will last to their kids and beyond (if you don’t lose the parts, that is), kids can use their imagination to create all kinds of constructed works of art, including structures, animals, shapes and more. The jumbo canister comes with 102-pieces including wheels, sticks, paddles, tubes and a host of other parts for building towering designs. Cost is about $25-35. There’s also a larger 250 piece set for about $150.

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Now that I’m a dad, I tend to spend a ton of time in toy stores. Which brings back a flood of memories to the classic toys I enjoyed when I was growing up. Toys that motivated me to create, build, and develop an imagination. But often times, we see toys based on movies, video games, and activities that not only atrophy our kids imagination, but teaches them negative aspects of play. To that end, I am starting a series on classic toys which are still being made that your kid will love, and will teach them important stuff, Old School.

The first toy in the series goes to Lincoln Logs. Still wooden, and still complete with every piece a child needs to build a frontier log cabin of their own design. The current commemorative edition, contains 115 pieces in a tin collectible canister. And it’s been that way for 85 years. Cost is about $40.

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Crayola is moving into more lighter spectrums with the new Glow Station. The basic idea is to paint using light. Using a special light wand pen, young artists can create luminous freehand drawings or patterned stencil scenes on a specially designed “glow light canvas”. The Crystal attachment can also make starbursts. Over time, the images will dissipate and dissolve, leaving room for another creation.

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Moving into the upper limits of the tween-teen crowd, the hot holiday toys that Toys R Us is banking on the fact that today’s teens want to either play games or get their groove on. And included in this list of hot holiday toys, you can bet that the 8GB Apple iPod Nano is a heavy hitter. The new Chromatic Nano has an accelerometer built in which not only allows shuffling between songs with a “shake,” but also allows to move to the wide screen when watching video. And at 8GB, it’ll hold every song your kid wants to pira … er … buy. Cost is around $200, or, get the fat Nano for about $130.

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