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Bill Nye is pissed
Bill Nye is pissed. The Bill Nye VR science kit is available on Amazon (and soon on Target) for $60, and it includes equipment like test tubes, a beaker, volcano mold, food coloring as well as a basic VR headset and a book with augmented reality bonus content.
We now know a lot more about 'Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit'
'Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit' looks like a lot of expensive fun.
Bugatti's first EV in decades is a $35,000 'toy' car
Bugatti has unveiled an electric car, but it's not what you'd think -- the Baby II is a $35,000 'toy' car meant for kids.
Deadpool's animatronic head haunts my dreams
Hasbro's new interactive Deadpool head is a weird friend to have in these socially isolated times.
Blipblox After Dark is a kid's synth for adults
Unsurprisingly, the Blipblox also turned out to be a hit with adults. Earlier this year Playtime Engineering, the company behind Blipblox, announced a new adult themed version -- Blipblox After Dark.
3Doodler's preschool-friendly 3D printing pen goes on sale for $30
3Doodler has launched a 3D printing pen for pre-schoolers.
Sphero spins off a new company to make robots for police, military use
Robotic toy maker Sphero is spinning its public safety division into a new company focused on robots for first responders, government and defense.
Polly Pocket meets Tamagotchi in this portable LCD home
Remember Polly Pocket? It was a line of dollhouses that folded up into a makeup compact, making them small enough to fit in a purse. It was pretty great for kids to take to school or on trips. But those Lilliputian dimensions came at a cost: Mostly all those easily lost (or swallowed) small pieces. Skyrocket's new Pixel Stars Dreamhouse solves that problem by making almost everything — the dolls, accessories and furnishings — digital.
KidKraft's Alexa-powered toy kitchen sizzles and tells dad jokes
Kids love to cook — or at least to pretend to. They enjoy emulating their parents, especially when it comes to making delicious things to eat. However, our kitchen routines have changed a lot thanks to voice control technology, which isn't easily replicated in a basic wood or plastic playset. So KidKraft's new toy kitchen doesn't even try to emulate it. Instead, it integrates the real Alexa to create an incredibly realistic but also whimsical play cooking experience.
Spin Master's new NinjaBots are cute little killers (updated)
Do you remember the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon from the '80s? Shredder's minions were all featureless humanoid robots, which our heroes could could slice and dice without guilt. At this year's Toy Fair, Spin Master's new product answers the question: What if the ninjas were the robots?
'Minecraft Earth' gets a bit more physical thanks to new NFC-enabled minis
When the mobile-based Minecraft Earth was announced last year, it immediately drew comparisons to Pokémon Go because of its use of augmented reality and location-based activities. But it was very different (as senior editor Jess Conditt will attest), since it didn't require you to actually go outside to partake in its mining and building gameplay. Now, Mattel has added another play dimension to Minecraft Earth that Pokémon Go can't really boast of: NFC-enabled figurines.
Hot Wheels brings its NFC-enabled stat-tracker to even more toys this year
For stats-obsessed kids, last year's release of Hot Wheels ID was a godsend. The NFC-based system let you scan your cars into the app to keep tabs on how fast and how far the cars in your collection had traveled. And it definitely solved the problem of figuring out who won a race. But it wasn't cheap, and there was limited compatibility with Hot Wheels' existing orange track system. In 2020 the brand has a few expansions in the works for Hot Wheels ID that should place it in reach for a lot more toy car racing fans.
The Hot Wheels RC Cybertruck is a mini Tesla for $400
If you're feeling pretty hype about the Tesla Cybertruck but don't have $39,900 to spend on one, maybe Hot Wheels' newest RC vehicle is more your thing. Sure, it's only 1/10 the size and made out of plastic, but here it only takes $400 to live out your Tesla dreams.
Hasbro's flurry of 'The Mandalorian' toys includes an animatronic Baby Yoda (updated)
Disney's bid to cash in on The Mandalorian's success has come a long, long way from when the company was scrambling to release crudely-designed shirts. Hasbro is releasing a deluge of toys and games meant to capitalize on the streaming show, and it won't surprise you to hear that The Child (aka Baby Yoda to everyone outside of Disney) plays a starring role. Most notably, there's an honest-to-goodness animatronic figure. The little one wiggles his head and ears, makes squeaky baby sounds and even tries to use his Force powers in the most adorable way possible. It will cost you $60, and yes, it is already available for pre-order on Amazon.
Hasbro's Halo-themed Nerf gun lineup includes a Needler (updated)
Over the last year, we've seen Hasbro jump on the Fortnite bandwagon by releasing themed Nerf guns. It's now turning its attention to a more historic gaming franchise, with the company announcing three Halo-themed Nerf guns that will come out this fall.
Alexa-powered Lego challenge winners include a game system and waffle iron
Amazon and Lego have unveiled the winners of their Alexa-focused Mindstorms challenge, and they're as clever and oddball as you'd hope. The grand prize winner is Jason Allemann's Game Station, a project that uses Alexa for a five-game console -- you can play the likes of Simon, trivia or Race to the Top while Alexa issues commands, plays music and checks answers. It's straightforward, but shows that the voice assistant can provide the 'glue' for a gaming system. This is also lucrative for Alleman, who gets $20,000 in Amazon gift cards, Lego models and a trip to Lego's headquarters in Denmark.
The new Hot Wheels coding kit requires fine motor skills (updated)
Modern parents are faced with a bit of a tech dilemma. You want the kids to learn STEM skills, but you also don't want them spending all their time in front of screens. To combat this problem many coding tools incorporate some kind of physical element that kids have to put together or manipulate; with building toys like LEGO the marriage of physical play and computer programming makes a lot of sense. Then there's something like Hot Wheels, which never really claimed to be educational. This year the brand upgraded its basic racing experience with Hot Wheels ID, which added NFC to the cars and Bluetooth to the track, allowing the playset to keep tabs on how fast your vehicles are going and how far they've traveled. Now the product has a new coding aspect, via Apple's Swift Playgrounds. And it sounds great in concept. But after some time spent with it, I'm not sure this is a very good use of a very expensive playset.
Bandai Namco takes a cue from Nintendo in its new DIY kit for kids
Kids today are growing up with a lot of screens in their lives, despite the advice of pediatricians. One of the things they get a lot less of in playing with devices is the development of more tactile skills, which are usually learned by manipulating toys and other physical objects. Over the past few years we've seen companies try to remedy this by introducing products that marry the real and virtual worlds, where physical play is required as part of a video game. Now game developer Bandai Namco and art tech company Iskn are teaming up with their own take on the idea: Tori. Kids can pilot a spaceship or wave a wand in real life and see how it plays out in a fantasy world on their tablet.
Toys 'R' Us debuts a new website, but you're really buying from Target
Just in time for the holiday season, the Toys "R" Us website is back, with one big difference: Target is powering the revived ToysRUs.com. When you go to complete a purchase on the latter, it redirects you to Target's website to check out.
Amazon reportedly lists some toys before confirming they're safe
Some toys may appear on Amazon without being vetted for safety. According to a CNBC report, multiple third-party sellers say they were only asked for proof of safety compliance weeks after their products were listed for sale. While the practice might help speed up the listing process, it could also lead to unsafe products being sold on Amazon.
