What's New at PlayFair Toys
March 12, 2008
You are braver than you believe, stronger than you
seem, and smarter than you think.
--Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne
We continue to restock your favorite toys, games, books, etc. Here's what's come in the door since my last update on February 15:
Lots of Arts and Crafts kits and art supplies including:
- Make Your Own Pinata Kits, which are featured in our Spring Flyer (hitting Boulder mailboxes any day now)
- New Wire Art kits that are both thematic and large and general including horses, bracelets, sculpture, creatures, and more
- Make a Plates are back in and make a great project for Easter
- Old favorites are back including Monster Trucks Custom Shop, Ancient Egypt Mummies, Make Your Own Fleece Pillow
- Wee Enchanted Fairy Garden is a great choice for Spring! Other good spring projects include the EZ Build Birdhouse and EZ Build Biplane
If you're getting ready for Spring Break, the little Dover Activity Books for only $1.50 are great to bring along. Get a handful of them so there's always something new when you need it. We also have Audio Books that are great for travel.
Legos are back in! We are so happy to see those
shelves full again. There are new sets for 2008 a well as old
favorites in the area of Lego City, Star Wars, and racers, our
customer's favorites. We also have many new and returning
Gears! Gears! Gears! sets by Learning Resources.
Magz toys and Magna-Tiles, plus
Quadrilla is back.
New and old dolls by Corolle, and finally your
favorite Ryan's Room dollhouse furniture!
There is a new spring Calico Critters playset - Spotty and
Stella's Swimming Adventure.
(And a sneak warning - there will be a new Calico Critters Manor
House available in 4th quarter 2008 only - preorders will be taken
until we have no more stock)
New Groovy Girls are in, including the bubblegum
princesses, and some new supersize Groovy Girls dolls.
At your request, we have a small but nice selection of
Polly Pockets.
Only Hearts Club dolls, horses, and stables are in
with many new pieces, outfits, and now pets!
Woodkins are in- all styles.
Your favorite Zoobies are in. New styles are coming before summer.
Puppets puppets puppets puppets! Folkmanis has just introduced new Gift Box puppets, a kitten and puppy for that special occasion. Also they have expanded their line of Stage Puppets following their popularity last year. While the standard Folkmanis puppets are more like stuffed animals, the stage puppets are just a head and are perfect for putting on a show. And how convenient that Puppet Theaters are also in!
For puzzlers, be sure to ask about Puzzibits, a way to make 3-dimensional creations from hexagonal plastic pieces - hard to describe but plenty of fun. As always, we have new puzzles daily, everything from wooden peg puzzles to 5000 piece jigsaws for the most avid adult puzzle lovers.
Plasmacars! Also every single Kettler tricycle and bicycle is now in stock, fabulous springtime gifts. The face of your preschooler or toddler on a tricycle is a memory you will cherish forever. We also have Kettler scooters in both a beginning and more advanced style.
One of my personal favorites, the Schleich Animal Nursery, is back in, along with all the accessories to create a realistic African Kraal playspace. These play sets are not only unusual but also incredibly authentic and detailed. They would be great for a classroom activity on Africa, but they are designed as toys and have loads of play value.
WOW - Science Kits, Science Models - so much to see! Brand new Heart and Brain models by Learning Resources - incredibly detailed models help simulate dissection of a human brain and heart. Also we now have the Visible Woman and Visible Man models that you have been asking for. Our science kits have been restocked with kits from Scientific Explorer, most under $20 and perfect especially for young kids (they go as young as 4), Young Scientists Club (perfect for homeschoolers, the entire series is back in stock). You asked for them - you got them - Lab Coats for kids! Coming soon, imprinted with Professor PlayFair, just like our staff wears!
The weather is changing fast, and we have plenty to do outdoors. Kites, jump ropes, juggling sticks, hopscotch, frisbee golf, and more.
New in our gift area are Anamalz, handcrafted wooden animal figurines, each one unique. Must be seen and touched to be appreciated.
Many continuing and new Train Sets from Learning Curve, as well as the popular and well-priced train and activity table by Melissa and Doug. Darda Car Sets - basics are in, plus new Glow in the Dark and super looping sets. Keep checking back here to see what's new.
Call the Boulder store at 303-444-7502 or visit the PlayFair Toys website. Not everything mentioned here is immediately available for sale through the website.
And don't forget to keep up with that crazy Professor PlayFair - she's always got suggestions for science, play, and just plenty to think about! Thank you for making us a part of your lives for the 26th straight year!
The above article is also available at the PlayFair Toys' blog.
Posted February 15th, 2008
"Eeyore was saying to himself, 'This writing business.
Pencils and what-not. Over-rated, if you ask me. Silly stuff.
Nothing in it.'"
--A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh
Unlike poor Eeyore, for some of us writing goes beyond a chore and
into the realm of a "must". We write not because we can,
we write because we must. That, dear reader, is me. So why all the
months of quiet fingers? Although for most of you I am sure that
Christmas is a distant memory, for those of us in the toy business
it just ended yesterday. I am still catching up on my sleep! I was
spurred back to action by listening to an interview about blogging,
and about how only certain people truly have the constitution to do
this, because it takes a real passion for the subject. And I
realized then that I do indeed have a passion for this, and
it's time to let you know, once again, what is happening in the
world of PlayFair Toys.
Our PlayFair elves are plenty busy these days restocking the
warehouse. With Valentine's Day behind us, we look forward to
the coming spring, and getting ourselves and our children active
again. Just to get started, here are some of the many things that
have come in recently:
I'll start with the best - Professor PlayFair T-shirts!
You've asked for them in different colors, and we are happy to
have them now in deep purple and deep red, ranging in size from a
child's 2-4 to adult XL. Get them while they're available!
Tell us what colors you'd most like to see.
Art supplies from Alex, just about anything you
want, from paper to scissors, to kits. Also the very popular
magnetic tabletop easels are back. These are great for travel, so
you might think about taking one on your spring break trip. Also
the Alex Car Valet is back in, perfect for that long
trip or just keeping them occupied while you toodle around town.
Arts and Crafts kits of all kinds - these are some favorites for
birthday party giving. Whether it's painting or sculpture or
sewing or woodcraft - we've got a kit for every kid on your
list.
Have you tried Brain Noodles yet? Think super-jumbo pipe cleaners
in wild colors, and get crazy with sculpture!
Lots and lots of books... See What We're Reading
for some great suggestions, but we really recommend that you come
into the store to browse our selection.
Finally back in are Marble Runs by Quercetti and Galt, also Zoob. We have
new themed wooden blocks set from Haba, imported from Germany.
Our doll selection is back to normal with loads of new shipments
from Corolle, Calico Critters (we
carry the entire line), plus many Ryan's Room doll house
furniture sets and doll families (finally!). We are very happy to
announce that Small World, the maker of Ryan's
Room, is back in the saddle after a rocky 2007. We missed
Ryan's Room and are thrilled to be stocking it again. Calico
Critters have new introductions for spring. Stephanie
Sunny-Bunny's Amazing Train Ride has been very popular, and
it would make a great Easter gift for under $20.
Our fantasy and occupational costumes are restocked, including the
ever popular firefighter costume - the kids love it that it comes
with a "real" fire hose! Also stand-out tutus for that
little ballerina, and musical skirts, including the Chicken Dance
Skirt! What a hoot!
We are well stocked on wooden furniture from KidKraft, and we also just got in the popular Blue Creative Art Center table from Alex, as well the My Cafe
Table, which has a matching tin tea set. It's perfect for a
corner of the nursery, kitchen, or family room.
Classic games are in - pickup sticks, jacks, marbles, chinese
checkers, and more, plus we have new games in every day. Egg and Spoon Race has been a spring favorite the last few
years - you can now play this popular outdoor party game with no
mess thanks to plastic eggs!
Our infant and toddler area is now full with old favorites and new
introductions from Lamaze, Melissa & Doug,
Earlyears, Manhattan, Gund, Haba, and others. We have infant and toddler toys made in
the US, Germany, Italy, and Thailand. For those who love music, the
Neurosmith toys are now well stocked, in a wide
array of prices.
Cook up fun with pretend kitchens and food. My favorites are the
Cookin Up Fun Kitchen, a nice-size play kitchen for
under $100, hard to find, and the new Retro Bakeware set from
Schylling. It will take you back to your own childhood and a
simpler time. We have some very fun new surprises coming into this
part of the store this spring - keep your eyes peeled for retro
kitchen miniatures that are a playtime delight.
Trucks! Lots and lots of trucks from Bruder (made in
Germany, indestructible and loaded with detail), WOW (from England,
toddler appeal and plenty to do), Mighty World play
sets, and the popular Grizzly Ranger Rescue set is now back in
stock for a very limited time. We have learned that the
manufacturer will not be continuing this wonderful set that is just
"Oh so Boulder!"
Playmobil has some great new themes out this spring including
fairies, dinosaurs, and a pony ranch. We have the first pieces of these in now and
will be getting more over the spring. We are now extremely well
stocked in Playmobil and have the popular airport pieces back in. Also we now carry Playmobil 1-2-3
for toddlers, an excellent recommendation for those of you looking
for toddler toys that are not made in China.
Easter basket stuffers and plush - wind up chicks, bright music
boxes, spring-themed thumb toys and more. Be sure to ask about the
musical duck puppet from Schylling -
it's a riot!
After a long dry spell we have the Tune In Violin
back, but it is literally flying out the door. Although this will
be reordered, if you have a virtuouso who's been waiting (it
was out of stock for over 6 months, very sad), now's the time.
Also we have a great new keyboard for under $20,
perfect for starting with a serious instrument and very little
investment.
We have restocked puppets and have plenty of
bunny rabbits for spring.
Unicycles are back! We had no unicycles in 2007, a sad state of
affairs. We now have both a 16" and 18" wheel unicycle in
stock, bright red as before, and great fun. These are easier to
learn to ride than you might think (well, for children at least!).
My son learned at age 8, on this same model we carrry, and now at
age 15 he has just purchased his first adult unicycle.
Also we have plenty of tricycles, wagons, scooters,
and so on for spring.
Science! Our science shelves are starting to get
refilled. A brand new product that I'm very excited about is
the mega-screen microscope, which shows the magnified item on a
large screen. With spring arriving children should find lots of
interesting small things to investigate.
Tired children will be contented children, so keep them busy with
plenty of physical activity. We have balance boards
for young ones as well as full wooden boards that can take up to
adult weight. Jump ropes, paddle ball, t-ball, zip lines, bop bags,
golf...
Our party favor/gag gift/just for fun area always has something
new. Recent shipments include Jacob's ladder, wind-up home
appliances (who says you can't afford a new toaster?!), racing
pens - come in and have fun playing with all of them.
Sand, water, bath - new toys for indoors and out. The new AquaTrax Deluxe Water Play System from International Playthings replaces product we have had before
from Galt and Brio - open ended water play systems that let
children explore building locks, dams, and more. This is one of my
favorites of this year's new products.
In the train section there are lots of new Thomas the Tank Engine
characters, as well as plenty of sets, including starter-priced
sets.
That's only a sampling of all the shipments that have arrived
in the last few weeks.
Other great spring ideas are insect study, we have loads of great
stuff including nets, wooden hutches for study, even ways to listen
to the noises these fascinating small creatures make.
That's enough for now. Come visit us at 1690 28th
Street in Boulder, at the corner of Canyon and 28th. Not in
Boulder? Of course we are always here for you at http://www.playfairtoys.com/.
This article is also published on Professor PlayFair's blog.