Category: Toy Reviews

Toy Reviews

The best gifts are from FUNKO – Snapsies and Pop! Collectibles

Erin Sluka
The best gifts are from FUNKO - Snapsies and Pop! Collectibles

Of the 5 of us in the family, all of us have Funko POP! collectibles displayed at our desks. My husband was gifted a Minion and The Warriors character Funko POP! I have several on my shelf at work. I work at our local high school and the teens love seeing mine in display. Our 3 boys all have some around their PC’s as well. Our youngest is 13 and the biggest POP! collector and has a wall started. Then, he received the newest Negan and Tyrion Lannister from 2 of his favorite shows and they sit with him at his computer desk.

Funko fruit bats

If you have younger children, Funko has other collectibles aside from the popular POP! You can find blind packages – Funko Paka Paka: Fruit Bats and Snapsies as well. The Paka Paka Fruit Bats are so adorable. They live on a lush tropical island just south of the equator. Collect sweet Bree, Pinya, Ruby, Spitz, Ava, Lima, Wikie, and Drago! Their sweet touches make them fun to collect and display.

funko snapsies

Funko also has the popular Snapsies. What makes these collectibles unique is that they are interchangeable. The more you collect you have even more combinations. Each Snapsies animal has their own distinct personalities, looks, and accessories that you can customize for endless combinations! Their facial expressions are so fun!

snapsies animals

Funko has many gifts to choose from for the Holidays. Based here in Wa. state they are the brand that connects the collectible world of toys with pop culture. I am sure you have seen POP! vinyl figures in stores and online and there are so many to choose from.

Funko Pop

Visit the Funko shop on Amazon or their online shop. The next time you visit Seattle, head into Everett and visit their headquarters for a fun experience. These gifts will be a hit for anyone on your list if you know their favorite movies, athletes, bands, artists and more.

Toy Reviews

ONANOFF Expands BuddyPhones+ Series with Cosmo+ Headphones

Erin Sluka
ONANOFF Expands BuddyPhones+ Series with Cosmo+ Headphones

ONANOFF is the brand responsible for BuddyPhones, the kid-safe, kid-proof, and kid-friendly headphones. They have just added to their BuddyPhones+ line with these BuddyPhones Cosmos+. These are over-ear, wired or wireless headphones with a mic for kids. They come in 6 color choices and I have the ‘cool blue’.

BuddyPhones and case

The safety is in the design and sound. The headphones combine ANC (active noise-cancelling) technology 3 SafeAudio75/85/94dB Volume Limit, Study Mode and a detachable mic. You’ll also love the 24 hour battery life and the Answer/Playback button.

foldable headphones

BuddyPhones only uses BPA- and phthalate-free materials. They also include a built-in audio splitter BuddyJack  allows up to four headphones to connect to the same device with included connector. They come with a very durable case to keep the sharing splitter, charger and mic tucked in safe when not in use. These are so comfortable on the ear with plenty of adjustment for any kids size.

kids headphones

With all of these fantastic features these make terrific headphones. Great for back to school and gift ideas. Learn more on the product page. Also available on Amazon.

Toy Reviews

Send your College Student off with this stress reliever – The Grumpy Octopus

Erin Sluka
Send your College Student off with this stress reliever - The Grumpy Octopus

Kids are graduated, the Country is heading to post-COVID and once again, we prepare to send our oldest of teens off to College. This means phone calls instead of walking through the door and care packages as our thread of line we have left to them. I had fun putting together care packages when our son went off to College. Had I known about this cuddly and hard-not-to-love plush, The Grumpy Octopus would definitely have lived in a dorm with him!

It is simple, an angry red octopus who is a plush with glitter eyes and a velvet feel. It is hard to stay in a bad mood because when you look over and see its grumpy face it is hard not to crack a smile. I can see him being a dorm pal at homework time or the stormy weather, he will sit and dwell in the pity with your child away from home.

Seriously, you want him, don’t you? He even has an Instagram page! He is created by San Diegan Amr Ahmed, who wanted an original plush for his sister. Inspired by the iPhone emoji and a touch of traits from Oscar the Grouch, Squidward, Grumpy the dwarf, Diego the saber-tooth tiger from Ice Age, Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec, and the infamous Grumpy Cat, he is a great companion who loves to hate everyone as much as they love him.

The Grumpy Octopus is available on Amazon and is a must-have for the dorm, Dad or a gag gift!

Toy Reviews

Speedy Scribbles is a game of fast thinking and drawing for memory

Erin Sluka
Speedy Scribbles is a game of fast thinking and drawing for memory

We have had a blast with this new game of pressure and scribbles by Goliath Games. Speedy Scribbles is a memory game where you have to rely on quick scribbles to remember the 20 words read aloud in a round. My son is 13 and this game will be going in the RV for camping game nights this summer. It is addictive and you will easily get several rounds in on game night.

Speedy Scribbles

Set up is easy. Speedy Scribbles is a 4-8 player game. There is a colored score game board and colored pegs. It also comes with the scoring sheets, game cards, bell and scoring sheets. You do not need anything else to play this game. It is ready to go right from the box.

Drawing for memory

Each player chooses a peg to play. Notice that where you start on the board is a red rectangle? This means round 1 will be played from the red side of the game cards. The long card holder is numbered 1-20. These are the 20 words played on that round from the red side of 4 cards drawn by that round’s Reader.

Memory game

The steps are easy. Dealer draws 4 cards from the deck. Depending on the color being played that round, the 4 cards will be placed in the card holder 1-20 (overlapping so the correct words by color are in the corresponding number slots as shown above). The Reader is the only one who draws, sets and sees these cards. The Reader will read each word 1 second at a time. The other players use the scoring pads to quickly sketch whatever will help them remember that word and move through the 20 boxes as the 20 words are read in 20 seconds. Notice above, here is an example of how a round will look like after words are read and because it was Round 1, red cards were used due to everyone starting on the red START on the score board.

Scoring now begins. The Reader will choose a player and ask them to name a word in any box (“Joe, what was word 13?”) If Joe gets it right, he gets a point (Reader will say “Correct” or “Incorrect” to Joe without giving away the right answer). If Joe gets it wrong, any other player can be first to press the bell for their chance to get it right and earn that point. Only 1 extra guess per word and the Reader will move on to ask a new player for a new word. A round ends when every player was given a first chance by the reader 3 times each (If there are 4 players: 1 is a Reader, 3 are players. So, the Reader will ask all 3 players 3 times each for a first guess – any 9 words of the 20 total). The players will move their pegs the number of points they earned that round and the player with the most points dictates the next game color according to where their peg lands). It is fast-paced and so addictive.

Buy Speedy Scribbles on Amazon!