KLUB 106.9 The Rock » toys

Toy Store Staying In Business Thanks to $80,000 in Donations From Local Community

Drew Weisholtz — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 15:36:01 +0000

It’s happy ever after for Once Upon A Toy. The Edwardsville, Illinois store has been saved from shutting its doors after the local community rallied around with donations. Once Upon A Toy was on the cusp of bankruptcy and going out of business if it couldn’t pay a $76,000 bank loan by Friday. Well, citizens [...]

Hasbro Introduces Easy-Bake Oven for Boys

Donald Deane — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:21:54 +0000

Ever since it was introduced in 1963, the Easy-Bake Oven has been marketed exclusively to girls, leaving aspiring boy chefs out in the cold. But that's about to change thanks to a campaign led by a teen girl on behalf of her four-year-old brother, who loves to cook.

Urban Shredder From Hot Wheels Sure to Be on Most Dangerous Toy List this Holiday

Chris Illuminati — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 12:30:31 +0000

The Urban Shredder from Hot Wheels looks like every kid’s moist dream and every parent’s biggest nightmare. This kiddie crotchrocket is powered by a 250 watt motor and two DC 12 volt batteries. It has a maximum speed of 10mph, unless this kid lives near hills, where it could probably reach speeds of around 90 [...]

10 Weird Fad Toys Every Kid Had to Have for Christmas

Danny Gallagher — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:47:23 +0000

You can always spot a parent around the holiday season. Their hair is a frazzled mesh of cow licks and stray strands as if it’s been pulled by a crowd of frantic people. Their eyes dart around in all directions desperately seeking something that could suddenly appear at a moment’s notice. They break down and cry during commercials that advertise “the hottest toy of the holiday season.”

Toy Company Debuts New Gender-Blind Catalog

Tom Blunt — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 20:31:44 +0000

Scandinavian Toys”R”Us licensee Top-Toy has taken a new approach to making sure kids get what they really want for Christmas: a fully gender-blind catalog that erases the line between boys’ and girls’ toys. For many decades the tide has slowly been turning on forcing kids to play with toys and games considered fitting for their [...]

Swedish Toy Company Defies Gender Stereotypes for Unique Christmas Catalog

Amanda Ferris — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:45:36 +0000

In a pleasantly surprising move, a Swedish toy company called Top Toy has made a giant leap for gender equality amongst children. Top Toy's Christmas catalog features an interesting twist: the boys are the ones who are playing with dollhouses and the girls are happily playing with the Nerf guns.

National Toy Hall of Fame Nominees Announced, Let the Games Begin!

Donald Deane — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 19:00:40 +0000

In a move that will delight toy lovers everywhere, the National Toy Hall of Fame announced 12 nominees for induction this year, including some of our personal faves, like the Magic 8 Ball, little green army men and 'Star Wars' action figures.

11 Awesome Toys from the 90′s That We Really Miss

Jason Epstein — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 11:50:53 +0000

Here are 11 awesome toys from the 1990's we wish we could play with right now.

The Top 15 Toys for the Upcoming Holiday Season: The New Wii, One Direction Dolls and … Furby Again?

Ben Worcester — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 11:08:19 +0000

We know, we know—it's only September. When it comes to toys, though, it's never too early to start thinking about the holiday season, especially for retailers. It is big business. Huge business. The buying frenzy of the holidays can comprise 40 percent of the total annual profit for a toy store. With this in mind, Toys R Us has released their 2012 Holiday Hot Toy List to get a head start on the hottest items this year.

So what's on it this year?

Beastie Boys' Action Figure Sales to Benefit Charities

Chris M. Junior — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 09:15:57 +0000

Move over, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Nelly: the Beastie Boys have also been immortalized as commercially available action figures. And, in a rather superhero-like gesture, Mike “Mike D” Diamond, Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz and Adam “MCA” Yauch are donating the proceeds from sales of their limited-edition figures to charity.