Despicable Me 2 Toy Profile of the Week (5): Plush Rush!

Posted on March 23, 2013 by geelw

Three new plush figs from DM2
are this week’s bad poem you’ve to view.
Don’t blame me, folks – blame Thinkway Toys
They make fine stuff for girls and boys.

Collectors, too – you’re not forgotten
As these three toys aren’t at all rotten
Agnes, Unicorn and Minion Dave
are all well-made to draw your rave.

They’re special, as each activates
with sound or lights and functions great
Agnes speaks, her unicorn chimes
And Dave’s eyes pop (not from my rhymes!)

All priced quite fair, so grab them all
And decorate your room or hall
Stop by here this time next week
For more to make your wallets weak!

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Despicable Me 2 Toy Profile of the Week (4): Double “Evil” Geniuses On Display

Posted on March 15, 2013 by geelw

It’s Gru, he’s back again for you with kids and Minions in his crew.
He’s not as bad as he first seems – his new girls tamed his evil dreams.
But Minions vanishing from his place have him now in quite a race.
To put a stop to a new foe (and have you all cheer Go, Gru GO!)

And here’s Nefario, Gru’s right hand man, who’s always on with every plan.
But hearing loss is his big bane, his mistakes make Gru’s projects lame.
Dart Gun to Fart Gun is good for fun, but useless when more pain’s the one
Nevertheless, Gru keeps him ’round, as good friends for life go pound for pound
And perhaps if their plans would just work right, the world will be theirs day and night!

Pictured, two more Collectible Action Figures (Gru and Dr. Nefario) from the upcoming Despicable Me 2 toy line (2”-3.5”), Age: 4+; Approximate Retail Price: $4.99 – Available starting in May at a retailer near you.

Despicable Me 2 Toy Profile of the Week (3): Three Really Hard Working Minions

Posted on March 8, 2013 by geelw

A baker and two firemen are this week’s D2 toys
Like the rest covered here, they’re for girls or for boys
They also make possibly the most perfect fit…
(keep reading below for some well-placed wit)

That baker Minion might make a tasty treat
But his skills with the stove sure bring up the heat!
The smoke alarm’s wailing, here come the red trucks
But as they pull up, from the oven he plucks…
a perfect muffin or two (they taste really sweet)–
But the entire house has burned to the street!

Pictured, three more Collectible Action Figures from the upcoming Despicable Me 2 toy line (2”-3.5”), Age: 4+; Approximate Retail Price: $4.99 – Available starting in May at a retailer near you.

Toy Fair 2013: Insanimals Are Here! Get Your Money (and Your Crazy) Ready…

Posted on March 3, 2013 by geelw

Sometimes the best things in life come out of (and often come out) a little crazy idea taken from concept to creation, and I’d say Maryland-based brainchild and designer Chris Sciannella’s “crazy” idea is more likely than not going to make someone a millionaire at some point. Insanimals, the cool line of wild-eyed (but completely lovable) plush toys, made me laugh for a few reasons when I strolled up to the booth at this year’s Toy Fair, all of them good. For one, how can you not automatically get a grin going when seeing a chihuahua, cow, monkey or zebra (all with BIG hypnotic plastic eyeballs) staring back at you? I felt like picking them all up and shaking them gently to see if they’d snap out of it, but that bad idea of mine would just turn them back into “Normanimals” and you can get those anywhere from the local florist to the world’s biggest toy store. Insanimals are special because they’re completely bonkers and don’t try to hide it one bit…

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Despicable Me 2 Toy Profile of the Week (2): More Minions, More Problems!

Posted on March 2, 2013 by geelw

Three more minions here and a new poor rhyme,
despite my bad verse, they’re well worth your time.
A golfer, a ninja, and rocker that’s punk
(it’s best to look upwards than read my old junk!)

But if you’re not green yet, then keep reading on
(and be glad that I’m not writing your favorite song)
those Minions will pop up in stores really soon
about a month before the film lands in June!

Toy Fair 2013: Chains to Champions: Brick Warriors Go Board Game (And You Certainly Won’t Be Bored At All)…

Posted on February 28, 2013 by geelw

OK, I’ll admit it. I’d never heard of Brick Warriors until a few days before Toy Fair when a friend with a bigger ear to the playground who collects and tweaks his collection of miniatures asked me to check out the upcoming Chains to Champions board game the company was working on. It’s a good thing I decided to be a nice guy and drop on down to meet Ryan Hauge, Amanda Taylor and Rhonda Denny (the game’s lead playtester and most likely the company’s ringer if you ever end up playing against her for money), as the game is looking to be a ton of fun for minifigure fans across the globe. C to C is a gladiatorial combat game for two to six players (or one player with multiple personalities who wants to beat himself senseless at a board game) that’s easy to pick up, yet also highly challenging as you complete in card-based clashes for coin and customization upgrades.

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Despicable Me 2 Toy Profile of the Week (1): A Few Minions For Your Approval…

Posted on February 23, 2013 by geelw

Meet Minions Stuart, Phil and Dave,
(of them I’ll post this little rave)

They’re three fun guys full of surprise
and just a few bucks each.
They’ll fit in pocket, purse or bag,
(I think they’d like the beach)

Thinkway has made them all just right
they’ll make you smile a lot
That said, I’d keep mine at home
so mischief happens not!

Pictured, three Collectible Figures from the upcoming Despicable Me 2 toy line (2”-3.5”), Age: 4+; Approximate Retail Price: $4.99 – Available starting in May at a retailer near you.

Toy Fair 2013: Despicable Me 2 Toy Lineup: Gru’s Grunts & Girls Get Great Gear!

Posted on February 16, 2013 by geelw

Despicable Me was quite a surprise for me, as I wasn’t expecting much before I saw it and ended up charmed by the animation and characters. Of course, so were a few many million other moviegoers, which means, yes indeed – it’s time for a sequel. If the teaser and trailers are any indication, you can expect Despicable Me 2 to be even funnier than the original, as Gru’s Minions seem to be the focus this time out. This also means in terms of licensed products, toy companies such as Hasbro, Thinkway Toys, Basic Fun and others are going all out to get fans of the film into stores and online shops to snap up some really cool new items. I got to see most of the upcoming lineup during Toy Fair off-site at a more relaxed downtown location and everything looks (and sounds, where applicable) great and is coming soon to a retailer near you.

Gallery below the jump along with some more scribblings on the collection from yours truly…

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Toy Fair 2013: Zeenie Dollz – Or: Earth (Saving) Girls Are Easy (To Like)…

Posted on February 15, 2013 by geelw

With all the big toy-themed sites covering almost nothing but the big, hot new products from Toy Fair, there are literally thousands of toys that get little to no love on the show floor from the press. Since I don’t get many invites to the major events (thanks to PR people and companies themselves that want big sites with bigger hits to drive fans into stores on launch days or pre-ordering their products like mad), I tend to dip around the show floor after my big deal appointments looking for quirky and interesting stuff you won’t see latched to a hype train. I’ll be covering a bunch of cool toys for just about everyone in a few columns here, so I may as well start with the last letter of the alphabet and work my way around randomly. Say hello to Zeenie Dollz!

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Toy Fair 2013: Are Yomega’s Star Wars Yo-Yo’s Force-Powered? We Shall See…

Posted on February 8, 2013 by geelw

Hmmm… I haven’t seen a decent yo-yo commercial (or heck, ANY yo-yo commercial) since the days of Duncan, but seeing the email in my inbox from modern yo-yo masters Yomega about their upcoming Star Wars line made my brain cook up a doozy of an ad idea. A mock battle breaks out between two kids (or adults) dressed like characters from the films who pull off all sorts of fancy tricks while facing each other (er, out of range of any actual injury, of course!). Add in some CGI laser string effects and *ding!* – instant classic. Maybe. Anyway, Yomega is releasing three new models this summer and fall – I’ll post pics of them from the show floor on Sunday – descriptions and prices are below the jump.

Hmmm. I wonder what George Lucas is up to these days? Then again, if he directed the spot, we’d end up seeing it pulled and reworked a few times too many (ha ha), so I guess some aspiring college kid with a good eye will do just fine… Continue reading →