Toyology

Pocket Money Playground Crazes - A/W season

CLASSIC playground capers will always be around, skipping, hide and seek, Yo Yo's and the like are ever present at break times across the land, a few however have succumbed to the powers of the health and safety brigade such as Bulldogs and conkers. Inspired by the huge successes of Pokemon and Tamagotchi there's a new batch of toys in town and this 21st century set will be taking over the playgrounds this term, here's our hot half dozen.

Battlestrikers - Select your furious 21^st century spinning top from a fearsome dozen including Cobra, Rhino and Wolfen piece them together and let rip from the turbo launcher at dizzying speeds of 6,500 RPM! Battle against your opponent with the controllers which let you to dodge, jump and attack your foes with the victor remaining fully constructed and the loser in pieces. Collect the full range, customise your Battlestrikers and swap parts with others to create the ultimate high speed spinner -  Certain to set the standard in playground fun this term.

Farmyard Fun

 

Remember those toys you tuned upside down as kids, the ones when you righted them they let out a farmyard sound that sounded like a distressed animal? Well, here's the 21st century version of the same, battery powered these are activated with a shake, better still the faster you shke the higher pitched the said animals shreik becomes. £4.99 at Character

Brick based Beetle

After asking the legions of LEGO lovers which motor they'd most like to see immortalised in brick the answer came back as the Beetle,and here it is presented in its iconic 1960's "Charlotte" phase. Attention to detail in and around the 41cm long vehicle is spot on, when you've put the 1,600th piece in place you'll love your new found smug grin as others admire it . Opening passenger, boot and bonnet doors, moveable gear stick, opening glove compartment and folding seats give you plenty to play with and details such as VW logo decal, windshield wipers and a rear-view mirror, engine in the back and spare tyre up-front all add up to make this a cracking car. The only real trouble you might have is finding a prominent enough space in which to show yours off. £79.99 at LEGO

Argos seeking toy inventors of tomorrow

Ever looked at the stacked shelves in a toy emporium and thought you could create a competitor? A toy to triumph among the myriads on offer, your very own idea brought to life and marketed alongside the kit from the major manufacturers? Well this years clever PR trick from Argos calls for budding designers to do just that. Send your ideas along to www.argostoycompetition.co.uk with an image and brief description from now till the 1st December and a panel will pick the ten best for a public vote. The winner will see their idea up on the shelves in time for next Xmas and there is £500 as well as the kudos of seeing your creation competing for shelf space.

Non Stop Top just keeps on spinning

Spinning tops have as yet been untouched by the retro revival so its exciting to see this new bree of spinning top on the block, The Non-Stop top has motors inside so when you take it for a spin you'll not just get ten or twenty seconds of whirly goodness, but if you so desire a whopping EIGHT hours. Whilst this is guaranteed to win you a bet versus more conventional tops this is a little unfair, just take joy in the fact your spinner is starting to gather the crowds as they delights at its LED light display....Another super stocking filler. £9.99 at IWOOT

Mini Curling Kit

Basking in the glow of Team GB's recent success we reckon it's time to look towards the 2010 Winter Olympics....by showcasing the most awesome of sports, Ice Curling. This miniature ice cube curling set comes complete with curling lane, mini brushes, ice cube tray and handles, in-fact everything you need for a cracking game - now all you have to do is work out your delivery over the hogline and you'll be curling for Team GB in no time! Available from www.gadgets.dk for around £10

Dr Who classic figures released

Personally I don't think Tom Baker can ever be beaten as a Doctor and have often hankered after a knitting pattern to recreate that scarf of his. Now fans of classic episodes can relive/remember some of their finest TV moments starring characters from yesteryear with this 5 inch poseable posse. The Fourth Doctor, The Fifth Doctor with a Sonic Screwdriver and The Sixth Doctor with a Sonic Lance, and each figure pack comes with a different collectable part of the giant K-1 robot from the fourth Doctor's first story in 1974.  When all packs are collected, the giant robot will be complete. There's also a host of other figures and monsters to collect, each with a robot part, including a Sea Devil with Heat Ray (1972), Zygon with 'Skarasen' recall unit (1975), Magnus Greel & Mr Sin (1977), SV7 robot and a D84 robot with anti-robot transmitter (1977).
£5.99 each see character-online

Remote Control Car - Smallest ever?

Well according to retailers Gadget4all thats exactly what they are, we haven't checked the record books but measuring in at 35x25x20 mm they have to be contender. Each car is contained inside one of four themed sports balls which doubles up as the control unit. At $12.99 looks like a pretty decent gift for gadget lovers. Available now

Via Pocket-lint

Puchi Puchi - Get your orders in

After selling well in excess of 2 million in Japan Puchi Puchi is ready to be unleashed on a bubble wrap obsessed UK. Developed with Japans largest bubble wrap manufacturer, Bandais bubble wrap replicator has eight buttons for your to get your popping fix and, as a reward, each 100 pops will result in not a popping sound but a random boing, bark, rude noise, yell or something else. £7.95 of your fine English pounds from Firebox

Diamonds and Pearls

No this isn’t some kind of reference to Prince or some kind of jewellery range for girls!! Diamonds and Pearls merely refers to the latest range of Pokemon Toys that accompany the hit Pokemon TV series on Cartoon Network and the highly successful computer games that will ensure the Pokemon craze continues to take the UK by storm.