Toy Design

Celebs at BRIT's get into the groove

2012-02-21T03:37:00.005-08:00

The Stars of the BRIT’s will be getting ‘into the groove’ tonight at The BRIT Awards 2012 in association with MasterCard” ceremony in London as they get to grips with Spin Master's ‘infuriatingly good’ Groove Tube game. Top recording artists from 2011 including Coldplay, Adele, Rhianna and Ed Sheeran (to name just a few!) will be celebrating the best of British and International Music at the annual awards being held at the O2 where the celebrity guests and performers will be able to try their hand at solving the labyrinth puzzle during and after the show. Groove Tube, is an addictive and mind-bending puzzle which will get challengers to twist and turn their way through the hidden labyrinth and leave them guessing as to which way to venture next. Guided only by touch and memory, this puzzle will challenge the best of minds! From ‘Easy Yellow’ to ‘Terrible Black’, each colour has its own unique maze giving you a new challenge every time!

Toy product information posted by Toy Design Lab.

Cars 2 Scalextric

2012-02-20T08:12:00.000-08:00

Leading slot-racing brand Scalextric, owned by Hornby Hobbies Ltd, has launched a Cars 2 set.
The Cars 2 Scalextric Start set allows racers to put Lightning McQueen against his new arch rival Francesco Bernoulli in the race for the title. Priced at £99.99, the set, gives both young and old the chance to race in hot pursuit on nine alternative track layouts - including one in the shape of Lightning McQueen’s iconic number 95.

Toy product information posted by Toy Design Lab.

FarmVille Toys

2012-02-17T12:21:00.000-08:00

Hasbro, Inc. and Zynga have announced a comprehensive partnership that grants Hasbro the rights to develop a wide range of toy and gaming experiences based across Zynga's popular social games and brands. As the world's largest social game developer with more than 227 million monthly active users, Zynga has created some of the world's most popular social game brands including FarmVille, CityVille and Words With Friends. Through this agreement, Hasbro has obtained the license to develop and distribute wide ranging product lines based on Zynga's game brands in a number of toy and game categories. This deal also creates an array of opportunities for co-branded merchandise featuring a combination of both Hasbro and Zynga brands.
The two companies expect the first products to be available beginning of Autumn 2012.

Toy product information posted by Toy Design Lab.

AppMates

2012-02-16T08:39:00.000-08:00

Spinmaster are delighted to have partnered with Disney to introduce Disney AppMATes™ (Mobile Application Toys). The Appmates toy line features miniature Disney•Pixar Cars 2 vehicles with sensors on the base of each toy that are recognised as a unique footprint by an app with no cable or Bluetooth connection required. Simply download the free Cars 2 Appmates app from the iTunes app store. By guiding the Appmates vehicle on the screen, the iPad becomes a virtual play mat where kids can experience the world of Radiator Springs and other places.
Each toy unlocks different features and content within the app specific to the character, allowing kids to come back over and over to enjoy an imaginative, open-ended play experience using Cars 2 Appmates toy vehicles. Kids can explore the world of Radiator Springs in three different ways.
Exploration – Drive around the world of Radiator Springs to discover landscapes and hidden secrets by simply placing the Cars toy character on the screen and turning it in any direction. Drive through mud and up ramps, visit friends at Flo’s V8 Café or check out your Car’s reflection, showing off your latest gear and gadgets.
Directed Game Play – Perform missions unique to each character. Completed missions – like helping bring a tow hook back to Mater – gain hubcaps, the virtual currency. Collect enough hubcaps to personalise each car with special features like a unique horn sound, customised tire tracks, and cool gear like a rocket launcher or spy vision goggles.
Racing – Rev up the action by racing against World Grand Prix opponents and your Radiator Springs friends. Five racetracks are available at launch. Race around Willy’s Butte, jump off Carburetor Mesa and roar through downtown Radiator Springs earning hubcaps in day or night races.
Widely available as a vehicle two-packs featuring characters including Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell, and a vehicle single pack with Lightning McQueen, two additional characters — Francesco Bernoulli and Shu Todoroki —are available through Apple Store and Apple Store online. Available now! Age from 4+

Toy product information posted by Toy Design Lab.

Road Building

2012-02-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

Great Little Trading Company are selling this Orchard Toys product for £13. Children always have loads of cars to push around and so this is a really good idea. There is a lot of detail on the road pieces to help children create imaginative stories. The pieces of the puzzle are interchangeable so children can put together a different roadway every time. It is great for developing fine motor and observation skills and links with early learning goals, for ages 3yrs and over.

Toy product information posted by Toy Design Lab.

Royal Wedding Dolls

2012-02-14T09:06:00.001-08:00

To commemorate the first anniversary of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, Barbie® Collector is creating a gift set representing the couple on their wedding day. The Prince William and Catherine Middleton dolls will be dressed in wedding day attire inspired by their original outfits. Dolls cannot stand alone. For the adult collector. They are available to pre-order at a price of £99.99. The dolls will be on sale from April 7th 2012.

Information posted by Toy Design Lab

Star Wars R2-D2

2012-02-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

Bladez launches its Star Wars Pump & Play R2-D2™ later this year for around £39.99. A child-friendly handset controls R2-D2™, allowing the Star Wars™ droid to move forward, back, left, and right plus and perform stunts and 360-degree spins. The toy has a self righting system which returns the toy to its wheels if it falls over. The remote control comes with three different channels allowing up to three to be played with together. A foot pump is also included for inflating and deflating.

Information posted by Toy Design Lab

Wow......new for 2012

2012-02-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

The much anticipated Cupcake Chloe, Farm Buddy Benny, Ryan’s Road Trip and Whiz-Around Amy have all now joined WOW Town and will be available soon. Both the boys and girls’ toys ranges have increased with the new arrivals which cover the farm, holiday and adventure and town ranges.
These exciting new arrivals will be sure to appeal to little tots the world over with their cute designs, fab features and no batteries required.

Information posted by Toy Design Lab

Creative Cakes

2012-02-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

Budding chefs will love Creative Cakes, the unique new cake themed building set from LEGO DUPLO. Including cupcakes, muffins, meringues, candles and pretty pastel coloured bricks, pre-school girls aged two to five years will simply love building up the super cute individual elements in any way they want before serving up on the bright pink lid which doubles up as a tray. Creative Cakes offers so many building possibilities, of all shapes and sizes, from fluffy pink meringues to one giant cupcake complete with icing!
With a little imagination little girls can easily use the iconic LEGO DUPLO shapes to build Creative Cakes, creating their own tea party and enabling them to develop their social skills through role play, in a fun, engaging way. Featuring a variety of pretty pastel coloured individual elements including basic building bricks, ‘inspirational’ building recipes and a box for storage it offers real value for money.
Though the cakes look great they don’t taste so nice but parents needn’t worry if your little one decides to try and eat their fantastical creations as all LEGO DUPLO elements have been built with little people in mind. They are large enough for children to play with without swallowing and thanks to the way they have been moulded no bits can fall off either. Creative Cakes RRP £19.99

Information posted by Toy Design Lab

Masterful Mosaics

2012-02-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

The Orb Factory Limited, located in Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada, is a provider of award winning crafts & activity products. They are in their 21st year in business, with brand new lines and exciting new products. The Orb Factory products are sold in over 50 countries, have won numerous awards and have become a recognized for their creative toys.
The kits are easy to use, mess-free, and give great results. Their Sticky Mosaics® range allows kids to peel & stick foam and jewel tiles to create mosaic pictures that are ready for display. My First Sticky Mosaics® brings crafting to children 3+ with Big Pieces for Little Fingers®. Curiosity Kits® explores unique play concepts and fresh ideas.
The Sticky Mosaics Fairies set gets 5/5 star ratings from all the people that have reviewed the product on Amazon.

Information posted by Toy Design Lab

SEGA's Sonic Sets

2012-02-03T07:01:00.000-08:00

SEGA are very excited to be teaming up with Meccano to create a range of fun construction toys based on Sonic the Hedgehog and his universe.
Twenty years since the introduction of the world’s fastest video game character, Sonic the Hedgehog is still up to his usual tricks, with a few new ones thrown in for good measure. Defined by his super-fast speed, his cool, edgy character and a readiness for all types of adventure, Meccano’s collection include Sonic & Speedstar and Knuckles & Landbreaker, plus a range of added value playsets - Sonic & Ramp Green Hill Playset and Sonic & Casino Night Environment Playset.

Information posted by Toy Design Lab.

Olympic Winners

2012-02-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

The Olympic and Paralympic Games will see over 15,000 athletes from over 200 nations come together to compete and to commemorate the momentous occasion Golden Bear has a wide choice of plush mascots to choose from.
Iconic mascots Wenlock and Mandeville are now well known figures and with everything from beanies, to soft key rings and even a giant 80cm plush, there’s a mascot to suit every style and budget!
Wenlock, the official Olympic mascot, has friendship bands representing the five colours of the famous rings. Mandeville, the proud mascot of the Paralympic Games, has a stopwatch to help keep track of personal best times. Both mascots feature black cab insignias to represent London, the home of the 2012 Games, and the colourful pair are bound to become treasured friends for many visitors to take home as souvenirs.
Alternatively if it’s Team GB that’s top of your list then Pride the Lion is the one to choose. Also available in a triple pack in the colours red white or blue and with a mane of all three colours, this patriotic toy will be waved proudly by many fans as the Games commence.

Information posted by Toy Design Lab.

On site with My 1st JCB

2012-02-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

Construction and role play come together with Golden Bear's My 1st JCB collection including two new playsets. Although totally connectable, these new playsets are great stand-alone pieces and provide different scenarios for young construction engineers to enjoy. The On Site Charlie Crane set has many essential tasks to complete. The crane operator must climb the steps into the office where he can oversee the job at hand. Then Charlie Crane must pick up the barrels with his giant claw and drop them down the chute to be collected by Joey JCB (included); whilst being careful not to knock down the wall. There’s even a giant turntable which can store the materials before being collected.
The On Site Rock Loader Set is an essential piece of equipment for any quarry or excavation site. Included is Doug Dump Truck who must deliver his rocks up the chute and into the Hopper where they are stored ready to drop and be taken away. Combine this set with Charlie Crane for a fully interactive JCB World to be used with any of the My 1st JCB vehicles.
Four new On Site vehicles with accessories have also been added to the collection. Choose from Joey JCB with construction site worker and barrel to carry, Doug Dump Truck with pipe stack and tall road sign, Marty Mixer with road sign and traffic lights and Dan Dozer with rock to heave and barrier to avoid.
The On Site collection is designed for individual play or can be used together to create a construction site environment to explore and adds to the existing My 1st JCB collection of talking vehicles, creative play sets and role-play accessories.

Information posted by Toy Design Lab.

Go Minis launched

2012-01-29T11:07:00.000-08:00

Go MINI toys from Golden Bear are all based on the Mini Cooper S.There are five super cool Go MINI Crew-zers to collect each with its own character name such as Chilli the red hot Crew-zer and Jaxx the patriotic royal blue dude emblazoned with a Union Jack to name but two. There are six Go MINI Stunt Racers to collect each with two modes – race and stunt! All six cars have their own unique party piece moves to display - all you have to do is pull back and watch them go! Rebel can swerve around any tricky situation. Spice can negotiate the tightest of spots with a speedy two wheeled tilt. So cool are Go MINI Stunt racers that they have an added trick up their sleeve –the Stunt Launcher. This must have accessory will auto charge any of the six Stunt Racer cars. Just position it on the launcher, pump up the power to see the rev counter rotate and hear the engines roar. Once charged its ready to launch so press the start button and let your Go MINI go!There are five Go MINI Freestylers to collect each with unique and quirky features that make them a truly customised crew! Take Beats, he’s the one with the supped up sound box in his boot. Just open his hatch and groove to his beat and watch the lenticular roof move too. Bulldog on the other hand is a true Brit; complete with Union Jack livery, this car has its very own Bull Dog who will ride shotgun style with his head through the pop-up roof. For a top of the range Go MINI then the RC Wolf Rally Car is the highlight of the show room. This remote control speed machine has lights and sounds that are activated by the steering wheel remote handset. Wolf likes to race and like any true rally car knows when to throw a skid or two. Or to manoeuvre himself out of tight spots he can reverse into a quick spin. Look out for them when they launch in July!

Everything's Rosie

2011-12-09T23:18:00.001-08:00

Everything’s Rosie is a HD CGI pre-school animation, aimed at girls and boys aged 3 to 6. Rosie has been broadcast on CBeebies since May 2010 and is one of the channel’s top rated shows. This vibrant and wonderfully upbeat series centres on Rosie, a little girl with a taste for adventure, and a cast of equally lovable characters such as Bluebird, Will, Holly, Big Bear, Oakley the ancient oak tree and Raggles the rabbit. Rosie and her friends are positive, bright and inspiring role models - offering fun, laughter, discovery and timeless life lessons to pre-schoolers. A third series of the show is currently in production and will air in 2012. Poster company GB Eye is the latest licensee to sign up. Other licensed categories include toys, DVDs, footwear, board games and puzzles, apparel, bedding, lunchware, bags and publishing.

Monkey Business

2011-11-23T00:37:00.001-08:00

Retailers stocking the Posh Paws plush line Monkey, in various sizes, are reporting great sales figures. The demand for Monkey is set to grow even further, with support from consumer press such as Loaded,
Bliss, Zoo and Company, not to mention a guest appearance in the green room of the Jonathan Ross show.
Licensees include BCI for T-shirts, GB Eye for posters and Danilo for Monkey greetings cards and calendars, whilst Bluebird Brands is producing a wide range of products including fashion bags, laptop bags, plush bags and purses as well as a homewares line that will include aprons, hot water bottles, mugs and tea towels.

Tesco AR Toys

2011-11-18T14:40:00.001-08:00

Toy Design Lab is a big fan of augmented reality (AR) is it was pleased to hear that Tesco has started using AR technology to help customers preview products. The technology renders a 3D model of a product that can be manipulated by the user. 10 Lego models are part of the initial trial. To use the system a customer has to print out an AR marker or card, which is then held up to a webcam. Once a product is selected the product will be shown on the screen where the AR marker is so the user can rotate and flip the model as they choose.

Mexican Match Stars

2011-11-17T13:57:00.001-08:00

Match Stars are realistic figures that are fully pose-able and have movable head, shoulders, arms, elbows, wrists, waist, legs, knees and ankles, as well as a unique spring-loaded kicking action. Match Stars lines are set to appear in the official kits of Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester United and FC Barcelona. The teams will be closely replicated and star players such as Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Andy Carroll and Lionel Messi are all set to become available in Match Stars format. The new agreement will see the Manchester United and FC Barcelona lineslaunched in Mexico initially, after Pattni signed a deal with Funky Toys – a top Mexican distributor with connections to giant retail chain Walmart as well as a host of other big outlets.

Rabbids set for TV

2011-11-08T23:16:00.001-08:00

CPLG has been appointed as non-exclusivelicensing agent for the brand new Rabbids^®TV series in the EMEA region, which is set to hit the screen in 2013. The wacky, zany Rabbids have attracted more than 41 million fans on YouTube with their hilarious and silly video games and viral videos. This isan extension of an existing deal that sees CPLG representing theoriginal Rabbids brand. Amaster toy partner is being sought in the first instance and othercategories are set to follow. UbisoftMotion Pictures will work with Ubisoft’s French studios to create atelevision series every bit as hilarious, unexpected and preposterousas the Rabbids games that fans already know and love.

Self healing toys

2011-11-03T15:35:00.000-07:00

Chemical company AkzoNobel in conjunction with scientists at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands have developed a supramolecular polymer which heals itself. The new plastic takes advantage of hydrogen bonding. The scientists have managed to quadruple the number of hydrogen bonds between the small polymer molecules so that it is as strong as other forms of plastic, but does not require a chemical reaction to join them together. The material could lead to new scratch resistant coatings for vehicles, laptops and even toys. This would reduce the number of broken toys reaching landfill which Toy Design Lab would like to see.

Dino Cars

2011-11-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

VTech is introducing Switch and Go Dinos in 2012 spring/summer for 3-8 year old children. The range includes four collectable cars which easily change into a different dinosaur, a T-Rex, Pteranodon, Stegosaurs or a Triceratops. The versatile and interactive Switch and Go Dino’s have an interchangeable screen and play sound effects of cars and dinosaurs as they are pushed along or transformed.

Bespoke soft toys

2011-11-01T03:27:00.000-07:00

Wendy Tsao from Vancouver, Canada, makes toys from the pictures kids draw. The idea has taken off and she is booked up until the New Year. Parents send a child's picture plus their son or daughter's name and age and Wendy makes the toy. Each unique toy costs between £35 and £80 depending on the amount of detail in the picture. The idea is so popular that Wendy has started her own business, Child's Own Studio, creating soft toys of the creatures drawn from children's imagination. Toy Design Lab thinks this is a great idea.

Knight night

2011-10-31T05:08:00.000-07:00

Mike the Knight launches on CBeeBies today at 4.05pm. Mike the Knight will bring all the excitement and enchantment of medieval times into the life of the modern pre-schooler for the first time. Mike the Knight combines the day-to-day experiences of modern children with the natural charm of the medieval setting. For example, thanks to a sprinkling of magic and heaps of ingenuity, Glendragon benefits from medieval versions of modern technology that ensures it's a place where the ordinary is made extraordinary and where comedy and adventure are central to the show's premise. Music is provided by the Hispanic teenage bard, Fernando, who acts as a storyteller, topping and tailing each episode with a tuneful ditty. Fernando is also incredibly funny, so each episode begins and ends on a humorous note. The show aims to turn some of the usual dynamics of medieval tales on their head with the two dragons of Glendragon, Sparkie and Squirt, acting not as Mike's adversaries, but as his comical, loyal companions. Toy Design Lab would welcome the opportunity of designing toys for this new animation.

Dream Toy

2011-10-30T01:43:00.000-07:00

Staff at Toy Design Lab have had their toy design selected for Pre-school Dream Toy in the past so congratulations to all of this years selection which are: Doggie Doo - John Adams Leisure Ltd, Fijit Friends - Mattel, Fireman Sam - Pontypandy Multi Rescue Set - Character Options, Kidizoom Twist - VTech, LeapPad Explorer - Leapfrog Toys, Lets Rock Elmo - Hasbro, Milky the Bunny - Flair Leisure Products Plc, Monster High, Lagoona's Hydration Station - Mattel, Moshling Treehouse - Vivid Imaginations, Nerf Vortex Nitron Blaster - Hasbro, Ninjago Fire Temple - LEGO Company Ltd, Star Wars Ultimate Force Tech Lightsaber Assortment - Hasbro.

Thomas Sold

2011-10-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

Mattel, the world's biggest toy company and producer of Barbie dolls, has bought HIT Entertainment, the children’s media group behind Bob the Builder and Thomas the Tank Engine, from Apax Partners for $680m. Thomas the Tank Engine has become the top-selling pre-school toy for boys in China and contributes almost 80 per cent of HIT's profits. Fisher-Price, owned by Mattel, has the master toy license for Thomas so the purchase of HIT is a natural fit. Staff at Toy Design Lab enjoyed designed toys for characters from HIT Entertainment over the years.

Top Toys

2011-10-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

Do you know which toy started out as a household cleaning material, which toy is named after a vision from the Old Testament, or which toy inventor abandoned his company (and family) to join a religious cult in Bolivia? The answers are in a book, out at the end of the month, called 100 Classic Toys by David Smith.

Mega Moshi Monsters

2011-10-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Mega Brands Inc. has entered into an exclusive, multi-year international licensing partnership with online games developer and entertainment firm, Mind Candy, to develop creative toys based on the global kids hit Moshi Monsters. Under this agreement, Mega Brands will work closely with Mind Candy to develop a full range of Mega Bloks construction sets and 3D breakthrough puzzles for Christmas 2011.

Bee Beanies

2011-10-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Today, Space Enterprises are pleased to announce a Plush licensing deal for The Hive with Mookie Toys. The deal for the UK & Eire sees product hitting online retail in Q2 2012. The TV animation follows the fortunes of the happy, friendly and extremely cute Bee family, who live together in Honeybee Hive. Storylines explore the themes of family, working together to solve problems, being part of a diverse community, and caring for the environment.

Google Doodle

2011-09-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

Google is today celebrating what would have been the 75th birthday of Muppets creator Jim Henson with an interactive doodle. There isn't any sound as Jim was a puppeteer so whilst your mouse movements and some key strokes will make the characters move you have to give the characters voices yourself. I presume "L" is saying "Aaaargh" at this point.....

Award Winning Plush

2011-09-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

The Licensing Awards 2011 took place in the glittering surroundings of The Great Room at London’s prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel on September 13. Over 1,300 retailers, licensees, licensors and suppliers attended the event to honour the industry’s highest achievers. Award-winning funnyman and star of The Inbetweeners Greg Davies went down a storm as the host. Amongst the awards, the Star Wars Talking Plush Range from Underground Toys won Best Licensed Toys or Games Range.

Nicole Scherzinger at Stratford City

2011-09-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

Westfield Stratford City is Europe's largest urban shopping mall and it opened today with a singing performance by Nicole Scherzinger. There is 2.9 million square feet of retail and leisure space, a 5 million square foot commercial office district, 1.3 million square feet of hotel space, and new homes and community spaces on the edge of the Olympic Park. In the main shopping mall there are 13 shops for children's toys and clothing. There is also entertainment for children coming soon with the Skylanders Spyro's Adventure Nickelodeon live tour on 17th and 18th September, from 10am - 7pm. There will be a fun-packed stage show with games, activities and loads of great prizes.

Roobarb and Custard

2011-09-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

Cartoon cat and dog, Roobarb and Custard, are set to link up with animal charity PDSA to act as brand ambassadors. Roobarb and Custard were created by Grange Calveley in the early 70s and were the stars of the Bob Godfrey directed BBC cartoon series Roobarb. Narrated by Richard Briers, only one series was originally made, but the trademark wobbly animation, zany storylines and the fiendishly catchy theme tune made the show into a cult sensation. The PDSA charity provides medical care for over 400,000 pets each year and so it is hoping the much-loved duo will help raise £1m through a range of activities. Soft toys of the characters are available.

Toys for Christmas

2011-09-06T15:34:00.001-07:00

Many retailers have released their predictions for the best selling toys this Christmas. Toy Design Lab has already featured a few of the toys listed on Play.com's list so here is the list in full. Moshi Monsters Moshling Treehouse, LeapPad Explorer, Finn McMissile, Let's Rock Elmo, Dr Who Tardis Playset, Barbie Princess Charm, Lego Millennium Falcon, Bop-it-XT, Nerf Vortex Nitron, Cookiepie Puppy, My Keepon, 5 Second Rule. Sadly many of the toys are over £50 which doesn't reflect the current harsh economic climate so Toy Design Lab would like to feature Bop-it-XT as it retails for £21.49.

Picture Bingo

2011-09-01T00:27:00.000-07:00

Toy Design Lab liked seeing a child under 2 enjoying playing this game of Picture Bingo along with 3 and 5 year olds. Picture recognition skills clearly develop long before an understanding of written words. Each player is given a picture board which shows which pieces they have to collect. The adult offers the bag of picture pieces to each child in turn for them to choose a picture piece from the bag. The children realise they have to take it in turns and they know when their turn is. The winner is the person who fills their board first. All in all a simple but very effective game which is fun to play.

Dive in!

2011-08-30T05:36:00.000-07:00

Toy Design Lab likes the great footage on You Tube of Air Swimmers moving through the air with their life-like motion. The body needs filling with helium and the remote control requires a few batteries before they are ready to swim up, down and make 360 degree turns. There are two styles currently available; a clownfish and a shark. They are for indoor use only and the remote control has a range of 40 feet. Air Swimmers retail for around £40.

Bank Holiday Bargain

2011-08-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

The Entertainer Toy Shop has reduced the price of the Paperoni Deluxe Studio from £19.99 to £5. Please let Toy Design Lab know if you come across a bigger discounted toy. The Deluxe Studio set includes a cutter that allows you to safely cut Paperoni rods into 1 of 6 different lengths. Stick the cut Paperoni rods onto the pre-adhesive templates, there is no need for glue or tape, meaning no mess. Once you have created your designs decorate them with the stickers and gems included.

Zoobles Family

2011-08-27T00:22:00.000-07:00

There are Zoobles with extra play features available:
Chatteroos: Zoobles that talk.
Dee-lights: Zoobles that light up and glow in their Happitat
Hair-doobles: Zoobles with hair extensions
Twobles: A double Zoobles pack
Dressoobles: Zoobles with clothes
Mamas and Zooblings: Mummy Zoobles that pops open to reveal a Baby Zoobles (pictured)

Zoobles

2011-08-26T23:58:00.000-07:00

Zoobles are little balls that pop open, when they are placed on top of their own unique Happitat, to become a cute little character. The opening mechanism is triggered by a magnet housed in the top of the Happitat. Zoobles sleep inside their Happitat. Zoobles live in a world called Zooble Isle which is divided into different regions each containing different kinds of Zoobles. There are over a 150 different designs of Zoobles to collect. Each of these clever and appealing toys has a different name and number.

Interactive Toy

2011-08-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

Winnie the Pooh Interactive Friend is a toy designed to help children establish and maintain daily routines. Parents decide the timings for breakfast, dinner, bedtime and play time; bringing the toy and child together for key moments throughout the day whilst reinforcing the daily routine. Equipped with a honey pot and spoon for meal times, Pooh alerts children when it’s time to eat, saying – ‘I’ve got a rumbly in my tumbly’, and he asks kids to get dressed in the morning and helps get them ready for bed at just the right time by saying ‘time for bed’. Pooh has over 50 spoken phrases and includes an interactive hide and seek game.

Pop Plush

2011-08-21T01:02:00.000-07:00

Gund was founded by German immigrant Adolph Gund in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1898. Gund was one of the first companies to design and produce teddy bears in the early 1900’s. The 111-year old company is based in Edison, New Jersey, United States. New for 2011 is the collection of Pop Plush toys designed by Brazilian artist Romero Britto. The characters are named after artists so there is Pablo the Puppy, Leonardo the Lion and Matisse the Monkey to name just a few of the plush masterpieces.

Car Crash Design

2011-08-20T00:32:00.000-07:00

Toy Design Lab are sure kids will have a smashing time with the Ben 10 Ultimate Alien Crash Vehicle set. Attach car body parts to the chassis. Build the car as Ben driving his Mark 10 car or Kevin in his cruiser. When you drive the car into a wall or another vehicle the car parts go flying off. Push the parts back on the chassis and you are ready to race again. It would be good if real cars could be repaired so easily.

Disney Expo

2011-08-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

The Disney D23 Expo starts today. There are special panels and presentations, movie screenings, celebrity appearances and autograph signings, plus new insights into movies, TV shows, theme parks, animation and Disney history. D23 Expo 2011 offers guests the chance to get sneak peeks and screenings of upcoming Disney movies and TV shows like The Muppets, The Lion King in 3D, Frankenweenie and many others. Tickets are $136 for adults and $106 for children. Toy Design Lab will be saving up for next year!

Couple of dolls

2011-08-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

The Princess Catherine Wedding Doll and the Prince William Wedding Doll from Arklu were launched at Hamleys today. The couple retail for £99.95. For every unit sold, Arklu will donate £1 to the RNLI, to reflect the fact that the Royal Couple’s first joint official public engagement was the launch of a lifeboat at the RNLI base at Trearddur Bay, in Anglesey, North Wales.

Jumping Bumpeez

2011-08-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

The Bumpeez line will launch at retail on August 24th priced at £1.99 per pack. Aimed at children aged five to eleven, a Bumpee consists of two parts - a circular chip, featuring 100 character designs, which is encased in a removable silicone ring which comes in a variety of different shapes, colours and sizes. When the chip is placed in the ring, Bumpeez can be bounced and used to play games. There are also premium items and a rare golden bumpee which contains a prize winning code.

Keepon Moving

2011-08-13T00:38:00.000-07:00

My Keepon was originally developed as a therapeutic tool for autistic children. WOW! Stuff have developed a toy version. It has a dance mode and a touch mode. A built-in microphone and state-of-the-art beat detection allows My Keepon to dance in time with the rhythm of clapping, patting, or your music. My Keepon has an array of invisible sensors underneath his textured skin. Poke, tap, squeeze, or tickle, and My Keepon will react. My Keepon's mood also changes in response to your touch, with emotions ranging from curious, to excited, to sleep. It is a toy design that is predicted to be a hit this Christmas.

On a currency far far away

2011-08-12T02:26:00.000-07:00

These coins aren't toy money they are real. Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Yoda are among a host of Star Wars characters to appear on the currency of the tiny island state Niue in the South Pacific. The Queen will also be featured on the set of 40 coins. Each coin will be worth two New Zealand dollars, or £1. But the silver they are made from will be worth a lot more, and a set of four coins containing 1oz of the precious metal will sell for £235 which could lead to Star Wars price wars!

Boon Boom

2011-08-11T06:40:00.000-07:00

Designer Rebecca Finell created the Frog Pod to tidy up a messy toddler bathtub. She had lots of ideas for other parenting innovations so she sought out a partner, Ryan Fernandez and together they founded Boon Inc. They decided to give 10% of their profits to charities that help children. This year Boon had sales of $23 million which encouraged Tomy to buy the company. Of all their well designed products Toy Design Lab likes the Bug Pod product design in particular.

Real Mr Men

2011-08-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

Today is the 40th birthday of the Mr Men. The Sun newspaper tracked down real people called Mr Greedy, Mr Strong, Mr Tickle and Mr Bump. Mr Tickle said he had long arms being 6ft 2in tall. Mr Bump said he wasn't accident prone. Let Toy Design Lab know if you know anyone with the same name as one of the Mr Men?

Lightning Sale

2011-08-10T02:58:00.000-07:00

Amazon are having a one week sale and they have reduced the price of the Little Tikes Lightning McQueen Ride-in from £69.99 to £42.42. At this price the Lightning McQueens will be gone in a flash! Castor wheels allow a lightning quick steering response to toddler's movements in any direction. Vroom, Vroom!

Environmental Toy Design

2011-08-07T00:35:00.000-07:00

Sprig Toys (based in Canada) use a material they call Sprigwood. It is a durable, child-safe, bio-composite material made from bits of reclaimed wood and recycled plastic. The Sprigwood is dyed to eliminate the need for paint. The Dino Adventure Rig playset includes an adventure truck, two dinosaurs (mother and baby) and a figure (with hat and backpack). Toy Design Lab is still exploring but has yet to track down this set in the UK.

The Little Pony that was big

2011-08-06T00:37:00.000-07:00

Hasbro applied for a patent in August 1981 for "an ornamental design for a toy animal" and they received the patent in August of 1983. The inventors were Bonnie D. Zacherle, Charles Muenchinger and Steven D. D'Aguanno. The vinyl toy was first mass-produced in 1982. The style may have changed from the original Earth Pony but the ability to style the hair remains the same. Today the Pony figures come with brush, saddle, 5 hair barrettes, necklace, bracelet and 4 shoes (which is a nice touch). A great girls toy concept!

Pizza Toy Delivered

2011-08-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

Create tasty pizzas with Chef Mario using the push-to-bake wood fired oven. Put Mario on the chimney and spin him round to choose your toppings (margarita, pepperoni or vegetable flavour). When the pizzas are ready send Marco the delivery boy on his push-along trike to deliver the pizzas. Get a pizza the action from Wow Toys.

Annoying Toys

2011-08-04T01:19:00.000-07:00

Room 101 is a place introduced in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. It is a torture chamber in the Ministry of Love in which the Party attempts to subject a prisoner to his or her own worst nightmare, fear or phobia. Orwell named Room 101 after a conference room at BBC Broadcasting House where he used to sit through tedious meetings. Some parents would like to put certain toys into Room 101. The Squawking Chicken, Mimicrypet (cute hamster that repeats what you say) or Crazy Frog are sometimes suggested. Which toy would you put in Room 101?

100th Celebration

2011-08-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the 100th blog entry here are a few toys that are over 100 years old.
1901 Meccano went on sale in the UK. Invented by Frank Hornby in Liverpool.
1902 In the USA, the Teddy Bear was created by a Russian emigrant Morris Mitchtom.
1903 Edward Binney & C. Harold Smith produced Crayola crayons.
1908 Plasticine went on sale.
All are still entertaining children today.

Budget Design

2011-08-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

To mark the 99th blog entry here is something for 99p. To ensure a modicum of quality the item chosen is a licensed product. A Disney Princess Poster Art Set which includes 4 pictures to colour in with the paint and paint brush included. The photograph is sadly also cut price being slightly cropped and crooked.

Personalised Bag Design

2011-08-03T06:06:00.000-07:00

You can add a photograph to a lunch bag or rucksack at Bonusprint. The polyester children’s rucksack (with adjustable shoulder straps) has an 8 litre capacity and it comes with a bottle holder. Price £12.99. The polyester lunch bag has a carry handle. Price £9.99. Both are available in either royal blue or fuchsia pink. Postage and packing is £4.49. Whilst the website shows pictures of children, you could use a picture of a pet or add a photo of your child's drawing/painting.

Illuminating Design

2011-08-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

If you are having a summer holiday in France you might want to call at Annecy where there is a luminarium called Miracoco. An inflated form that you can wander through experiencing the unusual shapes and different coloured lights. The dodecahedral domes use reinforced restraints to define the structure. Illuminated seams enhances the sense of structure. Spiral lattices create a display of scintillating points of light on a field of iridescent hues. A beautiful environment to explore.

Fill up with Lego

2011-08-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

Customers who spend at least £20 on fuel in a single transaction at participating Esso garages during July or August 2011, will be eligible to buy a toy Lego kit for the discounted price of £1.50. These types of models normally retail for around £4.99. Six Lego models will be available from more than 700 Esso-branded service stations in the UK and Ireland. They include a jet ski, a police dinghy, a quad-bike, an aircraft, a fire engine and a helicopter.

Mega Car Design

2011-08-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Mega Bloks "Need for Speed" construction toy line combines the engaging content of the world’s best-selling racing video game franchise with the core play pattern of vehicle building. "Need for Speed" building sets showcase some of the most stylish car designs such as the Audi R8, Nissan GT-R, Porsche Turbo and McLaren MP4-12C. The toys will offer an enhanced shopping experience by including Quick Response (QR) code technology on product packaging. These QR codes allow kids and parents to instantly view product information, images, videos and instructions on a mobile site by scanning the code with their smartphone.

Captain America

2011-08-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

The Captain America - The First Avenger film is in cinemas now rated 12A. The toys are also in the shops for children aged 4+. For all the children who want to be Captain America they will need a shield. A shield with built-in disc launcher which can launch five foam discs at your enemy. Available from Toysrus priced £24.99.

Track Design

2011-07-31T00:45:00.000-07:00

The longest plastic toy train track ever made has been completed at Fuji Q Highland, in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan. The train track, using the Thomas & Friends characters, took one week to build and is 2,221,514m (that is five times higher than the Empire State Building), 207m longer than the previous record holder. It used 10,575 pieces. Thomas the Tank Engine took 2 hr 53 m 36 sec to ride the whole length of track. Guinness World Records adjudicators have measured and certified the record breaking toy train track. Toy Design Lab would like to know which batteries they used!

Developing the Property Game

2011-07-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

The earliest known design of Monopoly was by the American Elizabeth Magie created in 1903. She applied for a patent on a game called The Landlord's Game with the object of showing that rents enriched property owners and impoverished tenants. She was granted the patent for the game in January 1904. In 1933 Charles Darrow created a refined version which he distributed as Monopoly. He took it to Parker Brothers who initially rejected the concept but they subsequently decided to buy out Magie's patent and all the copyrights of other commercial variants of the game to claim that it had legitimate undisputed rights to the game.

Girls Toy Design

2011-07-28T05:50:00.000-07:00

Spin Master has added Bizu to its portfolio. Bizu is jewellery that girls aged six and over can twist into different creatures. Mix and match the different beads to create fashionable bracelets that also twist and transform into characters. There is a Style Studio which allows you to store and organise your Bizu collection. Each level holds a different type of beads, turn the top of the tower, and beads will come spiralling out. Create 4 stylish bracelets, link 3 together to make a necklace, or add the two key chain attachments to your backpack or mobile phone.
A creative toy designed for girls.

Design for the Olympics

2011-07-27T03:34:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the "one year to go" milestone, Golden Bear have released details of their new collection of Union Jack London 2012 mascots. The expanded range will see Wenlock and Mandeville wearing their brand new Union Jack look in a collection of plush toys, plastic figurines, pens and charms. Winning Wenlock will be available at retail from October 2011 and will be supported by an extensive TV advertising campaign.

A pet for Christmas

2011-07-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

These soft toy pets, produced by Aurora, are easier to look after than real pets so the RSPCA should not have to find them new homes after Christmas. Aurora will give the RSPCA a slice of the sales profits to put towards helping animals in need. The initial line will include 20 plush pets and each one will come with a special tag which explains how the RSPCA helps animals. "We are sure the range will be popular at retail, where contributions from its sales will help boost funding of essential RSPCA work to prevent cruelty and promote kindness to animals," said RSPCA trading manager Cathy Snow. The first samples do look adorable in the photograph.

Magical Toy Design

2011-07-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

The Lite Sprites are a range of dolls which light up and magically change colour from WowWee. The Sprite Sisterhood includes: Prisma, Astra, Meadow and Brooke. Bleak, the naughty Sprite, rejects colour and uses her powers to eliminate or disrupt colour in Lite-Topia. There is a magic wand which cleverly picks up the color from any flat surface and transfers it to the Lite Sprite dolls and playsets. The Lite Sprite magic wand has an inbuilt colour library with 9 colours, can turn Sprites’ different colours and even offer 3 different games to play: Colour Mix, Colour Hunt and Memory. Each time your little girl casts a spell with her magical wand the wand makes enchanted sounds to make the experience even more realistic and special. A magical range of toys!

The Smurfs are coming!

2011-07-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

Graphic artist Peyo Culliford created the Smurfs in 1958. It was in 1978 that National petrol stations announced "You'll get service with a Smurf!" in the UK. The "free smurf with petrol" promotion continued until the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Now a whole new generation is set to be introduced to Papa Smurf, Smurfette and the rest of the gang in a brand new 3D big screen adventure released in the UK on August 10th. So if you're feeling a little blue, cheer yourself up with a Smurf toy designed for fun.

Mr Benn takes to the stage

2011-07-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the 40th birthday of Mr Benn a stage show is touring the UK for children aged 4+. David Mckee, now aged 76, originally created 13 episodes for the BBC about Mr Benn who lives at 52 Festive Road. Mr Benn is an ordinary man, who lives in an ordinary street, and makes the same ordinary journey every day to his ordinary office. Then one day, Mr Benn receives an extraordinary invitation to a fancy dress party. He stumbles across a small dusty shop overflowing with costumes: a spaceman, a wizard, a chef, a diver, a knight and many more. As if by magic, the shopkeeper appears and shows Mr Benn in to a changing room. But this is no ordinary changing room - it contains a special door that leads to adventures. Great inspiration for a designer of character toys.

Super Hero Lego

2011-07-23T05:03:00.000-07:00

Lego is set to turn the most popular super heroes from DC Comics into minifigures, including Batman, Robin, Catwoman, The Joker, Superman, Wonder Woman and more. The Lego Marvel collection will bring characters such as Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Doctor Octopus and many more into minifigure versions. The DC Comics line is set to launch in January 2012, while the Marvel range will hit shelves in May 2012. All designed to be super toys!

Oodles of fuzzy fun!

2011-07-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

Creative play with a twist! Bend and twist the Fuzzoodles to create wacky characters. Add feet, noses, moustaches and boggly eyes to customise your Fuzzoodle. After you've played with your creation, you can take it apart and make other funny characters. A great toy for developing your child's imagination. You can choose from Glamour Girls and Goofy Guys (around £9.99 each), with two bigger sets, Fluffy Friends and Crazy Critters, priced around £14.99 each. Suitable for children aged 5+.

Amazing Design

2011-07-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

On The Apprentice: You're Fired, presenter Dara O'Brien successfully demonstrated the Amazing Magical Robot game and presented it to finalist Susan Ma. He placed the 'Amazing Robot' on the tray in the Question Circle to ask it one of the many questions provided and then he moved it to the Answer Circle where the Amazing Robot pointed to the right answer. It was amazing! The original game was released in 1959 but it has now been re-released and is available for £9.50.

Catch them if you can

2011-07-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

Consumer demand sees Fisher-Price roll out their line of toys for Octonauts over a month early. Octonauts is the number one animated series for children aged four to six on Cbeebies, while it is also ranked number two for kids aged four to six across all channels. The Octonauts are a team of undersea adventurers who explore new worlds, rescue amazing sea creatures and protect the ocean. They are based in a mobile Octopod which is both a vessel and a habitat. There is also a fleet of custom-built submersibles for different undersea operations. The new toy collection will include an Octopod Play-set, vehicles and figures. Prices will range between £5 and £35.

Leapfrogging the competition

2011-07-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

LeapFrog is launching on August 15th the new LeapPad Explorer, a multifunctional learning tablet device for children ages 4 and up, priced at £79.99 RRP. There are 100+ items of software to help your child improve spelling and maths to creativity, science, music, geography and more. The stylus also lets children perfect their writing skills. This is the first tablet device for children with a built-in camera, video recorder, microphone and animation studio. The product is sleek and features a 5" colour touch screen as well as an accelerometer for fun game play. A great toy design.

New Design

2011-07-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

This adorable dinosaur is new from Fisher-Price. Baby can place balls in the dino to see them pop up or roll down and away, as lively music and sounds play along. Grasping and dropping balls into the dino develops hand-eye coordination. Batting the roller starts music helping baby understand cause and effect. Balls pop out of the dino and roll out of his mouth, encouraging baby to crawl after them. Full of music, sounds, bright colors and movement to stimulate baby’s senses.

Rory drives to victory

2011-06-19T16:27:00.000-07:00

Rory McIlroy, aged 22, has created history by winning the US Open with a score of 16 under par (4 shots better than the best from Tiger Woods in 2000). He has shot the lowest score for 36, 54 and 72 holes to win $1,260,000. This performance will inspire a lot of young players. Children can start playing golf from the age of two with the Little Tikes Drive and Putt Trainer available from Toysrus for £19.99. A fun toy designed to develop hand eye co-ordination.

Building Bob

2011-06-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

As a designer of Bob the Builder toys for over 10 years Toy Design Lab hopes Character Group, as the master toy licensee for Bob, continues to create great new toys for the brand. The Deluxe Construction Tower is a good start as it cleverly expands in height. Little builders can raise the tower level by level and use the winch to lift their building materials up. The set includes a Bob figure, wheelbarrow, brick stack, lifting cradle, 2 x cement bags & 2 x cones. Priced at £29.99

Little Charley could be big

2011-06-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

Little Charley Bear is on BBC2 weekdays at 10.10am. The programme is an enchanting CGI series about an imaginative and playful bear called Charley. Under the watchful eye of his friend, the Narrator, this adorable little bear uses his imagination to play and go on adventures where he discovers new things about himself and the world around him through active role play. Charley loves pretending and using his toys in his room in adventures with his non-talking friends. Children can now buy Charley toys to play with in their own room. Tesco are selling them with 1/3 off for a limited time.

Design history

2011-06-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

Some products can appear modern in concept for example baby walkers but in fact they were invented around 1700 which came as quite a surprise to Toy Design Lab. Designers are always looking forward and anticipating future trends but this case does remind us that some of our needs have not changed. Historic ideas can be reappraised with regard to materials and production techniques to create products which fulfill modern requirements and meet the latest safety standards.

Hog Pog

2011-06-12T00:42:00.000-07:00

Ladybird and Peppa Pig are proud to be supporting Father's Story Week which runs from June 13th until Father's Day on June 19th. The Peppa Pig website is encouraging all Daddy Pigs to take some time to snuggle up with your piglets and read some Peppa Pig books. There are reading tips, activities and a piggy-tastic reading certificate to download. For Peppa fans there is also information about the live show and online exclusive toys designed to entertain your drift, team, herd or pog.

Brucey Bonus

2011-06-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

Today, in the Queen's birthday honours list, Bruce Forsyth (aged 83) was awarded a knighthood after 72 years in show business. In 1971 he hosted the Generation Game, 1978 Play Your Cards Right, 1988 The Price is Right and in 2004 he started presenting Strictly Come Dancing. Now Vivid Imaginations produce a Strictly Come Dancing Dress-up and Dance set including the judging paddles and a learn to dance DVD for children aged over 6 years.

All in a spin

2011-06-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

Fyrflyz™ is a revolutionary new spinning toy brought from America by Vivid Imaginations that gets kids creating amazing light shows and tricks by winding up, pulling and twisting the string. By spinning Fyrflyz™ around, kids can create stunning “Orbit Rings”, or turn them sideways to make Slick Sidewinders, pull tight to create whizzing Black Holes or loosen up to generate Shooting Stars or dazzling Loop de Loops. Fyrflyz™ are made using a Uni-Body shell with batteries, multi-colour LED lights with soft safety tips, on/off switch, strings and double safety grip handles available now priced around £7.99.

Fijit

2011-06-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

A squishy robot that can dance and tell jokes has been tipped to become the toy of the year, with Tesco already predicting it will become the chain's Christmas bestseller. The foot-high robots, which come in a variety of pastel shades and with soft plastic skin, are able to respond to some basic human commands. When you say goodnight, they respond by closing their eyes and snoring; when you tickle them, they laugh; if you ask them to chat with you they have 100 set phrases with which to respond. If you ask them to tell you a joke they are able to say knock, knock jokes. The toy robots are designed to "interact" with an iPhone application. The prices have not yet been decided, but Fijits retail for about $50 (£30) in America, and hit British shelves later in the summer.

Toy Cars 2

2011-06-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

Star racecar Lightning McQueen and the tow truck Mater take their friendship to exciting new places in Cars 2 when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world's fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with international espionage. Secret agent Finn McMissile (voiced by Michael Caine) could steal the show and also a large chunk of toy sales with all its missile firing capabilities. There are cameos for Lewis Hamilton, the Queen and Prince Wheeliam. Unsurprisingly the movie stars make brilliant toy cars!

Moonwalking Dog

2011-06-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

Sega have developed Wappy Dog for Activision for kids to operate using their Nintendo DS console. It is just "like a real pet”. Wappy will wag its tail, perform tricks and respond to you by barking or moving around. There is a “travel mode” where you can care for your virtual pet even if you’ve left the dog at home. When you catch up next time, the progress will transfer instantly and your old dog will learn your new tricks. Wappy can sing and moonwalk, and how she’s feeling is reflected in the colour of her cheeks. Unhappy Wappy tends to get a bit stubborn, so it’s important to keep her happy all the time. An interactive and advanced toy design which should be one of the best selling toys this Christmas.

Platform for design

2011-06-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Michael Bond bought a small toy bear on Christmas Eve 1956. He saw it left on a shelf in a London store and felt sorry for it. He took it home as a present for his wife Brenda and named it Paddington as they were living near Paddington Station at the time. Michael wrote some stories about the bear, more for fun than with the idea of having them published. After ten days he had a book on his hands. Michael Bond sent the book to the agent, Harvey Unna, who liked it and after sending it to several publishers it was eventually accepted by Harper Collins. The publishers commissioned an illustrator, Peggy Fortnum, and the very first Paddington book "A Bear Called Paddington" was published on 13th October 1958. The Paddington books have sold more than thirty-five million copies worldwide and have been translated into over forty languages. That's a large fan base to produce toy designs for.

Loopy

2011-05-31T14:10:00.000-07:00

For those of us who grew up racing Hot Wheels cars down track, loop the loops have always been a source of wonder. The people at Dunlop and Fifth Gear set themselves the amazing challenge of driving a real car on a full sized loop the loop track without the aid of a safety net. They did it! They drove upside down on a 40ft high loop, with a set of Dunlop tyres keeping our car on the road. The stunt footage can now be seen on the Dunlop website.

Toy Design CAD

2011-05-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

In 1993, Jon Hirschtick recruited a team of engineers to build a company that developed 3D CAD software that was easy to use. In 1995, the first release of SolidWorks® software was ready for the market. Within two months, it was already winning industry-wide accolades. The company’s rapidly growing customer base and continuous product innovation quickly established it as a strong competitor in the CAD market. The market noticed, and global product lifecycle technology giant Dassault Systèmes S.A. acquired SolidWorks for $310 million in stock in June of 1997. Now the pacesetter for CAD technology, SolidWorks software has the most worldwide users in production—more than 700,000 users at over 97,000 locations in more than 100 countries around the world. Toy Design Lab is a Solidworks CAD toy design specialist.

Return route

2011-05-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

This week the Mayor of London unveiled a prototype for his new Routemaster-style vehicle and gave it a test drive. The prototype cost £330,000. The bus uses lightweight materials and has a hybrid engine and the latest green technology, making it 15 per cent more fuel efficient than existing hybrid buses and 40 per cent more efficient than conventional double-deckers, as well as much quieter. It will carry 87 people - 62 sitting and 25 standing - about the same as a conventional double-decker but almost half the number of a bendy bus. Like the original Routemaster, it will have a hop-on, hop-off door and, for 12 hours a day, a conductor. The hop-on door will only operate when the conductor is on board. The vehicle, has been created by Wrightbus with design firm Heatherwick Studio. Corgi are probably designing a toy bus as we speak to replace their old Routemaster model.

Full Steam Ahead

2011-05-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

The world's most famous locomotive Flying Scotsman was unveiled last night after a £1.5 million rebuild. The A1 Pacific class locomotive, which was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and built in 1923, has been temporarily repainted in wartime black before being returned to its traditional apple green livery in July. Flying Scotsman became the first locomotive to be officially recorded as reaching 100mph. In its career it travelled two million miles (3.2m km) before being withdrawn from service in 1963. Since the 1960s the engine has passed through a variety of owners and made numerous trips around the world. It set another record in 1989 for the longest non-stop steam run of 422 miles (697 km) in Australia. The engine was again put up for sale in 2004 and was saved for the nation at a cost of £2.1m. Toy train manufacturers Hornby make a set for £136.

3D iPhone

2011-05-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

What do you get if you cross an 1840 stereoscope with a 2011 iPhone? My3D from Hasbro. The My3D is a plastic attachment to the iPhone or iPod Touch that separates the screen into two halves. Using special apps, many of which are free, users can then view 3D content through the two halves, which render a single stereoscopic image. The apps include my3D 360-degree Sharks, an underwater exploration game; my3D Teleport L.A., a virtual tour of famous spots in Los Angeles; my3D Sector 17, a space shooter game; and my3D Tunnel Pilot, a racing game. The viewer will also show 3D movie trailers and other 3D content, and more apps are planned for the future. The top image is the concept, the bottom image is the reality. Available in the USA for $35. A 3D design for 3D!

Lots in store at Disney

2011-05-26T03:38:00.000-07:00

The biggest Disney store in Europe opens today on Oxford Street, London. A 28 foot high castle sits in the middle of the store and is the first thing you see as you walk in. The store uses the latest technology including animated trees and cartoons on the walls. The store will begin each day with an opening ceremony in which a child will use a giant key to open the rope barrier, with Tinker Bell appearing and spreading pixie dust on the showpiece castle. Other interactive experiences for children include the Disney Princess Magic Mirror which reads a story when a wand is waved in front of the mirror. The Disney Store Theatre will host a number of free events throughout the day, including animation classes, quizzes and lessons in how to dance like their favourite characters. Plus the store will be full of fabulous Disney licensed toys.

Toys licensed to thrill

2011-05-26T03:18:00.000-07:00

Jeffrey Deaver's 'Carte Blanche', the first James Bond novel to be written by an American author, is published today. Deaver arrived at St Pancras International yesterday lunchtime in a red Bentley, flanked by a female motorbike stunt rider, where he was presented with copies of the book by four members of the Royal Marines, who abseiled from the station's roof onto the concourse. The books were then locked away at a secret location before being released today. In the book, Bond sports a Rolex, dresses flashily, drives a Bentley Continental GT pimped beyond recognition and uses a Q Branch smartphone (an “iQPhone”) with endless battery life. The top secret toy designs will be revealed later.

Tech Toys

2011-05-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

Video Technology (vtech) was founded by Allan Wong and Stephen Leung in 1976. In 1981 they launched their first Electronic Learning Product (ELP) called Lesson One. 1987 saw the first Talking Whiz Kid laptop. In 1989 they designed a toy for the pre-school market with Small Talk and Little Smart Driver. V-Smile became the biggest selling TV game system in the US in 2005. The Kidizoom camera has been a great success since 2008. In 2011 they are launching the Inno Tab, a touch screeen learning system for 4-9 year olds. It is an e-book reader, music and games player, photo album, video player and art studio all rolled into one. It might just stop your kids borrowing your iPad. It might.

Loads of sales

2011-05-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

Here's an example of a toy design that has sold consistently over the years. On the left is an example of the packaging Tomy used in 1977. You can still buy Big Loader in 2011 as shown below. Today there are Thomas versions and Big Loader even has a Facebook support group. Parents and children are equally mesmerised by the way the vehicles drive around loading and filling, scooping, hauling and dumping. Young boys and girls continue to love the bustling construction site with 3 interchangeable vehicles that drive around performing lots of tasks. To change the action simply press the switches and watch the vehicles head off in the other direction! A very clever design which you have to admire from an engineering point of view.

Stretch to the stretch

2011-05-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama visited Ireland today to trace his ancestors. He said "My name is Barack Obama, of the Moneygall Obamas, and I've come home to find the apostrophe we lost somewhere along the way". His convoy tried leaving the U.S. embassy in Dublin but one of his two limousines ran aground on the exit. If you want to recreate the incident then you can buy a 1:24 scale model toy car design from mini model cars.

Elementary

2011-05-22T14:31:00.000-07:00

Arthur Conan Doyle was born on this day in 1859 in Edinburgh into a prosperous Irish family. He trained as a doctor, gaining his degree from Edinburgh University in 1881. Sherlock Holmes made his first appearance in 'A Study of Scarlet', published in 'Beeton's Christmas Annual' in 1887. Its success encouraged Conan Doyle to write more stories involving Holmes but, in 1893, Conan Doyle killed off Holmes, hoping to concentrate on more serious writing. A public outcry later made him resurrect Holmes. Now the Great British Teddy Bear Company make a Sherlock Holmes bear so track down this toy design using all your detective powers!

Mouse in da house

2011-05-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

Character Options has the master toy license for Rastamouse and will launch toys as early as October. The animated series features an all-mouse reggae band — "Rastamouse and Da Easy Crew" — who hang out at the Nuff Song recording studio. Rastamouse, voiced by favourite BBC Radio One presenter, Reggie Yates, and Da Easy Crew solve mysteries and catch teefin’ criminals whilst inspiring kids with their fun storylines in which they always strive to make a "bad ting" good. Catch Rastamouse, Scratchy and Zoomer if you can!

On the case

2011-05-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Trunki’s 5th birthday they are launching Quinn, a very limited edition Trunki. His name is taken from the latin for 5 and he’s the first ever translucent Trunki. Bright green with orange and white detail, Quinn even comes with his own birthday badge printed onto the saddle. Only 5,000 have been produced and each one will be uniquely numbered 1 to 5,000.

In bits

2011-05-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

Geobra, a German manufacturer, introduced Playmobil at the 1974 International Toy Fair in Nuremberg. The figures were designed in response to the crisis in oil and other raw materials in the early 1970s. Owner Horst Brandstätter and Hans Beck, the Head of Geobra`s R&D department created small moveable figures with fitting accessories that we now know as Playmobil. Today the factory has more than 300 state-of-the-art injection molding machines. Every day, approximately 5 million individual parts are produced, amounting to a total of about 80 million parts per month. There are state-of-the-art packaging machines which do constant weight checks to ensure that there aren't any missing parts from the sets.

Ahoy there

2011-05-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides movie launches across the UK from tomorrow. To coincide with the release of this action-packed sequel, the range of new LEGO minifigures and play sets is already sailing into toy stores. There are over 25 different Pirates of the Caribbean minifigures to collect. A Lego video game which covers all of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies has already been released.