12/13/15: Zoomer Dino Jester and Chomplingz Z-Rex Review

We have always loved toys from Spin Master and their Zoomer line is awesome.  We recently received Zoomer Dino Jester and Chomplingz Z-Rex.  The kids had some fun playing with them both and giggling as they let out dinosaur farts!  Yes that is what I said, they fart. 

Jester is a Jokeasaurus.  One of my favorite things to make him do was to become hypnotized.  Wave your hand in front of his nose and his eyes will turn white and he will start following the motion of your hand.  Then he was clucking like a chicken, barking like a dog and letting out a moo.

He can be controlled by the controller or go out on his own.  He will spin around, chomp, roar and use his sensors to find fun at every corner.

I love that you plus him in via USB to a computer or in to a wall USB connector.  No going through tons of batteries.  

You can even use the remote to record and playback movements.  Evan is having him attack Lauren.  Watch out Lauren!

Plus he has a friend, Zoomer Complingz Z-Rex the trouble maker.  You can toss him his bone and watch him catch it.

Or pull his tail but watch out what comes out!

He also has a Hot Hands game where you try and get your hand out of his mouth before he chomps down.  His sensor on his nose is very responsive and sense when something is in front of him.  He takes 3 AAA batteries for operation. 

Even our Elf got caught by Z-Rex.  Poor Charlie the Elf.  Z-Rex that is not a bone!  It is our Elf on a Shelf!

Here is Zoomer Dino Jester as packaged.

Here is Zoomer Complingz Z-Rex.  

They are both great gifts for any dinosaur lover on your holiday list.

Disclosure:  I received both Zoomer Dino Jester and Complingz Z-Rex for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

11/30/15: Space Farm from Thames and Kosmos Review

I have another cool unique holiday gift idea that is great for girls or boys and better yet, no batteries required.  I have always loved kits from Thames and Kosmos and they have come out with another cool one called Space Farm.  Kids can learn what is like to grow plants in a greenhouse dome and in hydroponic tubes without soil!

Here you can see everything the kit comes with.  It is super easy to get started growing.  It even comes with a cool backdrop and little Geekstronaut figures to keep an eye on your space farm as it grows.

First you start out by putting the soil in to the small pots.

Then you add seeds for Tiger’s Jaws (Faucaria tigrina) to each of the pots of soil.

Add some water with the pipette they provide and your plants are ready to grow.  Just put them in to your little space farm with the dome it comes with over it.

The next one was my favorite.  Using a solution that is provided and water you pour that in to a bowl and bring to a light boil.  I did this in the microwave for Evan.  Once the solution bubbles a little split the solution in to two containers.

There are two tablets, one for each container that get mixed in.  This makes a yellow and a green solution that gets heated again.

You then pour your solution in to the hydroponic tubes and put a paper towel over the top until they cool.  When they are cooled they are a gel!  Once the gel is cooled just add your seeds to each and they are ready to grow.

There are also some experiments in the set.  Look at how cool our Space Farm looks!  We can't wait to see what they grow in to!

The set has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $19.99.

What a great gift for this holiday season.  Learn more here:  http://thamesandkosmos.com/index.php/product/category/science-kits/space-farm-

Disclosure:  I was provided with this Space Farm set for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

11/20/15: Choice Collectibles Iron Man War Machine

Do you have someone on your list that you struggle with trying to come up with a unique gift idea for?  I may have a solution.  Choice Collectibles Fine Art has animation, limited edition and out-of-print fine art.   They have many pieces of animation art in all price brackets.  They also have a partnership with Marvel and have some great Marvel Art.  We received "Iron Man War Machine".

It was created by staff artists inside Marvel and features Tony Stark with his Iron Man arsenal, comprised of a multitude of "Mark" versions of his suit.  The iconic bachelor scientist appears on the left side of the piece in civilian clothes, as if to highlight his ability to transition from impressive man to even impressive superhero combo of man and machine.  In the background, a dulled shadow of the original Iron Man suit from his first comic appearance emphasizes Iron Man's technological transformation through the ages. 

This piece is one of 1000 and has a certificate of authenticity on the back.  Choice Collectibles also has a huge collection from Disney, Warner Brothers, Hanna-Barbera, DC Comics, Sports Memorabilia and more.

The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price is $50.00.

This would be a perfect gift for adults and children.  Check out their full collection here:  http://www.allanimation.com/

Find them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Choice-Collectibles-175021916715/

Disclosure:  I received this art piece for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

11/19/15: Lightsaber Crystal Growing Lab Review

Next up in my Holiday Gift Guide is a cool product from Uncle Milton that combines science and Star Wars.  Evan loves both so he was very excited to have fun with this Lightsaber Crystal Growing Lab.  What a cool toy for kids.

There are easy to follow directions to get your crystals started.  You start with boiling water in a measuring cup and add the packet to make a solution that will turn in to crystals.

Evan working on the solution.

Lauren getting a turn.

After the solution is fully mixed you pour it in to the Star Wars display case.

Here is the solution to start.  There is another packet that gets added to this.

This was two days later.

This is after 7 days.  The crystals at the top get removed.  You are supposed to remove them as they grow and not disturb the water.  I just let them stay until the crystals were ready and took them off.  You then pour the water out.

Here is the crystals taken off the top and the crystals inside rinsed off.

Here you can see a view from the top.  You can chose blue for the Jedi.

Or red for the dark side!

What a cool toy.  Here it is as packaged.  The manufacturer's retail price is $19.99.

Disclosure:  I received this Star Wars Science Set for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

11/16/15: Bright Eyes Pets Whiskers Review

Next up in my Holiday Gift Guide is a clever, cute and cuddly friend for your child.  These Bright Eyes Pets from Blip Toys react to your child and provide a soft night light when falling asleep.  Lauren loves how soft and cute she is.

The cool thing is that your child can wake her up and put her to sleep.

If you pet her head she wakes up and her eyes light up.  She also laughs by tickling her chin and goes to sleep by petting her back.

Each pet has a favorite phrase, unique sounds, and lucky icon.  Whiskers has a butterfly.  You can see the full collection here including an Owl, Puppy, Elephant, Penguin, Monkey and Tiger.  A bonus is that they include batteries with your pet.

They also have multiple types of play that can be set.  There is an Off setting so that you can just cuddle with your pet without her eyes lighting up or making sounds.  There is also a Play Mode which has more sounds and Try Me Mode which brings the pet to life by covering it's eyes or waving your hand in front of them.  Lauren was having fun playing with her.

Here is Lauren's review and showing how Whiskers works.

Learn more about Bright Eyes Pets online:  https://www.brighteyespets.com/  

They have a Holiday Special right now with Free Shipping until November 25th.

What an awesome gift!

Disclosure:  I was provided with a Bright Eyes Pet for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

11/15/15: Silverlit Blu-Bot Robot Giveaway and Review

CONTEST CLOSED:  CONGRATULATIONS DAVE D. FOR WINNING!

Next up in my Holiday Gift Guide is a super cool robot that your kids will love.  This Silverlit Blu-Bot Intelligent Bluetooth Robot is a lot of fun to control.  It has many features including Programmable Movements, Gesture Control, Voice Changer, and Dance Mode.  Read on to learn more and for your chance to win one and get a jump on holiday toy shopping!

This cool robot can be controlled via a Bluetooth device including Android, iPhone 4 and above, iPad, and iPod Touch 4 or above.  If you don't have a Bluetooth device there are also manual controls on the back that you can set the robot in to motion.  I love that it doesn't take loads of batteries.  Just plug it in via USB to your computer and it charges up.  It does have a light indicator to know when you need to charge it.

We downloaded the Silverlit Blu-Bot app and it was easy to use with tutorials right within the app.  Once we had Bluetooth turned on we just had to sync with the Blu-Bot when turned on.  Now we were ready to go.  Lauren was having the most fun with the voice changer.  You can record anything and then play it back modulated in different ways.  She also enjoyed watching the robot dance and programming his movements.

Movements are programmed in the app as a drag and drop functionality which allows you to have the robot go forward, backward, to the right and left.  It also allows you to move his head left and right and change his facial expressions.

Here is some video of the robot in action and Lauren teaching us about how to use it.

Here you can see the manual controls on the back to use without a Bluetooth device.

He can also sense items in his way.  In this case it was our dog Fred and he promptly turned around to avoid him.

Fred was a little confused by this robot.

He does work on hard surfaces or hard packed carpet.  Plush carpet will be difficult for him to move on.

Here he is as packaged.  The Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price is $59.99.  Learn more about the Blu-Bot here:  http://www.silverlit.com/a/product/blu-bot/

What a super cool toy.  Enter below and you can win your own!!!!

Disclosure:  I was provided with the Silvertlit Blu-Bot Robot for review purposes and another Silverlit Blu-Bot for giveaway.  No other compensation was received and all opinion are my own.

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