I had the opportunity to talk about play at the new TEDNext in Atlanta. That talk is now on YouTube. It pretty much encapsulates a lot of what we talk about here. Play is integral to our lives, our families, and our health. Plus, what we play with as children very often gives us clues ..read more

Here come the holidays, ready or not. If like us you saw Christmas ads the day after Halloween, you may feel that the holidays have just leapt out at you. One thing that’s always predictable is that there will be a new crop of toys ready to intrigue and delight kids. We’re excited to see ..read more

New Play for New Times For years, the “back-to-school” season for toys has always centered on learning toys, curriculum supporting activities, and getting kids ready to learn. According to the National Retail Federation, families with kids from PK through high school are likely to spend nearly $875 per kid this year. That’s down slightly from ..read more

We’re on a mission at The Toy Guy this summer! We want kids to party like it’s 1966. Okay, that’s kind of a joke. However, there are several things we are advocating. First, while we absolutely have nothing against screens, now is the time to put them away–at least for a good chunk of every day. Summer is a time to be physical, social, creative, unstructured, and, yes, perhaps even a little bored. Speaking of that, we want to put in a plug for “boredom.” The worst thing a kid could say to Mrs. Byrne (mom) was, “I’m bored.” Her response was invariably, “No, you’re not. You’ve got your toys, yo ..read more

Spring is Tulip Time at Keukenhoff in the Netherlands Winter’s on the way out, which probably means it’s time to bring in some new toys. It’s a great time to refresh the toy box–and you can do it without breaking the bank. In recent years, there’s been a boom in toys for Easter baskets as well. The Easter Bunny used to bring just candy and eggs, but even that guy’s gotten a bit more health conscious lately, and so toys have been added into the mix. And why not? Any time is great to play. And if you don’t celebrate Easter, there are a lot of great play experiences just waiting for you. So, let ..read more

Lots of fun stuff in there. Hope you enjoy ..read more

Of all the classic play patterns—and toy categories—arts and crafts is one of the most enduring. People naturally love making things—and that includes kids. Binney & Smith added color to their wax marking sticks in 1903, thus creating Crayola Crayons. Paints, construction paper, modeling compounds, markers, and more are staples of the toybox and the classroom. Art and crafts play is important developmentally as well. It emphasizes process, learning, creative visualization, planning, open-ended play (often), and motor skills. At the same time, the pride of making something helps build conf ..read more

If you’re a parent, caregiver or toy buyer, you’ve probably heard people talking about MESH (Mental Emotional Social Health) toys. At The Toy Guy, we support these, and we’ve got some great ideas for you in this area. But first: a little caveat emptor advice designed to make you a better and more discriminating shopper. Beware of Buzzwords Once an idea or concept gains some level of traction in popular culture, marketers jump all over it. For better or worse, MESH is now in that category, so you’ll want to make sure the toys you choose really do help kids develop and refine skills ..read more

The New Movie is an Instant Classic…With Classic Influences Leaving the theater after seeing Barbie, the Movie, I was upset. This is a good thing. Great art, particularly when it deals with challenging themes, is supposed to be unsettling. It’s supposed to stay with you and stimulate reflection. Well, Greta Gerwig’s brilliant movie certainly does that, and on reflection, this is far more complex and sophisticated work than one might assume from its antic energy and patina of bubblegum colors, beach bro banter, and fashion for days. In fact, if one really looks at it, Barbie, the Movie stands ..read more

The author’s mother, always a reader year’ round c. 1925 The back-to-school season is on us, and for the second year since the pandemic, kids are really going back—to real schools, in classrooms, with each other in person. That means a lot of household spending on goods related to the season, making it one of biggest retail seasons of the year. It’s also a big time for toys. There may be a few more weeks of play left in the summer, but we’ve seen over the years how important the “balanced toy box is.” A lot of people think that “learning toys” is a dirty word, but we’re out to change that. Mos ..read more