Posts Tagged ‘Christmas Toys’
Hamleys toys store at Christmas
This Christmas, penguins and reindeers swapped the icy North Pole with the icy London. In the period between the 29th of November to the 3rd of December a reindeer appeared in a publicity feature for Hamleys toys store. The penguin made its debut in the store on the 6th of December.
The famous toy store brought the animals to promote the festive atmosphere of the store and to attract more customers. The animals were put on public display. They were also allowed to interact with the shop customers.
The move elicited mixed reactions from the social networking websites. Two pages were created on Facebook. One, Stop Hamleys using live penguins and reindeer as a cheap attraction, clearly opposed the use of captive animals in advertisement. The other Facebook page, Bring on the penguins and reindeers at Hamleys toystore, London, have supported the move, albeit mildly. Tweeters also had their say in a special hash tag, created to follow the story – Twitter tag #sHamley.
After going to see the events, many bloggers have expressed their disapproval and discontent with the conditions under which the animal are displayed. They will also commented on the distress of plucking an animal from its natural habitat straight into a high street toy shop.
The RSPCA expressed that they will be monitoring the situation and that they will keep a close eye to ensure the animal’s well being. According to the RSPCA, they will be able to intervene if they felt that Hamley’s toystore is not giving the animals their due care and consideration.
It’s worth noting, that studies have shown that reindeers could struggle to adapt to the conditions in the UK, especially with an excessive exposure to human contact.
These risks raise the question on the morality of using captive animals as publicity-stunts; and whether this is much different from showing animal to the public in a zoo or a farm.
Get online now to find Christmas toys
For those who want to get the best deal on the best selling toys of Christmas 2009 the key may lie in getting out next week in search of Transformers, Zhu Zhu Pets, Legos, and the rest of the top ten list.
Those who remember the rush to get Tickle Me Elmo or Furbies may not relish the thought of once again heading out to beat the masses to the favourite toys of the year, but at least you may have at least learned that waiting until the last minute to get them is not the way to go.
In fact, some of the best toys are already selling out before December even arrives, so shopping online may be the most effective way to search for the toys you need.
To aid you in your search, it may be useful to know what you are looking for while searching through the internet. To start with the hottest girl’s toy for 2009 is still a Barbie doll. The only difference is that this year the top Mattel Barbies will be fashioned after pop culture icons such as Hannah Montana, Twilight dolls, or the new Britney Spears action figure.
In another throw back, the hottest boy’s toys for Christmas will once again be trucks and dolls, but this time they will be in the shape of the new Transformers line as well as the new GI Joe Rise of Cobra action toy.
Finally, the best toy this Christmas and apparently the very hottest since it is already sold out in most places is the Zhu Zhu Pet Hamster. So if you are able to find a few of these monsters on the back of a virtual shelf you better grab them because you can trust the next place you will see them is for double the price on Ebay.
Eco Friendly Christmas Toys from Pea Green Things
Want some inspired Christmas present ideas for little pea-ple? Have a browse through http://www.peagreenthings.co.uk – a fun and friendly web site that has a great range of new play and learning toys designed to stimulate imaginative family play and give you all a break from the TV or computer. And they are all good for the planet too.
The site has plenty of funky, original gift ideas starting from under £5 that are planet-friendly and sourced from fair trade producers and suppliers helping communities in developing countries. Many items are individually crafted from recycled materials. All peagreenthings products have been chosen by the company’s dedicated team of eco-enthusiasts who believe that eco-living can combine with fun, desirable gifts that are a delight to receive.
Each item carries a Pea eco rating so you can choose the greenest things to give to the special little pea-ple in your life. Here are some new ideas but check the web site for many more play and learning ideas including some terrific stocking fillers.
Age: 3 +
Base: 17cm x 18cm
Price: £23.79
Fire Station
Toy Fire Station
This Fire Station’s garage has an up and over door and comes with two fire vehicles. Sound the siren and the station is ready to tackle the next emergency. The award-winning Thai manufacturer is the world’s first and largest maker of recycled wooden toys from rubber wood trees that are too old to produce latex. These trees would otherwise be cut, burned and discarded.
Pea eco rating: 9/10 Sustainable Biodegradable
Age: 3+
Size: 79cm x 54cm
Colours: Blue/Pink/Red
Price: £54.99
First Balance Bike
This sturdy bike will have toddlers racing to get outside and help them to improve their balance while having fun. The bike has a padded seat and easy grip handlebars. The chunky, pneumatic tyres give a safe ride and a grown-up feel. The seat is height adjustable to allow for growth. Made in China in ethically run factories from strong bass plywood that is sustainably sourced.
Pea eco rating: 6/10 Sustainable Recyclable
Age: 3+
Size: 18cm high
Price: £27.36
Natural Doll
A traditional doll made with soft, warm natural fibres made by a mothers co-operative in Brazil. This delightful toy companion is made of natural cotton and is stuffed with sheep’s wool, which becomes warm when held, for extra snuggliness. How ever will you put her down? Equally huggable dark-haired natural doll is also available.
Pea eco rating: 9/10 Natural Biodegradable
Age: 3+
Price: £47.41
Marble Run Set
Keep those marbles rolling! Everyone can join in the fun with this wooden marble run, great for encouraging imagination, accuracy and dexterity. Create all sorts of turns, drops and connections. Can be made complicated – or easy – so suits all ages. Comes with six marbles and ringing bell. Sound staircase, spiral shoot, trampoline drum and glass tunnel available as extras.
Pea Eco Rating: 8/10 Energy-saving Sustainable Biodegradable
Price: £29.80
Puppet Theatre
A great way of encouraging children to create and tell stories plus a great confidence builder when the whole family can be their audience. This theatre has been specially designed to give the width for two children to play together with ease and to give the height for bigger pea-ple to kneel comfortably and join in.
Pea eco rating: 9/10 UK Made Sustainable Biodegradable
Age: 3+
Size: 56cm high
Price: £57.70
Treeblocks Dolls Cottage
A solid wood construction that provides hours of fun for kids and dolls. Each solid wood construction is individually crafted in Europe from cherry and elder trees. It’s compatible with 2.5cm scale doll house furniture and dolls. Lounge set, bedroom set and kitchen set available as accessories.
Pea eco rating: 9/10 Natural Sustainable Biodegradable
Age: 3+
Size: 48 x 36 x 49.5cm
Price: £48.93
Jungle Lodge
Let your kids discover the wilder side of life. The lodge comes with a reversible fabric roof, an observation tower, mosquito net and many other accessories. Sets of animals and rangers sold separately. Made from rubber woods that have reached the end of their productive lives. All finishes are non-toxic.
Pea eco rating: 8/10 Sustainable Recyclable Biodegradable
Easy-peasy ordering – order from http://www.peagreenthings.co.uk Payment by major credit cards types.
Postage and packaging – UK mainland only. Free delivery on all orders over £100. £4.50 on all orders up to £100. Peagreenthings use minimal packaging to be as eco-friendly as possible.
Delivery – Goods are delivered to the UK mainland within 5 working days of order receipt, although some items that are delivered direct from the supplier may take longer.
Peagreenthings guarantee – Customers not entirely pleased with any product can call the customer services team, within 14 days of receipt, who will arrange for a replacement or full refund, where appropriate.
Peagreenthings parent company – If you have little pea-ple in your family or you happen to work at a school, you may already know Peagreenthings parent company, The Consortium. They’ve been supplying schools up and down the country with educational resources, including eco-friendly and sustainable products long before it became fashionable to look after the environment. So they really do know a thing or two.
Will Zhu Zhu pet hamster toys be the Christmas must have?
Wondering what the hot toy of this Christmas will be so you can get a jump on the masses? Well apparently, according to industry analysts it is the new Zhu Zhu pet hamster toys and of course their outfitted accessories.
The best part of these cute and cuddly hamsters may in fact be that they do not require their litter changed, which is a plus for any parent with young children.
The Zhu Zhu hamsters are so hot in fact this year that they were named in the Toys ‘R’ Us Top Toys of 2009 list, and are already starting to sell out at many of the top department stores. This might encourage you to get out and start looking now, because it will only get worse as the shopping season gets closer.
One of the reasons for the draw may be the fact that you can get nearly everything for a Zhu Zhu pet hamster that you can for a real pet, without the smell and the mess. Such as a giant house, hamster wheel, and tunnel sections for the hamster crawl through. What’s more, endearing tokens are also available from the company such as a skateboard and a spiral slide.