Page 21 – Toy Street

Solly’s Top 5 Toys for the Summer

Our lovely Toy Street mascots, Rudi the Reindeer and Bella the Bunny, have a new pal in town. Toy Street would like to give a warm welcome to Solomon the Seahorse! But please, he prefers Solly!

Solly is the prettiest seahorse we ever saw and he’s here just in time for the summer! If there’s one thing Solly enjoys more than sunbathing on the sand or splashing in the sea, it’s toys! Lucky for us he wants to share his top 5 toys for the summer with us! Over to you, Solly!

1. Whale Spray Pool

This ain’t no regular paddling pool, it’s a spray paddling pool! Feel like you’re at your very own waterpark with this adorable inflatable whale paddling pool. Go for a dip or splash around, whatever you’re doing with this guy you’ll have oodles of fun!

2. Nerf: Splash Mouth

Stay cool this summer with the Nerf: Splash Mouth. This super soaker has 2 methods for dispersing water. Battlers can pump a stream of water, or they can open the hatch and shoot all the water in one ginormous wave.

3. Monopoly: Spongebob Squarepants

Monopoly: under the sea style. Who will you play as Spongebob himself? Mr. Krabs? Patrick? Any of the colourful characters that reside in Bikini Bottom are available here. You may use them to purchase the Krusty Krab, Squidward’s House, or even The Chum Bucket! There is also Spongebob What Do You Meme available to buy!

4. Sea Monkeys Ocean Volcano Zoo

Care for a bit of nostalgia? Sea Monkeys are back! With sea monkeys, all you need to do is add water. Then water your monkies hatch, grow, and thrive. They can get as big as 2cm! We have a variety of Sea Monkeys available, my favourite being the Magiquarium!

5. Playmobil Beach Hotel Bungalow With Pool

No need to go on holiday this year, you’ll have as much fun with your Playmobil pals in the beach hotel! With comfy beds, a cool pool, and a slip slide, you’ll have more than enough fun to last you the whole summer! Better yet, this set comes with 4 figures to join in the fun!

Wow, Solly sure has good taste in toys! We hope you agree and keep an eye out this summer because Solly will definitely be back to visit us more than once before you go back to school!

Editors note: This blog was originally published on August 9th, 2021. Updated on June 28th, 2022 to improve the information available.

Aquabeads: The Perfect Gift For Creative Children

The brand known as Aquabeads was born in 2004 when an employee working for Epoch wanted to eat a sweet. When they opened the jar, they found out that the sweets were glued up altogether, forming a rabbit’s ear. This is how the idea of creating visuals with pearls that stick together as these sweets appeared!

These very special beads were made with a component called PAV. This component is used on the back of stamps and in some glues in Japan. When the PAV is wet, it dissolves and becomes a sticky film. It is thanks to this PAV that the Aquabeads stick to each other using only water!

A heat source is not necessary to make the beads stick, which allows children to play safely from start to finish.

In terms of composition, it has been confirmed by testing laboratories that Aquabeads complies with toy safety standards worldwide. In addition, all ingredients have been expertly evaluated and comply with the United States standard for creative leisure activities.

The main ingredient used in pearls is PVA/polyvinyl alcohol, and reports indicate that it is not toxic. It has been approved as a pharmaceutical excipient and is used to coat pills or tablets.

Finally, a bitter-tasting agent has been added to the pearls to prevent the smallest children from accidentally eating or swallowing them. In some cases, this bitter agent may remain on hands after playing. To avoid this, wash your hands thoroughly after use.

However, children under 36 months of age should not play with Aquabeads – they are recommended for children over the age of four.

How to play with Aquabeads?

The principle is simple; under a plastic grid, place a sheet with the template representing the design you want to reproduce. On the grid you place small pearls with a refill pen or a stylus following the mode. When you are finished, you must spray water generously so that the pearls stick together and – voilà!

Younger children can use a canvas under the grid, so they can follow the pattern and change colours if they wish, but it allows them to keep a reference point. A piece of cake!

Once your children fully grasp how Aquabeads work, all creations are possible. The children can then imagine their own models to make figurines, key chains, jewellery and even 3D objects. Everyone can play with Aquabeads, older children and even adults, which gives it unlimited possibilities.

If you are looking for an original gift to develop your children’s creativity and dexterity you can’t go wrong with Aquabeads. There are plenty of choices of pearl colours and many grid templates to download directly from the official website. Aquabeads also offer a very large and diversified catalogue of sets, with many different themes and characters that children know and like: Frozen, Mario, Finding Nemo, Minions, Cars and many others…

Get your First Kit Today!

Editors note: This blog was originally published on August 16th, 2021. Updated on April 21st, 2022 to improve the information available.

Top 5 Playmobil Fantasy Toys

Fantasy and make-believe are a very important part of growing up. They encourage social development and bring out the most wondrous part of a child’s imagination. When children play fantasy games they are constantly mentally stimulated, because they have to consider what they are playing with or pretending to be.

If they’re pretending to be a Dragon they have to think about what the Dragon will sound like, how it behaves, and how it interacts with its surroundings. They will constantly be thinking about the Dragon whilst simultaneously thinking about their selves and if they’re playing with someone else, consider what signals they are getting from their playmate. This way of thinking means that the child is developing useful life skills and having a super fun time whilst doing so!

A fantastic way to encourage make-believe is with a set of toys that include characters and scenarios that may or may not be real, and that’s where we come in! Here at Toy Street, we have a great range of fantasy toys to spark the imagination. Today we’ll be sharing with you some of our favourites from Playmobil!

1. Novelmore Knights Dragon Attack

Speaking of dragons, this Playmobil set based on the series of the same name is a great way to bring out your child’s creative side. The dragon’s limbs move, and it comes accompanied by two Kite Trainers and two Novelmore Knights. Depending on what side you’re on, you can either valiantly fight the dragon’s masters or fly around causing havoc!

2. Adventures of Ayuma Crystal Fairy with Unicorn

This fairy unicorn set lets you take the magical fairy kingdom of Ayuma with you wherever you go. Unicorns are all the rage right now, pair them with fairies and you’ve got a winning combination!

3. Princess Castle

A Princess needs a castle and luckily Playmobil has got one on offer! It comes with everything that little princesses could need; furniture, scrolls of magical stories and music, and a furry friend!

4. Fairy Friend With Fawn

Playmobil is such a big fan of fairies that they’ve created one suitable for even your littlest fans of make-believe. She comes with an adorable fawn friend who matches with lovely pastel tones.

5. Pirate Adventure Play Box

Pirates may not be 100% fantasy, but we’re sneaking them in anyway! The brave red rock soldier believes his precious treasure to be safe in the bastion, but a cunning pirate sets out to steal the chest with the gold. Luckily the small fortress is well secured with a detachable grid wall and a cannon with bullets. Will the pirate still succeed in stealing the treasure?

Discover Playmobil’s Full Fantasy Collection Now!

Editors note: This blog was originally published on March 26th, 2018. Updated on April 21st, 2022 to improve the information available.

What is Earth Day?

Earth Day is an annual event that aims to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the environment. Earth Day was first held in 1970, and now has over a billion participants across the world.

What Do We Do on Earth Day?

The official Earth Day theme for 2022 is “Invest in Our Planet.” It focuses on global cleanup and teaching about the impact of fashion and food industries on the environment. This year, Earth Day ambassadors are partnering with Global Earth Challenge and the Canopy Project, to help combat the damage being done to the planet.

Learning About the Environment

One of the goals of Earth Day is to increase awareness in young people. From pre-school to college and beyond, there are ways for every age group to get involved with their community and learn about the planet. Check resources from your local schools and communities to see how you can get involved. There are also ways to set up your own environmental teachings, with help from the official Earth Day website.

Learning about the environment can be fun and exciting if you find the right methods. We love the Reusable Sticker Pad by Melissa & Doug for teaching young children about the planet. It comes with multiple environments and over 100 animal species to place in their respective habitats.

For older children, games like BrainBox Nature and Ocean Bingo are a great way to learn about the planet. They offer a challenge and a chance to have fun and socialise as they learn.

Taking Part in Change

Many children will be eager to take part in Earth Day with more than just games, and there are plenty of lovely toys that are cute, sustainable, and even educational. EUGY creates adorable, collectable figurines of animals that you can make together at home. Each piece of recyclable cardboard has a fun fact about your chosen animal printed on it. Our Earth Day favourite is the Bumblebee!

If you’re looking for environmentally friendly soft toys, then Keeleco is the way to go. From Snow Leopards to Elephants, the extensive range has a perfect furry friend for everyone. Another good option is sponsoring an endangered animal online. Sponsoring an animal often comes with a welcome pack, featuring a soft toy of your new friend. With this option, you can help endangered animals and share the joy as you receive monthly updates.

Grow Your Own

If you’ve got a green thumb then your child might enjoy learning about nature first-hand. You could grow flowers, fruit and veg, or do indoor gardening with herbs and houseplants. Fairy Forest Friends combine gardening with play, as you grow edible plants from the top of your fairy’s tree home.

Check out our entire Earth Day collection here!

Whats New – Keel Eco Friendly Bears

You may have spotted that we have lots of lovely bears in the home of Toy Street. We understand that a teddy can be a little one’s best friend from birth to the age of having their own home, and further. There are so many benefits to having a teddy, from helping with anxiety to emotional comfort and a great night’s sleep. We are also very proud to be able to offer a huge range of brands.

One of our favourite teddy bear collections is known as Keel Eco. Keel Eco is a new and 100% recycled range from Keel Toys which we absolutely adore. These eco-friendly toys are manufactured and stuffed with 100% recycled polyester from plastic waste and weighted with recycled glass beads. If you have someone in the family who loves animals, this collection will be perfect! From orangutans to dolphins and turtles, Keel Eco has all of our favourites.

What Are Our Favourite Eco-Friendly Keel Bears?

One of the great things about Keel bears is that there is always a huge variety, so there is a perfect bear for everybody. In the newest Keel Eco collection, there are 16 different animals to pick from. There are so many adorable wild animals, like cheetahs, chimps, and giraffes. But for those who love animals from the ocean, there are also turtles and dolphins. In addition, there are cuddly bears all the way from the artic, including the most beautiful polar bears. The Keel Eco range also offers teddies at a varying size range, with the smallest being 18cm and growing up to 45cm!

We always love to put together lists of our favourites, no matter the collection! So this week, we are presenting our favourite eco-friendly teddies to you. In no particular order (it would be too hard!). If you agree with us, click on the teddy’s name and get yours today! We would love to know your favourites too!

1 – Orangutan

2 – Snow Leopard

3 – Seal

4 – Whale

5 – Meerkat

6 – Turtle

7 – Dolphin

8 – Elephant

Tag us in your toy selfies at @ToyStreetUK on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!

A Guide to the Brio Toys Collection

On Toy Street, we have a huge collection of Brio toys. From trains to fairgrounds they offer it all, so let’s take a look at what makes Brio so great.

A Bit of Brio History

Brio was originally started in 1884 by 18-year-old Ivar Bengtsson, who began selling woodchip baskets from his small village in Sweden. The quality and durability of these wooden baskets caused the business to boom, and Ivar and his wife began planning their expansion. By 1907 they had produced their very first toy, the Osby Horse, made solely of wood. By the following year, Brio was founded.

Toys were an essential part of the Brio product range and all of them had the BRIO logo printed on them, marking their quality. By 1958, some of the well-loved toys of today were introduced – including the miniature railway tracks and trains. Since then, Brio has been producing toys, pushchairs, car seats, and furniture. In 2015, Ravensburger Group acquired Brio from Sweden.

The Original Wooden Toy

Brio toys have been sold in Europe since 1958. They are most famous for wooden toys and, in particular, train sets. Brio train sets include jigsaw-like tracks and train carriages that fit together with magnets. The tracks were unique in the way that you could build them any way you wanted, with any type of Brio train able to ride in the grooves.

In more recent years, Brio has extended its range to include battery-powered and remote-control type toys, including modern vehicles such as electric trains and cars – steering away from non-motorised vehicles. As well as starting to use electrics, Brio have also started to use plastic in their toy production to enhance their toys.

Wooden Toys are Back in Fashion

Although Brio has recently started to incorporate the use of plastic into their toys, the majority remain solely made of wood. Wooden toys seem to have come back into fashion and there are several reasons why this may be the case.

The first is because they look nicer. Let’s face it, plastic toys aren’t usually the most visually pleasing. And with parents increasingly trying to make playrooms and bedrooms look cute, wooden toys are the way forward.

Secondly, they’re more durable. Not only are they harder to break than their plastic rivals but they are safer too. Plastic toys can break easily, resulting in small plastic parts becoming unattached. This can lead to injury and choking hazards.

Finally, wooden toys enhance children’s imagination and promote a more creative style of play. With wooden toys there are no lights, sounds, or screens – it’s all about what the child wants them to do, allowing them to use their imagination more and promote a more creative style of play.

The Brio Collection

Brio Toys have come a long way since their traditional wooden horse and vehicle. There is now a whole range of lifestyle Brio sets to be collected. Here are the main categories for you to enjoy:

Travel

The travel range obviously includes the classic wooden train sets. It also includes cars, boats, and planes. With pilots, train drivers, and passengers, the world is your oyster. There is also an app-enabled train where you can drive the train through an app on your tablet!

Countryside

Enjoy some countryside play with Brio’s own range of farm toys, including horse and rider, tractors, hay wagons and cows! Train your horse with the horse training set and then put on a show with the horse jumping pack!

Village Life

How about a bit of village community fun with houses, schools, markets and shops! Pets are also included within this range and are sure to have a whale of a time at the playground. There is also a singing stage where you can put your voice to good use!

Emergency Services

All communities need access to emergency services. Add some to your collection including police stations with vans and boats, fire stations, helicopters, and rescue trains and boats. All on hand in case of an emergency.

Highlights From Brio Toys

There are always new Brio collections on the way. With over 200 items in our Brio category on Toy Street, there is truly something for everyone. In fact, there might just be a whole custom Brio world for everyone!

Be sure to check out our Brio collection to get yours started now!

Editors note: This blog was originally published on March 16th, 2018. Updated on March 30th, 2022 to improve the information available.

Lego, What Makes It So Great?

Lego turns 90 years old soon! Can you believe it? It has certainly come a long way since 1932. Lego’s popularity continues to rise around the world, showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. With toy stores filled to the brim with new releases each week, Lego attracts creatives of all ages. Let’s take a look at what makes Lego so great:

Lego History

Lego originated in Ole Kirk Kristiansen’s small carpenter’s workshop in the year 1932. Yes, Lego Blocks were wooden! We can’t believe it either. Then, in 1958, the plastic brick was born. The interlocking tubes made for unlimited possibilities of the imagination. Lego has been named toy of the century twice!

The Lego Group is a privately held, family-owned company with headquarters in Billund, Denmark. Lego is actually derived from the Danish phrase “leg godt,” which means “play well.”

Such is their international success, the toy company also has offices in Shanghai, Singapore, London, and Enfield, USA. The company now has over 18,000 employees, representing more than 70 nationalities.

Educational Lego

Lego is an amazing educational toy. Problem-solving, teamwork, artistic skills, and even maths come into play – without you even realising! Children and adults with disabilities also benefit from playing with Lego. Hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, colour finding, and also sensory skills are being used for endless amounts of fun!

Lego isn’t just about the brick, though. Education is a massive part of their company. They’re supporting science, STEM, and coding for pre-school, elementary, and middle school students – that makes the Lego brick one of the smartest building toys out there!

Games

As well as the infamous brick, Lego has made lots of fun games such as Creationary (a Lego Pictionary), Lego Ninjago maze game, What am I? (a Lego take on guess who) and a whole fleet of other games.

Video games are so much fun with Lego. They have Lego Dimensions, Lego Star Wars, and a whole other bunch of movie-based games. There’s also Lego Worlds. This game lets you create your own universe out of any piece imaginable. You can explore other lands to find resources and create endless structures.

TV & Movies

Now to the movies! Lego movies first hit the big screen in 2003, with Bionicle released alongside the game. It then went on to release many many more, with Lego Hero Factory, The Adventures Of Clutch Powers, The Lego Movie, Lego Batman, and the latest release Ninjago.

With many more in the mix, everything Lego on the big screen is just AWESOME!

TV has come a long way too, starting with Lego Hero Factory in 2010 then moving to Star Wars, Ninjago, Lego Friends, Mixels and Nexo Knights, the TV series will definitely be rolling for a while.

Legoland!

We couldn’t write about Lego without mentioning the Legoland theme parks! The original theme park opened in Billund in 1968, with 625,000 visiting during the first season. We got our own Legoland in 1996, named Legoland Windsor Resort, followed by parks in California, Florida, Dubai, Japan, and Germany! Even more parks are on the way as well, with South Korea, Shanghai, and New York joining the party.

The parks are designed so that everything appears to be made from Lego bricks and, like always, education is an important aspect of all the parks.

Why is Lego so Good?

Lego is my favourite toy! I’ve always loved it, as a kid and as an adult, and I can now share the joy of it with my kids. It’s fun to build with and the possibilities are endless. Apart from the bricks, the video games are my favourite. The levels are so much fun and it’s brilliant to see it all in brick!

I also run a Lego club for children who love Lego just as much as I do. We play games, have building competitions, and have lots of Lego colouring too! And that’s why I think Lego is so great!

Don’t forget to share your experience with our top toys for girls by using the hashtag #Toystreet on Instagram and Twitter!

Editors note: This blog was originally published on January 18th, 2018. Updated on March 30th, 2022 to improve the information available.

Cars! The science of playtime

Kids have been playing with toy cars for decades, but have you ever wondered about the different stages of the play? What is happening when they fit the track together themselves for the first time? Or why do younger kids constantly run the toys over their legs or over their heads?

Well, here at Toy Street we have the answers for this, and the toys to aid your children in their development at whichever stage they are at.

Earliest Stages

At a younger age, children will not recognise that toy cars are representative of a real-life thing; which is often why play will involve crashing the cars together or anything else they feel is funny.

It will mostly be about playing with someone else and the car isn’t really the focus of the playtime. This kind of play really helps your child learn to communicate effectively and, of course, it’ll give them a giggle!

Cars such as the Rc Extreme Beast are perfect for this reckless, exciting play. Due to the remote-control nature of this car, your child will start making the connection between their toy car and the real-life version they probably sit inside every day!

Lifelike Play with Cars

Later throughout their development kids will often start to prefer more complex playtime. This may involve driving cars around tracks and imagining different scenarios their cars encounter on their journeys around the living room! This stage is important as it’s the time when they first make the links between what they are doing in playtime and real-life activities. The skills they learn here will transfer to all other parts of their life.

They learn to slow down, how fast they can push a car around a track so it doesn’t crash, then maybe they’ll learn how to slow down when running up to their friends so they don’t push them over! Playtime has been proven to be essential for happy development, and our range of toys will serve to aid this.

The Rock Crawler is the perfect car for a child at this stage with their play, it’s robust enough that if they do crash it, it’s not the end of the world! It also has great manoeuvrability so as their driving skills improve, so do the moves this thing can do.

Later Play

Eventually, moving cars along the same track might get a bit boring! After this, building the tracks and building the cars might be the way to go to keep your child entertained. This might come naturally to them, or they might want to watch someone else do it before they start to pick it up. From doing this, problem-solving skills and their comprehension will improve, especially if they are building with a playmate!

So whichever stage of play you think your kid is at, we are here to help your child reach their full potential. Check out our entire collection of Vehicles here!

Editors note: This blog was originally published on October 10th, 2017. Updated on March 23rd, 2022 to improve the information available.

8 Unique Birthday Gifts for a 1-year-old boy

Looking for ideas for unique birthday gifts for a 1-year-old boy? Look no further! We have 8 unique birthday gift ideas for you to have a look at.

Llama Ride-On

This trendy llama-shaped ride-on toy is ideal for developing your child’s motor skills and sense of balance. It will become the ideal companion, whether they’re pulling themselves along or you’re giving them a helpful push. Ride-on toys like this lovely llama help children to better manage their stance while enabling them to explore the world around them.

Konfetti Musical Table

The Musical Table is brightly coloured with polka dots and features a 5 note xylophone, a cymbal, and a drum. It also includes two wooden drum sticks. This is great for your toddlers to get engaged in sound and create their own music.

Magic Touch Piano

An innovative wooden piano featuring magic touch technology. This Hape Baby Einstein toy empowers young musicians by encouraging motor skills and imagination! With 3 music sheets and 6 songs to choose from, they’ll have endless fun creating and practising their tunes.

Soft Activity Book – Whose Feet?

A crocodile can’t find his feet! Turn the pages to find out whose feet are down below–and enjoy Crocodile’s fancy footwork! This squeaking, crinkling, foot-filled cloth book from Melissa & Doug Kids is durably constructed to last through storytime, playtime, and the washing machine, too!

Wooden Slice & Stack Sandwich Counter

Perfect for hours of imaginative fun, the Melissa and Doug Slice and Stack Sandwich Counter will keep your little one occupied for hours – sitting on a table, your little one can run their very own sandwich shop.

Soft Cuddly Friends Ellie Elephant

The Soft Cuddly Friends Ellie Elephant is simply adorable, made of gentle plush material for your baby’s soft skin. The bean bag at his rear, paws, and soles make him a durable friend that you’ll want to squeeze and hug everywhere.

Farm Railway Set

Out on the farm, life is quiet. The cow and horse are out on the pasture while the tractor is taking the hay load to the barn. The crane lifts the hay up onto the loft. When it’s time for the animals to move indoors, place them on the wagon with help from the fold-out ramp and transport the wagon with the farm engine. This farm railway set from Brio is built to last, providing hours of fun for your child.

Thomas & Friends Engine Ride-On

Let your little one feel like a real train conductor on this colourful Thomas the Tank Engine ride-on. Authentic features give real role-play fun, including a painted 3D face, moulded wheels, and colourful graphics. All aboard!

Want to see more? Check out our toys for 1-year-old boys!

Editors note: This blog was originally published on January 19th, 2021. Updated on March 23rd, 2022 to improve the information available.

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Good packaging fast delivery Mint condition. Toy Street has a great selection of board games.

Great prices and speedy delivery.

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Such a lovely website & good range of items. There was a specific brand of toy I was after and found the best selection on the toy street website, will definitely be a returning customer. Item was dispatched and delivered fast.