Who knew that when Super Mario Kart first hit the SNES so many years ago it would have such a lasting effect on us? Even Scalextric, who’ve been making slot car tracks for decades, are finally introducing a new accessory that wirelessly connects to an app so you can add SMK-like crash damage, power-ups, and even stat tracking to back up your bragging rights.
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If you’ve gone into basically any store that sells toys for children, it’s pretty obvious which aisle is for boys, and which is for girls. There’s an apparent divide between pink and…everything else. There are a ton of toys in the boys aisle that encourage taking things apart and putting them back together. Most things for girls rely on your imagination for pieces that are already constructed. There are, as always, some in-between options, but it’s hard to dispute the overall state of things.
Debbie Sterling grew up with this weird marketing agenda for kids, and because of it (and other reasons of course) never considered that she could go into a career path such as engineering. She is now the inventor and CEO of GoldieBlox, which makes construction sets that are aimed at little girls. These will hopefully inspire a desire to build and create at a young age that goes beyond LEGOs.
There are tons of DIY projects available in each set, which has prices that varying from $20-30. Each are story-driven, and there is also an expansion pack should your little one decide they want to build beyond what’s in the instruction manuals. This is a great idea to provide a safe space for little girls to express themselves in a way that is more than ‘playing house’ with Barbie dolls. It’s merely a way to start changing the perception about women and engineering-based fields of work.
Available for purchase on GoldieBlox
[ GoldieBlox wants to “disrupt the pink aisle” copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
There are puzzle games, and then there are puzzle games. I would suppose that the £17.99 Inside³ Labyrinth Puzzle Cubes would be part of the equation – in the latter segment, of course. There will be five different levels, which will follow in the ascending order, namely Easy, Mean, Awful, Vicious and Mortal. Some folks just hate puzzle games absolutely because they can prove to be nerve wracking when one’s brain is unable to churn out the relevant answer required to solve a particular issue. You will find the Inside³ Labyrinth Puzzle Cubes to push your cerebral limits to its edge (Einsteins might be to differ), where the multi-storey mazes are made up of seven labyrinthian layers.
In fact, it has been touted that the Inside³ Labyrinth Puzzle Cubes would make the classic Rubik’s cube pale in comparison to it where difficulty is concerned, as it resembles a child’s toy instead. With five different Inside³ Labyrinth Puzzle Cubes to choose from, alongside various difficult levels as mentioned earlier, you will be hard pressed to “beat the cube” in the shortest time possible. Individual cubes are made up of 7 labyrinthian layers that are extremely easy to get lost in, where these would combine to make up a mind-bending, multi-storey maze. Folks who are short on patience need not pick this puppy up.
[ Inside³ Labyrinth Puzzle Cubes – time to crack your brain! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
I sure know a lot of folks who consider themselves “dog people” and there truly is something to be said about the unconditional love of a pet… coming home at the end of a long day and being greeted enthusiastically by your furry friend. But what’s your buddy doing all day while you’re gone? Have you set him up to be entertained while you’re away?
Check out iFetch, what started as a Kickstarter project sometime last year, has become one of the coolest pet entertainment devices around. iFetch is an exercise and entertainment toy that is actually controlled by your dog. Your pet interacts with iFetch using a special tennis ball. When your pup drops that ball into the unit’s funnel, the device will turn itself on, and within seconds, throw the ball out for your dog to chase.The device will turn itself off if the ball is not returned to the funnel.
iFetch shoots miniature tennis balls, and can be set to launch the ball 3 different distances (between 10 and 30 feet) The unit can be plugged into an outlet, or run on batteries, so it can be placed where Fido would use it the most. The Kickstarter campaign has successfully completed and the iFetch is now available for purchase from goifetch.com for under 100 bucks. Go get it!
[ iFetch – Alone Time Fun for Fido copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Jakks Pacific’s new Max Tow Truck may not look particularly special on the outside, but it’s always what’s on the inside that counts. And in this case the insides are hiding a super-strong geared-down electric motor that lets this little tow truck push or pull up to 150 pounds.
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It turns out that "fish wholesaler" and "toy designer" are not mutually exclusive professions: Kazuyoshi Watanabe, a Tokyo fish wholesaler, created this wooden tuna to teach people how to properly gut the fish.
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It’s nice to see Ghostbusters getting a lot of love in the toy world these days. First, Lego revealed it’s making an official Ghostbusters building set
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Man, these Star Wars papercraft toys look amazing. And the whole gang is here. Every character that you care about anyway. They were created by Seoul, Korea-based MOMOT who no doubt uses The Force to fold paper.
In fact MOMOT makes all kinds of cool and boxy papercraft toys, which can be found at their international online store. The Star Wars toys are $25(USD) each. Pricey, but these toys are unique. It looks like they only have a few of the characters up right now.
For being made of paper, these toys really have attitude. Go buy some. Display them on your desk and play when you should be working.
And be sure to check out the clever videos below which show off a little bit of the story behind each character:
[via Geeks Are Sexy]
Imagine walking into the world’s biggest toy store except that everything you see is completely brand new—and you can’t buy any of it just yet. That’s exactly what covering Toy Fair—the toy industry’s annual tradeshow—is like. It’s a tantalizing glimpse into what kids will be begging their parents for over the upcoming year, and we’ve sifted through all the hoopla to bring you the best of the best.
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The 3Doodler
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