10 Toys to Restore Your Faith in Simple Pleasures

I'm sure many adults feel (as I do sometimes) that with each passing year we seem to lose touch with the simple pleasures we used to have when we were little. Having kids of your own can certainly bring those pleasures back in many ways, but as technology advances and toys get more sophisticated, those simple pleasures can often seem but a distant memory.

Maybe it's just the age we live in, maybe I'm just feeling a bit nostalgic, maybe in the future our kids will wonder what simple pleasures we were actually reminiscing about - them always having played with high-tech toys and games.

But, while the mood takes me, I say NO! I'm going to enjoy my old simple pleasures and absolutely insist that every parent take their boys and girls back to that bygone era (at least once in a while) when SIMPLE TOYS WERE JUST THE BEST.

Enjoy...

#10 BBucket and Spade

Bucket and Spade Set Whether it's the beach (or the sand pit) for sand, the garden for soil or just lots and lots of water, there's nothing quite like a good ol' bucket 'n' spade. It's a simple idea really. You scoop up stuff to fill the bucket in one place, and then empty it out somewhere else. Endless fun for kids creating castles, mounds, holes and getting parents wet!

#9 RRubber Band Gun

Rubber Band Shooter When we were young boys, my brother and I used to make toy bows and arrows from thick wire coat hangers, rubber bands and drinking straws. In retrospect, our handiwork was actually a little dangerous. But, the rubber band shooter shown here is far more civilized, it has a nice wooden construction and won't take your eye out! I've actually given this as a gift myself, and couldn't stop playing with it.

#8 PPair of Stilts

Stilts For all those boys and girls that wish they were taller, there's a simple solution - stilts! It's only temporary, but the amount of fun to be had really does scale new heights. Amaze family, friends and neighbors with your increased stature, hold stilt races in the yard or even wear them non-stop for a charity event. The possibilities for a pair of stilts really are sky high ("okay, enough of the puns already", I hear you cry). Hee hee...

#7 AA Costume

Astronaut Costume I think it's probably fair to say that all boys would like to be just like their heroes. Whether it's firefighters, police officers, doctors or astronauts. This is a great astronaut suit that comes highly-rated. I think it's a great picture too - this kid looks like he's just come back from a mission to the International Space Station. What a little hero!

#6 SSet of Cars

Hot Wheels Gift Pack You don't need track, you don't need fancy loops, you just need the floor. Oh, and maybe some furniture, books, bits of old wood from the garage, in fact anything your imagination can use to create some hot-wheeling stunt car action. A simple set of cars can keep kids amused for hours. Just be ready to hear lots of vroom vroom coming from the room room!

#5 RRubik's Cube

3x3 Puzzle Cube This is one game I could never quite crack. I remember when  the Rubik's cube was first popular (showing my age here) and it was big. Amazingly, it's still a phenomenon, with many different variations on the original version and competitions held all around the world where young kids pit their puzzle-solving skills against the clock. I've still got my old cube in the attic... hmmm... maybe I'll give the TV a miss tonight.

#4 SSlinky

Metal Slinky in Collectible Retro Box Slinky is a toy that's a bit of a one-trick-pony, in that it only really does one thing - and that's to slink from a higher surface to a lower one. But, when you watch a slinky 'walk' down the stairs, it never fails to amaze. Metal versions like the one shown here work best (as opposed to the plastic ones) because they have a little more weight to them. For such a simple toy, this spring's got hours of entertainment, and is an absolute retro classic.

#3 TTool Kit

Durable Kids Tool Set There's nothing boys like more than to be just like their dads - especially when dad is doing some DIY. So, a simple solution to this is their very own tool kit. The kit shown here contains everything your boy will need to help out, and it'll also develop skills in manual dexterity, safety, practical problem solving... the list goes on.

#2 SSet of Animals

Learning Resources Forest Animals This picture shows a set of toy animals. But, it could equally be soldiers, cowboys and indians, or every kid's favorite - dinosaurs. Sets of toy figures make things from the real world accessible, and with that accessibility comes the imagination to make anything happen. Lots of the figure sets nowadays are far more detailed than in my childhood, which also makes them great collectibles.

#1 BBucket of Lego

LEGO Medium Brick Box Forgive me if this choice of simple toy is a little predictable, but it'd be wrong to leave it off my list. Lego - consistently voted one of the world's best toys, is pretty much that. It's one of the world's best toys. I've never heard of any boy or girl (and plenty of adults) that don't like to play with Lego. It's got to be one of the most creative ideas for inspiring the imagination of kids ever. I think I've praised it enough for now!

STEM Toys for Boys

STEM is the new buzzword for your boys to have a future only limited by their imagination. If you're not quite sure what it's all about, then that's Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

You'd have to agree that these are all pretty important subjects. I myself have a science bachelors and am an engineer by career (when I'm not blogging about fun and educational toys). It has shaped the way I think, the way I solve problems, how to find the most appropriate solutions in everyday life, and has provided me with a job that I absolutely love.

Most of the pages on this site showcase boys toys and gifts that have learning benefits in STEM. In fact, they're all equally suitable for girls as well. One of the biggest challenges that educational establishments and employers face these days is getting more girls and young women interested in STEM, and forging careers to rival and surpass their male counterparts.

Here you can see one of my favorite toys featured on this site, which you can find in the section on the Best Gifts for 7 Year Old Boys. The 4M Animation Praxinoscope is a fascinating device for kids to make themselves that actually combines science, engineering and art all in one. Three great learning experiences for the price of one gift - it doesn't take a genius at math to figure out that's a great deal!

Toy Bananas Are Here!

Yes, you read it right. That does indeed say toy bananas.

The reason for this is that I've created a page in my Featured Toys section just for boys who love bananas. What's more, there's something for parents as well, with a whole host of banana-related madness and stories for them to enjoy as well.

Don't worry, it's all clean and above board, if only a little bananas!



Gund Monkey "Mambo"

Indoor RC Planes

ParkZone Night Vapor RTF

So, the boys can't play outside because the weather's not good. No problem. Having thought a little bit out-the-box, I present to you RC airplanes that can be flown straight from the box - and indoors too! These planes are so light and maneuverable that they are prefectly at home being flown around the home. The one shown here is the Parkzone Night Vapor ready-to-fly. And the coolest thing is, because it's covered in LEDs it can be flown in the dark. See test pilot reviews of some more great flyers in the Featured Toys section of this site.

Lego Base Plates and Lego Play Tables

Lego Three Seat Playtable

Lego - consistently voted the best toy in the world. And if your boy just can't get enough of the stuff, then you'll know that every great Lego creation needs a base plate to fix it to. But, it doesn't just stop at base plates for Lego. There are even ranges of tables especially designed for little Lego enthusiasts, just like the one shown here. So, when your boy has his friends around, they can all sit down together and play quietly at the table (hopefully)! Check out the selection of Lego base plates and playtables in the Featured Toys section of this site.

Know a Boy Who's Crazy About Space?

Do you know a boy who's just over the moon about all things to do with space? Are you his biggest star when he gets that special gift that makes him all excited about the heavens? Are you going round in orbits trying to find the perfect space-themed toy or gadget? "Enough already!", I hear you cry. "Just get to the point." Well, the point is that I've created a new site based upon my own passion for astronomy. I say it's a new site, but it's really a site of old pages all about astronomy gifts and gadgets that I had scattered around the web, but then decided to bring together into one cluster. I've updated those pages, freshened up the content and BANG! My little supernova has hit the Internet.

Don't worry - I'll still be updating this site and adding new content. But, if you're looking for something specifically related to outer space, you'll find it there. Scope it out through the above link.

Who says I can't 'crater' impression with my visitors? (groan)

3D Printed Selfies and Figurines Make Unique Gift Ideas for Boys

Some of the best gift ideas for boys (and girls) of any age are things that are either unusual or have a personal touch. The daddy of all gifts must surely then be both unusual and personal... like, maybe, a 3D printed figurine of yourself or your family?

Everyone's favorite online store, Amazon, have recently launched a service where you can personalize a mini figurine to create your very own 3D selfie. Selecting from a variety of hairstyles, facial features and outfits, you can create a 3D rendering of your figurine in a special viewer, which is then 3D printed on demand using sandstone. The finish is described as feeling like unglazed ceramics, and just like most other ceramics the figurines will break if dropped on a hard surface.

The figurines should be kept clean with a small, dry brush, and you should avoid getting them wet to preserve the color definition. So, I'd definitely pitch these at older kids and adults, as they're certainly not toys in the strictest sense.



The 3D selfies currently come as either regular figurines or bobble-heads, and as male or female characters you can customize to look like whoever you want. I'm definitely gonna be getting some of these made up of my boys, looking like they're wearing their favorite clothes - I can't wait to see their faces!

The VTech Kidizoom Smart Watch is nearly here... Actually, it's here now!

Originally published 06 July 2014.

Those of you keeping an eye on VTech toys over the past few years, won’t have failed to miss the VTech InnoTab - currently on its third-generation release. But, not wanting to be behind the curve when it comes to bringing grown-up electronics to boys and girls in the 5 to 12 year-old age range, VTech are about to release their latest kids’ gadget - the Kidizoom Smartwatch.

As smart watches go, it sounds pretty good and more feature-packed than many of its cousins designed for adults and manufactured by electronics giants, such as Samsung and Sony. Among the things the Kidizoom Smartwatch can do are:

• Show you the time (obviously, but in both digital or analogue)
• Wake you up with an alarm
• Take photos, video and record sound
• Play games

The specifications for the device are equally impressive:

• Color touch screen
• 640x480 photo resolution (to store 900-1000 photos)
• 320x240 video resolution (at 15 fps, for up to 7 minutes of total video length)
• Rechargeable battery (about 2-3 days between charges with typical usage)
• PC connectivity via USB 2.0

I don’t want to spoil the anticipation too much, because I’ll be doing a proper review of this device after it gets released next month (according to current information). It’ll be available in either blue or pink, to suit boys or girls.

----- UPDATE ----- UPDATE ----- UPDATE -----

The VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch has arrived! Your kids can get their hands, sorry... their wrists, on one below. What's more, all this fun and technology comes for less than $60. Even I'm getting excited now.

Kidizoom Blue

Kidizoom Green

Kidizoom Pink

Kidizoom White

True to form, I’ll be comparing the Kidizoom Smartwatch it to its main rival in the battle of wearable tech for kids - the LeapFrog LeapBand. You’ll be able to check out Kidizoom Smartwatch vs LeapFrog LeapBand, as one of the featured articles on this very site - make a note of it! The Toy Spy saw the VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch in action at the 2014 NY Toy Fair. Here’s his report posted on YouTube: