toy

Munchkin Inc. is recalling its Bathtub Sub children's toy after almost two dozen little boys were hurt across the United States and Canada while playing with the toy during bath time, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada said. The battery-powered Bathtub Sub has an intake...

Zhu Zhu Pets have been this year's Beanie Babies: toys that are so ridiculous in concept, so cheap and simple in execution that you knew they were going to cause long lines and incredible prices on the Black Friday back-alley aftermarket. This year being as it was, retailers were accused of...

The product: RoboMaid aka RoboMop The price: $7.49, plus $9.40 for shipping and handling, so the price really is $16.89 The claims: Dusts your floors for you so you don't have to The Buy-o-meter rating: 2 on a scale of 5 as a cleaner; 4 out of 5 as a toy With the iRobot Roomba becoming so...

Wal-Mart is reducing its toy space by more than half and making other changes in a "fast, friendly, clean" concept intended to attract shoppers shun the retail giant because its stores are cluttered.By dropping its toy loss-leader strategy and focusing on a more consumer-friendly store layout,...

For Christmas last year, I bought my boys all handmade wooden toys. There were the delightful and pricey trucks from England; sweet round shields from here in Portland, Ore.; and the castle pieces made in Vermont. This year I'm planning to get a few more trucks, a dragon, and a couple of princes...

The laser pointer is the lazy dog owner's best friend. With a small flick of your wrist, you can send your dog happily chasing after a little red dot, excitedly in a pursuit that never ends. The dot itself never gets covered with slobber or mud, gets lost under the couch, breaks or breaks anything,...

My grandfathers were an interesting pair. My dad's dad was a cranky guy who spent most of his time in the basement, working on various electrical doohickies, while my mom's dad was a cranky guy who spent most of his time in his legal office, trying to find ways to uphold the letter of the law while...

The Toy Industry Association's board of directors is beginning to take steps to aggressively address toy safety issues, which were all too common in 2007. According to press accounts, there were 61 toy related product recalls last year, representing an increase of approximately 50% above the total...

I have a bin in my basement. It's filled with brightly-colored plastic toys, each with dozens of buttons and a little plastic grate inside which is housed an electronic speaker. They've come from various sources -- a well-meaning aunt or uncle, a thrift store, a great sale at the supermarket -- and...