Christmas 2017 Fallout

Now that I am a parent Christmas is mostly all about making the kids happy and helping Santa get them the toys that were on their list. But every year I still look forward to unwrapping my own gifts from my kids & wife. They typically do a great job of getting me some sweet presents and this year they did not disappoint. I know it's a little late, but lets look behind the wrapping paper and see what goodies were under the tree for me this year!

Super Mario Maker for the 3DS

I have been wanting this game for a long time now. It didn't matter if it was the 3DS or Wii version. I just wanted the power to control Mario's adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom. For so many years Nintendo dictated to us what perils would befall our fearless plumber, but now I can put 100 Bloopers in Bowser's castle and give Mario all the abilities he needs to succeed! I love this game, my kids love this game...kudos to you Nintendo!

DreamWorks Voltron Action Figures

Every Sunday for about the last year my kids and myself have been watching a new episode of the DreamWorks Voltron Legendary Defender series on Netflix. We love it! It is one of the few rebooted series from my childhood that I can actually say is better than the original. The animation is top notch, the action is great and the humor is fantastic! If you have not seen this show, I highly recommend you do it soon. Anyway back to the toys. We all got a lion that all come together to form a huge, interactive Voltron figure! I received the Black Lion. We have had a lot of fun with this guy since Christmas morning!

Gremlins Glasses and Ice Cube Tray

I had never seen these before. I didn't ask for them, but I am glad I got them! I am a big fan of the Gremlins movies and anything with a Mogwai or devilish Gremlin on it is a winner in my book! One glass has Gizmo on it and shares the "Rules" of Mogwai caretaking that I am sure we are all familiar with. The other glass features Stripe on it and his "REVISED" rules which include "Feeding after midnight", "Keep out of sunlight" and "Get them wet". Very cool! BTW the Ice Cube tray was in the freezer when I took this pic.

 
Movies: Logan, Apocalypse & Wonder Woman

I had not seen any of these movies yet. So far the only one I have watched out of this all-star trio is X-Men Apocalypse. It was okay, not my favorite X-Men movie. Hopefully soon I can check out Logan & WW. I am so far behind on my movies! I guess that's what happens when you're a parent?

Dome Basketball Game

I used to have one of these when I was a kid and me and my brother would spend a ton of time slamming the buttons hoping to score a bucket and become basketball world champions! I played it with my kids, but they didn't seem to get as excited as I was when playing Dome B-ball!

Stocking Stuffers

I love stocking stuffers, maybe even more than the main gifts. I love the anticipation of seeing how much stuff got shoved into my Spider-Man stocking every Christmas morning! This year I got a few TMNT blind boxes, a TMNT fidget spinner, a Kylo Ren figure eraser, Star Wars playing cards, a bootleg Turbo Football and of course lots of candy including Snickers bars and Sour Patch Kids!

That's it for this year! I hope you got everything that was on your list. I can't wait until Christmas 2018! Enjoy the new year everyone and let us know what your favorite holiday gift was in the comment section below!

80s Toys I spotted in "The Boss Baby"

Every Friday night we take time as a family to pick out a movie and watch it together. The kids get out their sleeping bags, we let them choose some candy and we decide on a movie. This past week's pick was "The Boss Baby". The movie features Alec Baldwin as The Boss Baby who is sent to Earth to protect babies from the rising popularity of cute puppies. Puppies are getting cuter therefore stealing the love from babies all over the world! It actually was a decent movie that had some pretty funny parts in it, but one of the cool things was the way they integrated real toys into the story. Here are the ones that I spotted:

 

Little People Farm (Fisher Price)

The intro to the film takes us on a ride through the room of Tim. Tim is a happy boy who likes to spend time with his Mom & Dad and loves playing with his toys. We get to see a few of these toys on display during this opening sequence including these Little People.

 

Mouse Trap (Milton Bradley)

This was another toy that we saw on the tour of Tim's room, it kind of foreshadows a later scene in the movie. Never really understood the rules of this game as a kid, don't understand it now, but damn is it fun to catch those mice in this crazy contraption!

 

Skeletor (Mattel)

I was really excited to see Skeletor hanging from a zip line in Tim's room. I was a huge fan of Masters of the Universe in the 80s and one of my favorite action figures of all-time was Dragon Blaster Skeletor. I got him for my birthday when I was 5 years old and the sight of Skeletor's blue skin and purple ram staff gives me goosebumps to this day!

 

Chatters Phone (Fisher Price)

Who didn't have one of these phones growing up or at least knew someone who did? My kids have one, but they are outgrowing it fast. The Boss Baby uses this phone to contact his superiors so he can keep them up to date on his mission progress!

 

Voltron (Matchbox)

I always wanted a Voltron as a kid. I never got one. The closest I got was when my brother got a watch that transformed into Voltron. It was pretty cool, but it could never match the pinnacle of AWESOMENESS that was the original die cast Lion Force Voltron!

 

He-Man & Skeletor (Mattel)

This cameo appearance of the most powerful man in the universe and his arch nemesis came by way of deleted scene where the boys are putting together their plan to stop puppies from stealing all of the world's love. It was a pretty funny scene where Skeletor comments on He-Man's "bikini", but it didn't make the final cut.

 

 

Etch-A-Sketch (Ohio Art)

I had an Etch-A-Sketch as a kid and my kids have an Etch-A-Sketch today. This is a timeless toy that causes as much joy as it does frustration. Why can't I ever make a circle look like a circle on this thing! I did have fun with this toy, but it was totally eclipsed when the Etch-A-Sketch Animator came out in 1987 and blew the original away! I had one of those as a kid also and finding an Animator is now on my collecting wish list. Enjoy this classic commercial and try to get the jingle out of your head!

Retro Lines at Toys R Us Today: Part 2!

A few weekends ago I took my kids to our local Toys R Us for a FREE Mega Construx build! We had time to kill, so we looked at all the awesome toys at the store. I was surprised to see so many toy lines from my childhood still available on the shelves. Here's part 2 of a few of the cool things I found:

 

Ultimate Electronic Voltron ($39.99)

I loved Voltron as a kid! It was such an awesome premise for a kids show. Five robot lions come together and form one giant robot that uses a blazing sword to protect the universe from giant monsters. I was sold! With the success of the latest DreamWorks revival of Voltron on Netflix came a new line of toys. This "Ultimate" version has lights, sounds and the Green Lion can shoot out a laser projectile!

 

Star Wars Millennium Falcon iHome & Alarm Clock ($49.99)

Star Wars has been around for a long time and it's great to see that the franchise is still as popular as ever! My 5 year old son had one wish for his last birthday...a Millennium Falcon Alarm Clock! His wish was granted and every morning at 7am he is awoken by the sweet sounds of the Falcon taking off into space. He also uses the clock to listen to the radio while he is playing in his room.

 

Ninja Turtles Mega Bloks sets ($1.99 - $99.99)

These kind of caught me by surprise. Yes, I had known that Mega Bloks was making these sets but I didn't know they were being put on clearance at such great prices. You can pick up the individual mini-figs for under $2 each and the Krang set was only $16.95! I bought a few for future gift giving holidays and birthdays. Also, that Raph in human disguise is amazing!

 

Smurfs: The Lost Village Figures ($3.99 - $5.99)

Another Smurfs movie and another toy line by Jakks. The Smurfs were one of the first things I really remember loving as a kid. I had all the figurines and when I was 3 my mom made me a Smurf blankey that I carried everywhere with me. When I moved I made sure that blankey came with me. It served me well for decades and when my daughter started having nightmares, I passed it on to her to keep her safe at night.

 

Sonic The Hedgehog 2-packs ($9.99)

I was always a Nintendo kid, but as an adult I can respect what Sega had done with Sonic back in the 90s. The games were simple, fast and fun. Even though Mario was my choice for platformers back in the day, I did read a Sonic comic or two. Each of these 2-packs includes one of those original comics from Archie publishing. 2 figures and a comic for $9.99, not bad! Did you know that Sonic comic is still being published today?

 

Legos ($4.99 - $150)

Every kid has had Legos at some point in there life and mine are no exception. Lego has put out some really great sets in the last few years, but the Superhero lines are the ones that have stood out most to me. This Clay Face set from the Lego Batman Movie is on the top of my boy's wish list this year!

Now try to get that song from the Lego Batman Movie out of your head! Thanks for reading!