Retro Lines at Toys R Us Today: Final Edition!

If your Toys R Us location is still open like mine is, you still have some time to stop by and grab some great retro toys at discounted prices. Right now our Toys R Us has slashed prices to discounts of 30%-50%! My daughter has a birthday coming up, so I picked up some stuff for her, but I also kept my eyes peeled for some future shopping for myself. Here is what I found this time around...possibly the last time around?

Super Soakers ($9.99 - $39.99)

When Super Soakers were released upon the public in 1991 it was the must have water gun for summer time fun! The advertising made it seem like you would be unstoppable in a water fight if you had one of these babies by your side. My Mom finally gave in to our begging and got myself and my brother each a Super Soaker 30! It was great until we learned our friend had a Super Soaker 100, DAMMIT!

Teddy Ruxpin ($99.99)

From everything I have seen, this new version of Teddy Ruxpin has not really caught on with the younger generation. That's sad to me. Yes the look is drastically different from the original and it has digital eyes and runs off an app, but the heart & sole of the toy is still there. You can still hear fun stories from your furry Teddy friend and that's what matters to me. I think the biggest drawback is the almost $100 selling point! If these guys go for around 50% of that price, I may just pick one up.

Tamagotchi ($14.99)

Released to the United States in 1997, these digital pets were everywhere! I did not have a Tomagotchi growing up, but my brother did have a Gigapet. I remember when he first got it. He would feed, wash and cleanup after that little guy around the clock...then he didn't. Kids quickly lost interest in this toy, but now they are back and I want one!

Strawberry Shortcake ($17.99)

I never owned any of the toys from this figure line, but my sister did and I can still remember the smell of these guys. Each figure was scented to represent their character. Strawberry Shortcake smelled like strawberries, Orange Blossom smelled like oranges, etc. I remember she kept them in a case together and when she would open it all the smells would emerge at one time, creating a crazy mix of delicious fragrances! I might just pick up this toy for her?

Mini Classic Video Games ($19.99-$29.99)

Ever since the Nintendo Entertainment System came home with us in 1986, I have been a video game junkie. Each night after we put the kids to sleep, I put aside at least an hour of my time to play video games! Right now I am trying to finish my NBA2k season with the Brooklyn Nets! No matter how amazing the new systems are, I always come back to the classics and mini versions of these games only make it cooler! I am hoping to pick up a few of these before Toys R Us closes.

Well, that's it! What could possibly be my last blog entry about Toys R Us! I hope to make a few more trips back to buy a few things, but who knows how much longer they will be open. As I've said before and I'll say again "I don't want to grow up. I'm a Toys R Us kid"!

I Finally Got A Teddy Ruxpin!

What child of the 80s could ever forget those magical lyrics that came from the lips of an animatronic bear, "Come dream with me tonight!" Released by Worlds of Wonder in 1985, Teddy Ruxpin was the must have toy for any child under the age of 10. Who can blame them? The advertising for this toy was everywhere. The commercials made it seem like you not only got a toy to play with, but a real, live talking bear who would tell you stories and be your best friend!

Well birthdays and Christmases came and went and I never got a Teddy Ruxpin. Don't get me wrong, I did get some great gifts from Masters of The Universe to MASK action figures, but there was always that gaping hole in my childhood that was never filled by the magic of Teddy Ruxpin. Fast forward 30 years and...

BOOM! There was Teddy Ruxpin sitting on the shelf of the local Goodwill store! I grabbed him immediately without even flinching. Picked up a few more things and went to the register. He rang in at $8! What a bargain! Now to be fair, this isn't the original Worlds of Wonder Teddy Ruxpin but it's the 2005 Backpack Toys version. Still, I OWN A TEDDY RUXPIN! He still works the same. He can read stories and his mouth moves, the one change is the cartridges that go in his back.

They are small, yellow cartridges that are shaped like a story book. Not at all like the cassette tapes from the 80s version, but that's okay.

The other item I picked up that day was an original Worlds of Wonder Teddy Ruxpin book titled "Teddy Ruxpin's Birthday". Any time you see a Teddy Ruxpin book, you must pick it up. There is not much in the way of a story in the book, but I guess that's why Teddy tells everything to us. I only paid $0.50 for this baby. But the Ruxpin treasure finds don't end there!

A few weeks after I purchased my Teddy Ruxpin, I went to a video rental store that was closing and grabbed this 1987 Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin cartoon DVD for $1! I remember watching this show at my friend George's house when I would sleep over. It was on HBO and I didn't have that channel at my house, so this made it extra special to stay at George's. If you have never seen the cartoon, I'll share an episode with you below!

My kids love Teddy Ruxpin and will all sit together to hear about his adventures with his friends in the world of Grundo. Now the search is on for a Grubby!

Second Hand Score: Black Box & Hot Shots

Went back for my semi-monthly trip to the local Goodwill last week and found a few things. It was not an abundance or retro riches, but all together these three items cost me around $2.50. The most expensive being the Milton Bradley Travel Hot Shot Basketball game.

The World of Teddy Ruxpin Vol. 8 the Faded Fobs (Hi-Tops Video, 1987)

I enjoyed Teddy Ruxpin's adventures as a kid. Never owned the toy. Never owned the tapes. Never even had the books, but one huge memory that sticks out about this cartoon was watching cartoons nonstop at my friends house during a sleepover and one of the tapes was Teddy Ruxpin! It was awesome! I had a shaky memory of Teddy Ruxpin in puppet form giving kids tips on how to stay safe at the end or beginning of each episode. I bought the DVDs on sale and didn't see these on there. Did I just imagine that? I'll have to watch this VHS soon and see if this really was part of the show?

Wasn't that great? Now on to the next Jam!

Black Box: Dreamland CD (RCA, 1990)

Back in the early 90s Techno/House/Dance music was blowin up the radio. One of the bands responsible for this explosion was Black Box. Their album "Dreamland" spawned the hits "Everybody, Everybody" & "Strike It Up"! Great songs. I was more than happy to pick up this CD for $0.25! Here's a tip, always make sure there is a CD in the case when buying from second hand stores. I occasionally find a disc I want and open it to find there was never a CD in the case or it was stolen. Fun fact about Black Box: Martha Wash of "It's Raining Men" fame sang the bands biggest hits, but was represented in their videos by model Katrin Quinol! It's time to get funky!

Now on to the coolest pickup of the week, Hot Shot Basketball!

Hot Shot Basketball: Travel Edition (Milton Bradley, 1992) 

I always wanted this game as a kid and never received it. I think it was the commercial that made me crave the chance to play some table top hoops. To this day I still tell people to "Beat That Hot Shot!" as a form of smack talk. Now, this version I picked up is the "Travel Edition" but the backboard still moves front to back and when you make a shot, the game keeps score. I love it!