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"!

Daddy/Daughter Day 2018 #1

Last weekend I took my oldest child out for a Daddy/Daughter day. The first thing we did was head over to the Women's NAIA Basketball Championship Tournament. Since I have been working the Tournament as a member of the media, we were able to score some courtside seats and hospitality room privileges. The game we were watching went into overtime, but my daughter wanted us to leave so we would have time...

to play video games at Chuck E. Cheese! With all the tickets we earned she was able to grab a notepad, book mark and some candy. We went to lunch at a local Chinese restaurant and shared a huge plate of drunken noodles with beef. It was really good. While eating we discussed what she wanted to do next. Her choice was to hit up...

Toys R Us! I was happy to take her, because I didn't know how many more visits we would eventually be making to the Greatest Toy Store There Is! She ended up with a Rey "Forces of Destiny" doll. But while we were there it made me think of all the great times we had at the store as a family. So we went home and I grabbed a few of the items to highlight here.

Every few weeks Toys R Us would host a special giveaway day. My kids were treated to lots of cool, free stuff like exclusive Pokémon Cards, Lego/Mega Blox sets, Pokémon figures and Hatchimals Colleggtables. Of course while we were at the store we would grab our free stuff and eventually get suckered into buying something extra for the kids.

Another cool thing Toys R Us would do is host a monthly birthday party for the kids. Every kid who attended the birthday party would receive a free stuffed Geoffrey the giraffe, a book, balloons and coloring sheets. Geoffrey would also personally attend the event and stay to take pictures with the kids. I am so glad each of my kids got to take part in this event before they closed. I hope it's a memory they will have for life!

The last thing I will mention here were the great exclusives they would offer their customers. I am happy to have this Mega Blox TMNT comic and Topps Geoffrey card in my collection. I can always look back at these artifacts of good times gone by. I will miss Toys R Us greatly, but I will always have the memories and I will always be a Toys R Us kid!!!

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!

Retro Lines at Toys R Us Today!

This past weekend I took my kids to our local Toys R Us for a FREE Mega Construx build! These free events happen about twice a month at Toys R Us and allow kids to come in and get stuff for free! In the past we have done free builds for Lego Nexo Knights, Lego Batman Movie, Pokémon cards, Pokémon Figures and a birthday party with Geoffrey himself!

This time around my boy got to build a ship from the HALO series and my girls built a beach set from the American Girls line. Of course since we were already there, we had to look at all the awesome toys at the store. It's like that's what Toys R Us had in mind from the start? Those crafty bastards! I was surprised to see so many toy lines from my childhood still available on the shelves. Here's a few of the cool things I found:

 

Masters of the Universe: Mega Bloks Kubros ($14.99)

These things are brilliant. It's almost like you get to build your own action figure. I always look at these on the shelf and want to buy them, but I am a cheap man with 3 kids and always wait for a sale. The He-Man version of Kubros was on sale for $8.98 when we went. Maybe I'll grab it next pay day?

 

Transformers Fortress Maximus ($149.99)

WOW!!! I never thought I would ever see a Fortress Maximus in stores again! This thing was massive and a total status symbols for kids growing up in the 80s! If you had this, you were the man! For $150 though...I'll let someone else be the man.

 

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Action Figures ($16.99)

My little brother was huge into Power Rangers. He had all the toys, collected the cards, played the games and of course watched every episode of the show. These brought back memories of watching this show with him and having epic battles in the living room as his Ninja Mega Zord would conquer my bad guys led by Goldar. If they had the White Ranger in stock, I may have to grab it for him as a gift. That was the elusive toy he never got. You might say the White Ranger is his White Whale! I know...terrible :(

 

Pokémon Cards ($3.99 - $17.99)

I know these cards have been around forever, but isn't it reassuring that in 2017 Pokémon is still a popular brand? When these cards were at their crazy peak, I worked at a mom & pop toy store in Jersey. Kids would come in every day with their allowance money to buy the latest series packs. Eventually when I would get bored and to pass the time, they taught me how to play the game and we would have matches in the store. It was fun and now as my kids are getting into Pokémon, I can pass that knowledge onto them. See Mom, it wasn't a complete waste of my time!

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Figures ($10.99)

I absolutely LOVE THESE! So much nostalgia is rushing through my head. I have picked up the original 4 Turtles, Bebop, Rocksteady, Krang and April in this line. I never had Super Mikey or Super Donatello as a kid. I will be adding these to my birthday wish list!

 

Madballs ($2.99 - $9.99)

I saved what is in my opinion, the best for last...MADBALLS!!! Months ago I had heard that Just Play Toys and Kid Robot were going to be putting out several different lines of Madballs. My sons favorite is Oculus Orbus and I was going nuts looking to find him one for Christmas. Well, maybe the Easter Bunny can drop one of these guys in his basket? I really like how there are different sets for different audiences. They have the classic versions based off the 80s toys. New revamped/updated versions, which my kids prefer and the Madballs Mini blind bags which are a cheaper way to get your nostalgia at $2.99 a pack.

Such a great commercial! That's it for now. Stay tuned for part 2 next week!