Company: Radio Flyer
Item Reviewed: Radio Flyer’s Lights and Sounds Racer

The Lights and Sounds Racer offers fun, fast riding with lights and sounds at a great price!

Product Features:

• Traction Tread on front wheel to hug the road so your child can take off without slipping or spinning out
• 7 buttons that play unique songs and sounds and includes a working turn signal
• Adjustable grow-with-me-seat
• Durable molded frame
• Molded handgrips

My Thoughts

My daughter was so excited to get a Radio Flyer Lights & Sounds Racer, it is the first pedal anything she has had. Having said that, she didn’t know how to pedal when she first sat on it (hence the no shoes and helmet, that was how she posed on it, she didn’t ride around without both of those protective items. I recommend safety gear any time a child is on a moveable object.)

Since that first day she has begged to ride on it everyday, making it honk and playing all it’s sounds. She is thrilled with it and watching her made me remember my childhood when I rode around all the time. She has so much fun on it and I love the fact that it has an adjustable seat because she still has room to grow with it. It has become her favorite outdoor toy and I love watching her have riding around on it. I was so proud of her when she learned how to pedal it all on her own. That was a happy moment for her. Radio Flyer’s new Lights and Sounds Racer is a hit here at the Leet house!

Company: Abandon Interactive Entertainment
Item Reviewed: Walloc Freaky Pet

Freaky Pets are the first-of-its-kind line of transformable plush creatures that come to life in an online virtual world. The cute creatures turn into creepy critters just by turning the animals inside out, what is better than two toys in one? Kids will love to collect and play Freaky Pets with friends! Freaky Pets can be purchased at select Hallmark stores and after when purchased you receive a code that allows you access into the fun online virtual 3D world where your stuffed animals come to life! Kids can let their imagination run wild while caring and training their Freaky Pet. After their pet learns enough tricks, kids can put them into a competition with other users.They can also play mini-games winning coins which can be used to personalize their pet. The plush pets and 3D game combine the timeless fun of collecting stuffed animals with age-appropriate content online.

Wrathful Walloc & Gentle Walloc

My daughter got an adorable Walloc, which tend to be slow and lazy, preferring to lounge around in icy waters, something my daughter loves to do, well not in icy waters of course but she loves just lounging around! And it is said that if you listen closely, you might catch one humming a tune while looking for pictures in the clouds, something else my daughter loves to do, she even said she spotted a Walloc in the clouds here. Wrathful Wallocs are a sight to behold when they bare their sharp teeth and tusks. Quick for their size, they use the single claw on each of their feet to charge across the ice as easily as a human walks on dry land. I have to say that she enjoys the lovable Walloc more than the more fierce one.

She loves playing in the online world too. Although it is still a bit above her level she likes when I make the time to sit with her and help her out. I love that more and more companies are adding internet aspects to their products as I am a firm believer in getting the kids use to using a computer and allowing them to have fun while learning is a great combo. I love the Freaky Pets, added bonus of two toys in one, three if you count the website. It’s a cute concept that my four year old loves! Check out the Freaky Pets today!

Company: BIGiggle
Item Reviewed: Glow Crazy Distance Doodler

The Glow Crazy Distance Doodler Magic Lightwand works from 10 feet away. The dual-action glow-beam generator makes it easy to draw and write with skinny lines, or make your magic with wide paths of light, perfect for creating silhouettes and other exciting designs. The Jumbo removable peel-and-stick wall clings can be placed on the wall, the ceiling or any other flat surface, and removed quickly and easily, with no damage and no sticky residue.

My Thoughts

All three of my kids have had so much fun playing with their Glow Crazy Distance Doodler and have shared the fun with their friends. My toddler likes for me to tell her to draw shapes and she will use the wand to draw them on the mat and is so proud of herself when her little squares and circles glow. My tween likes to draw people and gets a kick out of seeing them glow on the mat. My oldest child, my son, tries to draw full scenes on the mat but never gets them completed before the other parts start to fade. But it keeps all of them occupied for a bit and I like a product that can do that. Add in the fact that they have fun while playing with it and you have a happy momma! Check out Glow Crazy today!

Company: Ban Dai
Item Reviewed: TamaTown Tama-Go
Item Given Away: TamaTown Tama-Go
Start Date: August 15
End Date: August 29

With hundreds of collectible characters, TamaTown by Tamagotchi offers girls the chance to interact with their characters both in person and online. The online world of TamaTown features games, music, downloads and much more!

The virtual pet known and loved around the world has recently under gone a face lift. Renamed Tamatown Tama-Go, the revamped virtual pet offers fans a whole new way to play with the Tamagotchi characters at home, online at www.tamatown.com and on the go!

• The redesigned portable, egg-shaped TamaTown Tama-Go features a new high-contrast, four-gray scale display screen, an interchangeable design face plate and one TamaTown collectible character figure.
• Three buttons (A, B, and C) allow the user to select and perform an activity, including:
  • Feeding the TamaTown Tama-Go character a piece of food or a snack.
  • Playing games with the Tama-Go
  • Checking its age, discipline, hunger, happiness and other statistics.
  • Connecting with other friends
• Attach a TamaTown collectible figure and activate character-specific games in your Tama-Go.
• Collect more characters to receive special rewards in your Tama-Go that can be redeemed online.
• Sold separately, each TamaTown figures includes two preloaded character-specific games and shopping items when placed on the TamaTown Tama-Go.

My Thoughts

I remember playing with my Tamagotchi when I was younger, and it was a lot of fun to be responsible for a little creature. Now, all these years later my kids can play with the newest version of this fun toy. And what’s more is that with the change in technology they have a more customizable toy to play with. Tama-Go features a whole new way to play with the Tamagotchi characters.

Each figure (one comes with the unit itself) has two character-specific games and shopping items. All you do is attach a Tama Figure and activate its games in the Tama-Go. The Tama-Go, has a new four-gray scale display screen that includes an interchangeable design face plate and one Tama Character figure. Collect more characters to receive special rewards in your Tama-Go. My tween loves the different face plates, she says it makes it feel more like hers. So far she has three of the six character figures and she has been enjoying all the different games and items she has been collecting. And don’t forget you can sign up at TamaTown for more fun too!

I have an extra TamaTown Tama-Go to giveaway to one lucky Dirty Shirt reader so you child can experience the fun first hand. Please see rules below to enter to win today!

I am disclosing that I received a TamaTown Tama-Go from Bandai America Incorporated to review and one for a giveaway.

Giveaway

• MAIN RULE – Tell me in comments what your favorite toy was as a kid. (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in header) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste – @Jentifa is giving away a TamaTown Tama-Go! Check it out here http://bit.ly/bL8TqR. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.
• 1 Extra Entry – Friend me on Google Friend Connect on sidebar and leave a separate comment that you did.
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog.

This giveaway will run through midnight on August 29, with winner being announced the morning of August 30. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

f.a.m.p.s figures – Feelings, Attitudes, Moods and Personalities – allow girls to reflect their various emotions through their virtual space.  Each figure creates a unique emotional makeover so girls can express themselves in all kinds of fun new ways via their desktop, e-mail, widgets and IM. Girls can also create custom wallpapers, e-cards and more based on their feeling, attitude, mood or personality at that time. Additionally, girls can expand their f.a.m.p.s world by collecting the individual f.a.m.p.s characters that can be carried with them as key chains, displayed on their desks or traded with friends.

f.a.m.p.s Starter Kit   ARP: $16.99  Age: 8+
f.a.m.p.s Twin Pack Assortment   ARP: $10.99 Age: 8+
f.a.m.p.s Single Pack Assortment  ARP: 6.49  Ages: 8+

My Thoughts

I am a techie and I like that my kids seem to all be following down that same path, although it is a little scary that my toddler knows how to work some devices already. But my tween daughter is the perfect recipient of this review product and she was so excited to get it. Not only is it adorable and something that she can interact with on a daily basis, but it can be just as moody as she is (love ya hun ). With f.a.m.p.s™ you can do all of this and more:

• Style your desktop
• Design your own personalize avatar
• Convey your feelings, attitudes, moods and emotions!
• Communicate with friends
• Create and share assets
• Play a new game with every f.a.m.p.™ you add to your collection
• Collect all 12 f.a.m.p.s™!

We are working on collecting the whole set for her because she really likes this and is having so much fun with it. She showed one of her friends what was on her desktop and her friend immediately went home and asked her mom for one. I like seeing my daughter interact with something that she likes. I recommend f.a.m.p.s to everyone, I have even played around with it! Would make a wonderful present for the 8 and up girls on your Christmas list!

Are you ready to SHRED!? Start shredding in no time with the Shred Sled, the next generation caster board. The first 4-wheel, dual deck inline caster board, the Shred Sled makes it smoother and easier to start carving up the streets.

Shred Sled’s two boards and flexible connector allow both boards to rotate around the vertical and horizontal axes so it’s easy to maneuver the board. The best part is you don’t even have to push off! For better control and traction, each deck has a grip surface to maximize traction and stability while the concave decks make for better foot control. The 4 x 80mm polyurethane wheels and ABEC-5 bearings are smoother and stronger than standard hardware and unlike other boards, rarely need to be replaced. Riding the Shred Sled feels like a combination of snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing and it’s much easier to control than older 2-wheel generation boards. Great for strengthening the legs and waist muscles, Shred Sled encourages kids to get off the couch and get active outdoors.

Be sure to always wear safety gear and helmet when using the Shred Sled!

Shred Sled is available in black, blue or red. Ages 8 & up $119.99 check here for a shop near you.

My Thoughts

My son was the tester on this review, as I just can’t shred like I used to ( ). But he can and he loves this new board. He has been an avid skateboarder for years now, and has scars to prove it (that’s why it is important to wear safety gear!) He likes this new type of board and says it gives him a lot more control over the direction he wants to go in as well as for doing tricks. He said it does give a smoother ride and handles corners fast, something he likes a lot. He really enjoys the Shred Sled and recommends it to everyone this holiday season. He knows 4 of his friends who would love to see this under the tree this year.

DOUGLAS COMPANY has been a family-owned business for over 50 years (since 1956). We are proud of our “Old New England Work Ethic” and our able staff, some of whom have been with us for 20 and 30 years.

Our success comes from our unique designs and high quality materials and craftsmanship. Our animals have gestures and expressions that clearly distinguish them as Douglas. Our faces evoke a sense of endearment.

Douglas Company was one of the last companies to manufacture plush in the United States. Today the stuffed animal designs, created by our talented New England design team, are manufactured in Asia to our exacting specifications and to meet all current Toy Safety Standards.

I love teddy bears, always have, always will. The softer and cuddlier the better and Douglas Stuffed Animals has some very soft stuffed teddy bears. And I absolutely love the stuffed bear I was able to review for the company. The Teddy Small Cinnamon Bear was a great choice for my daughter who I am just now introducing to stuffed teddy bears. She loves this bear, named him Nim and carries him with her all the time. He even has a nice little place in her bed where she can cuddle with him until she goes to sleep.

I am very happy with the quality of the Douglas line of teddy bears and recommend them to everyone. And I have been offered the chance to giveaway one cuddly stuffed animal to one Dirty Shirt reader. (winner’s choice must be chosen from any non-oversized animal, in general not a large or xtra large animal). See rules below to enter:

And if you can’t wait to see who wins, or want to get started on a great new collection then use the code tenoff4moms at checkout for 10% off any order at Douglascuddletoy.com.

Giveaway

• MAIN RULE – Go to their website here and find a stuffed animal you would like to give the special child in your life and come back here and tell me in comments what it is WITH a direct link please. (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Stumble this post and leave your Stumble name (I will be checking) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Favorite The Dirty Shirt in Technorati and leave your name (I will be checking) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in subscribe section on on the right sidebar) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry for Tweeting about this giveaway. Please leave direct URL in comments so I can check or @jentifa
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog and to the Douglas website.

This giveaway will run through midnight on June 8, with winner being announced the morning of June 9. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.