It’s that time of year again, when Peter Cottontail and all his bunny helpers hop into homes with baskets filled with treats and toys for good little boys and girls. Here are some of our favorite non-food items to fill your kiddo’s baskets with.
PLAYMOBIL has created even more figures to inspire imaginative play- Figure Series 13: Blind bags will continue to be a hit with the kids. The latest series features 24 different figures that can be collected, assembled and are interchangable. Each figure comes unassembled which adds to the fun- your kids can put them together or mix and match the interchangeable parts with other figures to create an entirely new and original character. $2.99 each
It’s Spring- ready for bubbles? These are cute, and can be less messy then a bubble wand. Glove-A-Bubbles Bunny (or 7 other animal options) puts the bubbles onto a little glove and lets them wave their hands around, creating waves of bubbles with each swipe. These ‘gloves’ come with two packs of bubble solution in each package. A parent can pour it into the pouch, dip the glove into the bubbles, and send the kids out to run wild. While there are 8 animals total, Bunny is egg-stra cute for Easter, we think. $2.99 each.
We LOVE Smooshy Mushy, I’ve got to say. If your kids have not begged for a squish toy yet, we don’t know how you have escaped this craze. It’s not one I personally mind terribly- they are inexpensive, smell nice, and are adorable, so not a craze that this mom minds. As we had mentioned in out Toy Fair columns, The Squish trend is continuing, for sure. These scented, “slow-rise,” squishable animal toys come in a variety fun food and pet themes, each packaged with an itty-bitty collectible squishy best friend, adding levels of surprise. The packaging itself is super cute, often an ice cream cone, soda bottle, milk carton, or the like. Very sweet. $9.99
Stikbot Easter Eggs will be such a treat for any fan of the series- my son lost his sanity when he saw these eggs, so excited. Zing has rolled out a new line of Easter-themed Stikbot Pets just in time for Easter. Perfect for filling baskets (and you don’t need to crack your nails opening those dreadful plastic eggs to fill them over and over, LOL), adorable Stikbot Bunnies and Chicks are packed inside colorful eggs. Stickbot has nearly 200 million views on YouTube, and many kids make their own YouTube channels dedicated to their own “spinoff” or inspired themes. Kids love the open ended, imaginative play that these toys bring with them. Stickbot also teaches kids a skill- how to do stop-motion animation movies, not to mention some patience. I love the combination of tech and no tech in this- they need to really use their minds, create- THEN use tech to record. It’s one of my favorite toys my son has- and the price is great at $4.99 each.
Care Bears Care-Moji Figures continue the “blind bag” trend- and these are adorable “bags”. The mini collectible Care-Moji friends have a mini Care Bears character stylized figures inside. Each 2” figure comes inside of an adorable bear-shaped capsule (I love all these fun “blind bags”, the creativity is so much fun). There are 12 different figures to collect, play with, or display. Each capsule sold separately. $3.99 each.
Bunny Surprise and Lamb Surprise are the latest (and most “Spring” appropriate) of the Puppy and Kitty Surprise family of toys- These soft, huggable mommy Bunny or Lamb Surprise plush (with a plastic face) comes with a “surprise” number of babies in her litter – either three, four, or five per doll.Kids will have fun seeing how many babies she has, and then cuddling, grooming, and taking care of all the precious little bunnies and lambs (as well as mom). I had one of these “Surprise” toys as a child, and it’s fun to see my child play with one, as well. Mommy Bunny Patches and Mommy Lamb Bliss are sold separately. $24.99
Do your kids have an allergy to eggs? Are you vegan? Still want to participate in the whole egg-dying tradition? Check out Eggnots, the ceramic egg kit. There is no longer a reason why kids have to be separated during these activities during class or scouting (etc), or have to bypass the activity for Easter should you not want to. These ceramic eggs are an alternative so that everyone can still participate. Prices start at $9.99 at http://www.eggnots.com
