Classic Toys For Christmas? 1085
waterwheel asks: "Christmas is coming, and it's time to start planning our online shopping list for future Slashdot readers. This year I'm having a look at some of the more classic toys - and am finding that not only are some of the classic toys still around - but they are still educational and fun. Two good examples of this are the Rubik's Cube and the time honored gyroscope. The cube has been around for about 20 years, the gyroscope it seems for almost a 100. Both will be under the tree this year. Both of these toys are able to compete with video games - a true test of staying power. This begs the question - what other classic toys do you remember from your youth that are still fun enough that kids will play with them today?"
Rubik's Cube (Score:2, Insightful)
God Bless America.
Legos (Score:4, Insightful)
Legos (Score:5, Insightful)
On this topic, I'm not a big fan of the premade Lego sets for Star Wars or Harry Potter or whatever. Kids need the generic box of bricks and plates.
Plain-Jane Lego, of course! (Score:5, Insightful)
Ignore all that fancy "Harry Potter" type themed Legos that are 3 times the price of basic blocks. You can buy a huge tub of basic Lego for around 20 bucks at Toys R Us or any Lego Store.
You can get a MASSIVE amount of plain lego that's great for stimulating a kid's imagination at a fraction of the cost of some of that "themed" Lego junk.
If that's not "creative" enough, find some Technics Lego. That stuff is neat to play with, too!
Legos Legos Legos! (Score:3, Insightful)
for a 2 yr old, the box (Score:4, Insightful)
Gyroscopes don't last more than a day (Score:4, Insightful)
I'd rather have something that makes use of the stupid gyroscope. Where are all of the fun toys that use the gyroscope? Where's the home segway kit? Why doesn't someone make more toys that USE these classic toys instead of leaving someone uninspired and wanting more?
Re:Classic toy (Score:5, Insightful)
Considering both require parental supervision at their age, target practice is a great way for the whole family to get outside and do something together.
Or, were you being sarcastic?
Re:A kind message from pedants anonymous (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Rubik's Magic (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Extra $$ this Christmas? (Score:5, Insightful)
A good solid metal gyroscope is a fun toy that won't break or obselesce. I loved mine.
Ones that are still big hits with the kids: anything with marbles. You can't go wrong with marbles. Pinball machines, chute kits, Fireball Island. While static boardgames might be a dead issue for kids, motile, kinetic boardgames like Crossbows and Catapults (unfortunately also a lawsuit magnet) have the novelty of actually having active, real world objects smashing into each other.
Personally, I want to make a simple real-world RTS game involving a punchclock and some wind-up toys.
Classic (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Extra $$ this Christmas? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Extra $$ this Christmas? (Score:3, Insightful)
Besides, Erector sets are way cooler, sharper, and deadlier than anything else out there.
I used to buy all my X-mas presents. But then I figured out that baking or making a present is cheaper and more personal than anything else.
My mom can't eat flour, so I make flourless cookies. My grandfather's diabetic, so I make sugar-free cookies. And I know what each person likes, so I vary the recipes.
15 containers from Dollar Store - $15
Cookie ingredients for 8 dozen cookies - $50
Total for X-Mas presents - $65
Giving really great, personalized presents - Priceless
This only really works if you like to cook and are good at it. But after a couple years, you'll be pretty damn good at it, and it doesn't take that long in the first place (30 minutes of labor per batch, so 4 hours).
Re:Rubik's Cube (Score:5, Insightful)
It's in fact their job to prevent bootlegged products from hitting American markets, so quit trying to spin this story as some kind of ridiculous "war on terror gone crazy" horseshit.
Magnifying glass (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Lego having a rough year (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Rubik's Cube (Score:3, Insightful)
The look of the Cube is trademarked. If they used different colors, or maybe little symbols on the stickers, they might have been OK.
It's the same thing as a counterfeit Gucci purse or Rolex.
200-in-1 Electronics Lab (Score:5, Insightful)
Hours of fun playing around with basic-level electronics, and you get to learn some stuff too!
You used to see them all the time at Radio Shack and other stores, but I haven't seen one in person in over a decade. There are also different "sizes", but I can't recall what they are.
Gifts for a lifetime (Score:3, Insightful)
Baseball, glove, and wooden bat. Instructions and lesson for care of same, including the esoterics of neatsfoot oil and pine tar.
Large box of generic legos. Forget the little men, just give in bulk, including the long pieces. Instructions and lesson for use and care of same, including the esoterics of planning the project before building it, so as not to run out of the aforementioned long pieces.
Pocket knife and sharpening stone. Instructions and lesson for use and care of same, including the esoterics of blade oil (and keeping it off aforementioned stone).
Estes Rocket. Instructions and lesson for use and care of same, including the esoterics of making it go faster through the use of pin striping and how to use a power strip as an ignition switch without causing electrocution.
Microscope. Instructions and lesson for use of same, including the esoterics of what's in saliva.
50-in-1 electronic project kit. Instructions and lesson for use of same, including the esoterics of using the FM transmitter project to override the sibling's favorite FM station.
Themed lego are good (Score:2, Insightful)
It is not.
1) Great way to get a child interested in Lego
2) You don't have to use the themed pieces as they where intended. When you see a child use those themed pieces in a creative way to create something that owuld have been IMPOSSIBLE to crate 20 years ago, you'll relize the themed piece can ADD to the imangination process.
3) If A child only build a kit as per the intrustions, and them leaves them alone they weren't going to get anything out of Lego anyways.
4) they help keep the Lego company around.
Hah! Take that!
Don't let corporations dictate language usage (Score:3, Insightful)
That's double-plus ungood.
Besides, writing Lego in all-caps is really annoying. There is no reason for that other than making their name standing out in context. Like .NET or ATi. One capital letter is enough.
Calling the bricks "Lego bricks" is a valid request, though, since there really isn't anything called "a lego". At least not in my vocabulary. But that might be a matter of taste.
LEGOs (Score:2, Insightful)
fess up. how many of you still have Legos from 20+ years ago?
Re:Classic toy (Score:5, Insightful)
Lego Bricks (Score:4, Insightful)
Rule of thumb.
Besides, they're in dire financial straits and we need to help them out. Maybe they'll bring back just plain ole bricks vs. specialised or licensed stuff.
check out their online store:
www.lego.com
Re:Rubik's Cube (Score:5, Insightful)
You know what the real horseshit here is?
Being told that the Dept. of Homeland Sercurity was formed to "improve communications between agencies."
So why didn't they go to the freakin' uspto website and spend 30 seconds there to see that the rubik's cube patent had expired, and the trademark office had granted the magic cube guys a valid "magic cube" trademark??? (like I did)
Rather than sending some agents to shakedown a toy shop??
It is in fact "war on terror gone crazy"
Somebody needs to lose their job on this one. In fact, why don't they do away with that monkey-ass color thing that flips between orange and yellow all the time and no other colors???
I say if they can't ever give us a green (aka peace) or at least a blue, they should fold the whole damm "homeland security" department and save us the tax money and stupid stories of agents looking to use the company card on a vacation to a toy shop.
My faves - are they around? (Score:3, Insightful)
My Chemistry set. I still remember what color you get when you mix Ferric Ammonium Sulfate and Tannic Acid! I remember starting to play with it Christmas afternoon, and my Mom insisted that my Dad sit in the room with me, I assume to make sure I didn't blow anything up. He sat there reading the whole time, only looking up when I said "Hey Dad! Look! I can pour this into this and it turns blue!"
My first Microscope. I forget the name of the set, it was a set of cardboard tubes, and lenses you could plug into either end. It worked great, and I remember Dad giving up a drop of blood so that we could take a look at it.
Kids today.. yeah, Gamecubes are cool, but they don't know what they're missing.
Microscope (Score:3, Insightful)