The Three Hits of X-Mas Part Three: Going Godzilla for Quadrilla

     About three weeks before Christmas I took Jackson to my favorite toy store to see if we were missing anything he might like. By the end of the visit I was pretty sure I was going to need a tranquilizer dart gun when it was time to make our exit.  At The Dancing Bear my son encountered his favorite marble run ever. Quadrilla!! Jack is the proud owner of a few plastic marble runs that he had gotten hours and hour of entertainment building and watching, tearing down and building again. A Quadrilla marble run however is the major league of marble runs.

Jack's Red Rider BB Gun for 2010

     Manufactured by Manhattan Toys Quadrilla is a toy that I imagine will be in the family for generations to come. It's sturdy construction and multiple assembly options completely justifies the rather expensive price tag that comes along with it.

     Initially the 105 piece Twist set we selected can seem daunting to construct, especially when a hyped up 3 ½ year old bouncing on your back and screaming for you to hurry up. After a few attempts however it becomes quite easy, even enjoyable for Mom or Dad to put together. After a few dozen times you begin to see the educational value of the toy.

Every Configuration Brings The Same Smile

     For lack of a better term Jackson's engineering imagination began to take hold in a way I had never seen before. If I placed one of the color coded pieces in the wrong place, he would be there to point it out. When something isn't quite right he follows the marbles very closely and helps adjust the imperfection.

     This toy is without a doubt a 10 out of 10. One of the best investments we have made for our child thus far, swing by your local toy store to check one out.

The Three Hits Of X-Mas Part Two: A Classic Fail Redesigned

     As I mentioned in the previous post the wife and I picked up Jack's stocking stuffer's at the Dancing Bear in Downtown Frederick Md. They pretty much have every nostalgic toy you could imagine, from A Barrel of Monkey's to Pick Up Sticks. Most of these toys can be connected to a childhood memory. Christmas, Easter, or a friends birthday party perhaps.

     One toy immediately caught my eye and brought back memories of great disappointment and frustration, The Plastic Army Parachute-man. If you are a female reading this and have no idea of what I am talking about then I can understand. Any male however will remember vividly the excitement of getting one of these toys. It consists of exactly what it sounds like, a green or red figure tied to several strings and a flimsy sheet of plastic that was supposed to represent a “parachute”.

     Oh sweet youth did us boys ever imagine the imminent invasion of our neighbors yards with our airborne regiments. All we had to do was fold the action figure according to the precise and very complicated instructions, throw him in the air with all our might and jump for joy as he floated harmlessly to the ground so he can wreak havoc upon the enemy.

     Of course our hope were quickly dashed shortly after we tossed our soldier into the air and he promptly suffered a chute' malfunction and G.I. Joe fell to the earth like a stone. Mission failed. Evil lives another day. And no matter how much we tried we could never prevent the dang thing from getting tangled up and failing over and over.

Old Design with Soon to Be K.I.A action figures

     Not quite knowing why, I picked up this knick knack for Jack's stocking. Thinking that he would probably not even notice it, or would lose interest in it as I did. Never did I expect to find that some genius had redesigned this horribly flawed toy and turned in into a gem.

     Almost every toss into the air resulted in full deployment and a safe landing for our hero red plastic soldier. The major difference in the design is the elimination of strings, and the use of a fishnet material to attach the soldier to the the chute'. The plastic parachute has been replaced by a nylon fabric, which allows for a more flexible deployment, and nixes the need for overcomplicated folding before the toss.

New Design on and Old Toy Brings Our Boy a Lot of Joy

     Okay I admit it, I probably love this more than my son, but that's the advantage of being a dad, you get to play with neat toys again. Heck, you even get to see a bad toy's evolution into something fun and enjoyable. Believe it or not I got 8 successful deployments out of ten on the first play session. All of which had Jack jumping and shouting with glee.

The Three Hits of X-Mas Part One

      Christmas has come and gone, and odds are some of the presents you got for your children have made their way to the closet or have broken by now. The next few posts will highlight Jackson's favorite x-mas presents of 2010. If you're still looking to spend some of that Christmas money you might even want to consider them for your home.

     One theme Becky and I have been sticking to with our children is buying toys that spark imagination and creativity. Products that allow the child to dictate the outcome as opposed to assign roles and endings. So far we have succeeded in doing just that. Just don't ask me how poorly the ideal of limiting television has gone.

     The best toy store in the area hands down is the Dancing Bear. If you are looking for flashy, splashy electronics, or the latest PS3 game then by all means go somewhere else. This establishment prides itself on carrying products that inspire imagination the old fashioned way, No Batteries Necessary.  The wife and I went here to find cute stocking stuffer's and left with Two of Jack's favorite toys and an idea for another that had sold out there.

     A construction toy named Dado wound up being a big hit and a great stocking stuffer. It was one of those toys that got tossed to the side during the chaos of unwrapping presents but with some encouragement and demonstration the child can't seem to get enough.

      The blocks consist of several 4X4 flat squares with 4 slits cut in each side. It seems to help my child understand abstract concepts of construction, while demanding that he stick to the simple laws of physic's. Plus he thinks they are neato. For a stocking stuffer this has provided him with hours of fun already and we are only a little over one week post Christmas.

All in all I rate this toy a solid 9 out of 10.