The Toys Store

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Ferocious robotic dinosaur! The Bad: Background noise can make it tough for him to "seek" you out In a Nutshell: This smart, quirky "pet" will inspire tons of imaginative play At a Glance Ages: 8 and up Requires: 5 C batteries and 2 AAA batteries

D-REX features authentic looking rubbery, reptilian skin. View larger.

Controller lets you prompt five different types of behavior. View larger.

Get Ready for Realistic, Imaginative Fun
Right out of the box, this scaly pet D-REX feels more authentic than most other dinosaur toys on the market. His rubbery, reptilian skin is loosely stretched to accommodate movement, and he has a slightly strange texture that is soft to the touch. While his oversized feet and a fun spiked collar balance his menacing teeth and his darting yellow eyes, he is still a little scary looking. Don't worry--you'll soon discover that he has a sense of humor and a soft spot for anyone willing to scratch the back of his head.

Before you start getting to know D-REX personally, you'll need to use a Phillips screwdriver to insert five "C" batteries in his tail and two "AAA" batteries in the bone-shaped controller. Once he's powered up, D-REX is ready to start showing off and responding to his surroundings. He'll roar, turn his head, and blink his eyes.

Cool Robotics Technology for Interactive Play
When you pet D-REX on the head, touch sensors let him respond with an appreciative roar. If he seems hungry, you can stick something in his mouth and he'll chomp away on it. And the bone-shaped controller lets you prompt five different types of behavior. Press "attack," and he'll launch forward while roaring. Press "prank," and he'll fart, burp, or roar. In seek mode, he uses a noise sensor to locate you and walk towards you. Due to the room's background noise, we found that he had some difficulty with this task. But it was funny (and kind of cute) when he bumped into walls and backed away in surprise.

Perhaps our favorite mode was "guard." In this mode, you can set D-REX up in front of your bedroom door or your favorite toys and he will scan the room, letting out a big roar if he detects the motion of "intruders." There's even a question mode that lets you replace your out-dated magic eight ball with dinosaur wisdom. Each time you press this button, D-REX will answer a question by nodding "Yes" or shaking his head "No."

D-REX is programmed to respond as a pet with an independent mind. This means that, despite his five-button remote, he won't walk where ever you want him to. Kids who expect to "drive" him around the room like a remote control car may be disappointed, but we actually enjoyed this fact a lot, since it made him more realistic. And we expect that kids who are fascinated by either dinosaurs or robotics will agree with us on this. As an added bonus, D'REX offers a battery-saving sleep mode, which parents are sure to appreciate.

"Princess Liana" Barbie has beautiful blonde hair topped with a tiara. View larger.

Her dress flips from plain to fancy with the turn of a knob.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Sparkly dress, jeweled tiara, and light-up pendant turn this Barbie into a true princess The Bad: Barbie's dress can't be removed In a Nutshell: Little princesses everywhere will love playing with her At a Glance Ages: 3 and up

Sparkly yet Sturdy
Your little girl can play with this Barbie right out of the box. Parents might need to show younger kids how to flip Barbie's dress over with the turn of a knob (the instructions tell you how). You might also need to point out the tiny button that makes Barbie sing a song from "Barbie and the Diamond Castle," but once they know where it is, even little ones will be able to find it quickly.

The stiff material of Barbie's purple, pink, and orange sparkly dress will stand up well to lots of play. Her matching purple, high-heeled shoes, on the other hand, could get easily lost or swallowed. Parents should help with the delicate operation of cutting Barbie's tiara free from the plastic that binds it to Barbie's head. Afterall, every princess likes to take off her crown once in a while!

A Barbie with Bling
This Barbie has a lot of bling -- from the dress that makes a "bringg" sound when it flips from "plain" to "fancy," to the pendant that lights up during this same operation. Barbie's fancy dress, with a sparkling pink bodice and layers of shimmering orange gauze over pink "silk," will dazzle every girl. Plus, it looks just like the dress that Princess Liana wears in the movie.

Your child will also love being able to remove Barbie's purple tiara with its orange jewel and the purple shoes that perfectly match her dress. If your child has the "Princess Alexa" doll (also based on a character from the movie), the two dolls can sing a special duet together while holding hands. And, of course, how could you forget Barbie's hair? Long, silky, and lustrous, girls will love brushing it with the heart-shaped gold brush that's included.

A Princess from Head to Toe
We appreciated the whole princess-like package -- the tiara, the sparkly dress, the light-up pendant. Everyone child dreams of being royalty and we think think this singing Barbie will hit just the right note with your own would-be princesses. It would be nice if you could remove her princess dress for those days when Barbie wants a more casual look, but that isn't the case here. We like the hairstyle that Princess Liana sports (with two sections of hair knotted together at the nape of her neck), but we worry that younger girls might accidentally muss it with inadvertent brushing and end up with a bad-hair day for Barbie. These minor criticisms aside, we think this Barbie will be a hit with little girls even if they haven't seen the movie "Barbie and the Diamond Castle." If they have seen it, they'll love their Princess Liana Barbie even more!

Punch a wall and the hand will say a catchphrase. View larger.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Safe, simple fun The Bad: Sensor can be a little too sensitive In a Nutshell: Realistic looking Hulk hands offers hours of fun and safe entertainment. Both comfortable and durable, Hulk Smash Hands will add to your fun for a long time At a Glance Ages: 3 and up Requires: 3 AAA batteries (included); a Philips screwdriver to change the batteries

Realistic, Detailed Look
Kids will love pretending to be the Hulk, and with a very realistic look, it's easy to get carried away. In fact, we are very impressed with just how detailed the hands are -- both hands are clenched in fists and are entirely green but exhibit shading patterns that suggest different textures, depth, and intricacies such as bulging veins. The fingernails, in particular, are highly detailed. The hands are about 8 x 10 x 6 inches (WxHxD) When wearing the hands, you really get a sense of them being the Hulk's hands and not your own.

Easy, Simple Fun
The hands are simple to play with; just put your hands inside, grab onto the soft bar inside for a secure grip, and swing away. Although simplistic, the hands are a ton of fun. A small battery-operated plastic unit is hidden inside the right Hulk Hand within a Velcro-fastened pouch that offers ten different sayings and sound effects including "Hulk Smash!" and "You're making me angry, you won't like me when I'm angry," whenever you hit something or swing hard enough in the air. The sounds are loud enough to be fun but not so loud as to be extremely annoying.

One minor complaint is that the sensor can be a little too sensitive, as even the smallest tap often causes the hand to unexpectedly respond. You can also turn the sounds off by flipping a switch. If the battery needs replacing, a Philips screwdriver is necessary to open the battery compartment. The Hulk Smash Hands uses 3 AAA batteries for power. (Batteries are included. )

Kids will easily spend hours having fun from bashing things and each other, delighting from the sound effects. The soft polyester foam construction is both comfortable and durable, doing a good job protecting both the hands and targets from injury. After our time punching walls, each other, and whatever else we could find, the hands didn't show any signs of breaking down, though the polyester fiber filling did sprout through the surface a bit (this was easily removed. )

Overall, the Hulk Smash Hands are durable and a lot of fun for children, Hulk fans, and for adults looking for a chuckle and stress relief.