Lego Maniacs of the world, unite! The Minifigures are arriving!
Now I myself, Toy Buyin' Ryan, am a self-professed Lego Maniac; my childhood was largely devoted to obsessions with Lego, waiting for new Lego sets, building Lego cities, destroying said Lego cities ("Oh no! The dragons have invaded Lego Town! Send in the Lego fire department to contain the fires, and drive them off with the Spyrius space-robots!" ...the Spyrius reference is really dating me...), and then building them again.Now I happen to have grown-up (I mean, sort of...) and landed one of the greatest jobs on the planet, namely Lego Buyer for Mastermind Toys. In my day I have seen some cool Lego come and go (Star Wars + Lego... greatest combo since PB and J??? I think so), but we have something arriving at Mastermind Toys this week that has got to be one of the COOLEST Lego things I have EVER SEEN!
Here's the scoop: they're called "Lego Minifigures," and they are a collection of crazy-cool, totally unique, and totally brand-new minifigures that you cant get in any set! Each one comes in its own little mystery bag, and they have cool gear and pieces that come with them... all for just $2.95 each. The first series (there will be more releases later this year!) has 16 different unique minifigures that will totally blow your mind!
We're not talking minifigs like "the police officer" or "the knight"... no no no, my friends, those would be boring and not nearly special enough. How about I tease you with some of my favourites from series 1:
- The Lego Caveman! Complete with caveman club!
- The Lego Wrestler! Nacho Libre!
- The Lego Crash Test Dummy! Perfect for my crash-filled Lego cities!
...and Toy Buyin' Ryan's absolute favourite...- The Lego Zombie!!! A zombie?!? made of Lego?!?! Be still my beating heart!!!
Like I said, each one comes in its own mystery pack, so you never know which cool figure you're going to get (but trust me, there are no "duds"... they are all very cool!) There are 16 to collect from Series 1, and these would make FANTASTIC loot bag additions, special little treats, or just fun gifts!
Take it from a Bona-Fide Lego Maniac: this is the coolest thing in Legoland since the birth of the brick!
-- Toy Buyin' Ryan
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****THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED!*****
Every year, around late summer, Lego comes out with amazing, NEW cool sets that make awesome models, are tons of fun and are great for ages 2 (Duplo) to 100 (not that I know of a 100 year old who plays with Lego, but you never know!) There are kits for boys and girls alike ranging anywhere from STAR WARS to ATLANTIS to TOY STORY to POWER MINERS, and everyone has their favorite.
NOW, as you may have read in Toy Buyin' Ryan's post, this summer Mastermind Toys is among only THREE retailers in Canada who are getting the NEWEST Lego sets almost 4 months before anyone else!!! And as you might have also seen in TBR's blog, the new Lego Sets are SO COOL and include a whole new series: World Racers!!!
To celebrate this event, we want one of our devoted fans to win one of the NEWEST Lego Sets! The winner of this exciting contest will get to pick ONE from the THREE new Lego sets listed below!:
SPACE POLICE LUNAR LIMO - A really cool addition (and the newest nemesis) to the notorious SPACE POLICE
WORLD RACER JUNGLE BOATS - Part of the awesome NEWEST series from Lego!
POWER MINERS CLAW CATCHER - Use the Claw Catcher to pick up the Pesky Lava Monsters!
HOW TO ENTER THIS GREAT CONTEST:
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!***
Leave a SEPARATE comment for each action taken at the end of this blog post telling us one of the following (PLEASE NOTE: EACH action counts as an entry for a total of 5 DIFFERENT comments)! When you leave a comment make sure that you enter your email address so that we can contact you if you win! (Your email will not be displayed publicly, nor will it be used for anything other than this contest!)
- "Like" (Fan) us on our Facebook Page (and comment here telling us you are a fan)
- Follow us on Twitter (and comment here telling us you Follow us on Twitter)
- Subscribe to our eUpdates(and comment here telling us you are a subscriber)
- Subscribe to the Mastermind Toys YouTube Channel (and comment here telling us you are a subscriber)
- Leave a comment telling us which Lego set you would choose and why!
THE SCOOP
- Entrants MUST be 18 or older
- Contest entrants must live within Canada or the Contiguous United States of America
- Delivery of prize is limited to shipping within Canada and the Contiguous United States of America by regular parcel post
- The winner will be chosen using Random.org, a random number generating website
- Upon determining the winner, we will notify the winner by email. The winner will have 72 hours to respond. If we do not hear from the winner at that time, a new winner's name will be drawn.
Thanks for Entering and GOOD LUCK! :)
--Lisa the Toy Whiz
Attention fans of Mastermind Toys! Want to see our favourite toy picks of the summer season in action? Well then we have just the thing for you!
Mastermind Toys co-founder and head toy buyer Jon Levy is going to be on Canada AM every morning from Tuesday May 25 until Friday May 28 demonstrating the COOLEST toys of the summer!
This is very exciting for all of us here at Mastermind and it's a great way to connect everyone out there to the people who actually pick the great toys that end up in our Mastermind toys stores and on MastermindToys.com. Jon leads the team of buyers here, and you'll see that we're really just a bunch of kids. We've been rehearsing all week for these appearances already... and by "rehearsing" I mean "playing with toys." True story: just the other day we were out front practicing with our flying toys for day 1 (see below!) and a couple of police officers on bike patrol rode by as we were launching our glider... they ended up stopping by for half an hour to check out the toys, and they agreed that we have cool jobs!
OK, now here's the scoop on the appearances next week: each day Jon will be talking about a different summer toy theme.Tuesday May 25: Flying Toys!
We're kicking the week off with some GREAT toys for flying, chasing, flinging, gliding, and all the other great things that go along with toys that go up in the air! The highlight will be the Air Hogs Titan Glider, a huge plane thaat loops the loop!
Wednesday May 26: Water Toys!
This segment will be shot live on location from a pool! See splashing, diving, boats and subs and more with these great toys!Thursday May 27: "Too Cool for School" (or Rainy Day) Toys!
These toys are the toys that you'll whip out on a rainy day this summer, or when you just want to play indoors. Be sure to watch to see our cool colour-changing ant farm!Friday May 28: Backyard and Outdoor Toys!
Quintessential summer play: hit the backyard, run around like crazy, and have fun! The Blossom Bright Sprinkler is one of our favourites!
So there you have it! 4 days, 4 great groupings of summer toys! Be sure to tune in to see them in action!
-- Toy Buyin' Ryan
On our part we've done a few things to make it easier for you to shop:
- plenty of parking and parking attendants to help you find a spot
- wide aisles that are very stroller friendly!
- 16 cashiers and 16 baggers to help move you through the checkout line faster
- convenient hours: Wednesday-Friday (May 26-28) 9am-8pm, Saturday (9-6pm) and Sunday (11-5pm), 10-6pm, and Monday-Wednesday (May 31-June 2), 10-5pm
- Wednesday June 2nd is DEAL DAY! Even BIGGER discounts on the last day of the sale!
Best times to go:
Take our customers' advice: If you've taken a look at our Facebook page recently, you'll notice Fans giving lots of tips and advice as to how to prepare for the sale. For example:
Sandra: "I have been planning (what to buy), plotting (how to hide the bill from my husband), and packing (the old toys to make room for the new ones)."
Nora: "My friends and I make a "girls" day out of it...It's my turn this year to bring the coffee and snacks. We have a great track record for being the first group in line 6 years and counting. We have made friends along the way...we meet up with the same ladies each year."
Prepare a list: knowing who you need to buy for and ages will really help you narrow down your shopping time. Hosting some birthday parties in the near future? There are lots of small things that are great for loot bags too!
"Focus, focus, focus": A phrase my friend's frustrated husband used on the two of us during one particular shopping marathon. Don't get sidetracked, stick to your list and you'll be happy with what you've got.
Bring a calculator: A calculator will help you stay on budget -- well, at least it will help you tally your purchases ahead of time so you won't get a shock at the checkout.
Am I missing anything? If you have a great warehouse tip you'd like to share, add it to our Facebook page or comment in this blog in the comment section.
For complete details on our warehouse sale, click here.
Happy Shopping!
--Cathy the Toy Mom.
OK Lego maniacs, it is a VERY special time for you!
If you are a true blue Lego maniac (you know who you are; entire shelving units devoted to Lego creations, broken vacuums from Lego pieces, a Lego metropolis pitting brave knights against space invaders monitored by an ever-vigilant city police squad....), then you know that Lego always releases a whole line of new sets in the late summer every year. Now what you may not know is that a select few retailers get EARLY access to some of these new sets... and this year Mastermind Toys is one of them!
So we are very excited to announce that we have brand new Lego sets, about 30 in total, arriving RIGHT NOW to our stores and to MastermindToys.com!
Here's a rundown of the new sets!
Power Miners, Atlantis and Space Police Sets
These themes are all getting brand new sets, all of which are very cool. The highlight for me is the Lunar Limo Space Police Set... it's like a bad guy's big black car... IN SPACE. Awesome.
New Kingdoms Knights Theme
Castles! Good knights! Black knights! Horses! Catapults! Some of you Lego maniacs have probably been ITCHING for a return to classic Lego knights sets... itch no more!!
New World Racers Theme
You're going to love this... this is a brand new theme from Lego that pits all sorts of crazy racing/battling contraptions against one another for wild world-wide races! Each set comes with two different vehicles filled with crazy characters that race one another. Boats, cars, motor-bikes and more race accross desert, snow, swamps... you name it! A very cool new line.
New Lego Airport Theme
The Lego Airport has arrived! Planes, tanker trucks and more... awesome awesome awesome!
And new Duplo and Creator Sets
The selection is rounded-out with some classic new additions to these themes, including a giant crocodile Creator set!
So check out all of these cool new sets in-store and online, and remeber that Mastermind Toys has them first!!
--Toy Buyin' Ryan
Remember when you were a kid, and you wanted to create a place that was all your own? So, you'd set up the bed, chair and dresser accordingly, put a sheet on top and viola, you had your own space! Then you'd crawl underneath, sit down and the whole thing would crash around you, and no matter which way you pinned down the corners with heavy objects it always managed to fall!?
The Fortamajig ($49.95, 3+) will definitely change all that! What it is, is a large (8 feet X 8 feet), square-shaped, piece of fabric that has many stretchy Velcro tabs all around it. To use, hook the tabs to anything, anywhere you want and create a really cool, tent-fort! Made of a very durable, water-resistant material, the Fortamajig can be used inside OR outside, and it is completely washable!
It's great to hook up over-top of the bed, between chairs, between trees and comes in an awesome LIME GREEN colour! Not only that, there is also a mesh panel for those inside the tent to scope out the area and survey any visitors! It also includes a cool tote bag so you can bring it with you everywhere you go!
This toy is great for sparking the imagination and encouraging creative play while removing the frustration of a sheet that just won't stay put! AND by using only Velcro loops, there are no hard pieces to break or loose! Get a couple and you can make a whole tent city! Don't be surprised if you want to join in on the fun!
--Lisa the Toy Whiz

***THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED AND GOOD LUCK!***
It's time once again for the Mastermind Toys Annual Warehouse Sale! This is a great time to stock up on all kinds of gifts for holidays, birthdays and baby gifts at prices up to 70% off! At our warehouse Sale you'll find lots of fantastic deals on a variety of high quality toys and games from Lego to Playmobil to Thomas the Tank Engine. It truly is a great sale and it only happens once a year.
Over the years we've sought out larger spaces so we can offer you even more selection and stock more inventory, but we also know that our warehouse sale is so popular that people will patiently line up before the warehouse sale opens and it can pet a wee bit crowded at times. So, we came up with an idea: What about running a contest to help a few of our customers jump to the front of the line? Imagine, no waiting, shopping without crowds, wouldn't that be nice?
Curious yet?
ANNOUNCING THE FIRST ANNUAL 'JUMP TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE' MASTERMIND TOYS WAREHOUSE SALE CONTEST!
This year we are going to give TEN people the chance to JUMP TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE at this year's Warehouse Sale! And because we don't want you to shop alone, we're letting each of our winners bring a friend! For one hour our winners and their friends will get to shop before anyone else does (this means no crowds!) And that's ot all! Winners of the amazing contest will also get to come in a serparate VIP entrance where we will have a lovely continental breakfast for you to enjoy before you enter the sale! (We wouldn't want your energy levels to dip while you're shopping!)
This means:
On May26th, the FIRST day of the sale, each winner and a friend get to enter the HUGE Mastermind Toys Warehouse Sale at 8am, a whole HOUR before it opens to the public!
- Get VIP treatment include a beautiful continental breakfast
- NO Crowds!
- FIRST PICK of the items we have on sale such as Thomas the Tank Engine, Playmobil, Lego, Corolle, Groovy Girls and so much more!
- Have a first go at amazing products that we still carry in our stores, but have only slightly damaged packaging!
HOW TO ENTER THIS GREAT CONTEST:
Leave a SEPARATEcomment for each action taken at the end of this blog post telling us one of the following (please note that EACH action counts as an entry)! When you leave a comment make sure that you enter your email address so that we can contact you if you win! (Your email will not be displayed publicly, nor will it be used for anything other than this contest):
- "Like" (Fan) us on our Facebook Page (and comment here telling us that you are a fan).
- Follow us on Twitter (and comment here telling us that you follow us on Twitter).
- Subscribe to our eUpdates (and comment here telling us that you subscribed).
- Subscribe to the Mastermind Toys Channel on YouTube (and comment here telling us you are a subscriber).
- Tell us why you would LOVE to Jump to the Front of the Line for our Warehouse Sale!
THE SCOOP:
- Entrants must be 18 or older
- Contest entrants must live within the GTA and/or arrange for their own transportation to arrive before 8am (we apologize to the out-of-towners who can't make it in for this event).
- Contest entrants may enter once per option as stated in the "How to Enter" section (ie., an entrant may subscribe to our eUpdate, become a fan of our Facebook Page, and follow us on Twitter which would consitute three entries. Each action should be added as a separate comment in the comment section).
On May 20th, 2010 at 1:00pm EST 10 winners will be chosen using Random.org, a random number generating website.
Winners will be contacted by us using their email addresses. The winners' email addresses will not be published publicly.
Upon determing the winners, we will notify the 10 winners by email. The winners will have 24 hours to respond. If we do not hear from them at that time, a new winner's name will be drawn. As the contest closes on May 20, we will need to hear from our winners by 2:00pm, Friday May 21st so that your name can be put on our VIP list or contact another winner if a chosen winner is unable to attend.
Entries may be posted between May 5th and May 20, 1020 at 12pm EST. A random number will be drawn on May 20, 2010 at 1:00pm, EST. The numbers will correspond to the comment entries and the winners will be notified via email!
Good luck to everyone and hope to see you there!
--Lisa the Toy Whiz
This week, I wanted to keep with the theme of "Awesome Outdoor Toys" because (for the most part) we have been having FANTASTIC weather, and who doesn't want an really cool toy to play with outside on a beautiful day?!
SO, the Cool Toy Pick of the Week this week is the Djubi (pronounced joo-bee)! We found the Djubi ($29.95, ages 8 & up) at the New York Toy Fair this year and LOVED it because it is totally unique in nature (think of it as a combination of lacrosse and a fling toy)! What it is, is a system of 2 oblong racquets with a hook on the top and 2 foam balls with elastic loops.
To use, one player hooks the elastic loop on the hook on the racquet, pulls back and lets go to FLING the ball! The other player has to try and catch this fast ball with their racquet (lined with a very durable mesh) which isn't as easy as it may sound. When flung, the Djubi Ball can EASILY fly over 100 feet (so you MIGHT need a little bit of room to play with it). Then it is that players turn to FLING the ball.
I know what you're thinking...so don't worry, if you've flung both of the balls into infinity and beyond, we also have replacement Djubi Balls ($6.95 for a 3 Pack)!
The great thing about Djubi is that the racquet is made out of a very durable plastic and has an easy-grip handle so that you can get the best possible FLING from your racquet. Also, the Djubi balls are a nice soft foam which means Djubi is also an AWESOME WATER TOY!
Djubi is so much fun to play with, and is perfect for the summer time because it is so versatile! Whether you're at the beach, at the cottage, in the pool or even in your own backyard, you can play with it anywhere! PLUS you can play with as many people as you'd like!
Djubi is a MUST for Summer 2010!
--Lisa the Toy Whiz
We have JUST released our Summer Survival Toy List, where we, the experts at Mastermind Toys, put our heads together to come up with the COOLEST toys for this summer! There are FOUR different Categories - Up in the Air, Waterworld Fun, Backyard & Garden Essentials and Rainy Day Toys! We are going to do FOUR different blog posts, each one about the different categories! To start off...
Up in the Air!
Zyclone Zing-Ring Blaster, ($24.95) Ages 6+ - A seriously cool projectile launcher that offers long distance flying fun! Fire your floating rings up to 100 ft. with the Zyclone blaster! The Zyclone launches a spinning Zing Ring made of lightweight foam. So cool, even David Letterman played with the Zyclone on TV!
Twin Flash Catch Game ($12.95) Ages 5+ - Twin Flash is a two-person launch and catch game. The object is to launch and catch a flying LED-flashing ring! Each player has a hand-held launcher that twirls the flasher into the air, and the launcher doubles as a catcher, too!
Ripcord Flyer Vertical Glider ($14.95) Ages 5+ - A double-duty flyer! The Ripcord Flyer launches into the air from your hand-held ripcord launcher just like a regular ripcord toy. The Flyer, however, also has glider wings, so when it hits its apex it begins to glide forward! It can fly 40 ft. vertically, and then another 40 ft. in a forward direction!
Air Hogs Titan Glider ($14.95) Ages 5+ - This massive lightweight Air Hogs stunt glider has a wingspan of over four feet! It’s easy to assemble and can fly up to 200 ft. Perfect for the park!
Skyliner Jet Plane Kite ($24.95) Ages 7+ - Let’s go fly a kite…up to the heighest height with the skyliner kite, shaped like a jumbo jet, it will soar through the air on a windy day!
All of these toys make GREAT gifts, and not only that, they are great for kids 5 years an up (and lets be honest, Mom and Dad, you'll love them too!) Stay tuned for more great summer survival toys!
--Lisa the Toy Whiz
What's more fun than spending a hot summer's day at the beach, poolside or simply in your backyard with the sprinkler on? In the fourth and final post in the series, Mastermind presents its "Waterworld Fun!" toys, designed to entertain, engage and have a great time outdoors! As with every toy in the Summer Survival Guide, all are less than $60, and available online or at one of our 11 GTA locations.
1. Max Noodle Connector ($4.95) Ages 5+
A simple little item that can add tons of fun to pool time! The Max Noodle connector turns pool noodles into giant building toys. Use them to connect your pool noodles together to make huge floating creations.
2. Aquaglider Nano Pool Toy ($6.95) Ages 5+:
The Aqua-Glider Nano is an underwater toy that cuts through the water just like a submarine! Adjust the wings to different positions depending on how fast you want it to climb, then dive down deep and release the Aqua-Glider for a thrilling submersible effect! It’s all about hydrodynamics – no battery or motor!
3. Sea Dragon Noodle Topper ($11.95) Ages 5+ (photo and link coming soon):
Move over Loch Ness monster, sea dragons will be all the rage this summer as kids dress up their noodles with these pool-safe, kooky character heads. Simply slide your sea dragon into any standard pool noodle and enjoy the ride-on sea creature!
4. Dirty Dishes Bath Toy ($14.95) Ages 2+:
Splish Splash for filthy fun in the bath! This tub toy comes with 12 pieces including floating “dirty” dishes that little ones can pretend to clean with a sponge! Dip dishes in warm water and the dirt magically disappears…and reappears when they dry out for fun over and over again!
5. Seaside Sidekicks Sand Cupcake Set ($19.95) and Speck Seashorse Sand Ice Cream Set ($19.95), Ages 3+:
Fun at the beach has never been so delicious! Why build boring castles when you can bake in the sand and mold delectable sand cupcakes (and of course mix and match your “icing” toppers), or scoop sand ice cream cones using your cone-and-bucket set?