While we like to show the fun that we have here in the office in our videos, the truth is that we do work pretty hard at finding the very best toys and books for our Mastermind Toys stores and for MastermindToys.com. It takes diligence and determination to maintain the high standards that we've set for ourselves, and so we have to work extremely hard at what we do.

Of course, that's totally boring to talk about. So let me tell you about this cool toy/game that we invented by playing it here at the office! On our one of our many toy-buying trips across the world, we found a magnetic dartboard that offered classic darts play in a much safer (both to kids and to the basement wall!) package. What's more, we were inspired by a "baseball" version of the darts that we'd seen, and we thought that it would be AWESOME to have a hockey version of the board... and what's more, we could make it 2-sided! Classic darts on one side, and hockey darts on the other side! So we had the hockey board designed (this design was even created by one of our store managers, James at the Mt. Pleasant store!), and we set about having them produced.

Now, problem: what are the rules to hockey darts? How do you play? We knew that it was a fun concept... but we still had to come up with the actual specific game! So of course, here in the office, we set about to playing with our game to discover the best possible approach (like I said: hard work, determination, blah blah blah and FUN!).

We came up with a few different variations, but the BEST is "shootout"... one player is the shooter, and one the goalie. The shooter goes first, and tries to hit the "net" targets with their 3 darts for the maximum score; then the goalie follows and tries to hit the goalie for the maximum score with their darts. If the shooter has more points, they score! If the goalie has more points... big save! And then the roles are reversed to complete the round. You go for 5 rounds just like a regular shootout, and the person with the most goals wins!

Toy Buyin' Ryan and Sal-a-Saurus Rex (Sal is our "creative monster" here in the office) have an ongoing competition with Sal-a-Saurus in the lead by one highly disputed game... but the competition is ongoing!

We hope you enjoy this great game as much as we do!

-- Toy Buyin' Ryan

What is it about the Thomas the Tank Engine collection that we find so appealing? Young or old, Thomas is one of those rare toys that can hold a child's (or adult's) attention for hours. When my boys were young (3-5 years old), Thomas was the toy of choice -- on or off the tracks. I would design new track models for the boys and they would run their trains around the tracks tooting their train whistles and imitating Gordon or Henry's voices. It would keep them occupied in a fairly quiet way for hours, and I could get dinner made uninterrupted.

A bit of history: Thomas and his friends, accessories and rail sets were the savvy result of one company noticing the popularity of a set of children's stories written by Reverend Awdry. The Reverend Awdry wrote the first three stories to entertain his three year old son who was recovering from the measles. (If I had a nickel for every author who wrote a bestseller just to entertain an ill child....!) His wife convinced him to send them off to a publisher, and after several rejections, one publisher asked him to write a fourth story to get Henry out of the bricked up tunnel. The stories were published, and the rest, as they say, is history. If you're interested in learning more about Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends, there are several fan sites to go through, the most popular of which seems to be Sodor Island -- A Fan Site.

The popularity of the Thomas stories led to radio and TV shows, which my kids watched faithfully for years. The show got my attention when I recognized the narrator's voice one time -- it was the unmistakable Liverpuddlian lilt that gave it away. "Is that Ringo Starr's voice?" I asked to my 3 and 4 year olds. "No, it's Sir Topham Hatt -- don't you know anything mom?" my oldest replied. Well, I think I know a Beatle's voice when I hear it, thank you very much. But then, at the time the boys were only exposure to music were Raffi and Sharon, Lois and Bram, so who could blame them?

The TV series has been narrated by many famous actors over the years. In addition to Ringo Starr's voice, I recognized George Carlin and Alec Baldwin's voices. The latest actor of note to narrate is none other than Pierce Brosnan (sigh). Yes, oo7 has a softer side to him. I might have to get the kids to start watching Thomas again....for nostalgia's sake...no, really.

Not only did my boys watch the TV episodes, we also have the "Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection" -- which contains all the stories written by Rev. Awdry from the first four published in 1945 right up to his last collection of stories published in 1972. There are 26 books in all, containing 105 stories.

The books and TV shows are a great tie-in for the actual train sets. Each train engine, car, and other moving vehicles, has its own distinct personality. Henry is quite vain, James and Gordon are a bit full of themselves, Thomas is a do-gooder, Edward has an easy-going disposition and the Troublesome Trucks are, you guessed it, troublesome. Their distinct character traits provide lots of possibilities for your kids to become their own budding storytellers.

Add strong characters to being able to construct different train track configurations, throw in some great buildings (including a water tower with a water level that lowers when you put the pipe down), and you've got endless hours of entertainment. And, fortunately, Thomas is durable. Made from solid hardwood, these toys last. They can be thrown on a tile floor by your cranky three year old whose nap is overdue and will not have a scratch on them (hopefully your floor will survive).

To find out more about how to start a Thomas collection, watch our video on Youtube.



(note: all facts in this post were taken from http://sodor-island.net)

There is a sale on Thomas The Tank Engine and Accessories, 20% off, Wednesday October 21-28, 2009.

-- Cathy the Toy Mom

My daughter loves Playmobil, in particular the sets focused on animals. She has the Animal Clinic and the Greenhouse set as well as a few horse accessory sets. We also have the Police Headquarters set, so from time to time you’ll see a wounded animal behind bars, or a policeman on the vet’s examining table. The variety available of imaginary situations available from Playmobil offers endless amounts of entertainment and role playing for kids (and, come on let's face it, a few of us adults don't mind getting in on the fun too!).

Probably one of the things about Playmobil that children find so absorbing is the amount of detail in each set – usually right down to computer terminals and phones on desks, or sacks of seed for the Greenhouse set, not to mention the boxes of individual flowers with individual petals! Of course, it also means all those little pieces can disappear faster than the instructions for putting the sets together.

Some great new Playmobil sets have just arrived at Mastermind including:

• the Egyptian Tomb with Treasure set, where your little nomads can set up a hut, complete with camels, dogs and a fenced in area and a well, and find a hidden treasure behind the wall!
  
• If your daughter is in that “wedding phase” where she’s constantly humming the Wedding March, or holding towels around her head walking slowly across the kitchen, there’s the new Church set which should allow her to live out her fantasy. It comes with a Bride, Groom, Minister, and even the rings. There are even bells to celebrate the end of the ceremony.
• The Suburban House is the latest of Playmobil’s line of dwellings. The second storey has a Juliet balcony, a bedroom and washroom, while the main floor consists of the kitchen and living room. The set includes the house, family of four, outdoor furniture and barbeque. There are lots of opportunities to expand the set in addition to adding furniture you can add a car, conservatory, wading pool, etc.