Wacky Wednesday

This is what we're doin!

Stop by later this morning (about 11:00) 

and make yer own to take home!

Next week it'll be Marshmallow launchers!

Word of the day

 

be·daz·zled, 

be·daz·zling,  

be·daz·zles

1. To dazzle so completely as to make blind.

2. To please irresistibly; enchant.

Frequently Asked Questions... What's New?

Starting this week, we're mixing things up a bit and presenting our version of "Wacky Wednesday".

We could do something like wearing a Lorax mustache, it could be getting the Poppers out for a target challenge, or it could be as Wacky as riding a Plasmacar all over downtown. 

At any rate, we've got some Wackiness up our sleeves and want to share it with you this Wednesday right here at the store. Take a look at the video to see what we're gonna do this week!

Did Ya Know?

 The term hobby horse can also be used to describe the costumed characters that wear some traditional seasonal customs for processions and similar observances around the world.

A Hobby Horse is also

 a child's riding toy that consists of a long stick with an imitation horse's head on one end. This Hobby Horse is made in Vermont by Maple Landmark. We like them because they look old fashioned!

Early bicycles were called hobby-horses. Self propelled by walking while sitting on the saddle. 

Somewhat like a balance bike but you had to do a wheelie to turn!

Boredom Busters

Make yourself something silly to wear as a fashion accessory then see how many bad jokes you can come up with to go with it..
1. Could this be a Bow-low tie?
2. I tried bowtie pasta but it just wasn't as pretty!
3. Is that a Faux bow or a real bow?
4. I shall take a bow.
5. What bow can't be tied? A rainbow

Ahoy Captain! 

Ready for a sailing adventure in the bathtub, at the lake, or by the river! This kid powered explorer boat comes complete with a Captain, a rescue boat and a couple of dolphins for hours and hours of sea adventure!
Best yet, it's a Sprig toy so you know that it's made from recycled materials with natural colors! Good for sailing and good for our future!

"A little fun helps the learning go down with 

Learning Resources' Crocodile Hop Floor Game,

 an active hop-scotch like game that promises to teach

 kids about colors, shapes, and numbers, and help develop

 their problem solving and gross motor skills. Kids roll

 the cube and then hop to the spot on the included colorful

 floor mat or mark the spot with a game marker.

 Younger kid testers loved this game!"

                                            

Flashback Friday

 Back in the day, 

we only used technology for grown up numbers stuff 

and to communicate with the world, now we can keep 

track of all the toys and games in the store as well as 

other really important information.

 It seems simpler now but our computers are only as 

smart as we made them.... that's something to ponder...

Well, we didn't make them actually, we just spent a lot of time punching in the information so that we could be more efficient in our daily chores at the toy store. I have to say, all those endless hours of building information have paid off. It doesn't take nearly as long to do some of the things we do and we can always look at really fancy or schwanky reports to sum everything up. 

That gives us more time to shop for toys!

 What's better on a hot summer day 

than being able to say you're as cool as a cucumber? 

I remember going to my Uncle Frankie's house with 

my parents and going out into the backyard where the 

garden was. The best part? 

Eating cucumbers picked fresh from the vines...

then maybe stopping at A & W for a root beer.... summer....

Sometimes, you just gotta play.

Ya do, when there's only so many hours in the day and many of them are 

already taken up by eating and sleeping and doing your chores, 

there has to be a little room for play!

Be like Mike, and just do it!
Even if it's only for a minute.....

 

Dinosaurs 101

 

 Fred Flintstone is a dinosaur authority!

Let us dispel a myth...

 

 There's no such creature as a "pterodactyl."

Really, this is the word most people use to describe a Pteranodon.  Nobody really knows when this started either. In any case, it is true that Fred Flintstone would get himself some Pterodactyl wings for dinner but remember, that was in a cartoon!

Wacky Wednesday

Shhhh....I have a little secret.  I think PlanToys is up to something.
So I overheard some grown-ups talking about PlanToys and new toys!  They said that PlanToys will be releasing a very special toy next month.  It's suppose to be super duper SPECIAL.  They also said that it was a "limited edition" of some sort.  I really don't know what that means but it sounds really cool.  I will keep you posted if I get any more information on this.  I am very curious to what this new toy is.
Hmmmm.....

Word of the Day

Bushwa: noun

[BOOSH-wah]

Rubbishy nonsense; baloney

Sometimes the things you hear at Durango Toy Depot is all bushwa!

Sufferin' Succatash!!

Sufferin Succatash!!

 

We are rolling out our Sizzlin' Summer  Sidewalk Sale!! Stop by and we will have summer goodies on sale! Expect to see jump ropes, flying discs, squirt guns, blast pads and so much more! Mark your calendars for this Thursday and Friday and stop by for some hot summer deals!

Did Ya Know?

Bubble Gum!

Bubble gum is a favorite treat for all ages! But where does it come from? Well People have bene chewing on things for a very long time! Some examples of these are thickened resins, waxes, and sweet grasses. But in the early 1860's, chicle made an appearance in North America which became the main ingredient in bubble gum! Chicle comes from the Sapodilla trees in Mexico. 

The original recipe was created by Walter E. Deimer who worked as an accountant at Fleer Chewing Gum Company as an accountant. In 1928, he experimented with chewing gum in his spare time, but his recipe created a wet, sticky mess that didn't make very good bubbles. Later on he perfected the recipe and was finally able to make awesome bubbles with his formula. 

At the time, pink was the only color dye at Fleer, and it remains the standard color for bubble gum in the industry. Walter loved showing people how to blow bubbles with the gum and it became known as Double Bubble Gum and you can probably find it in stores today! Go out and try to blow the biggest bubble you can!

Boredom Busters!

 Use a kit or head to your local art supply store for some plaster of paris to make your own handprint or footprint!

It would be pretty cool to make this and put some marbles where the fingernails should be or mash some mud into it or maybe even make your hand print into a turkey for Thanksgiving! 

The possibilities are endless...

 Whoooooosh!!!

A little water, a couple two liter plastic bottles , a flip of the wrist and BAM! A tornado appears before your very eyes! A vortex safely contained in a bottle! What if you added glitter or even a little food coloring to the water?

Rocket Balloons!

It's just funny to blow up a balloon and then let it go! These gems are crazy! Race them, see who can get their balloon to go the highest, and power a boat with one! Cool huh?

Flasback Friday!

I really love summer.... I really love all the seasons really!

There's nothing like a little commotion in Historic Downtown Durango....

Dinosaurs 101

  Derek Deinonychus and Velma Velociraptor compare their claw toes!

 Meet Derek Deinonychus: die- NON- ih - kuss

Here's 10 quick facts about our friend Derek!

1. Deinonychus is Greek for "terrible claw".

2. Derek probably used this claw to inflict deep stab wounds on its prey, perhaps withdrawing to a safe distance as its dinner bled to death.


3. The first Deinonychus fossils were discovered in 1931...

4. In 1964,a paleontologist named John Ostrom led a fossil-hunting expedition through Montana and Wyoming, and wound up discovering hundreds of bones later diagnosed as belonging to Deinonychus.


5. Deinonychus inspired the theory that birds descended from dinosaurs.

6. Deinonychus was the model for Jurassic Park's Velociraptors.

7.The jaws of Deinonychus were relatively weak...
Deinonychus had a wimpy bite compared to other, larger theropod dinosaurs of the Cretaceous period Their bite was only about as powerful as that of a modern alligator.

8. Derek was not one of the fastest dinosaurs either! He may have walked at a steady 6 mph!

9.Deinonyhcus grew to be about 11 ft long and weighed about 160 pounds.

10. To date, no direct evidence has been found for Deinonychus feathers, but the proven existence of other feathered raptors implies that this dinosaur must have looked a bit like Big Bird.

Learn more here: http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/typesofdinosaurs/a/Deinonychus-Facts.htm

Wacky Wednesday!

Word of the Day

Googli-ified

[goo-glee-iff-eyed]

adjective

when googly eyes have been added to something to give it a face and a personality.

That stapler has been googli-ified! Now he can see what he is stapling.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do the toys do when the store is closed?

Well, we like to think that all the toys play as much as we do! All the Breyer Horses gallop around the store like its the Kentucky derby and all the puppets host a Karaoke contest. The poppers have an all out battle against each other while the Calico Critters cheer on their favorite teams. The Harmonicas like to play catchy tunes and the airplanes loop-da-loop to the music. There are magic tricks and cars underfoot; nanoblocks building themselves and blinking light shows from the bike brightz. The dinosaur train rumbles across the floor and the conductor yells "ALL ABOARD!!"

 It really is quite exciting here once we lock the doors and the toys play and play until they are just too tired. Then they head back to their homes in the store and snuggle up. The stuffed animals will read a bed time story to everyone, then the toys will drift into sleep where they will have the sweetest dreams and rest up for the next day.

 

Come in today to see our toys and just imagine what all they can do when you're not looking!

Did ya know?

You can do this!

Just gather the materials

 and up, up, up you go!

Boredom Busters!

 Make a plain paper bag into a masterpiece!

Use the bag as your canvas, find some markers, maybe some glitter glue, and some magazine pictures....

Reuse the bag over and over and never get it confused with someone else' bag!

 

 Refreshing lemonade! 

Who can resist a roadside lemonade stand?

Especially when it's  90 degrees outside?
Earn some extra cash and 

meet some new people!

Truly! 

The greatest Dot to Dots! 

These puzzles are amazing and do not

 even resemble the dot - to - dot books 

we grew up with! Crazy puzzles in every book!

Flashback Friday!

This was just the beginning! 

The first video, the first EPIC chapter in 

our big book of shenanigans!

Dinosaurs 101

 Smallest Living Dinosaur - The Hummingbird

Here's a theory...
Dinosaurs never went extinct, they evolved into prehistoric birds! At least the small feathered theropods evolved while their plant eating sauropod & ornithopod cousins disappeared. Based on this reasoning, the smallest dinosaur that ever lived is the modern day hummingbird!
Hummingbird facts.....

1. There are more than 340 hummingbird species in the world. Only 8 species regularly breed in the United States, though up to two dozen species may visit the country.
   
   
2. A hummingbird’s brilliant throat color is not caused by feather pigmentation, but rather by iridescence in the arrangement of the feathers and the influence of light level, moisture and other factors.
   
   
3. Hummingbirds cannot walk or hop, though their feet can be used to scoot sideways while they are perched.
   
   
4. The Calliope hummingbird is the smallest bird species in North America and measures just 3 inches long. The bee hummingbird is the smallest species and measures 2.25 inches long.
   
   
5. Hummingbirds have 1,000-1,500 feathers, the fewest number of feathers of any bird species in the world.
   
   
6. The average ruby throated hummingbird weighs 3 grams. In comparison, a nickel weighs 4.5 grams.
   
   
7. From 25-30 percent of a hummingbird’s weight is in its pectoral muscles, the muscles principally responsible for flight.
   
   
8. A hummingbird’s maximum forward flight speed is 30 miles per hour, though the birds can reach up to 60 miles per hour in a dive.
   
   
9. Hummingbirds lay the smallest eggs of all birds. They measure less than 1/2 inch long but may represent as much as 10 percent of the mother’s weight at the time the eggs are laid.
   
   
10. A hummingbird must consume approximately 1/2 of its weight in sugar daily, and the average hummingbird feeds 5-8 times per hour.
    
    
11. A hummingbird’s wings beat between 50 and 200 flaps per second depending on the direction of flight and air conditions.
    
    
12. An average hummingbird’s heart rate is more than 1,200 beats per minute.
    
    
13. At rest, a hummingbird takes an average of 250 breaths per minute.
    
    
14. The Rufous hummingbird has the longest migration of any hummingbird species with a distance of more than 3,000 miles from the bird’s nesting grounds in Alaska and Canada to its winter habitat in Mexico.
    
    
15. The ruby-throated hummingbird flies 500 miles nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico during both its spring and fall migrations.
    
    
16. Depending on the species, habitat conditions, predators and other factors, the average lifespan of a wild hummingbird is 3-12 years.
    
    
17. Hummingbirds have no sense of smell but have very keen eyesight.

http://birding.about.com/od/birdprofiles/a/hummingbirdfacts.htm 

Wacky Wednesday!

 Stuff that just has a silly name!
Pajaggle. Pah-jag-gull
Is it a game? A puzzle? 
Is it a bird that lives in it's PJ's by the sea?

 ZOOINK! 

I think this can be used in almost every sentence everyday!

Hey! Is that a zooink by 

your foot?

Did I hear you say that there's a zooink Saturday night?

 This could be the start of some kinda rhyme...

Itza ink a doo tattoo,

The kind that makes you blue!

They're all in a package shiny & new!

Waiting to make some art on you!

Tiddlywinks!

That's probably the funnest word

in the world to say!
Maybe second to cous-cous!

Word of the Day

Boom-Diggity

(boom-DIG-it-ee)

1. The feeling of excitement when when everything feels awesome!

Boom Diggity! today is a great day!

2. Exclaimation when you shoot marshmallows out of a home-made marshmallow launcher!

BOOOOOM DIGGITY!! Did you see that marshmallow fly?!

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a kite stay in the sky?

Have you ever wondered what makes a kite fly? Well it comes down to two different things; lift and gravity. Gravity is what makes things fall down, if you take a ball in your hand and let go of it, it drops to the grounds. Lift is when the wind pushes against an object and carries it into the sky like when a plastic bag catches a breeze and floats around the sky. A careful balance of both of these things is what keeps a kite in the sky. Next time when the winds feel right, give flying a kite a try and enjoy the wonder of gravity and lift working together to keep that guy in the sky!

Did ya Know?

 I Spy with my little eye...

I Spy Books are made in the U.S. Author Jean Marzollo and photographer Walter Wick collaborate on making the popular I Spy Books in which the reader must search for items in a picture packed with little goodies. Jean likes to write her rhymes to a little tune and finds her inspiration from everywhere; real life and imagination provide her with enough ideas to fill numerous I Spy Books. Walter loves to spend his time coming up with the concepts of all of the pictures and will work endlessly to perfect his creations. We love the I Spy books so much that we decided to make one for ourselves! Do you think you can find everything?

I spy a hippo, a bright red "B," a pink glittered box, and four ribbons of green.

A blue fuzzy worm, a black and orange fish, a sock monkey popper and a green dish!

Boredom Busters!

For a relaxing adventure along the lower Animas river, we suggest a tour on a tube! Stay cool and see Durango from a whole different perspective!
Our friends at Mild 2 Wild can hook you up with everything you'll need!

  http://mild2wildrafting.com

This jar may look as if there is nothing in it 

but it is filled with imagination! 

What does imagination look like? You decide!

Then can you capture it in a jar like a firefly? 

Or like a Fairy? 

Or like the magical Dragon's breathe?

Just clownin around! 

Make your own dot to dot.

Draw a picture, any picture!

Then get another blank piece of paper!

Instead of tracing your picture again, just make dots and number them to make the picture! 

Flashback Friday

 Words of Wisdom.....

 I just love this quote, 
"Don't play leap frog with a Unicorn!"

 When in a toy store, 

one must be ready for any adventure!

Remember when Mikey was visiting and we were standing on the corner by the restaurant and Debbie (his wife) said, "The stars seem so much brighter here than in Michigan!" Then, Mikey and I, at the same time said, "It's because we're closer!" That's just funny!