Dinosaurs 101 Be Safe!

 We know that it's Halloween and this tradition actually started way back..... We just want everyone to be safe and have a great time trick or treating!

 Bucky thinks it's important for me to remind you of  a few things...

 Only go to houses with their porch lights on!
Cross all streets at the corner!
Don't wear a mask that makes it hard to see!

 

Of course Buddy has some words of wisdom too!
Stay in places that are familiar!
Don't eat any candy until you get home and an adult can check it out!

Above all, have fun and 

Happy Halloween!

Wacky Wednesday

 Today, we read the book about sharing by Durango's own Wanda Murray. After we enjoy the story we travel to Craftopia to make....

Our very own book covers! 

This takes me back to my school days......

Frequently Asked Questions

  

Do you have Japanese Puzzle Erasers?

Yes!  Though we don't sell these on line, we have a huge selection of puzzle erasers made in Japan.  They are tiny replicas of all types of items like a hamburger, milkshake, koala bear, dolphin, truck, and bunny just to name a few.  They are fun to collect and cost only a dollar!!

 Do you give discounts?

Yes!!  In addition to the many discounts we give throughout the year and on special occasions, we have a standard local coupon you can find in the “Local Deals Magazine” that goes out to our community 4 times a year.  Locals can clip the coupon here or print one out on localdealsmagazine.com.  This discount coupon is good for in-store purchases only.  Watch our website for specials and discounts too!

Do you ever have fun?

Fun??  Did someone say FUN?  We know how to have fun at Durango Toy Depot.  Owners, Betty and LouAnn are just kids at heart!!  We love to get out the toys and play with kids of all ages that visit the store.  Any time you come by you'll see us on the sidewalk loading the stomp rocket for the next jumper!!  Inside we will have out the poppers for a little game of hide and pop!  Or maybe a game of FastTrack!  You never know what we're up to. 

After all...we are the 3D, hands-on-happening kind of experience in historic downtown Durango!!!

Did Ya Know?

Who invented Qwirkle? Qwirkle is a tile-based game for 2-4 players, designed by Susan McKinley Ross. Qwirkle is published by MindWare.Qwirkle shares some characteristics with the
 game Scrabble as well as Rummikub.  Qwirkle is considered by MindWare to be its most awarded game of all time. In 2011, Qwirkle won the Spiel des Jahres, widely considered the most prestigious award in the gaming industry. A sequel, Qwirkle Cubes, was released by Mindware in 2009^.

 Where did Scrabble come from?
During the Great Depression, Alfred Mosher Butts, an out-of-work architect decided to invent a board game. He did some market research and concluded that games fall into three categories: number games, such as dice and bingo; move games, such as chess and checkers; and word games, such as anagrams. Butts wanted to create a game that combined the vocabulary skills of crossword puzzles and anagrams, with the additional element of chance. The game was originally named Lexico, but Butts eventually decided to call the game "Criss-Cross Words."

Boredom Busters

 It's time for our annual Pumpkin contest! 

Carve or decorate your creation and 

drop it off in front of the store by noon today 

to enter to win a chance at a 2 minute toy shopping spree! Let your imagination be your guide!

So far, I've come up with 2 Ghost jokes that we put on our Facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/DurangoToyDepot

Just in case you wanted to see them! I've been writing them down as they come to me so that we can continue to post them and make people laugh (or not)!

 How many bad jokes can you come up with?

Or should I say, HOW many BOOOOO - D jokes can you come up with?

KIDZ 2 KIDZ Flea Market!

We're inviting all young entrepreneurs to set up shop for a day and be your own boss! It's time to clean out your room, clean out the garage, and clean out under your bed and turn your unused toys, games, and clothes into some extra cash! It's only $5 for a booth and we do all your advertising! The KIDZ 2 KIDZ flea market is scheduled for Saturday November 16th at the fairgrounds. Register at http://durangotoydepot.com/event/kidz-2-kidz-flea-market.html or

call us to reserve your space.

Flashback Friday

It's a new Flashback Friday photo!

 I've gone to more seasonal attire and a whole new hat to partake on our Friday adventures! 

What better way to celebrate an adventure than by wearing a safari hat?

 One of my all - time favorites!

Whoa, remember when we first opened and we had all those toobs of little critters? 

Oh yeah, that's a Safari LTD thing huh?

We thought it would be cool if we could offer kids (and grown ups too) the chance to pick their own critters and fill an empty toob. That's when we ordered thousands upon thousands upon thousands of individual critters, buildings, bugs, sharks, turtles, North American  Wildlife, and jungle animals!

 Not to mention how much fun it is to tell people that the  toobs full of pure Rocky Mountain Air are $10 and we throw in 12 creatures for free.....

Dinosaurs 101

Dryptosaurus

Drip- toe- sawr- us

Well, well, this guy needs a nickname! 

It is almost too obvious! 

We shall refer to Dryptosaurus as Harry.

Our friend Harry was a meat eating kinda guy who lived during the Cretaceous Period about 75 - 70 million years ago. His fossils were discovered in New Jersey and was discovered and named by Othnial Marsh in 1877.

Harry grew to be 22 ft (6.5 m) long, about 6 ft (1.8 m) tall at the hips, and weighed in at around 1.2 tons. I wonder if this guy was very fast compared to other theropods?

I have so many questions....
Who would have won a foot race between Harry & Derek Deinonychus? Do you think Harry would have stood still long enough for anyone to pet his mane?Dryptosaurus was given its name, which means "tearing lizard," because it had 8-inch (21-cm) long finger claws. Manicure or pedicure Harry?

Wacky Boo-Tacular Wednesday

We're gonna get our best "Boo" on, get the markers, scissors, 

and glitter glue out to make our very own Boo-Tacular decorations for the front window. This way, everyone who travels in Historic downtown 

Durango can see our works of art!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do ya have anything for my 3 year old Grandson?

Where to start?
We have...

 Horses, trucks,
 ranch  accessories 
and riders!

 Koko, Wilson, Brewster, Olwin, Old Puffer Pete, Hoot & Toot, Piper, Chatsworth, Harrison, 
Calley.... 
and the list goes on and on....

 We're gonna ride the
 Dinosaur Train!

 Hand Puppets for smaller hands so your

 Grandchild can

perform a puppet show for you!

 Made in California from recycled milk jugs....

trucks, cars, boats, firetrucks and planes. 

Does it get any better than that?

 Wooden toys to pull, 

construct, and puzzle.

 We love the recycled packaging and all of the cooperative games where everyone plays together.

 A budding scientist you say? 

Encourage exploration with science kits from Thames & Kosmos.

 Dress up for hours and hours of pretend play and role playing! Are you an astronaut? A member of an elite SWAT team? A Chef? A Fire Fighter? Shirts and hats for everyday wear and tear.

 To the Moon! Get active and play outside with this foam missile launcher!

Word of the Day

in·no·va·tive

adjective

1.

(of a product, idea, etc.) featuring new methods; advanced and original.

"innovative designs"

 

Did you see the results of the innovative kids competetion? There were some awesome ideas!

Boredom Busters

 Our social calendar is full this evening! 

The annual Bark & Wine Fundraiser at the fairgrounds features ah- mazing items to bid on that have been donated by Durango's finest supporters. Last year was our first time at the silent auction and we came home with some fabulous prizes! Not to mention a giant basket of goodies for Rowdy & Zorro. We're looking forward to tomorrow night because I think we're gonna see if any kittens want to go home with us!

Now this is where we'll start 
our evening, great food, great friends, and great music! How can you not want to be there?
Proceeds for this event at the Discovery Museum will go to Manna Soup Kitchen and their ongoing support of Durango residents. Manna also has an online auction with lots and lots of items to bid on. I peeked earlier today so I could see if there was anything that appealed to me. Yes, yes indeed there were several items that I could see in my house....  perhaps a trip too....  check out what items are up for auction at www.biddingforgood.com.

Flashback Friday

EPIC! That's the word we use to describe it! EPIC, all in caps because we want to stress how awesome this really is. EPIC because we have created an annual event in which the winner receives a 2 minute shopping spree in our store. EPIC because everyone who walks by the display can vote. EPIC in a way that hasn't been done in a toy store on Main Street in Durango until we came along....

That's right, it's time for the annual pumpkin carving contest. 

There really aren't many particulars but here's the low down...

1. Carve or decorate your pumpkin any way you want.

2. Bring your creation to our store on Saturday Oct. 26th before noon.

3. Public voting takes place from 12- 3:00

4. You pick up your pumpkin after 3:00 Saturday.

5. We count the votes and announce the winner before 6:00 on Saturday.

6. The winner gets a 2 minute shopping spree at Durango Toy Depot on Sunday October 27th.

Dinosaurs 101

How do we pick a Dinosaur to write about?

Sometimes, we pick out a letter from the alphabet and look to see if any dinosaurs names begin with that letter.

Sometimes we are drawn to a particular carnivore or herbivore because someone may have mentioned him (or her).

Sometimes we just like the color of the dinosaur, especially when they ride the Dinosaur Train.

This week we drew the letter "I" and did our research to see what we could come up with....

We found Mr. Iguanodon, Iggy for short!

 ig-WAHN-oh-don

This guy has been known to man for a long time because he was discovered in 1825.

Iggy preferred a diet of plants, lived about 135-125 million years ago, and grew to be about 27 feet tall (9 feet tall at his hips) and weighed 4-5 tons! He was a big 'un!

Teeth and a few bones of Iggy were found in 1822, (perhaps by Gideon Mantell's wife, Mrs Mary Mantell) in Sussex, (southern) England. Hundreds of Iguanodon fossils have been found since then.

Scary Wacky Wednesday!

 We must be vewy, vewy quiet today traveling through Craftopia so we don't wake the monsters!

 We're gonna take these empty painted recycled bottles and make them into monsters that can hold candy, a candle, or even little toys. We think glow in the dark bugs  in the mouth would be a great addition to show how scawy these guys are!!

We'll use our paints, our schwanky colored papers, some glue and even some glitter glue to make the eyes and the teeth.

 I think we could even use these painted bottles for bowling pins before we go to Craftopia!

The grown ups will have to use a really sharp craft knife or box cutter to cut off the top of the bottle and they will also have to cut a hole for the mouth.

Word of the Day

cre·a·tiv·i·ty

ˌkrē-āˈtivitē/

 

 

 

 

 

noun: creativity

1.

creativity is the use of the imagination or original ideas, esp. in the production of an artistic work.

Creativity abounds in our latest Halloween window!

Frequently Asked Questions

Best Early Play

Seaplane

Green Toys

Made in the USA from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs that save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, this buoyant yellow and green floatplane features a spinning propeller and chunky, oversized pontoons perfect for coasting into any port.

Why is this toy so cool?
Specially designed to float when taken into the bathtub or pool, young captains can easily navigate from water to air and back again. Little-hand friendly, this toy is specifically designed for toddlers and preschoolers in mind. Great for teaching mini-minds how things work.

Why you’ll be a rock star parent for picking one up...
Because it’s made from recycled plastic jugs, it’s your good-for-the-environment toy purchase. Double bonus? Dishwasher safe.               

Check this out!

http://youtu.be/5QqhwPnWlIs

Did Ya Know?

Why we love Plan Toys

Let me count the ways....

1. They are made in Thailand

2. Made from sustainable materials

    *Rubber trees

    *Water based dyes

    * Non-formaldehyde glue

    * Soy Ink & Recycled Paper

    * Chemical free kiln dried process

3. Made in Sustainable Factories

    * Solar energy for power

    *Biomass power plant

4. Made by those who have a sustainable mind

    * Samsoeng-Arun Culture and environmental foundation

    * Reforestation Program

    * Children & Community Club

    * mom-made toys project

5. Expertise in child development.

6. Local and responsible wood production

7. Green logistics 

8. Diversity & Equal Opportunities in the work force

9. Eco friendly work environment

10. The toys are cool and lots of fun to play with!!

Check out this video to learn more

http://youtu.be/wd34E7ZmZ-o

Boredom Busters

 It's fall 

and time to learn how to press leaves so that you can preserve their colors and maybe even make a bookmark for a holiday gift!

It just takes some patience, a bit of wax paper, and an iron! It's an old fashion method of leaf preservation.

 Oh yeah, that's one smart cookie!
That's just a punny costume!

How many punny costumes can

you come up with for this Halloween?

Every garden should have a scarecrow!

Gather an empty toilet paper roll, a popsicle stick, a little colored paper, and your imagination for this garden craft! You could even go to town with pipe cleaners on this one! What about spaghetti for hair?

Flashback Friday

 Holy Cow!  

It's snowing outside so that means it might be time to get out the sweaters and long sleeved shirts! 

Wait! What am I saying? This is Colorado! 

The weather will change by tomorrow! 

Nonetheless, it is time to change the seasons of my wardrobe!

Then there's Mountain Bike Joe.... 

forever training, forever sightseeing in historic downtown Durango....

I think he oughta consider his fall and winter wardrobe as well cuz he needs to keep his body warm as he continues on his training regimen for Iron Horse 2014! Maybe he'll train indoors this winter? He never can decide this difficult decision anyway. The fresh air, the gorgeous scenery, the sounds of nature vs. the creeks of the floors of the house, the dog barking, and the lure of the couch.... Wow! Joe does have an Iron will.

Dinosaurs 101

Some jokes just don't need words!

Q: What do you call a fossil that doesn't ever want to work?
A: Lazy bones! 

Q: What do you get when dinosaurs crash their cars ?
A: Tyrannosaurus wrecks !  

Q: What do you call a plated dinosaur when he is asleep? ?
A: Stegosnorus !
Thanks to Marcel B.

Q: What's better than a talking dinosaur ?
A: A spelling bee !  

Q: What do you call a dinosaur that never gives up?
A: Try-Try-Try-ceratops !  

Thanks enchanted learning software! Great giggles!