Extreme Home Makeover Madness!

If you live in or around Wilmington, Delaware, you're probably aware of the houses that are being built by the Extreme Makeover crew in Wilmington, Delaware. They started the project last Tuesday and the day of completion is listed as tomorrow.

We got a call from someone from the show last week looking for some toy donations to help fill out the rooms for the kids involved. So, we are donating some games and toys to the kids. It was certainly hard to pick out stuff for kids who I've never met, but the guy who called mentioned that one room was a 'shark room,' and that one of the boys liked sharks. So, we are donating one of the Melissa & Doug Sharks to the room.

Also of interest (at least to me) is that I volunteered at the site this morning. And, by morning I mean 2 am - 9 am. And it was friggin cold. As in around 10 degrees. And it was windy. So, I got a chance to go into the shark room and sneak a quick picture. I didn't see any stars. I wasn't filmed. I cut my finger while moving closet cabinets. (BTW, apparently no one has band-aids at these things - I shoved my bloody hand into my work gloves so the blood didn't get on the cabinets) Did I mention it was friggin cold?

Wood is Good!

Some of our most popular toys this holiday season are made of wood. Call it nostalgia. Call it an interest in more durable toys. Call it a move to a more environmentally friendly material. Wooden dollhouses, wooden building blocks, wooden trains, wooden games, Lincoln Logs and more.
One of our most popular brands is Melissa and Doug - who's line is filled with wooden toys. I just spent a couple hours putting together the Melissa and Doug wooden kitchen (you can see it in our store's window). It's really cool - it has a fridge, oven, stovetop, a sink, shelves and even a microwave oven - and it's all made of wood!
Also popular is the game 'Gobblet' by Blue Orange Games (left). It's made entirely of wood and Blue Orange Games was awarded the 'Green Toy Company' Award for it's move to replant the trees they use for their products! Plus, the game is great! It's like tick-tac-toe, except for the added twist of being able to jump your competitors pieces. You can try even it out online here.