Third Annual 'Adult Swim' is Thursday, December 9th - 6-9 - Exclusive Specials & Win a $50 Gift Card!

YoYo Joe’s Toys & Fun will hold our third annual ‘Adult Swim’ night on Thursday, December 9th from 6-9 pm. That means from 6-9, YoYo Joe’s Toys & Fun will be off-limits to kids! (Hey, the other 4,000 hours of the year, we’re happy to have kids in our store!) We’ll even have beer & wine to make your holiday shopping experience as stress-free as possible!

We're upping the ante this year by giving away a $50 YoYo Joe's Gift Card to one lucky person who attends 'Adult Swim'  and we're gonna have exclusive specials for Adult Swim night only! Here's our list of items that will be on special:


Melissa & Doug Swivel Bridge Wooden Train Set - Normally $59.99 - Adult Swim Special - $39.99
'You've Been Sentenced' Game - Normally $24.99 - Adult Swim Special - $16.99
Melissa & Doug Bake & Serve Brownie Set - Normally $19.99 - Adult Swim Special - $13.99
Alex Toys Foil Bead Maker - Normally $19.99 - Adult Swim Special - $13.99
International Playthings Henrietta the Pull Along Hen - Normally $19.99 - Adult Swim Special - $13.99
Diggin Toys - Dodge Tag - Normally $19.99 - Adult Swim Special - $13.99
Lego Racers  Tiny Turbos Sets - Normally $15.99 - Adult Swim Special - $10.99
Green Toys Recycling Truck - Normally $25.99 - Adult Swim Special - $17.99 
Blockers Game - Normally $29.99 - Adult Swim Special - $19.99 
Diggin Toys Squap Game - - Normally $24.99 - Adult Swim Special - $16.99 

See you on Thursday 

Vote early, vote often

Well, actually, you can vote anytime this week. What do you mean today's election day? Oh, THAT election..no, I was talking about the awesome chalk voting booth we have in the back of YoYo Joe's Toys & Fun, courtesy our own Beth, who's the artist behind the signs at YoYo Joe's.

As for the chalk board, it's the door to our back room. It's one thing we never painted when we moved in and we've been meaning to paint it ever since. Emily had the brainstorm to use chalkboard paint, and (in my opinion) it looks awesome!

Check our our chalkboard back door the next time you're in YoYo Joe's...

Cooking's Cool demonstration

Thanks to the great crowd who participated in last Sunday's 'Cooking's Cool' event with childrens author Cindy Sardo. We had a great time, and everyone walked away with samples! If you didn't make it and were interested, we recorded the event on video and it's now available on the YoYo Joe's Toys & Fun channel on YouTube.

Thanks again to Cindy for taking her time out to visit.

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Preview

Thanks to our pals at Bootless Artworks for presenting a preview of their upcoming play, 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' today at YoYo Joe's Toys & Fun. It was an awesome preview that featured a spelling bee right here at YoYo Joe's! And I was in it! And I lost! Stoopid spelling bee.
Cassie was the big winner! Here's some pics and a short video from today's preview.

The participants in today's spelling bee preview.

Hey look! Players from YoYo Joe's Brandywine
Little League team were on hand to watch. 

As I'm eliminated from the contest, I'm sung off by the 'Comfort Counselor'.
Who knows how to spell Dengue anyway?

First Day of School Giveaway

We borrowed the $5 gift-certificate giveaway from our friends at Pufferbellies Toys & Books and also, thanks to Erin at Pufferbellies suggestion, borrowed their idea about photographing kids who got gift-certificates and what they spent it on.
I'm happy to report that with the bulk of the Delaware schools back to school, both the promotion and the photos were a big hit! I'm posting a couple of the pics here, but you can see all the photographs we took over at the YoYo Joe's Toys & Fun Facebook page.
Thanks to those who let us take pictures of them and have a great year at school!

\

Cooking's Cool

A little while back, our pal - Landenberg author (and now playwright) Jamie Kleman let me know that one of her friends and Landenberg neighbors had published some kids books on cooking. Cindy Sardo stopped in and dropped off a book, and now we're super excited to announce that Cindy will have a special hands-on demo at YoYoJoe's on Sunday, September 19 at 2 pm.

She'll do a hands on cooking demonstration of her recipe for roasted vegetable quesadillas from her book, 'Cooking’s Cook in the Fall.' Kids will be able to help her prepare the recipe, and there will be samples for up to 50 people! Her books, Cooking's Cool, was featured on Rachael Ray's Yum-o! website and May 2010 newsletter. 


Thanks to one of our employees, Annette, we're gonna tie the demonstration in with a movement to have kids help out with the cooking on Mondays. It's part of the Healthy Monday movement and they're calling it The The Kid Cook Mondays.

Here's your chance to learn some cool cooking techniques for your kids and pick up a copy of Cindy's fall cook book and get it signed by the author.


Check out Cindy's website here. 

FREE $5 Gift Certificate to all kids on their first day of school!!

Going back to school is not many student's ideas of a good time, but to ease the pain, bring them to YoYo Joe's Toys & Fun on their official first day of school (Kindergarten through Eighth grade), and we'll give them a FREE $5 Gift-Certificate. No strings attached! Pick a toy that's $5 or under and it's free! Or pick one that's over $5, and we'll take $5 off your purchase. We'll have a list of local schools and their starting time on hand, so just let us know where you go to school and get a $5 GC!
There's a limit of one per student, and you cannot combine them, but hey, it's free!
We're also gonna take pictures of the kids with their purchases and post them in our store! Awesome-sauce!

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee preview at YoYo Joe's

Thanks to our friends at Bootless Artworks, YoYo Joe's will be hosting a special preview of their upcoming show 'The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee' on Saturday, September 11th at 11 am. They'll have a real live spelling bee right in YoYo Joe's and you can win tickets to the show!
Bootless Artworks is a non-profit arts organization located right here in Delaware. They're moving into their new digs in New Castle - at the location of the historic Bellanca airplane hanger. 
They were kind enough to let us host a preview performance of the performance of The Velveteen Rabbit last winter, and they were awesome! 
Tickets for their performances go on sale tomorrow. They warn that there is some mature language involved in the show, but say they'll use alternative words for the matinee shows. 
The shows will take place at the Reach Academy for Girls in Claymont. To buy tickets for the shows, click here. 



SHOW DATES
Friday, September 24, 2010 @ 8:00 pm
Saturday, September 25, 2010 @ 8:00 pm 
Sunday, September 26, 2010 @ 3:00 pm
Friday, October 1, 2010 @ 8:00 pm
Saturday, October 2, 2010 @ 2:00 pm
Saturday, October 2, 2010 @ 8:00 pm
Friday, October 8, 2010 @ 8:00 pm
Saturday, October 9, 2010 @ 8:00 pm

Spring Fling, part deux, was Awesome!

Saturday was a Blast! The store was crowded. The events all were great! Thanks to all who came by and took part in the activities. We look forward to planning our 3rd Annual Spring Fling next year. Special thanks to Bill Currier, Rocky Bluewinkle and Nik Theorin for their performances. Look for a secret special guest who showed up unexpectedly.

First up was Bill Currier, from 'We Kids Rock.' Bill performed interactive songs, complete with shakers, stuffed animals and more. Here's Bill performing a song that has people shaking along with him:

Next, Rocky Bluewinkle from our own local Wilmington Blue Rocks hung out at YoYo Joe's. Rocky played with our customers, posed for pictures and even took a ride around the store in the Flying Turtle. See Rocky at all home Wilmington Blue Rocks games (home of the YoYo Joe's Toys & Fun Dizzy Bat Race!)

Finally, 12 year-old magician 'Tricky Nik' Theorin put on a show that was a big hit with everyone. Nik was awesome!!  Here's a quick video of one of Nik's tricks:

We were surprised when Fancy Nancy herself showed up unexpectedly during Spring Fling. Thanks for stopping in, Nancy! 

Spring is for Flinging!

2nd Annual Spring Fling!

Join us on Saturday, May 8th for a day full of fun, give-aways, activities and a special one-day only sale!

20% Off All Day!

---

20% off storewide all day Saturday May 8th only! Come in and save from 10 am until 8 pm.

Bill Currier from 'We Kids Rock' - 11-11:40

---

Bill Currier from the Wilmington kids music program 'We Kids Rock' will be on hand from 11-11:40 to sing songs & include your kids with the music-making as they help Bill keep the beat on his songs. Appropriate for kids of all ages! Check out wekidsrock.com for information on classes at the nearby Mt. Lebanon Church.

Rocky Bluewinkle - 12 - 2

---

Rocky Bluewinkle, the famous mascot of our local Wilmington Blue Rocks, will join us from 12-2 on Saturday to hang out, have his picture taken or just read a book like he did last year during our Spring Fling! Check out the Wilmington Blue Rocks and the YoYo Joe's Toys & Fun Dizzy Bat Race at Frawley Stadium this summer.


Tricky Nik Theorin - 2 - 2:30

---

Nik Theorin, 12-year-old magician from nearby Landenberg, will put on a magic show from 2-2:30. Check out Nik's website at TrickyNiksMagic.com

Prize Drawings & Other Surprises

---

We'll be holding three prize drawings throughout the day!

Pancakes + Play + Delaware Children's Museum + YoYo Joe's Toys & Fun = FUN

We were thrilled when our friends at the Delaware Children's Museum asked us to sponsor their first D@D (Dads at the Delaware Children's Museum) Event - the Pancakes & Play Breakfast, which was held today at the Delaware Riverfront Market.

My son, Ethan, and I showed up around 8:30 and brought with us one of our favorite in-store demo units - the marble run - as well as a box of yo-yos to give out to kids.

The doors opened at 9 am, and soon we were mobbed with kids. Most of the kids were a bit young to yo-yo, but we fitted them with custom string length yo-yos and it was awesome to see the looks on their faces after we helped them with their first throws.

We got to meet both co-chairs of the D@D - Delaware Lt. Governor Matt Denn & Khary Dewitt and their children.

The event was sold out and our pals at the DCM seemed quite happy with

the turnout. It was the first event where they actually sold memberships to the museum (we joined on day one - yay!). To join the DCM, click here.

We have a close relationship to the Delaware Children's Museum and anticipate working with them on cross-promotional activities. We've discussed monthly versions of our popular Yo-Yo Club at the DCM.

Thanks to Julie, Paige and Traci and all the wonderful people at the Delaware Children's Museum for letting us be a part of this awesome event.

Breyer Fun Day was....er....fun!

Oddly, it rained on Saturday. I say 'oddly,' ironically as it rains every day in Delaware. It's been quite a wet summer so far. Intrepid Breyer fans braved the Biblical rains to attend our first Breyer Fun Day. Lots of kids came and painted their own horses. Plus, we had a drawing for a Breyer horse. The drawing was won by Moira, who was kind enough to pose for a photo with her winnings. Congrats, Moira, and thanks to all those who came out to celebrate Breyer horses with us!

Dad's Day Craft Event

Our Father's Day Craft Event - make an author page for the Klutz Build A Book - is wrapping up. Here's a picture of the participants busy at work!

Illustrator Brian Biggs at YoYo Joe's today from 1-2

Brian Biggs, who is a wonderful illustrator of childrens books & toys, will be hanging out at YoYo Joe's today from 1-2. He'll sign the books he's illustrated, plus read from one of his books! According to Brian, hanging out in toy stores is his sixth favorite thing to do, come find out what his numbers 1-5 are! Check out his funky illustrations at his website - mrbiggs.com.

It's Spring Fling Day!

Hotrodders, race fans, one day only!

Today is YoYo Joe's first Spring Fling - with events all day. First, joining us from 12-1 is Rocky Bluewinkle, mascot of the Wilmington Blue Rocks. From 1-2, John Flynn will meet & greet with fans and also perform several songs live! (Check out this interview with John on the Fox Sports 1310 AM Phillies fan blogsite Phoulballz.com - thanks for the plug, Jay!) Also from 1-2, Kat from Laura Novak Photography will be taking pictures of kids at the event, a chance to get real professional photos of your kids grooving with John! From 4-5 is our regular weekly yo-yo club meeting, and don't forget, save 20% all day off the prices of all outdoor toys!

What a day! Don't miss it - today only!

Meet folk singer John Flynn at YoYo Joe's

John Flynn, a noted folk & award winning children's artist, will be on hand at YoYo Joe's on Saturday, March 28th from 1-2 pm to perform several songs and meet with fans old & new.

John sung at one of the Phillies playoff games in 2007 and will sing the national anthem at the Phillies 2009 Spring Training opening game. He was featured on WXPN's Free At Noon concert series on December (you can listen to it here)

You can check out John's webpage here and his myspace page here.

I've never seen John perform, but he did a show at my son's school a couple years ago, and his son (Ethan) and my son (Ethan) were the two Ethans in their Cub Scout pack.

We're working on scheduling several other music acts at YoYo Joe's, including a nationally known rock band!

One Week Old!

Today marks our one week anniversary. While we have a long way to go to reach the amazing 55-year run of Mitchell's, I'm pretty jazzed about being open for one week. The customers have been gushing over the store. I know I'm biased and all, but we actually had a customer thank us for opening the other day. We certainly were proud of our store, but it's so satisfying to hear almost every customer compliment us on the look of the store, or the products, or the wickedly cool palm trees or the incredible pirate ship. Things really came together well.

Yesterday, we had our first event at the store - a book reading with local author Jamie Kleman. Jamie read her book twice to two different groups of people. We had no idea what to expect as far as a turnout, but were happy that the audience was well stocked for both readings. We expect to have a full schedule of events like this - from book readings to yo-yo club to craft activities and even an 'grown-ups' only shopping night that we'll call 'adult swim.'

Book reading and signing on Saturday

Our first real event takes place this Saturday. Well, I guess the opening party qualifies as an event, but this is our first official unofficial event. Local author Jamie Kleman will be here at 11 am on Saturday to read from and sign her latest book, "It's Not Mean to be Green."

Special Bonus! A photographer from the Wilmington News Journal will be on hand to take a picture of Jamie reading at the store, so we need as many kids as possible to show up! Your kid could be discovered!

It's Not Mean to be Green

Nope, not at all. It's pretty darn cool to be green, actually. And, hey, it's trendy! All the cool kids are going green. It's all the rage.

Actually, that's the title of a new childrens book that's been released by Pink Sand Press. The author, Jamie Kleman, is a friend of our good friend Gayle Lafferty and Gayle was kind enough to ask her about doing a reading at YoYo Joe's. Jamie agreed, so she's gonna be at YoYo Joe's on Saturday, October 25th in the morning. We're not sure of the exact time just yet, but check back here for more information. Come join us with your children to hear a great message and be among the first people to see YoYo Joe's. Our first reading!

Thanks Gayle and Jamie!