Toygaroo Online Toy Rental

Posted on March 29, 2011 by TheDaddy

While perusing the latest technology news in my role as a professional technology writer, I came across something interesting, a company called Toygaroo that bills itself as the Netflix of toys. Apparently, the online toy rental company was featured on a TV show that I haven’t seen called Shark Tank. The idea behind the show is that entrepreneurs pitch their ideas and then investors decide whether or not to invest in the company.  Two investors, including Mark Cuban, chose to invest in the company.  I mention this, because it reduces — but does not eliminate — the chances of this being a fly by night scam.

toygaroo-online-toy-rental-logoI have not signed up for Toygaroo yet, but it is an interesting concept that I will definitely dig into more deeply. Basically, you sign up for a toy rental plan, and then like at Netflix, you put toys into a “pouch” or queue. They send you the first shipment of toys on your list and then every two months, you box up the toys and ship them back. At that time, they send you the next available toys on your list.

The prices are not cheap, which is why I need to look more in-depth before I would feel comfortable giving parenting tips about using this toy service.

The cheapest Toygaroo plan is called the Joey Package an gives you four toys at a time. This toy renting package costs $24.99. Shipping is free both to your home and when you ship the toys back. There is also a Flyer Package with six rented toys at a time and a Boomer Package that offers eight toys at a time.  These are priced at $32.99 and $42.99, respectively.

Toys & Games 120x90

Is Toygaroo a Good Value?

To get a good deal out of Toygaroo, you need to pick the right toys. More specifically, you need to not pick the “wrong” toys.

For example, there are some Melissa and Doug chunky puzzles offered. These are good toys for kids. They are wooden puzzles with thick pieces you can play with on their own if you ever get bored of just putting the dinosaurs in their spot, for example. But, you can buy the Melissa and Doug Dinosaur Chunky Puzzle for just $9.99 normally, and less if you find a sale or Melissa and Doug coupon. In other words, for the price of renting four such puzzles, you could actually OWN two.

Is Toygaroo a Scam?

Of course, there is no reason you have to rent four puzzles and that is sort of the point. If you pick the right toys at the right time, Toygaroo can be a great deal. If not, then Toygaroo is not a good deal. Either way, Toygaroo is not a scam, and one certainly wouldn’t say Toygaroo sucks, however, you would want to manage it properly to make sure that you are getting the most value for your money. Otherwise, you will be better off just looking for good deals on toys and buying them yourself.

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Denver Zoo Free Days 2011

Posted on February 12, 2011 by TheDaddy

The Denver Zoo offers seven free days in 2011.  As a member of the SCFD the zoo offers free admission to all comers on specific days.  We listed the Denver Art Museum free days for 2011 earlier and with the next free day at the Denver Zoo coming up soon, I thought it would be a good time to get those listed here as well.

2011 Denver Zoo Free Days List

  • January 24
  • February 6
  • February 19
  • October 12
  • October 20
  • November 6
  • November 12

If you noticed that there are no summer free days for the Denver Zoo, you aren’t mistaken.  The zoo makes much more money on admission during the warm summer days than during the winter months.  As a non-profit organization constantly looking for more funding, you can can’t really blame them.

There are also no free Denver Zoo days in December because the popular Zoo Lights event draws in good crowds for that month.

If you go to the zoo more than two or three times a year, it is probably worth looking into a membership which gives you free admission to the zoo any day of the year.

If you have a membership, it is a good idea to stay away from the zoo on the free days.  Even though the zoo free admission days are in the less crowded winter months, they are very popular. You’ll get much smaller crowds and easier parking going on a non-free day since you get free admission with your zoo membership anyway.

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Denver Art Museum Free Days 2011

Posted on January 23, 2011 by TheDaddy

The Denver Art Museum offers free admission several times during the year. The first Saturday of each month is free thanks to an Art Museum sponsorship from Target. In addition, several free days for the Denver Art Museum are scheduled throughout the year thanks to funding from the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District, or SCFD, which helps fund cultural and scientific institutions in the Denver Metro area via a 0.1 percent sales tax.

2011 Denver Art Museum Free Days List

  • February 5
  • March 5
  • April 2
  • April 24
  • May 7
  • June 4
  • July 2
  • August 6
  • September 3
  • September 10
  • October 1
  • November 5
  • December 3

It is important to note that the art museum’s free days do not include admission to any special exhibits going on. Any movies or other attractions happening at the museum will cost extra as well.

Another Denver Art Museum insider tip is that the SCFD free days are not a secret. Free days at the art museum, as well as free days at the Denver Zoo, Botanic Gardens, and Museum of Nature and Science can be some of the busiest days of the year. If you are making a special trip and don’t mind paying for admission, you are better off to avoid the free days since free admission can make usually tranquil places like the art museum more crowded than usual.

If you want to both take advantage of the museum’s free admission day and avoid the crowds, then get there earlier in the day. Most families and other visitors don’t end up visiting the museum first thing in the morning, so an early arrival can help you beat the crowds.

The Denver Art Museum parking garage charges $2 per hour most days, but changes to $5 per day for some weekends, evenings and special events. For a short visit on a free Saturday, parking on the street at a Denver city parking meter is $1 per hour if you can find an open one. Denver parking meters are free on Sundays.

Don’t forget you can park at meters on both the south side of the new building (pointy and angled building) or on the north side of the old building (looks like a castle). Both buildings have an entrance and admission desk.

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Current McDonald’s Happy Meal Toy

Posted on December 10, 2010 by TheDaddy

Here is an update about the current Happy Meal toys. The latest toy in McDonald’s Happy Meals are Hello Kitty watches for the Happy Meal girl toys and Transformer action figures for the boy Happy Meal toys.

current-happy-meal-toy-hello-kitty-watchThere are several of the Hello Kitty characters offered including the bunny rabbit and the black cat, in addition to the most recognized Hello Kitty face. These are cheapo kids watches, of course, but they seemed to go over just fine with my four-year old. A quick parenting tip, however, if your child wants something to play with get the boys toy.

The Transformers action figure Happy Meal toys are standard quality figurine toys one would find in a McDonald’s Happy Meal. However, since the entire point of Transformers is that they change into something, it is curious that the Happy Meal Transformers don’t actually transform. The black one we got has a little lever on the back that you are supposed to click back and forth in order to pump the machine gun arms in and out. It looks pretty cool, but the switch is small and hard to work for young kids. It would take an older child to actually be able to use it.

According to the bottom of the box, the next Happy Meal toy is Bakugan for the boys Happy Meal toys and something like cutest little pets. I don’t remember the exact phrasing. If that rings a bell with anyone let me know so that I can get it right on here.

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Tangled Movie Review for Toddlers and Young Children

Posted on November 29, 2010 by TheDaddy

Getting a toddler to sit still through a full-length movie is enough of a challenge as it is. Without a movie screen full of color and action, it’s a lost cause. That’s why a top parenting tip is to know how good a movie is for toddlers and young kids above and beyond whatever rating the movie gets.

Movie ratings like G and PG and PG-13 are all based on what is “appropriate” for children. The criteria for a G rating or PG rating are fuzzy at best and arbitrary at worst. Either way, just because a movie has no violence, swearing or naked body parts doesn’t mean it’s a good movie for kids. There are a lot of more important things for savvy parents to worry about when taking their kids to see a movie that they have not seen before.

Is Tangled A Good Movie For Small Children or Toddlers?

The good news is that the new Disney movie Tangled is a good film for kids in many ways. It is bright and colorful, as well as full of action. As an added bonus, there is consistent screen time for two lovable cartoon animals, which often go over better with younger kids than the main human characters do.

<Spoiler Alert — This discussion includes plot points and gives away the end of the movie>

The only violence in MOST of the film is “cartoon violence” and consists primarily of falls, tackles, and an occasional punch. There are two big exceptions. The important one is at the end where the false mother that has imprisoned Rapunzel stabs the main character and he dies before being brought back by a magic tear. Of course, the stabbing happens off-screen and blood soaked clothing is shown only momentarily.

The other main violence is smacking various characters in the head with frying pans who, of course, are none the worse for the wear after being woken back up. The reason this matters is that most homes have a frying pan and some kiddos might get the wrong idea. If you already have your youngsters fully on the no hitting train, then this is probably not going to shake them up. If you have trouble with little Johnny or Susie grasping the concept of not hitting people with sticks and toys, then there is the suggestion that hitting with a pan is both funny and not harmful, so you’ll need to have a talk after that.

Good Guys and Bad Guys

The trickiest part about Tangled is the concept of good guys and bad guys.

Many younger kids and certainly toddlers are just beginning to get their heads around the idea that not everyone is good (in the movies at least). This is part of growing up and a critical component of true trust. However, most young kids are comfortable with one villain who they can write off as the bad guy.

Tangled makes this tough because the lead male character, Flynn Rider, starts the movie as a thief having robbed the palace of what turns out to be the crown worn by the missing princess Rapunzel when she was a baby. That means he is an outlaw and chased by soldiers and by one of the soldier’s horses, Maximus. (He’s one of the two animals.)

Rapunzel is good through and through. Her mother is evil and selfish, and the actual bad guy for the movie. However, young children will have trouble with the soldiers who they are likely to lump into the “bad” camp because they are chasing Flynn.

Older kids will be able to catch the subtlety that Flynn is not a bad guy and that he really isn’t a thief at heart. He even admits as much during the film. For younger kids who want Flynn and Rapunzel to be the good guys and everyone trying to stop them that’s a tough distinction to grasp, even with plenty of help from Mom and Dad. Be prepared to have to let it go. Kids this age don’t need to be confused further about who is good or bad.

Is Tangled Any Good?

If you’re an adult looking for a movie, Tangled is not for you. This isn’t on the level of The Lion King or Beauty and Beast, and certainly not of the Finding Nemo or Monsters Inc. caliber.

There are plenty of funny one-liners, the movie never really gets slow, and the dialog and story are fine enough to keep adults from rolling their eyes. However, this is a long Disney Channel cartoon more than anything.

The most bothersome part of the movie is that the characters blurt out into song (it’s a musical) in very artificial and an almost forced manner. For adults who know how movies (and even musicals) are supposed to flow, it is very jarring, but youngsters won’t notice. In addition, these are not the lovable, catchy tunes from Beauty and the Beast. Your four-year old won’t end up singing any of these songs unless Disney mounts a multi-year campaign to force them into every CD, TV series, Disney on Ice performance, and musical special they produce.

That may actually be a good thing :)

Take your kids, they’ll like it and you will like taking them to it. Just don’t round up your friends for a night out to see Tangled. It’s for kids, not for kids of all ages.

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