Friday, March 29, 2013

The Easter Bunny is a dear old soul...

And has given us Easter Sunday, March 31st off.  So Landis' Labyrinth will be closed this Sunday, but never fear, we will reopen again on Monday at our usual time.  Happy Easter!

Want a toy from a Danish company that IS Lego? Well, we've got it!

Oh boy, where to begin?  Well, as you can tell from the photo, we're pretty psyched about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles being in Lego-form.  I mean really, how can you not love that?  There's also some great new Star Wars sets out this year which the older kids like, as well as some superhero Lego sets from Wolverine and The Dark Knight Rises (I actually have the Bat vs. Bane set which is naturally, super awesome), more Hero Factory, Hobbit, CITY, and tons of Creator sets.  We also brought back in more Duplo sets for the younger Lego fanatics, including a car one where you can 'customize' your cars much as you would with Automoblox.  We have more small to mid-size sets in, so if you're heading out to a birthday party, these sets are perfect for that.

We also have more Lego Friends sets in as well.  We thought that these deserved a special mention because the effect that this line has had at Lego is staggering.  Prior to the launch of the Friends line, 10% of Lego buyers were female. Since it's introduction, Friends has pushed this to 25% (this is only over the course of one year), and sales as a whole have gone up 25% for Lego.  Simply put, that is incredible!  We've heard great things from parents about the Friends line.  Many have said that their daughters have gone from solely buying Friends to trying out other Lego lines like Creator and CITY, and that sons and daughters play with Friends and other Lego sets together as the pieces are compatible with each other.  Overall, it seems to have removed the 'Legos are for boys' perception from children's and parents' minds (I'm female and loved Legos growing up and I'm personally so happy that the 'Legos are for boys' quote seems to have disappeared).  This year we have a Friends Tree House, Magic Show, Karate Class, and much more for you! 

Thomas and Friends have arrived at our depot at long last :)

And it was worth the wait.  In addition to making a ton of new designs and tracks, Thomas & Friends, now a part of Fisher Price, also created an incredible display for us to use as well as a fully-equipped train table for all of our guests to play with in our shop at 144 N. Larchmont Blvd.!  We've been waiting for the re-launch of Thomas for a while now, and we're pretty sure that you guys have, too.  We stick to the wooden train sets since they're compatible with other wooden train brands like Brio and Melissa & Doug, so you can mix and match your sets as you choose.  Train sets are a great activity for children, as they encourage imaginative play, dexterity, and design skills.  When no one is around we personally have a blast coming up with different train track designs and seeing what it possible within our own imaginations.  Train sets are a great investment if years of play is what you're after, and thanks to the wooden construction, they can be passed down from child to child.  And let's face it, kids just go crazy for Thomas!

Please give a warm welcome to the WorryWoos Monsters!

You know, sometimes it's difficult to express your emotions, especially when you're little and everything is literally looming over you!  The WorryWoo Monsters understand, and they're here to help guide your child (and you) through all of life's little worries.  Created by Andi Green, the stories behind these plush characters are thought-provoking, yet simple enough for a child to understand.  They deal with loneliness, worrying, and tough decision-making and how the monsters involved learn to overcome them in a positive way.  The stories are delightful to read (they even rhyme... which is always a bonus), the illustrations are unique and well-done, and all around, this line is a great tool in helping a child work through their troubles and know that at the end of the day, they have a buddy all their own that understands.  The plush monsters and books are sold separately, and while we recommend pairing the two together, separately they are also wonderful companions for your little ones.

Melissa & Doug have taken over Landis' Labyrinth!

And like the majestic dinosaurs of long ago, children can't seem to get enough of 'em.  We had a MASSIVE shipment of Melissa & Doug products come in last week, and once the dust settled and all of the boxes were emptied and recycled, we just sat back and marveled at just how much Melissa & Doug we can now carry.  One of the biggest requests we got when we were planning on expanding the shop was to have more M&D, and we've really done it this time.  Loads of wooden toys, puzzles, art kits/supplies, costumes, games (we're loving the new spinner-based games for preschoolers), learning supplies, and more are now on our walls begging to be brought home to a lucky child.  We can't pick a favorite, so we're hoping you all will stop on by and let us know what you think. 

Want to feel like the Queen without the multiple corgies and pastel hats?

Then come on over to Landis' Labyrinth and check out Royal Apothic, an absolutely lovely line of hand cremes, candles, perfumes, and much more.  Why should the kids have all the fun of getting something new and exciting when they come into the toy shop?  Ladies above a certain age (let's say 14) know that sometimes a new scent is just the ticket towards brightening up someone's day.  Royal Apothic is hand-made in the USA and is sold all over the world.  Excellent quality, classic scents, and attention to detail make this a must-have line.  We also happen to think that they people that work there are some of the nicest people out there, so we're thrilled to have this line available at our shop! 


Friday, March 15, 2013

Though small in size, Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty and Cubebots are back in a big way.

We could hardly keep these bots in stock during the December holidays, and considering how ofter we ourselves play with these unique puzzles, we're not surprised.  Made of wood with some elastic joints, Cubebots are designed to unfold into a 'robot', and then challenge its owner to reconfigure it back into a perfect cube.  And we have to say, it's a good challenge for both kids and adults.  The small Micro Cubebots are the easiest of the bunch to solve, and are available in a wide range of colors, but they are still tricky!  Guthrie (the bot in the red box), is definitely a tough fellow to manage, but Julien, who has kindly consented to pose for us here in the upper right-hand corner, might even beat Guthrie in terms of difficulty.  We just got them in, so we can't say for certain who will win the battle of most-challenging Cubebot, but we have a feeling that we'll come to a conclusion soon enough since they are addictive to play with.  Be prepared to spend a good deal of time being entertained by these Cubebots!

If you want something less challenging, more creative, but just as engaging, then you'll be happy to know that we have restocked our Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty.  We're written about this before, but just to give you the highlights once again, Crazy Aaron's is a U.S. company who not only manufactures their putty in the U.S., but they also employ people with learning and/or physical disabilities, so that right there is a fantastic reason to choose this putty.  And just to make things even better, their products are awesome.  You can choose from small metal tins of color-changing or glow-in-the-dark putty, or go all out and get their magnetic putty (the putty itself is attracted to magnets, which they provide), or my personal favorite, the Thinking Putty Creatures.  The Creatures come with plastic eyeballs that look pretty realistic and you are encouraged to mould your putty into whatever creature your mind can conceive and use the eyeballs as, well, eyeballs.  The putty is firm, and will slowly "melt" back down over time, but it never dries out and you can use it over and over again.  We have a strong suspicion that there will be more than one Easter basket out there that will have either some Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty or a Cubebot (or both!) in it in a few weeks.  The Easter Bunny knows what's up...

Thursday, March 14, 2013

You know who else loves toys? Pets!

And it's high time we here at Landis' Labyrinth acknowledged that and provided a little something for our favorite four-legged friends (at our Larchmont location alone we have 9 dogs between us all).  We get a lot of customers that come in looking for toys that their pets can play with, and the reality is that you shouldn't give toys designed for children to pets.  A child's stuffed animal isn't made to withstand dogs' teeth, nor are the materials used safe for them to swallow, which will inevitably happen when a dog tears their toy apart.  Dogs love to gnaw on their toys, and unless the toy is specifically designed for them, it's best to avoid using children's toys for their entertainment.         
With this in mind, we found a few pet toys from some of our favorite lines to bring into the shop.  O.R.E, which we typically carry lunch boxes, sacks, bottles, and aprons from, also produces a great pet line, including the jingle cat dangle toy seen in the photo above, as well as the canvas stuffed toys for dogs below.  We love that they don't have tons of appendages to easily rip off of them (my dog is quite fond of de-eyeing and de-limbing his toys).  Another toy shown in the photo above is the plastic zombie chew toy from Gama-Go.  Slightly squeaky, definitely different, this toy is sure to please your pup and possibly scare your friends.  And last but not least, we have a toy that's more for us humans, but requires a dog to make it work: the Pet's Eye View Camera from Nat Geo Wild (part of Uncle Milton).  Simply attach this to your dog's collar (smaller dogs might want to sit this adventure out) and it will, at random, take photos of your dog's journey.  You could see everything from a close-up of their water bowl, the base of a tree, a worried cat, or even if you're especially fortunate, the backside of another dog.  The possibilities are endless! 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Sculpey in its greatest form... bunnies.

Ah Sculpey, the easier-to-mould-than-Fimo baking clay.  Whilst organizing the Sculpey display yesterday, we came across 5 packages of clay that were bitten into.  While we don't encourage our customers to bite our products (especially ones that you could in theory eat but really shouldn't because it isn't safe to eat), there was a silver lining.  After tossing out the bits with bites we used the rest of the clay to demonstrate just how wonderful Sculpey is.  And since it's almost the first day of spring, we felt behooved to create some delightful bunnies, flowers, and bunnies playing with butterflies out of the clay.  So here is the end, albeit unbaked, result.  And remember, always bake your creations in an oven, NOT your microwave!  And stop biting the Sculpey packages, please :)

Guess who's back and ready to play? Playmobil!

And as Playmobil helpfully reminds us, it's pronounced Play-mo-beel, not Play-mo-bill.  It's been a few years since this line has graced our shelves, and it wasn't that we fell out of love with the line.  We've always been big fans of this European toy manufacturer... they make quality play sets that appeal to both boys and girls, and the recommended age range for their regular line typically goes from 4 to 8 years old (they also have a younger line for 18 months and up so that everyone can get in on the action).  They also cover a wide range of themes, from the more fanciful like pirates, princesses, and medieval knights, to everyday home situations and rescue vehicles.  There really is something for everyone!  We stopped carrying the line initially because we found that we didn't have the proper space to really show off the product (we also had this issue with Haba on Larchmont which is now a huge seller for us since its reintroduction in our new space on Larchmont), not to mention it is constantly confused with Lego.  The faces are similar in design to Lego, but that's really where the comparison ends.  Playmobil is about interacting with the figures and settings and creating scenarios from your own imagination to fuel them.  Lego is more about construction.  There is very little construction involved with Playmobil, so all you have to do it open up the box and you're good to go!  To try and cut down on the confusion on Larchmont we have the Playmobil line at our shop at 144 N. Larchmont (the newer side), and the Lego line is remaining at 140.  During our time apart from Playmobil they came up with some fantastic new products like a plane that you can actually throw as a glider for the older kids.  And it seems that the pricing for everything is lower, but more items are being made in Germany again as opposed to China.  They've really boosted everything about their products, and we're happy to have the space available to re-introduce the line to our customers.  So come on in to 144 N. Larchmont, or our shop in Manhattan Beach, and give Playmobil a hearty "Welcome Back"!

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Larchmont's annual Spring Sidewalk sale is ON!

Don't we all love spring cleaning?  We get to make room for more new products, and you get to benefit from the savings!  We have tables out at both 140 and 144 N. Larchmont Blvd. with items that are 65% off the regular price.  We are serious about our sales.  A lot of the items are toys that have damaged packaging but the actual product is perfectly fine, but naturally, a lot are leftover Valentine's Day goodies and items that we don't plan to reorder in the near future.  So take advantage of the deals we have and stop on by!  We'll probably have the tables out for a week or so, so make sure to come by soon before they are gone :)

Thursday, March 7, 2013

But before Easter arrives, let's not forget about St. Patrick's Day


There once was toy shop on Larchmont,
With a St. Patrick's Day department.
With a Grow-A-Leprachaun,
Some shamrock glasses to put on,
And ironically, a few dodgy serpents.


In other words, we have some stuff for St. Patrick's Day.  Enjoy!

Are you ready for Easter? Because we are!


 Easter is one of my favorite holidays; It's a holiday that requires very little stress and it can be fun for all ages.  Think of it... possibly the best candies are available, there isn't obligatory seasonal music to listen to, there isn't any pressure to have a date, and you may or may not get hugged by a giant rabbit at some point.  What's not to love?  That's why we're excited to let you know that we've got your back when it comes to little trinkets for Easter.  We try to steer away from obviously Easter-like toys since we know that the day after Easter, most kids aren't too terribly interested in something that has Easter written all over it.  So we've brought in a selection of springtime critters (those ducks and rabbits in the upper right-hand corner record your voice and play it back to you in a higher pitch), little containers to hide away special treats for the day (yup, we've got the macaron boxes back in!), and lots of small toys that are perfect for those baskets.  We also have loads of Calico Critters which have always been great sellers for us for Easter, so don't forget to check those out as well!  We're slowly filling our games wall back in as well, and already we've had parents coming in to buy card or travel-sized games to give for Easter.  So have fun coming up with your Easter baskets :)

Hello Kitty, you're so stinky!

But because you're Hello Kitty, naturally, you smell of apples, oranges, and other delightful things!
We went a little crazy with some of Hello Kitty's scented products.  Of course, we had to get the scented gel pens, and the scented lip balm (we'd be silly if we didn't), but scented temporary tattoos?  They've just combined the power of temporary tattoos, fruit scents, and Hello Kitty to make possibly the most awesome Hello Kitty item ever.  And let's not forget that they also came out with a scented emery board this season, so you can file your nails and smell nice all at the same time.  We realize that not everyone wants their Hello Kitty to smell like grapes, so we do have some non-scented items as well.  Flip-flops are an item we order in every summer, and they always sell out very early on, so snatch up these nautical-themed Hello Kitty ones soon.  We also love the Silicone Mold since you can use it for both ice cube making or mini cake baking.  Hello Kitty diaries, pencil cases, purses, hair accessories, pencils, pens, wallets, sunglasses, food containers, and even straws are just a few of the new goodies we've gotten in recently from Hello Kitty, so come on in and let your actual and/or inner child gaze upon Hello Kitty's benevolent presence and marvel at her versatility.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Give to a good cause: Baby2Baby!

We recently became a drop-off location for Baby2Baby, a Los Angeles organization whose mission is to supply Los Angeles families in need with essential baby gear and clothing for their children up to age 12. They provide new and gently used items to over 50 non-profit organizations, assisting over 50,000 children each year.  While it's easy to remember that there are children who are beyond less-fortunate outside of the United States, it can difficult to fully believe that many reside only a few blocks away from us.  Baby2Baby gives these families the chance to raise their children to be fed, clothed, and happy, and it is through their donators that they are able to complete this mission.  That's where you come in!  Thanks to our supplies drive to benefit people affected by the tornadoes that tore through the southern states a year ago, it became quite obvious that we have some seriously generous customers who went all out to clean out their storage spaces to find new and gently-used items that they no longer needed.  And now we're asking you on behalf of Baby2Baby to consider donating again.  Here is a list of what they take that you can drop off at Landis' Labyrinth (or any other drop-off point):

Very Gently Used
Cribs*( NO DROP SIDE)
Bassinets*
Playpens*
Clothing (ages 0-12 years)
Shoes
Toys
Books
DVDs/ CDs
Blankets/ Bedding/ Towels
Infant Tubs
Back & Front Carriers
Highchairs
Bouncy seats
Swings
Baby Proofing Items
Baby Monitors
Diaper Bags
Baby Room Accessories
Strollers*
Maternity Clothing
  
NEW items:
Car Seats*
Diapers*
Bottles/Nipples/ Teethers
Breast Pumps
Formula
Baby Food
Hygiene Products
Stuffed Animals

* Most Needed

There are also some items that they cannot accept, which include, STAINED clothing, USED Stuffed Animals, USED Bottles/Nipples/Teethers, USED Breast Pumps, OPENED Formula, Bumpers, and Safety Gates with Hardware.

We have our donation bin inside our shop at 144 N. Larchmont Blvd., so please consider donating!  Also, please visit their website, http://www.baby2baby.org/  , to find out more information about their organization.

Want a toy from a Danish company that isn't Lego? Well, meet Maileg!


One of our favorite new lines for 2013, Maileg isn't really a new line at all!  Maileg is the creation of Dorthe Mailil, who first began designing her line in 1999 in Denmark.  With its classic approach to design combined with some contemporary flourishes, Maileg stands out as a line that is difficult to define, but the words 'adorable' and 'precious'  seem to be the most common amongst out customers.  My personal favorite is the little lamb rag blankies (shown above on the right), which are the perfect size for little hands yearning to clutch something comforting and soft.  But the items that seem to be garnering the most oohs and ahhs are the cigar box and match box mice.  Now this is a classic approach to playing... children would often use items given to them by their parents that would otherwise have worn out their usefulness and turn them into makeshift toys.  Cigar boxes and match boxes were an ideal room/bed for dolls thanks to their size and obvious suitability for storing small treasures.  While the ones from Maileg are not actual re-purposed cigar/matchboxes, they are charming replicas of an era nearly forgotten by many, and they do come with some especially sweet mice nestled inside. Whether on a shelf as a collectible or in a small child's arms, these plush creatures, dolls, and doll accessories are sure to bring a smile to anyone's face.