Thread: Need Gift Advice for the Kiddies?

Hi, I'm Tyler: straight razor noob, and new to forums in general. I wanted to provide some kind of help in return for all the great advice I've gotten here on the forums, and as I've got no shaving advice to offer (yet), I thought I'd introduce myself by way of offering up my services as a bit of a toy industry expert (been designing toys for over a decade) to any dads/grandpas who might need some last-minute ideas for the holidays.
So, if you need some help on where to start, give me an age, gender (the kid's, unless you're really hard up for a date), and any other helpful info and I'll see what I can do!
If you're looking for general gifts, I'll always recommend games, because who doesn't like a game of UNO, really?

Welcome Kenny. Awful nice to offer some advice. I don't have kids myself, but I've got some to buy for, so expect a PM from me.

Thanks

Originally Posted by kenneyty

If you're looking for general gifts, I'll always recommend games, because who doesn't like a game of UNO, really?

Yeah, games are great, but UNO suk imo. Played it, fell asleep.
Apples to Apples must be THE GREATEST GAME FOR ALL AGES. (well ages 9+ anyway, 7+ for the junior version)
It's so much fun when we play with adults alone I can't recommend a better game for everyone. It's a card game as well. Settlers of Catan is very popular among board gamers. I like it, but primarily with the Traders of Catan expansion pack.

My 9 month old loves books so I've gotten him the complete Dan Crisp "Where's that ..." series. We're looking for Spanish language books for kids too though. Do you know of any? What are some really good toys for babies as they close in on their first year?

X

Originally Posted by xman

Yeah, games are great, but UNO suk imo. Played it, fell asleep.
Apples to Apples must be THE GREATEST GAME FOR ALL AGES. (well ages 9+ anyway, 7+ for the junior version)
It's so much fun when we play with adults alone I can't recommend a better game for everyone. It's a card game as well. Settlers of Catan is very popular among board gamers. I like it, but primarily with the Traders of Catan expansion pack.

My 9 month old loves books so I've gotten him the complete Dan Crisp "Where's that ..." series. We're looking for Spanish language books for kids too though. Do you know of any? What are some really good toys for babies as they close in on their first year?

X

Grrr., X you ad Bruno are ruining my week! but i have to agree with you, Apples to Apples is great especially when played with adults who might have had a drink or two! but the junior version sucks, even when you are playing with kids.

uno has been boring for years and years and years... even kids do not like it.

Well, not to toot my own horn here, but check out the new UNO Flash game. You may have seen it on TV (read: been beaten over the head by it over and over until you cried out for mercy or bought it). If you're a serious strategy gamer who hates UNO because there's not enough decision making, you're never going to like UNO. But if you like something that gets you frantic and laughing out loud, flash was designed for you. It's the most fun I've had playing UNO.
I recommend booze (disclaimer: the company certainly does not advocate that).

Apples to apples is a great game. I can't comment on the junior version, but I love the adult version. It's finally a card game that doesn't get old.

A game I've just rediscovered is Scrabble. I used to hate it when I was younger, but for some reason I really get into it now. SWMBO and I are both very competitive, and poor winners/losers to boot, so Scrabble ends up really interesting (to say the least). I will say this if you decide on Scrabble- set down the rules early on and make sure everyone understands how the dictionary is to be used. We're on Scrabble hiatus because of a misunderstanding of the use of acceptable foreign words. It sort of ended up with the board and pieces flying through the air

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

We're on Scrabble hiatus because of a misunderstanding of the use of acceptable foreign words. It sort of ended up with the board and pieces flying through the air

My wife and I have not played scrabble since our honeymoon (it was raining, and we were all...uh, other-activitied out, didn't feel like getting drunk again that morning), and discovered that we are both too competitve at scrabble to play a friendly game.

I like how you refer to that, "other activitied out" It might come down to that for us. We love to play, but it gets so tense at the end. In fact, there are quite a few games that we can't play too often. Canasta is one, Goldeneye 64 is another.

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

We're on Scrabble hiatus because of a misunderstanding of the use of acceptable foreign words. It sort of ended up with the board and pieces flying through the air

I've retired from playing more board games than I can count for similar reasons. Scrabble is definitely one, as is Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit (all versions), various card games, Pictionary, etc... Why does no one else ever take these games as serious as I do?