Hey Yo Yo Yo! We've got a Yo-Yo Guy coming to visit!

Check out Cody & his amazing yo-yo tricks!




Jaw-drop awesome, eh? And he's only been doing this for 2 years!
Here's the info on when he'll be performing, chatting, and being an all-around nice guy with an uncanny ability with a Yo-yo:

Once Upon a Toy in Edwardsville, IL
Saturday June 19, from 11am - 2pm

LagoonaMagoo Toys at St. Louis Mills Mall
Saturday June 26, from 11am - 2pm

See you there!

Come to the Party!

If you haven't heard yet, the dates for our trading parties are set!  All parties start at 6:30pm and last until 8pm. For more information or to RSVP (appreciated, but not required), just call your favorite Happy Up store!

June 17:
Once Upon a Toy in Edwardsville, IL
(618) 656-9596

June 24:
LagoonaMagoo Toys in Fairview Heights, IL
(618) 628-9270

July 1:
LagoonaMagoo Toys at the St. Louis Mills Mall, MO
(314) 227-5335

Email invites went out on Friday. Did you get yours? What? You aren't on our email list? It's easy to subscribe using the box in the sidebar. hint hint. If you're interested to see the email, you can find it here: It's a Party at Once Upon a Toy and LagoonaMagoo Toys!

Jaelyn Jamik, the St. Louis Children's Recreation Examiner gave Silly Bandz & Japanese Erasers (and our parties!) a nice little write up. You can read her article here: Silly Bandz and Iwako Japanese Erasers are all the rage: Kids, wanna trade?

So we'll see you at one of the parties, right?

Gettin' Silly with the Silly Bandz!

Also called Shaped Bands, Shaped Bracelet Bands, and Silly Bands (note:  no "Z"), these colorful bits of silicone are soft, durable, and retain their shapes.  This is a collecting trend just starting to sweep the country.  Popular on the east coast and in the southern states for more than a year, Silly Bandz are just now catching the interest of midwest trendsetters.  And once they get started, kids are taking their collections very seriously.  So what are they exactly?  Think rubber bands--  only not as stretchy.  Think plastic jelly bracelets, only not boringly round!  Add bright colors and shapes that appeal to youngsters, and suddenly you have instant coolness on kid-wrists all across the country.  Because they're inexpensive and sold in packs of 12 or more, they're an easy collection to start.  And to store.  The bands encompass a wide variety of shapes from wild animals to vehicles to sheriff badges to sports figures.  Some kids are collecting based on their interests.  Others are staying focused on "rare" or unusual shapes.  And some are just going for quantity--  the more the merrier!

Some school districts are being forced to take them seriously, too--  turns out the shaped bands are so distracting they've been banned in some school districts.  Thankfully, we're all on summer break so no worries about getting teachers and principals all in a twist about these.  However, there are concerns about kids wearing bands that are too tight for their wrists and cutting off circulation.  While this isn't a serious concern if the kiddo is only wearing them for a short period of time,  we do hear of kids who refuse to take them off--  which could create a problem.  So grown-ups?  Check to make sure the bands aren't restricting blood flow.

And just for giggles?  Check out this ultra-silly gangsta rap about Silly Bandz!



Collecting the bands already? Have gobs to show off? Duplicates to trade? Watch this space for our announcement of our Silly Bandz & Japanese Eraser Trading Parties! We'll also be sending out an email invite, so make sure you're on our email list!

Japanese Erasers: Collectible? Yep. Inexpensive? Yep. Crazy Cool? You Betcha!

What is adorable, collectible, and incredibly small?  Japanese Erasers!  These amazingly detailed miniatures are the latest collectible craze.  From food items that look good enough to eat (please don't!) to animals so cute you can hardly resist cuddling them, these erasers are capturing the attention of children and adults around the globe.  Many of the erasers can be customized by taking them apart and swapping pieces with others of the same style.  This is one case where a picture is worth a thousand words--

In fact, instead of reading my babble, spend some time feasting your eyes on these fabulous little gems:

Cakes - Fast Food Meal - Bowling

Basketballs - Cherries - Horses

Made in Japan, these erasers are non-toxic--  they're lead-free, pvc-free, latex-free, and phthalate-free.  They're also packaged using recyled materials.  Yep, that's your recycled post-consumer paper-products at work!  And unlike many of the collectible trends out there, japanese erasers are also incredibly easy on the wallet.

To see a poster of all the styles available, Click Here.

If you want to see and learn more about the erasers, visit the manufacturer's website at  www.iwakousa.com

Watch your email boxes for an invitation to our first ever Eraser and Shaped Rubber Band Trading Parties!  If you're not on our email list yet, now is a great time to subscribe.  Just use the handy box in the sidebar. 

ps:  watch your favorite Happy Up store for stickers designed to match the erasers!  Hamster cuteness overload! 

pps:  Blog post about Shaped Rubber Bands coming soon!

June Game Night Schedule for LagoonaMagoo Toys at the St. Louis Mills Mall

You're invited to come play with us at the St. Louis Mills Mall location of LagoonaMagoo Toys!  Our family game nights are a great chance to get out and play your favorite games.  Or maybe discover a new favorite.  Or rediscover one you haven't played in eons.  If you have any questions, feel free to give the playful folks at the store a call:  (314) 227-5335

We play every Friday from 6:30 - 8:30pm

Hope to see you there!

Our Games for June are:

• June 4 - Blokus - A strategy favorite for the whole family--  place your colored tiles corner to corner and hope your opponents don't trap you in your corner!  Difficulty increases with the players' skill.  Ages 5 and up
  
• June 11 - Great States - Quick!  Mount Rushmore is in what state?  Learn trivia & test your knowledge of our country with this fab board game.  Don't think too long--  you're being timed!  Ages 7 and up
  
• June 18 - You've Been Sentenced - With a hand of five-sided cards, you need to build a sentence longer than your opponents'.  So what's the challenge?  It needs to be grammatically correct and make sense!  Ages 8 and up
  
• June 25 - Yamslam - A quick-playing dice game, Yamslam rewards players for thinking in terms of strategy, risk, and considering the odds of rolling certain combinations.  Could be luck, might be skill--  Either way, it's fun!  Ages 8 and up

Playday at LagoonaMagoo Fairview Heights!

Ever want to have an entire toy store to play in?  LagoonaMagoo Toys in Fairview Heights will be hosting a playday on Monday, May 17 from 10:30 to noon.  Space is limited, so you'll need to call to reserve space for your youngsters! 

We'll have lots of toys and games open and ready for little ones to explore.  We'll also have plenty of folks on hand to demonstrate & explain how the toys work.  And like always, our helpful playfolks will be ready to help the grownups find toys and games that will further a child's development. 

A fun time will be had by all!

To reserve space or to get more information, call the playful folks at the Fairview Heights LagoonaMagoo:  (618) 628-9270..

Update 10/21/2010--  Playdates are taking a break for November & December.  Please check back to see our schedule of open playdates in January, 2011!

May Game Night Schedule for LagoonaMagoo Toys at the St. Louis Mills Mall

You're invited to come play with us at the St. Louis Mills Mall location of LagoonaMagoo Toys!  Our family game nights are a great chance to get out and play your favorite games.  Or maybe discover a new favorite.  Or rediscover one you haven't played in eons.  If you have any questions, feel free to give the playful folks at the store a call:  (314) 227-5335

We play every Friday from 6:30 - 8:30pm

Hope to see you there!

Our Games for May are:

• May 7 - Gobblet x 4 - It’s almost tic-tac-toe, but add in sneak attacks, strategy, and speedy play for a new twist to this family favorite. Ages 7 & up
• May 14 - Slap Wacky - Using cards, put together the most wacky shape patterns possible. Just remember to slap ‘em to score! Ages 7 & up
• May 21 - Smart Mouth - Be the first to shout out a word beginning & ending with your letter tiles. Vocabulary goofiness galore! Ages 8 & up
• May 28 - I Spy Eagle Eye - Somewhere on the gameboard is the object on your card-- find it quick! Ages 5 & up