Parent Pages new website

Take an exclusive behind the scenes look at the making of the Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two video game. Meet some of the key people behind the creation of the game, and get a deeper understanding into the core gameplay features, mechanics and storyline. Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two [...]

Read the full story

Parents were warned today to prepare for a Furby invasion this Christmas. Yes, that furry mechanical friend, which resembles a malevolent hamster crossed with a chimp, has had its first makeover in six years. Makers Tiger Electronics aren’t giving anything away, just this image of the next generation friend called Taboo. Whether the company can [...]

Read the full story

Vancouver mother Wendy Tsao wanted to find the perfect comfort toy for her four-year-old son Dani, one that he would instantly bond with and cherish forever. But rather than run to the shop, she rifled through his stacks of drawings and found inspiration in his own imagination. Mrs Tsao took to needle and thread to [...]

Read the full story

The World’s tallest Lego tower has been erected in Seoul, South Korea, built by 4,000 children, using 500,000 bricks and measuring a dizzying 31.9 metres (105ft) high. The toy tower was unveiled on Sunday by Danish Crown Prince Frederik, who laid the final record-breaking brick, as part of a celebration to mark Lego’s 80th birthday. [...]

Read the full story

With stiff limbs and gormless expressions they could be mistaken for Barbie dolls. But the female and male in these pictures aren’t plastic Mattel figures but real-life models. Vancouver-based photographer Hayden Wood used some Photoshop wizardry to transform the duo into versions of Barbie and Ken. Both Meagan Therese Squire and James Webb have had [...]

Read the full story

Online gaming among tween girls is on the rise, as more are turning to the web to take quizzes and participate in social role-playing challenges, a new study suggests. A new report by tween gaming platform GirlsgoGames.com found that about 50% of tween girls between the ages of 8 and 12 are turning to the [...]

Read the full story

Wreck-It Ralph, a 3D computer-animated Disney movie due out Nov. 2, will feature cameos from the gaming world’s most-beloved bad guys. Although the star-studded comedic film stars the 9-foot, 643-pound video game character Ralph, be on the lookout for villains from Super Mario Bros., Mortal Kombat, Sonic, Mega Man, Street Fighter and other classics. Wreck-It [...]

Read the full story

Nintendo and Aardman Animations – they of Wallace and Gromit and Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists fame – have collaborated to produce a series of animated 3D shorts starring everyone’s farmyard favourite Shaun the Sheep. The Raising the Baaa! making of video charts Shaun’s journey from concept, to schedule board, to story board, to [...]

Read the full story

The first-ever drawing of a sewer-dwelling crimefighting team whose antics saw them conquer the world; is set for auction in the US. A black-and-white line sketch by half-shell co-creator Kevin Eastman came to him in a whim; yet helped spawn a multi-million pound toy, comic and film industry in the 90s. Kevin, now 49, did the [...]

Read the full story

What’s orange, furry, adorable and can teach your kids Spanish? Meet the new plush toy Ubooly. It combines teddy bear cuteness with a voice recognition app to become an interactive educational tool for kids. Just slip your iPhone or iPad into the zippered pouch on the fuzzy Ubooly’s head, so the speaker is at the top, [...]

Read the full story

One in six adults still takes a cuddly toy to bed with them each night, a study has revealed. After a tiring day, many of us revert to our childhood habits, with 16 per cent cuddling up to their favourite teddy to help them relax – and 4 per cent sleeping with the light on. Despite this, [...]

Read the full story

The dolls are produced as part of a collection by the US toy maufacturer Mattel, which makes Barbie dolls, and have already sold out in America. The box set costs just under £100 and the company says they are more of a collector’s item than a toy.   Head buyer at toy retailer Hamleys, Laura Olver, [...]

Read the full story

A miniature 10-cm high Lego model of the Queen – complete with a real diamond-encrusted crown – will be installed at Legoland Windsor next month to mark the Diamond Jubilee. Described as “one of the most valuable LEGO models”, the Lego Queen will go on display on the balcony of a recreation of Buckingham Palace [...]

Read the full story

An angry four-year-old boy shot his father dead after he refused to buy him a PlayStation. The Saudi Arabian youngster, from the southern Jizan area, grabbed his father’s pistol and gunned him down. The child had reportedly asked his father to buy him a PlayStation and the shooting took place after the man returned home without the [...]

Read the full story

A rare steam-propelled toy tin-plate battleship has become the most expensive single toy ever sold in the UK after fetching £76,000 in Berkshire. HMS Terrible is part of a lifetime collection of toys and trains which belonged to Ron McCrindell. Auctioneer Hugo Marsh said: “As far as we are aware it is the most expensive [...]

Read the full story

UK parents are suffering a crisis of confidence when it comes to playing with their children, suggests a survey. Almost half of 2,000 parents questioned said they would welcome expert help on how to play. Some 13% felt anxious about play, while 17% admitted buying toys and video games for their children to take the [...]

Read the full story

Your background is in music and presenting – how did you get onto a technology show? I’ve always been a technology fan. I thought my Game Boy was the most amazing thing ever as a kid. At 16 I got a mobile – a real brick – and I was obsessed. Since then I’ve loved [...]

Read the full story

Parents whose children have accidentally run up huge bills playing games on their iPhones could be in line for compensation from Apple. Campaigners are awaiting the result of a U.S. court case in which a group of disgruntled parents are suing the company after their children’s innocent game playing ended up costing a fortune.   They [...]

Read the full story

Parents whose children have accidentally run up huge bills playing games on their iPhones could be in line for compensation from Apple. Campaigners are awaiting the result of a U.S. court case in which a group of disgruntled parents are suing the company after their children’s innocent game playing ended up costing a fortune. Apple, [...]

Read the full story

No helmets, no safety rails, no child-friendly synthetic surfaces — little sign of an adult (with or without a fluorescent bib and a first aid kit). Yet, none of these scenes ended in disaster. They were just part of growing up in the days when a stubbed  toe or a cracked tooth was a fact [...]

Read the full story

In the week that the British medical profession united behind a campaign to fight obesity, McDonald’s, a sponsor of the Olympics, has come up with its own recipe to improve children’s health: nine million free toys, two one-eyed mascots and a mysterious force called “Rainbow Power”. In the wake of criticism from nutritionists over the [...]

Read the full story

The birth of the modern playground: The giant wooden plank in Kettering that was the world’s first children’s slide built 90 years ago (and the man who made this also invented the modern swing) By JO RILEY Historians have uncovered photos of the world’s first children’s slide – it was built 90 years ago this [...]

Read the full story

A tiny children’s book created for a royal doll’s house is to be published in human scale. With pages scarcely bigger than a postage stamp and intricate drawings by a celebrated cartoonist, the miniature volume is a prized object in the Royal Collection. But from next month youngsters everywhere will have the chance to read the [...]

Read the full story

Barbie has had a make-under, as revealed in the first photos of the Katniss doll, inspired by the heroine of the Hunger Games. Mattel has launched its special collection doll, based on 16-year-old Katniss. The make-up free figurine is decked out in her signature boots and black-and-orange jacket, with a trademark mockingjay pin, braid and [...]

Read the full story

A pre-order for the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Barbie dolls has sold out in the U.S. Tagged the ‘William and Catherine Royal Wedding Giftset,’ they were released on February 14 which meant it took less than two months for eager fans to exhaust the giant toy company’s stock. The set of Mattel’s two [...]

Read the full story

With almost 60 million users worldwide (about 70% of British children are hooked), Moshimonsters.com is almost synonymous with contemporary childhood. The online sensation allowed kids to create their own their own virtual pets, but this week the brand unveils a spinoff pop album – Moshi Monsters: Music Rox! – featuring music by characters in the [...]

Read the full story

For women of a certain age, the names Applejack, Blossom and Cotton Candy will cause a pang of nostalgia. They certainly had an effect on Sarah Butler, who has all three of the plastic horses in her vast My Little Pony collection worth a cool £20,000. Miss Butler, 29, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, proudly displays [...]

Read the full story

For women of a certain age, the names Applejack, Blossom and Cotton Candy will cause a pang of nostalgia. They certainly had an effect on Sarah Butler, who has all three of the plastic horses in her vast My Little Pony collection worth a cool £20,000. Miss Butler, 29, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, proudly displays [...]

Read the full story

The assassination of a president is no laughing matter. As a result, the gift shop at Gettysburg National Military Park has pulled the bobblehead dolls of the man who killed President Abraham Lincoln off the shelves. The dolls of John Wilkes Booth with a handgun were removed from shelves on Saturday- a day after a [...]

Read the full story

They have become icons in the toy world but, as these amazing pictures show, every one of them was borne out of a simple idea. The original patents for some of the world’s most famous toys have been collected and published by history website Retronaut. They detail the origins of heavyweight popular toys going back [...]

Read the full story

Profits are up at Lego after the plastic brick maker started making pink and purple bricks aimed at young girls via Is it sexist to make pink Lego bricks for girls? | Business | guardian.co.uk. » Inline Ad Purchase:  Intext Link

Read the full story

LONG BEACH, Calif — With kids spending an increasing amount of time with technology, one company is developing LEGO-like toys that help them understand how devices like iPads and cell phones actually work. The founder of littleBits has designed a system of electronic modules that snap together with magnets. They can easily create everything from [...]

Read the full story

You would be forgiven for thinking that this colourful-looking church is a model in the famous Legoland theme park. But incredibly, it is a real-life scene taken straight from a Dutch street. The 65ft-high Lego church is called Abondantus Gigantus and was built for the Grenswerk Festival, in the town of Enschede. Impressive: Although it [...]

Read the full story

As Waldo and the Care Bears celebrate big anniversaries this year — 25 and 30 years, respectively — it’s mind-blowing how much the toy industry has changed in the past few decades. Nowadays, Barbie takes pictures via a built-in webcam and displays it on her shirt, and some toys are even solar powered. The 109th [...]

Read the full story

The Diamond Queen, the BBC’s three-part series celebrating Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne, is perhaps the most intimate ever portrait of Britain’s monarch. Its presenter, Andrew Marr, was given unprecedented access to the Royal family, whose personal recollections offer a rare glimpse of the woman behind the role. Among the most intriguing stories [...]

Read the full story

If Angry Birds and Cut the Rope can have toys, why can’t FarmVille? Social gaming juggernaut Zynga is teaming up with toy maker Hasbro to create a “wide range of toys and gaming experiences” based on Zynga properties and brands, a release read. The first products are expected to hit the market in Fall 2012. [...]

Read the full story

A child regards the scooter as an essential accessory for his or her parents to carry; it is a symbol of the child’s authority. I see them every morning as they troop past our flat on the way to the local (most desirable) primary school. The child meanders along behind as the mother marches ahead, [...]

Read the full story

One ardent Marine has been collecting Lego sets from the age of five and has now accrued – and built – a staggering 1,091 Lego sets, which are proudly displayed in his home. The meticulous hobby has earned Captain Kyle Ugone the title of world champion for the most completed Lego sets in a private [...]

Read the full story

Two Canadian teenagers have sent a Lego man into space using a home-stitched parachute and spare parts found on Craigslist. Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad, both 17, attached the two-inch astronaut clutching a Canadian flag to a helium weather balloon, which they sent 80,000 feet into the air – three times the height of a [...]

Read the full story

The new sets feature locations such as a beauty parlour and a vet’s surgery and also include animal figures including ponies. The launch follows four years of research by the Danish company which is hoping to get a bigger share of the female toy market. Traditionally around 80 per cent of sales have been to [...]

Read the full story

Later this year, youngsters will be cheering on their heroes at the Olympic and Paralympic Games but will they be recreating those golden moments at home? Some toy manufacturers have spent significant sums on an official London 2012 licence as they strive for their own golden summer. The annual Toy Fair trade show provides a [...]

Read the full story

Iran has opened up a new front in its propaganda war with the West – by cracking down on the sale of Barbie dolls. Iran’s feared morality police has raided shops selling Barbie dolls, confiscating the popular toy from stores and forcing some shopkeepers to close. The semi-official Mehr news agency quoted a police officer [...]

Read the full story

A mother has called for ‘common sense to prevail’ after her 10-year-old son was suspended for taking a plastic toy gun to school with him. Stuart Thomson was given the gun as a harmless gift from his grandmother and the excited youngster decided he wanted to show friends his new toy. But when teachers at [...]

Read the full story

In Icons, a Hong Kong-based toy manufacturer, posted a notice on its website, saying it was stopping production of the doll “after immense pressure from the lawyers of Apple and Steve Jobs family”. “Though we still believe that we have not overstepped any legal boundaries, we have decided to completely stop the offer, production and [...]

Read the full story

Barbie may be best-known for her long blonde hair. But a new campaign that is fast gathering momentum could see her go bald in her next incarnation. Inspired by a one-of-a-kind doll created for a four-year-old girl who had lost her hair after treatment for cancer, its founders hope that a bald doll will help [...]

Read the full story

Remember those old-school 3D images you used to see through plastic Fisher-Price View-Master toys? Now the company is gearing up to give you that same content on digital 3D devices. At the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, Fisher Price announced it is partnering with Spatial View to put retro and modern 3D images in an online [...]

Read the full story

Most marriage proposals involve a diamond ring and a bended knee. But filmmaker Walt Thompson went far beyond the average efforts by creating a stop-motion animation movie with which to pop the question. Mr Thompson, 29, from Atlanta, Georgia, spent two-and-a-half days on the project, taking over 2,600 photos of a Lego couple to create [...]

Read the full story

A Hello Kitty themed restaurant – based on the famous Japanese character – has opened in Beijing, China via Hello Kitty restaurant, theme park, hotel and maternity suite – Telegraph. » Inline Ad Purchase:  Intext Link

Read the full story

Daniella’s face is flushed pink with sleep. Her mouth is a perfect Cupid’s bow and she lies in a crib on a rose-embroidered blanket. Her arms are splayed and her tiny fingers are furled as babies’ are when they’re asleep. The walls are painted in pristine pastels. A mobile plays Brahms’s Lullaby. Daniella is not [...]

Read the full story

The toy maker Lego has taken full control of its education division after buying the remaining 49 per cent stake for €4.4m (£3.7m) from the UK-listed education supplier RM. Lego Education Europe distributes specialist branded toys and educational tools for use in schools. Lego, based in Denmark, is paying €2.2m in cash and a further [...]

Read the full story