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Showing posts from November, 2012

When is Cyber Monday, and what is Cyber Monday anyway?

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It's Cyber Monday today - Happy Cyber Monday! Unless you are reading this sometime in the future, in which case, unless it's exactly a multiple of one year in the future, it isn't. What about Black Friday? We can't talk about Cyber Monday without mentioning the preceding Friday, which is the day after thanksgiving in the US known as Black Friday, which  is traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. It is believed that Black Friday first got it's name in the early 1960's  from the increase of pedestrian and vehicular traffic in Philadelphia, and once the term had become more widespread a more common explanation of the phrase was that it was the turning point when retailers would start to see a profit and therefor be "in the black". Many retailers now capitalise on the day by offering crazy pre-Christmas deals, sales and special offers for the day, and many employers extend this as an unofficial thanksgiving holiday day. When

Secret Santa Ideas for £5 and Under

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Struggling for Secret Santa present ideas this Christmas? Well here are my top tips for 10 fun and original gifts for adults, and all for under a fiver. 1.    Mini Ten Pin Beer Bowling   Just line up the mini beer bottles and knock 'em down! 10 bottles = You are the king of ten beer bowling. 1 bottle = You are a wimp! £3.99 2.    Grow your own Gay Best Friend   Place him in water and watch him grow. He gives great relationship advice, will give you an honest opinion on your hair and style and he loves to dance! What more could you want from a gift?  £1.99 3. Set of 3 juggling balls   Learn a new skill with this set of three colourful squidgy juggling balls which come with a helpful booklet of basic instructions.      £4.99 4.  Exploding Lighter   Shock friends with this realistic looking cigarette lighter which explodes with a loud bang when the victim  tries to work it.                                                                  

Our toys are perfect for parrots too!

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Yes indeed, it's not just children and big kids that love our traditional and classic toys, but after reading some product reviews on our website today, I have discovered that our toys appeal to parrots and parrot owners too! Lorey is no longer lonely Lorey is a parrot that suffered from loneliness when his owner went to work, and he displayed no interest in various toys from the pet shops. Loreys owner decided to buy it our wooden clown cone puppet , which has transformed him from an unplayful parrot, to a parrot who just doesn't have enough time in the day to play with his beloved clown.   "His life changed from an unplayful parrot, to a parrot who just doesn't have enough time in the day to play with his beloved clown"  Keep your parrot off furniture and cabinets Another of our customers has found an ingenious use for our wooden swaying snake, by keeping their parrot off off furniture and bookshelves by placing it near the area they would l

Top ten stocking filler ideas for boys

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You may have read last week's ‘top ten sticking filler ideas for girls’ but this now it’s the boys turn! 1.    Rubber band plane        Wind the propeller and watch the plane take off.  2.    Toy spark gun         Sparks when the gun is fired!    3.     My toy 48 soldiers pack          Set up your own army.       4.    Hand buzzer        Shock your friends with this classic joke. 5.    Bug box        Perfect for any little boy with a fascination for insects. 6.   Slime kit       Boy would have lots of fun with this slime. Gross! 7.    Balloon powered boat        The boat moves along the water on it's own.  8.    Dinosaur kit        We know how much boys like dinosaurs, no you can assemble your own! 9.    Glow in the dark stars        Put on the ceiling in your bedroom and watch them glow at night. 10.   Close up magic trick         Great for any inspiring magician.

The Magical Amazing Robot Game

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The game 'Amazing Robot' is based on an original Merit robot game that first went into production in the early 1950s; 'Magic Robot'.  It's not only great fun but people are always fascinated as to how the Robot always knows the answer.  The game demonstrates the increasing social and cultural awareness of robots and the use of robotics that were introduced to modern life in the 1950s. The Robot can answer questions about nature, history, sports and hard-to-know trivia. Instructions Firstly, place the Amazing Robot in the tray in the centre of the Questions so that the 'V' projection on the base on the Robot fits into the 'V' cut-out of the tray. The turn the Amazing Robot by the head only until it's pointer is directed to the centre of the question you with to have answered. Then lift the Amazing Robot by the head and place him in the centre of the Magic Mirror on the Answer side.  As if it by magic the Robot will point to the corre

How eating polos can help stop cruelty to children

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How can eating polo mints possibly help stop cruelty to children? Well, thanks to our new 1950's penny arcade machine installed in our shop in Totnes, Devon, all players have a chance to win a packet of polos, with all proceeds being donated to the NSPCC. The machine that originally took the old 1d coin (1 penny) has now been converted to use the new 10 pence coins, which releases a ball, that has to be flicked into a winning hole to win a packet of polos. With 171,000 registered charities to choose from, we figured that it had to be a children's charity which narrowed the selection down a little, and after weeks of research and deliberation, we have decided to support the NSPCC . As well as being well known, and having Childline join them in 2006, they have: Created a pioneering online counselling service, which helped more than 1,000 young people to speak out for the first time about abuse they had suffered. Help to protect thousands of children from abuse – sin

Top ten stocking filler ideas for girls

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  Feeling a little stuck for ideas in regards to stocking fillers this year? Not a problem! We’ve come up with the top ten stocking filler ideas for your little girl. 1.    Grow your own stylist        What girl wouldn't love to have her own stylist? I know I would!        2.    Friendship bracelet kit         This is great for any girl to make and share with her friends.   3.    Farm animals        When I was younger I spent most of my time playing with animal figures. This would have gone nicely! 4.    Fairy wings and wand        Who wouldn't love to be a fairy for a day? 5.    Gymnastics ribbon        Great for a girl who likes to dance! 6.    Animal skipping rope        With four different animals to choose from, there is bond to be one which will impress.  7.    Crystal growing kit        Grow diamond like crystals!  8.    Paper fan        These are so delightful.  9.    Fashion doll stickers        Dress up and accessoriz

There’s not just one bear at Paddington Station anymore

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Paddington bear is a classic fictional character from English children’s literature. The bear has got human characteristics and is very polite, addressing people as ‘Mr’, ‘Mrs’ or ‘Miss’. Although he is well-meaning, he does tend to give people hard stares if they have his disapproval! He tries to get things right but he does often manage to get himself into some form of trouble. He is originally from Peru but he was adopted by the Brown family giving him his name ‘Paddington Brown’. Paddington keeps himself warm in a duffle coat and an old hat. He carries around a battered suitcase which has a secret compartment allowing the suitcase to hold more items then it would appear. He also has a tremendous love for marmalade sandwiches! The bear made his first appearance in 13 October 1958 in the first book ‘A Bear Called Paddington’ and was in several more books written by Michael Bond and was illustrated by Peggy Fortnum. Books have been translated to 30 different languages across 70