Toy Fair ‘07: Our picks for Grandparents
from Grandparents.com | February 22, 2007Every year, manufacturers from all over the world converge at the ginormous Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City to showcase their brand-new toys, vying for prime placement on local retailers’ shelves in the coming year.
Toy Fair, one of the world’s biggest trade shows, features every buzzing, blinking, talking, and rumbling plastic gadget created by the greatest minds in the toy industry. We at Grandparents.com imagined marveling at cutting-edge toy design, forward-thinking technological feats, or at least a cool new action figure.
After wading through a sea of anima-tronic parrots, MP3 playing Barbies, video game accessories like lounge chairs that blast noise into your grandchildren’s ears and vibrate bass through their back-ends, we met a few creative toy designers from the U.S. and Europe, who showed us, among other things, high end and inventive science kits, original building sets, modern spins on classic toys and games, and functional gear that’s sure to enhance the experiences you’re lucky enough to share with your grandchildren. Here are the best Grandparent Finds of Toy Fair ‘07.
The Learning Tower
Grandkids are known to have the most fun mimicking what their older counterparts do: cooking, cleaning, and doing dishes. That’s why they get so bored and cranky when they’re left on the sidelines while you get dinner ready. The Learning Tower, an adjustable stool, allows young ones to reach near-adult height for better connectedness and collaborative activities. The sturdy and safe design also prevents a young child from falling. Your granddaughter, now raised high enough to actually see the top of the kitchen counter, can help roll the dough when you bake cookies, or play with the soap bubbles while you do dishes. Just make sure the knife set is kept out of her short arm’s reach. The Learning Tower’s design allows it to be taken out of the kitchen and used as a fort, puppet theatre, or anything else the little genius envisions.