By Joanna Batt and Judy Sutton Taylor. Photographs by Nicole Radja.
Published: November 1, 2010
10 joys for boys
Wee superhero wanna-bes will dig this Iron Man 2 helmet, which talks, lights up and has a supercool slow-release visor. $40, Toys R Us, 3330 N Western Ave and other locations (773-525-1690, toysrus.com).
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Make the I Love Robots Prime 8 Gorilla Robot go ape with a remote-control handset, or program him to do tricks and go bananas on his own. $80, Toys R Us.
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When this Darth Vader alarm clock tells him to get out of bed, maybe, just maybe, his little Jedi butt will move faster. $42, Urban Outfitters, 935 N Rush St and other locations (312-640-1919, urbanoutfitters.com).
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Muggles will be occupied for hours thanks to Hogwarts Building Cards, which can be used to create a 275-piece replica of Harry’s school—or, with a little wizardry of their own—anything else they want to build. $20, chasing-fireflies.com.
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Little Long John Silvers can take their barbaric brood anywhere in a Playmobil Pirates Take Along Dungeon that opens for play and closes for storage and travel. Shooting cannons, glow-in-the-dark skeletons and scalawags most definitely included. $13, playmobilusa.com.
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Paper Jamz guitars are paper-thin, but Claptons-in-training can play pretty rock-solid tunes in four modes (air play to pre-recorded songs, rhythm control, freestyle or karaoke) on this as-seen-on TV ax. $25, see paperjamz.com for retail stores.
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This retro-quirky Oobi Baby Super 70s Space Hopper lets riders bounce, hop and race their way to fun and perhaps (gasp!) some incidental exercise. $38, cute-ture.com.
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Simple Tegu wooden blocks get amped up to awesome construction set thanks to internal magnets. Buying a set means giving back, too: A portion of each purchase goes to either planting trees in Honduras or sending a child in that country to school. $55–$125, Galt Toys + Galt Baby, 900 N Michigan Ave (312-440-9550, galttoysgaltbaby.com).
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Young rebels can maintain their street cred in Appaman’s moto jacket. $93, Psychobaby, 1630 N Damen Ave (773-772-2815, psychobabyonline.com).
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The player who gets to the finish without a cheese touch wins the Diary of a Wimpy Kid board game. $20, amazon.com.
Wee superhero wanna-bes will dig this Iron Man 2 helmet, which talks, lights up and has a supercool slow-release visor. $40, Toys R Us, 3330 N Western Ave and other locations (773-525-1690, toysrus.com).
