Activity Toys | Online Toy Stores | Collectibles Toys

Kids are a huge expense. Basically, for 18 years, your child lives off your money. It takes money to feed him, clothe him, send him to school, pay for doctors bills, and that doesn't count recreation. Children's toys cost a fortune - particularly when kids are young. You see, kids grow up so quickly, and all that time they need new learning toys to keep playing with. A lot of parents like to buy used toys as a way to save a little bit of money, but some parents are hesitant to do this. They are worried about safety issues with old and potentially damaged toys. Nonetheless, even these parents generally don't like paying more than they have to.

If you are in this position, you should consider buying discontinued toys. I have been buying discontinued learning toys for my child the past couple of years, and it has saved me a fortune. You see, the toy industry works just like any other consumer goods industry. It isn't driven by practical concerns so much as by market research into what will be popular. Millions and millions of dollars are spent researching what the new trends will be in childrens toys, and things that don't fit in with the wave of the future are discontinued. They may be perfectly good toys, but if the toy company believes that they won't sell, they simply stop selling them.

If you are willing to buy these discontinued toys, however, you can save a lot of money on basically the same stuff you would buy otherwise. By buying the last seasons action figures, learning games, childhood enrichment toys, and educational software, I have saved a huge amount of money. Sometimes, they sell the stuff discounted at regular toy stores. Other times, I go to a discontinued toy store on the other side of town to pick it up. Sometimes, you can even buy it on eBay for very little.

The only thing that you have to watch for with discontinued toys is recalls. Every once in a while, a toy is discontinued for a very good safety reason. For example, several Fisher-Price toys were recalled a year or so ago because of lead in the paint. As a parent, you have to keep up with the news of toy recalls to make sure that you don't buy something for your child that is not safe. Nonetheless, this is usually a rare concern. If the discontinued toys are pulled off the market for safety reasons, you probably won't find any toy stores selling them.

Toys go in and out of style but some remain popular through generations. The classic Fisher Price toys are very familiar to families and new products go on to become classics in their own right. The company has its origins in the 1930s and is now a subsidiary of Mattel. The product range incorporates toys that educate as well as entertain. They are made of durable materials and will keep children happy for hours on end.

The Little People line came out in the 1960s. A set of human and animal figures had play sets to accompany them, including a house, school, farm and a garage with vehicles. Six child characters were the most popular figures. They were called Sarah, Eddie, Michael, Lynn, Maggie and Sonya Lee. Today, there is merchandise attached to the figures in the form of CDs, DVDs and books.

Ride on toy vehicles are great fun and Power Wheels are classic toys from Fisher Price. The trucks, cars and motorcycles are powered by batteries and there are models for children aged from 1 year to 7 years. Realistic features include a working FM radio. The doors and hoods open and close and the child can ride forwards or in reverse. One of the best selling ride-ons was the Harley Motorcycle, brought out in 1999. Recent models include replicas of actual real life vehicles, such as the Ford Mustang, Jeep Wrangler and Kawasaki KFX Quad Bike. There is also a Lightning McQueen car from the movie, Cars.

The Smart Cycle is a good example of a fun toy that has an educational purpose. The stationary exercise bicycle is designed for children aged 3 to 6 years and it connects to a television through which the software plays. The child pedals the bike and operates a joystick to play the various word and number games. In addition to teaching motor skills, this classic Fisher Price game helps with spelling, shapes and math ability. Players can play with a friend or against the computer.

A set of action figures was introduced in 1975 and was in production for ten years. It was named Adventure People and featured real life occupations, such as Park Ranger, Astronauts, Deep Sea Divers and emergency workers. Construx was another classic Fisher Price toy, which was discontinued in 1988. This was a building block toy that used flat beams of different lengths, motors, hinges and wheels. Collectors can buy and sell second hand toys in these retro lines.

Sometimes, simplicity is the key and some of the most successful classic Fisher Price toys have been very basic designs. The Chatter Telephone, for example, is a colorful roll along toy that children enjoy as they copy grown-ups and have phone conversations. The Bubble Mower is another simple idea and is a lawnmower that blows bubbles as the child pushes it along. The Tap n Turn Bench is a work bench for hammering plastic nails.

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