Showing posts with label toys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label toys. Show all posts

Saturday 4 November 2023

A Cracking Tradition: The Fascinating History of Christmas Crackers

Every year, as Christmas approaches, households around the world gather around the dinner table, adorned with festive decorations and a lavish spread of food. Among the traditional elements of the Christmas season, the Christmas cracker holds a special place. 

But have you ever wondered about the origins and history of these festive popping novelties? In this blog post, we'll take a deep dive into the history of Christmas crackers and discover how they became an integral part of the holiday season.

The Birth of a Tradition

Christmas crackers, often simply called "crackers," were first invented in the early 19th century by a London confectioner named Tom Smith. The story goes that Smith was inspired by the French bonbon, a sweet wrapped in a twist of paper. However, the early crackers were not the delightful, explosive novelties we know today. Instead, they contained sweets and small trinkets, but they lacked the characteristic "crack" that makes modern crackers so exciting.

The Crackling Innovation

Tom Smith's breakthrough came during a trip to Paris in 1840, where he witnessed the French custom of wrapping sweets in twisted paper. The idea of incorporating a bang and a small gift into the cracker was sparked by the sound of a log crackling in the fireplace. Upon returning to London, Smith began experimenting with different designs until he finally achieved the desired effect. In 1847, he patented the concept of a cracker that produced a "pop" or "crack" when pulled apart, thanks to a small explosive charge known as a "snap."

The tradition quickly caught on, and Tom Smith's Christmas crackers became a sensation. His sons, Walter and Henry, took over the family business and expanded its production, incorporating new designs and styles to cater to different tastes and budgets. By the late 19th century, Christmas crackers were a staple in many British households.

Cracker Contents

The contents of Christmas crackers have evolved over the years. Originally, they contained sweets and small toys, but as their popularity grew, more elaborate and valuable items were included. These ranged from miniature puzzles and games to jewellery and even tiny tools. Today, it's common to find a paper crown or hat, a joke or riddle, and a small gift or trinket in a typical Christmas cracker.

Christmas Crackers Around the World

While Christmas crackers have a strong association with British Christmas traditions, they have spread to many other parts of the world. In the United States, Canada, and other countries, they are often used as part of festive holiday gatherings, parties, and dinners. Each region may have its unique spin on what goes inside the cracker or the types of jokes and toys included.

Conclusion

Christmas crackers have come a long way from their humble beginnings as a simple sweet wrapped in paper. Thanks to the inventive spirit of Tom Smith and his family, these festive novelties have become an integral part of Christmas celebrations for millions of people around the world. As you gather around the table this holiday season and pull open your Christmas crackers, take a moment to appreciate the history and tradition that has made them a cherished part of the holiday season for well over a century.

Incidentally the Tom Smith company is still producing high quality Christmas crackers today and they hold the Royal Warrant to supply Christmas crackers and Christmas wrapping paper to the Royal family.

https://www.tomsmith-crackers.com

(Image courtesy of 2taol from Pixabay)

Wednesday 20 September 2023

Barbie and Hot Wheels included in Fantastic Tesco half-price pre-Christmas toy sale

Parents, grandparents and older siblings should take note! Tesco is launching a half-price sale exclusively for Clubcard holders, featuring some of the most current and popular toy brands.

There will be nearly 100 toys included in the sale and featured brands will be children’s favourites such as Barbie, Pokemon, Fisher Price, Peppa Pig, Bluey, 5 Surprise, Marvel and Hot Wheels.

Alongside the half-price sale, Clubcard holders will also see reductions on Lego toys, with up to 40 per cent off licensed specials such as Marvel Hulkbuster, Star Wars Tie Bomber, and Minecraft Abandoned Village and Lego Speed Champions McLaren Solus GT & McLaren F1 LM  and Lego Technic Nascar Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

Tesco Toy Category Manager Anne Borrett said: “There will be exciting toys for children of all ages with plenty of choice in the most popular categories including pre-school items, dolls, collectables, vehicles, plush and games.

“We hope the sale will help parents not only find some toy bargains for their kids but also spread the cost of Christmas.

“There are great offers on many toys in our stores, including all the top brands such as Barbie, Lego, Disney, Hot Wheels, 5 Surprise and Fisher Price, with something for kids of all ages.”

The Half-Price Sale runs until November 1. The sale for selected Lego toys at 40 per cent off runs from Sept 14 until October 25.

Tuesday 12 September 2023

Tesco join forces with Hasbro and Wastebuster to trial in store toy recycling that also gets books into schools

Tesco has become the latest member of Wastebuster’s Recycle to Read toy recycling initiative, which is designed to educate and promote toy reuse and create a new infrastructure for the recycling of plastic toys.

Recycle to Read collection bins will be trialled in selected Tesco stores from this week.

Customers can deposit broken plastic toys in-store for recycling and at the same time collect points for books.

The initiative is backed by global toy and games company Hasbro, alongside the founding partners of Recycle to Read, children’s magazine publishers.

Tesco and Hasbro have combined forces with top not-for-profit environmental education company, Wastebuster, to test out a new in-store campaign, which aims at turning broken plastic toys into books and reading resources for schools in the UK.

In an important development for the Recycle to Read campaign, the trial, which will run from now until December 4th,  will encourage children and families to recycle their broken, hard plastic toys via toy recycling bins placed in a number of specially chosen Tesco stores. If the scheme proves itself  to be a hit with parents and children, it will then be rolled out to further stores.

Backed by global toy and games company, Hasbro, the initiative aims to drive a circular solution for unwanted or broken hard plastic toys. Families are first encouraged to rehome toys through charitable giving to friends, family, school toy sales or local charities. Broken toys can be recycled in store, where they are collected, cleaned and turned into plastic pellets, before being used to create new items including coat hangers, chairs and coffee machines. 

Rehomed and recycled plastic toys can be registered via the Wastebuster website to earn Planet Care Points for any schools attended by children from 2-11 years old in the Sussex area. Eligible schools can register for free to earn points for books at www.jointhepod.org/toys,

The Recycle to Read scheme will then reward the fifty highest point-scoring schools in the area with book vouchers from a prize fund of £5,000, to spend on a wide range of discounted books by children’s publishing house, Harper Collins. Participating schools could also win fantastic book bundles, provided by publishing houses Farshore and Ladybird, in a special weekly prize draw. 

The Recycle to Read campaign was launched by Wastebuster in association with Products of Change and is powered by members of the toy industry and all major children’s publishers and distributors,  including Immediate Media Company; Story House Egmont; Redan; Kennedy; Signature; DC Thompson; Frontline and Seymour. The campaign aim is to drive new infrastructure for notoriously hard-to-recycle plastic toys, plus providing reading materials to support literacy in UK nurseries and primary schools across the UK.

Katy Newnham, who is the founder of Wastebuster said: “Recycle to Read supports families in learning about the environmental benefits of toy rehoming and recycling, while rewarding them with books for taking part. 

"What better way can we inspire and empower children to make pro-environmental choices, than by storytelling with their favourite characters and giving them an opportunity to send their unwanted toys on a new adventure that is good for the planet?”

Helena Mansell-Stopher, who is the founder of Products of Change said: “The Recycle to Read platform is the result of the tireless work of an industry coming together with cross-sector stakeholders around the need to find more sustainable solution for unwanted or broken toys.

"After so many years in the making, it’s amazing to see the campaign come to life via this Hasbro and Tesco partnership. This is a really hugely exciting moment that I believe represents a turning point for circularity in toys, and a wonderful example of what can be achieved when industry demonstrates sector leadership and comes together, in the pursuit of sustainability”.

Ally Rose, who is the Tesco Category Director for Toys said: “We are always looking for new ways to remove, reduce, reuse and recycle plastic in our business, so we’re really delighted to be able to support the Recycle to Read campaign as a way to help our customers do more of this at home. As well as trialling a new way we can work together on hard-to-recycle plastics, it also helps to give children greater access to reading”.

Sara Westby, Director of Marketing at Hasbro, added: “At Hasbro, we know kids and families everywhere share our passion for protecting our planet, which is why we’re so proud to partner with Wastebuster on the Recycle to Read campaign. We encourage everyone to keep their memories, but recycle their broken toys – doing good to the planet and to people”. 

For more information on Recycle to Read, visit:https://www.recycletoread.org or contact Katy@wastebuster.co.uk.

That's Christmas believe this scheme is a fantastic idea for the pre-Christmas period.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Toys place at the top of Christmas lists threatened by tech: What kids want for Christmas

Toy News Cover Image
What children really want for Christmas

Toy’s place at the top of children’s Christmas lists is being threatened by iPads and video games.

Those are the findings of research featured in the latest issue of toy industry publication Toy News. The research was carried out for the magazine by youth research specialists, Dubit to provide insight into what children across the UK will be asking Santa for this year.

Presents

Dubit asked the children to pick five types of presents to make up their imaginary Christmas list. The kids chose electronic devices the most (chosen by 59 per cent), followed by video games (53 per cent), money (44 per cent), and toys (39 per cent).

As the children get older, the most popular gifts change considerably. Those aged seven to eight favour toys (63 per cent), while nine to ten year-olds prefer electronic items (60 per cent). Gadgets are also top of 11-12 year-old’s lists but at that age girls favour clothes over any other present.

The least popular Christmas presents with children are novelty items, jewellery, and grooming. Unsurprisingly, 11-12 year-old girls buck this trend as they begin to take an interest in beauty products.

Toys

The children were also asked which types of toys they wanted to find beneath the tree – a toy was regarded as popular if it ranked in the top three.

For this, the toys were divided into nine categories, such as board games, action figures, and blocks.

Board games are the most popular toy - placing in the top three 124 times, followed by vehicles (105), pet animals (96), blocks (88) and puzzles (83).

Despite the prominence of video games in older children’s’ playtime, board games are popular with kids aged 9-10 and 11-12, as are puzzles such as jigsaws and Rubix Cubes.

Action figures and dolls only made the top three of 78 children’s lists, with just 14 boys putting them near the top compared to 64 girls.

Brands

Finally, the children were asked to pick three items for their Christmas list – three from the toys list and three for the sectors list (gadgets, money, toys, etc.)

The most popular words used were associated with technology brands, like Nintendo DS, Xbox, and iPhone.

Lego was the most popular toy brand to be mentioned by the children. This was helped by Lego’s move into video games and partnering with brands like Harry Potter and Star Wars. Other toy brands chosen by the children included Hello Kitty, Barbie and Harry Potter.

Samantha Loveday, editor of ToyNews magazine commented: “Although consumer electronics seem to be grabbing the attention of older kids, the more traditional toys are still firm favourites with younger children.

“It’s interesting to see that the toy suppliers that have made a move into video games – and video game suppliers which have launched into the toy space – seem to be higher on the agenda when talking to kids about brands. It appears that a mix of digital and traditional is a key combination for keeping kid’s interested as they grow up. However, it is nice to see that the good old board game is still top of the Christmas list where toys are concerned.”

Sunday 30 October 2011

Create your own Winter Wonderland!

The pre-Christmas build-up can be a magical time for adults alike. And now you can make it even more special for you and your children with the assistance of the experts at Maps Toys.

Their stunning Christmas Village will allow children and parents to create a genuinely enchanting festive scene which is certain to become a much-loved centrepiece of your family's Christmas decorations for many years to come.

The Christmas Village craft set comprises everything that you will require to build, decorate and illuminate a snowy-covered Victorian Yuletide winter wonderland extravaganza.  Children from age five and upwards will delight in creating the village using the six card building templates. They can create  quaint thatched cottages, an ancient church, an inn and the all-important village Post Office. They'll love making stained glass and leaded windows out of opaque paper, colouring pens and coloured tissue paper.
Of course, taking centre stage in the village Christmas festivities is the traditional Christmas tree, which features a special fibre-optic LED glowing light on top of the tree that will magically twinkle throughout all of Christmas.

LED lights are cleverly integrated into the scene so that each building will radiate a festive glow, so evocative of a real Christmassy atmosphere. 

You can scatter the special reusable snowflakes over the village base to create a snow covered street scene that is just waiting for the villagers to walk through as they go to the village Post Office to post their last minute Christmas card to a relative in the next village or visit the church for a special carol service.

You can also add a touch of glitter and a dusting of snow to the village rooftops and you can sit back and admire your handiwork.

The Christmas village will be a lovely and compelling way to mark the start of the festive celebrations and you and your children will delight in showing off your creation to friends, family and visitors this Christmas season and for many more to come. It will be the start of a new and very special family Christmas tradition.

The Christmas Village costs £24.99 and is available at www.the-owl-barn.com. Visit www.mapstoys.com for details of other stockists.

Sand play this Christmas!

If you are looking for a toy that will keep the kids entertained as happy well beyond Christmas, then you should buy them the genuinely unique My Little Sandbox range from Map Toys.

The unique playsets will provide young children with hours of fun, when they can use the power of their own imaginations to create their own fun. And they'll keep them busy when the weather means outside play is not possible.

Each playset is themed around different play scenarios which include Pirates, Mermaids, Holidays and Construction.

The sets are well made and each one comes in its own sturdy hardwood box that is filled with ultra fine play sand which is easy to vacuum. Miniature toys and accessories come with each playset so the children will be sure to have lots of fun in the sand. The construction  set features mini diggers, boulders bricks and building workers ans is perfect for those children who fancy themselves as builders.

The Mermaid Sandbox features a beautiful mermaid figure along with some coral and underwater plants and seashells. And the sunshine theme continues with the Beach Sandbox. Children will adore the holidaymaker, the parasol, the deckchair, the towel and the bucket and spade. Little boys will have endless fun with the Pirate playset which includes a cool pirate ship, a crocodile some palm trees and the vitally important treasure chest! (EDITOR: Some little girls will be keen to get their hands on the Pirate playset, too...)

Each My Little Sandbox playset comes complete with its very own grooming rake and digging shovel so the children (and adults!) can create different scenes. Each playset also comes with a special playmat which is designed to catch any sand. And I am reliably informed that adults can use the playset -when the kids are in bed!- as a fantastic Japanese sand garden stress toy, with the sand rake!
Each My Little Sandbox playset should cost something in the region of £24.99, it is available from Amazon. For details of stockists visit www.mapstoys.com

Saturday 29 October 2011

Do something great this Christmas. Amaze your kids!

Who says knowledge is boring? Or that frivolity and fun should be eschewed for learning? Only those unfortunate people who have never found the joys of Maps Toys!

This year Maps Toys are inviting you to make Christmas one big, fun and exciting experiment for your children and their friends! (If they want to share the fun, that is!)

For this year Map Toys have some fun and funky toys and games that are sure to puzzle and excite both children and adults this Christmas!

There's something for the mucky pup in us all, called Yuck (should cost about £17.99) a gigantic tub that contains a whole host of top secret formulas to create some tremendously icky stuff. Create snot that looks disgustingly real, and something that looks like... vomit? As well as making disgusting treats, your children can learn how to grow their own bacteria farms using a real petri dish! Yuck! This is suitable for children from age 8 and upwards and for adults who do not have ticklish stomachs!

But, to coin a phrase, there's more!
Why not create some awesomely fun towering geysers, with the  Great Geysers present. (You can expect to pay something in the order of £14.99 for this.

The kit gives you all you require to make a gigantic fountain with fizzy pop and some Mentos sweeties! (So if you get your video camera out, you and your kids can put their efforts up on You Tube, just like the professionals!) But there's a serious point behind all this frivolity and fun, children will be able to perform 12 serious and informative scientific experiments with the kit.

There's also some rather more sedate yet equally fun experiments to be undertaken with the Lab in a Bag, which contains enough experiments to last through the entire year. There are four in the range which include Newton's Antics, Come to Your Senses, Test Tube Wonders and Test Tube Adventures. They should cost £14.99 each. They come complete with a handy plastic carry case.

Children can learn some fun tricks like how to balance six nails on the head of one nail with Newton's Antics to discovering why they might hate vegetables with Come to Your Senses!

Many parts of the UK were fortunate enough to have a real White Christmas last year, the first in many years. But it's unlikely we will be lucky enough to have a White Christmas two years on the trot, so if you want to give your children a taste of a White Christmas, why not buy them some Amazing Snow Grow? It's so simply to use! All you do is get your special Insta-Snow powder, sprinkle it on a dish, add just a splash of water and before you can say White Christmas, you will have an eruption of snow! Insta-Snow looks so realistic it can fool people into thinking it is real. Especially as it even feels cold to the touch!

To find out more just visit www.mapstoys.co.uk

Monday 17 October 2011

Jellyfingers Great Free Toy Giveaway

Flash Sale Website ‘Jellyfingers’ Great Free Infant & Pre-School Toy Giveaway

Jellyfingers, a flash sale site dedicated to the infant and pre-school market is the first of its kind in the UK, and as a special pre-Christmas promotion they are giving away over 500 FREE toys, one each to the first 500 who visit the website www.jellyfingers.co.uk when the offer goes live on Tuesday 18th October 2011. All visitors have to do is choose their favourite toy from all those included in the free giveaway and add it to their basket and the chosen toy will be delivered free of charge.

Jellyfingers have 25 different toys from the gorgeous infant and pre-school (0 – 4) www.kidstoyworld.co.uk range to give away, which will be listed by age suitability, and include puzzles, rattles, squeakaboos, games and pull alongs; with rrp’s up to £7.99. Once all 500 free toys have been claimed, the range will be available to buy from Jellyfingers at half the rrp.

Flash Sales, already very successful in the USA, offer parents the opportunity to buy sought-after branded goods at large discounts within a limited time span. Working with nursery and toy suppliers, the experienced Jellyfingers team help design that week’s offers, which are open to shoppers for a maximum of two weeks, and when the deal closes Jellyfingers confirm to their suppliers the numbers to be shipped to the Jellyfingers warehouse for delivery.