Archive for the ‘Mens Toys Exposed!’ Category

11
Nov

Mens’ Toys Exposed!: Collectibles and Media Toys

   Posted by: LJF Wolffe   in Mens Toys Exposed!

Sonic Screwdriver and Psychic PaperIn a piece of Diggbait from Cracked.com, The 7 Most Impressive (and Depressing) Geek Collections, only two of the seven collections are attributed to ladies — Pikachu and Barbies. Eww! How depressingly stereotypical! Now I don’t know about you, but I know a bunch of people of all genders who collect stuff from their favorite movies, TV shows, and anime. One person collects Lego spaceships; another figurines of their favorite heroes and villains. I’m a prop person, myself (I’ll just let my sonic screwdriver and alethiometer speak for me). And I found a place that caters to all of us!

If you’re into movies, TV shows, Anime, comics, or cartoons, you need to go take a look at www.entertainmentearth.com. They have thousands of items from dozens of companies for hundreds of “Themes,” from 1 vs. 100 to Zorro. Don’t believe me? The long lists at the bottom of the home page will convince you! These people even sell Obama bobble-heads and McCain action figures . . . here’s just a sample from the Ds to let you know the scope of the site: Dexter, Digimon, Dilbert, Dinosaurs, Disney. Whatever you’re looking for, they’re bound to have it. I only know of one exception: They have nothing for Babylon 5. Other than that, I have yet to find a spot in the Multiverse they don’t have something collectible for.

So if you’ve got a few minutes to spare, go take a look at Entertainment Earth. You’ll find something you want; you might even end up drooling over a couple of things. Add them to your Christmas list; or buy a gift for yourself! You deserve it, you know. (And yes, these are affiliate links. The prices are the same; I just get a small percentage of what you pay for getting you over there.) Go find a new favorite showpiece or toy! You know you want to . . .

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20
Oct

“Mens Toys” Exposed! — My Why, and the 20Q

   Posted by: LJF Wolffe   in Mens Toys Exposed!

The first time I remember ever getting into trouble in school was in Kindergarten: the teacher had split up the toys and decided on days when girls could play with these, and boys could play with those — and I refused to follow the rules. I kept playing with the “boys’ toys.” And I didn’t understand why there should be a split between boys and girls. I was mystified about why I was getting into trouble. And to tell the truth, I still really don’t get it.

Case in point: I was looking at a really cool toy store called Firebox: great toys, cool gadgets, neat puzzles, office warfare toys. I’ve called them Britain’s Best Kept Toy Secret, because no one I know has ever heard of them, but their stuff is fantastic. I signed up for their affiliate program, and went about some research on what keywords they use to sell their own stuff — and got a nasty shock. Of the 185 keywords supplied by the program I was using, 38 (20%) were about men or boys. “Great toys for boys,” “boys toys gadgets,” “boy stuff,” “mens toys,” “toys for guys,” “toy for men.” How many of these 185 terms mentioned females? Two. Only two.

This got me riled, just a bit. Why is it that if it’s dolls or kitchen sets they’re “girls’ toys,” and if they’re gadgety or fun or include R/C they’re “mens’ toys?” There are guys into cooking and girls into gadgets; why the gender assumptions?


The 20Q ball from FireboxiconSo I’m going to do things a little differently. I’m going to recommend toys and gadgets that I and my friends would play with; and I’m starting with the 20Q. This little ball is the neatest toy I’ve seen in a long time. It plays 20 Questions with you! You think up a word, and it asks questions until it guesses — and it’s scarily accurate! The guys at Firebox could only trip it up with swearwords; and when they played using the word Firebox, it came up with Hotbox, which is eerily close.

This is a great toy — it inspires thought, can be played with by yourself or in a group, and it’s only $12.95! Not bad for a toy that laughs at you when you’re slow and cheats if it doesn’t get the answer in 20 questions (it gives itself 5 more). And if this isn’t your cup of tea, Firebox has a wide range of all sorts of toys, tools, USB gadgets, R/C, and gag items. Go take a look!

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