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Top Ten Toy Ideas

Mrs. Tiggy Winkle's Toy Experts List This Season's Best Toys

November 27, 2014

What do kids want this Christmas? Our friends from Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s, Ottawa’s oldest independent toy store, has the inside scoop on the season’s buzz-worthy toys. Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s Toy and Gift Guide features the best picks for 2014, including a selection of unique and trendy gifts for all ages (infant to teen).

“We decided to create our own Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s Toy & Gift Guide because we felt Ottawa needed to have a catalog featuring better quality toys that will stand the test of time. Customers can’t wait to browse the carefully selected toys because they know it will be filled with all the magic and whimsy Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s has to offer,” said Maida Anisman, Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s Owner and Founder. 

Here’s a sneak peek at 10 awesome, kid-approved toys:

1. ALEX DELUXE HAIR CHALK SALON $24.99 Ages 8+

Streaks of fun, bright colour through the hair are on trend right now! With this set from Alex Toys, fashionistas can add temporary streaks of colour to hair using 12 washable Hair Chalk Pens. Complete the look with included metallic beads, hair beading tool and elastics!

2. SNOWTIME ANYTIME $19.99 Ages 3+

An indoor snowball fight? YES! Kids love these 3” “snowballs” which are soft enough to be kind to people and furniture, but also oddly crunchy like a real snowball! So build your fort, prepare the reinforcements and let the games begin! Available in a bucket of 20, these are perfect for fun indoor active play.

3. MINECRAFT HANDBOOKS $13.99 each Ages 8+

You're alone, in a mysterious new world, full of hidden dangers...What do you do? Welcome to the World of Minecraft, the game where creative thinking, teamwork and problem solving are key; the official Minecraft Handbooks may just save your virtual life! With tips from the game creators, these are the definitive guides for both beginners and experts alike.

4. FISHER PRICE SEE ‘N SAY $29.99 Ages 18 months+

Many parents (and grandparents!) will remember this classic from Fisher Price that continues to delight toddlers today. Learn all about the animals on the farm! Point the arrow and pull the lever, then listen to the sound that the selected farm animal makes. Toddlers love to repeat the calls and squeal with delight.

5. GOLDIEBLOX & THE SPINNING MACHINE $34.99 Ages 4-9

Get Girls Building! That is the intent of this multi-award winning interactive construction toy that teaches basic engineering, inspiring a new generation of engineers. Comes equipped with 16 design ideas and unlimited building possibilities!

6. MINI GLOBE TERRARIUM $19.99 each Ages 12+

Witness the beauty of life growing right before your eyes. Everything needed to grow a breathtaking and stylish glass terrarium garden, that is guaranteed to grow! Choose from Mini Desertcape for a glimpse of a Wild West Desert ,or a Fairy Garden that will enchant any windowsill.

7. SANDS ALIVE! $24.99 Ages 3+

Sands Alive! Is 100% organic, non-sticky, no-mess, bacteria free, easy to mould and addictive to squish. It is a revolutionary play sand that never dries out so it can be played with again and again. Kids love to stick their hands in the sand then watch it roll through their fingers. The starter set includes 1.5 pounds of Sands Alive!, plus 4 sand tools. Additional expansions are available as well.

8. GUND GRUMPY CAT PLUSH TOY $22.99

Grumpy Cat, the internet famous feline that has become the official face of grumpy, is now available to bring home! GUND has created a realistic soft, huggable replica with his grouchy expression and all. Grumpy Cat may be grumpy, but he certainly does bring a lot of joy to both kids and adults.

9. SMASH UP GAME $37.99 Ages 12+

Smash Up is an award-winning "shuffle building" game with a simple premise: Take the twenty-card decks of two factions and shuffle them together to create your hand, then compete to smash more Bases than your opponents! Each faction brings a different game mechanism into play – pirates move cards, zombies bring cards back from the discard pile, dinosaurs have huge power – and every combination of factions brings a different play experience.

10. MICROPRO 48-PIECE MICROSCOPE SET $49.99 Ages 8+

The perfect gift for any aspiring scientist! This set includes a quality metal microscope with settings from 50X to 600X magnification. Featuring a built-in light, it includes professionally prepared slides, blank slides, scalpel, tweezers, petri dish, pipette, instruction guide and more!

All items are available at any of the five Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s locations: 809 Bank Street, Rideau Centre, Bayshore Mall, 315 Richmond Road, Place D’Orleans and online at www.mrstiggywinkles.ca Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s offers free shipping to most locations across Canada on orders over $50. Note: Items listed subject to availability. Prices subject to change.