toy

Ask your average Star Wars fan a few years ago how likely it was that a Star Wars Holiday Special weapon were to be made into a NERF toy, they'd have called you crazy. Thanks to Disney+ and The Mandalorian, the Amban Phase-pulse blaster found its way to an official NERF weapon. This is the weapon that was originally sported by Boba Fett in his first ever appearance in a movie - well before the release of The Empire Strikes Back!

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Sphero already earned a reputation among tech-savvy consumers early on but its name really went mainstream when it came out with the official BB-8 robot. It was, after all, a match that seemed destined by the Force. The success of that deal with Disney saw other characters come to robotic life, including Lightning McQueen and even Spider-man. Unfortunately, that profitable partnership is coming to an end because these toys have cost the company more than they’re worth.

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This year we've got a nice little list of awesome toys for all the girls and all the boys. This list includes not just toys for younger family members, but creative tools for older kids too. On this list are all the one-hit home run gifts that'll make your gift recipient the coolest kid on the block - or at least keep them entertained for the entirety of your extended family's holiday celebration afternoon.

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In an age of smartphones, tablets, and the Internet, there's almost a presumption that toys need to be smart in order to keep up with more tech-savvy kids. Kids, however, need more than just smart learning toys. They also need to have emotional and tangible ones. Last year, two designers from Disney, Pixar, and Apple teamed up to bring Animoodles to life through Kickstarter. Now they're back, on Kickstarter again no less, to bring a second batch of magnetic, safe, and imaginative plushies for kids to enjoy.

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Sony's aibo is back, and after more than a decade the robotic dog is smarter, more talented, and generally more adorable than ever. Now promising to be more lifelike and to tap into the potential of the cloud, aibo's 2018 return is a long way from the original, faintly-Terminator-esque robots that first introduced the name back in 1999. What hasn't changed, though, is the premium price tag, or indeed the suspension of disbelief required to truly understand the aibo experience.

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Over the past week we've played with the Air Hogs Supernova, a tiny drone made to be minimal. This drone is controlled with an on-switch and sensors. The user tells the drone what to do and how to act with a series of gestures - hand signals in the air - and all power is provided by a charging cable that's not unlike what smartphone users have for their smartphone. This drone is just about as simple as a drone gets.

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The time at which Star Wars and LEGO have reached peak insanity is now. Here, in 2018, we've gotten back to the point at which the most fabled and legendary of original Star Wars LEGO sets was hatched is back. This is Star Wars: Cloud City, in LEGO form. If you're a hardcore Star Wars LEGO collector, you know the original is basically unattainable. If you're new to the game, you'll understand why this set's reboot is about to keep with the tradition of mind-boggling largeness.

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The market is teeming with recreations of famous props and items from fiction but few of those are accurate, sanctioned, or actually useful beyond being decorations. This HAL 9000 product line is all three. With Warner Bros’ blessing, the Master Replicas Group have recreated 2001: A Space Odyssey’s famous computer into a functional Bluetooth speaker. It is, in fact, so faithful that you might even think twice about letting it connect to your home network.

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One of the biggest hits that came from the Switch isn’t exactly a game. Sure, it’s playful but it’s also educational. The Nintendo Labo cardboard platform has opened up new worlds and new inventions, showing what can be done with simple materials and a pinch of creativity. Now Nintendo is expanding that world further with its third Toy-Con kit, the Vehicle Kit. With some simple cutouts and a Switch, you can have a racing truck, an old-school plane, and even a submarine.

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Segway is perhaps most famous for “personal transportation” products like the PT but it has also become infamous for breeding the ill-fated and poorly-named “hoverboards”. But while the Segway PT and its kin were designed for more serious uses, Segway has branched out to produce a more whimsical and fun way to get from A to B. That’s the Drift W1 electric roller skates and you can pre-order them now if you have the cash to spare.

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Ever dreamed of living like Agent 007 but didn’t have the gadget, the car, or the charm of the British spy? Don’t worry because LEGO will be letting you get at least one of those. In time for San Diego Comic-Con this week, LEGO is announcing the Creator Expert James Bond Aston Martin DB5, a faithful replica of the series’ iconic 1964 sports car. Well, as faithful as a LEGO model can be.

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Look upon this mighty work of LEGO artwork and despair! For this is a licensed movie LEGO set, and it probably won't be released more than once! This is the LEGO Jurassic World set 75930, Indoraptor Rampage at Lockwood Estate. It's made for the release of Jurassic World, and depicts a scene heavily featured in the last preview trailers before the release of the film. In this set you'll find no less than 3 (three) dinosaurs with which you can terrorize your minifigures, and have oh-so-very-much fun.

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