Scott’s Toy Box: Toys to Save Up For
I’ve always had a case of the “nows,” as in, “I want it now.” It may be convenient to shop on-line–so many options, so many good deals–but to me, if I have to wait two weeks to get it, I’d rather not have it. Surfing the Web may save money, but it’s a killer when it comes to impulse buying. This month in the Toy Box, we’re going to exercise some patience and save money.
The two great toys I’ve found come with a hefty price tag attached, so you’ll need to save up for them.
FAO Schwartz’s Muppet Whatnot Workshop
The first toy is a Muppet Whatnot. During the “Muppet Show,” the generic Muppets used as background characters were called the Muppet Whatnots. These whatnots had interchangeable parts, so they could look completely different from sketch to sketch. Now, thanks to FAO Schwartz’s Muppet Whatnot Workshop, not only can you own your own Muppet Whatnot, but you can also create it. Visit FAO.com and follow the links to the Whatnot Workshop. You can make a Muppet that’s your twin, or make a scary monster. The place in the Muppet to insert your hand is small enough to enable a child to control it, but I also had no trouble fitting my hand into the Muppet. They cost $99 each, and they are well worth it for anyone who is a Muppet fan.
Rockband 3
Another toy to save up for is Rockband 3. Not much has changed in how you play this game from previous versions, but Rockband 3 comes with a keyboard. Youcan also play it as a keytar if you want. I found the keyboard hard to play with. It features two octaves of keys, but when you play in normal Rockband mode, you only use five keys . While playing along to the screen, it’s somewhateasy to slide onto the wrong keys. There is another mode for many of the instruments called pro mode. This mode helps transition a player from playing a Rockband instrument to playing a real instrument, and special instruments are used to play in this mode. All in all, it’s a good game, and you’ll enjoy it if you like any of the other Rockband games. If you want the keyboard, the game will cost around $130, but if the keyboard doesn’t sound like your thing, you can purchase just the game for between $50 (PS3, Xbox) and $40(Wii).
