Ho! Ho! Ho! Gary here! First let me begin by saying that I’m not exactly sure what a ‘stocking’ is. I believe they were used by women in the Queen Victoria era as a way to shave their legs. Either that, or they were invented specifically for my father as a way to collect lint from the dryer vent on the side of the house. Either way, I refer to them as socks (or nylons - in my wife’s case) but we will call them stockings for this blog.
Now let’s get to filling our Christmas stocking. This is your the chance to capture your personality, or express your warped sense of humour! The contents can range from such classic toys as Slinky's or Tiddlywinks to exciting new brain-teasers or Angry Bird plush. Here are a few of the Toy Jungle’s favourites, of which there are many.
Craze Erasers by Fashion Angels are fun, unique and even functional! They’re a collectable eraser that comes in all sorts of funny designs. From baby bottles to bicycles and French fries to Ferrari’s, they’re made like your typical rubber eraser but painted and shaped to make them fun. Does someone in your family want a new car? No problemo. Give them a Craze eraser Ferrari!
Another favourite of mine, and every house can never have enough of these, is the whoopee cushion. What’s that? You say you already have a whoopee cushion? Well how about the Mondo Whoopee cushion from World Wonders!? It’s about twice the size of regular whoopee cushions with twice the laugh factor!
Another beauty is the Wind-Up Fighting Grand Dads from Outset Media. These are two plastic wind-ups of an old man pulling a suitcase and swinging a cane. The idea is to choose a grand dad, wind him up and point him in the direction of the other grand dad. May the best old codger win!
Finally, everyone has a person in their circle of friends who could use a good virus. The Giant Microbes from Stortz & Associates is a real hit! Whether you’re shopping for a teacher at school or want to bring a smile to someone’s face that just got over an illness, these are plush designs of the actual microbe just a million times bigger. Who wouldn’t want to get Mad Cow on Christmas morning?
Have fun! Be creative! And don't forget to leave room for a lump of coal!
Misti and Gary Mussatto are the owners and buyers for three community toy stores in the lower mainland: the Toy Jungle in Park Royal, the Toybox in Kitsilano, and the Toy Jungle in Coquitlam Centre. The Mussattos are parents who buy from the standpoint of parents. Misti is always looking at the features and benefits of toys while Gary is constantly playing and asking “is it fun?”
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