TORONTO, ON – The waiting is over! Mastermind Toys, Canada’s largest independent specialty toy retailer, will drop its annual gift guide this week featuring over 400 toys, games, books and puzzles. Prices in the holiday gift guide range from $2.99 for Lego Minifigures to $299.99 for the Radio Flyer Family Wagon, offering customers a variety of affordable price options suitable for everyone’s budget.
“The Wow factor is clearly evident in our toy selection this year,” said Jon Levy, co-founder and chief toy buyer for Mastermind Toys. “All of the items featured in our gift guide represent a combination of fun, innovation, quality and value, resulting in lots of choices for the perfect present.”
A digital version of Mastermind’s 56-page gift guide will be available for download at www.mastermindtoys.com. All gift guide items are available at Mastermind’s 11 GTA locations and online. Mastermind Toys ships across North America and offers free gift wrapping, plus personalized gift tags for all online orders.
To help consumers get started on their toy-buying mission, Mastermind has prepared a list of the Top 24 Toys ranging in age from birth to 12 years. Over half of the items listed in the Top 24 are under $40.00.
MASTERMIND TOYS: TOP 24
1. GIANT FOAM BUILDING SETS, 2 IN 1 ROCKET AND BOAT/2 IN 1 RACECAR AND AIRCRAFT ($79.95) AGES 4+
These brand new foam building sets are perfect for the playroom! Each comes with colourful and durable foam pieces that assemble to make two large models for play, and there are two different models to build! Build a giant race car then turn it into a plane, or build a rocket and convert it into a boat!
2. CHUGGINGTON WOODEN RAILWAY SYSTEM (PRICES VARY: $12.95-$149.95) AGES 3+
A Mastermind Exclusive! Welcome to Koko, Wilson, Brewster, and all of their friends from the hit TV show! This brand new system of wooden railway features new and exciting sets like a two-story roundhouse, a clock tower figure-eight set, and tons of fun new chunky characters for zippy railway play!
3. HAND-CRANK SLOT CARS ($39.95/$49.95) AGES 8+
Slot-car racing using kid power! Just like classic slot cars, this set lets you race your rides around the track as the cars stick to the slots. The difference is that YOU are the power source! Turn the hand crank faster and slower to increase and decrease your speed to skid through the corners, avoid crashing, and win the race! A Mastermind Exclusive!
4. LITE HAWK RC HELICOPTER ($49.95) AGES 8+
The world’s BEST remote-control helicopter! The Lite Hawk has a special stabilizing system and precise controls for addictive, up-in-the-air, easy-to-fly fun!
5. TRUNKI “LUGGAGE FOR LITTLE PEOPLE” ($49.95) AGES 3+
Junior jetsetters will love traveling this holiday when they pack their funky Trunki, the lightweight luggage for little people! Featuring a fun and colourful design, this ride-on luggage is filled with kid-friendly features like chunky wheels and a tow-strap for easy travel, internal straps, secret compartments and more!
6. FUN EXPLORERS PIRATE SHIP PLAYSET ($129.95) AGES 3+
Ahoy young swashbucklers! This giant pirate ship play set comes with all the fixings…er…riggings! Pirate figures, cannons, sharks and more hide in and amongst this giant ship, which also folds open for interactive interior play!
7. BAMBOO SUNSHINE DOLLHOUSE ($229.95) AGES 3+
This cool three-storey dollhouse takes “GREEN” to a whole new level! Made entirely from sustainable bamboo, this bright and open-concept modern dollhouse has a real working solar panel that absorbs light and powers 5 LED lights inside the house!
8. MY BACKYARD BBQ SET ($119.95) AGES 3+
Who says you can’t get grilling in winter? This sizzling giant wooden BBQ play set is realistic-looking with an opening hood, temperature dials, and even a collapsible side table, just like the real thing!
9. RADIO FLYER CLASSIC BUMPER CAR RIDE-ON ($79.95) AGES 1+
Your walls are safe again! This classic, cool red bumper car comes with fun sounds including a honking horn and features a soft foam bumper for safe ride-on and furniture-friendly play!
10. 10 ASSORTED LEGO GAMES
A new way to play with two of the greatest things in the world combined: board games and Lego! Lego games take classic board game play and add their signature building fun to the mix! With 10 great games, here are two of our faves:
• Harry Potter Lego Game ($39.95) Ages 8+
Build your own Hogwarts game board and help Harry and friends navigate the magical maze to win!
• Ramses Pyramid Lego Game ($39.95) Ages 8+
Build your game board to create Ramses Pyramid, where the object is to get your explorer to the top of this ever-shifting Lego pyramid. But beware of the cursed mummies along the way!
11. PLAY HOUSE GYM LAMAZE ($99.95) AGES BIRTH AND UP
This gym grows with baby! It starts as a classic playmat with archway, covered in fun activities. As baby grows it can transform into an activity mat and finally a play dollhouse. This three-in-one gym was created for three different stages of development!
12. GIANT MAC TRUCK BRUDER ($129.95) AGES 4+ This giant Mac truck toy is super-realistic, and features a real working crane that goes over four feet high! Bruder makes the VERY best truck toys!
13. GRAPHIC T-SHIRT STUDIO SET ($49.95) AGES 8+
Make old T-Shirts new again, or take boring T-shirts from blah to bling! This kit has EVERYTHING your favourite fashionista will need to create her own cool look: fabric markers, ribbon, stencils, and the “Cooler Jeweller”! This piece allows you to simply and safely affix gems and rhinestones to your shirts for amazing designs.
14. BEEP BEEP WORLD (PRICES VARY: $3.95-$39.95) AGES 1+
A Mastermind Exclusive! This new line of car-play toys for little ones is perfectly designed! The track snaps together easily like a puzzle, and the cars start and stop with a simple pat to their roof! Other toys in the line include a fun parking garage and ramp racer set.
15. KISS NATURALS KITS ($14.95 - $19.95) AGES 5+
These Canadian-made, do-it-yourself kits are perfect for craft time! Make your own lip balm, bath fizzies, soap and more with these different kits, all made with 100% natural ingredients.
16. CRAFTY ADVENT CALENDAR KIT ($24.95) AGES 5+
A Mastermind Exclusive! Countdown to Christmas with a make-your-own advent calendar! This easy-to-do craft has 150 peel-and-stick felt shapes for you to decorate your advent calendar. When you’re done, fill it with treats for each day!
17. ZIPFY AND ZIPFY JR. ($39.95/$29.95) VARIOUS AGES
Congratulations! The bestselling mini-luge has a new baby brother. The Zipfy is simply the most fun you’ll have on the hills this winter, and the all-new Zipfy Jr. is safely sized for younger riders!
18. SUPER-STAR STAGE MICROPHONE ($39.95) AGES 4+
A star is born! The Super Star Microphone comes with a stand and cool sound effects like applause. The best part is you can sing along to your favourite tunes since it includes an MP3 jack as well!
19. 4D CITYSCAPE PLAYSETS ($29.95) AGES 10+
Your favourite cities, including Toronto, in a cool 700-piece puzzle format! Assemble the puzzle to form the base, complete with glow-in-the dark streets and street names, and then add the major building landmark pieces to complete your cool cityscape model!
20. STICKY MOSAICS BLINGLETS KIT ($19.95) AGES 5+
This Made in Canada kit is blingtastic! Make your own stylish jewelry with a kit that lets kiddie crafters stick and style their way to 12 different blinglets, using over 700+ sparkling jewel stickers!
21. TOTALLY GROSS GAME ($24.95) AGES 8+
A dose of gross helps makes science fun! This board game for kids features icky experiments and activities in a fast-paced game that camouflages learning with fun!
22. CHRISTMAS BOX OF QUESTIONS ($19.95) ALL AGES
Designed to inspire fun and great conversation, this fun-filled box of questions is great for a family gathering over the holidays. The box is filled with questions like “what is your favourite ornament on the tree and why?” A perfect present to start a new family tradition.
23. SNOW PLAY BOOK ($18.95) ALL AGES
The perfect book for the snow lover-young and old. With crazy creatures to build, challenging games to play, and outrageous spaces to sculpt, author Birgitta Ralston, a Europe-based designer, has imagined 25 creative ways to play in the snow including how to build a Loch Ness monster and a giant frosted snow cake.
24. TY LIL’ ONES ($4.95) AGES 3+
Don’t let the small package fool you; these are some of the cutest and hottest dolls available! From the maker of Beanie Babies, each Lil’ One is beautifully made, perfectly poseable, and comes with a trendy outfit and a miniature pet!
ABOUT MASTERMIND TOYS
Celebrating its 26th year in operation, Toronto-based Mastermind Toys was founded in 1984 by brothers Andy and Jonathan Levy. Mastermind is Canada’s largest and most successful independently-owned, specialty toy retailer with 11 locations across the Greater Toronto Area. Both in-store and online, Mastermind carries over 10,000 educational and fun toys, books, games, puzzles and software offering exceptional service and complimentary gift wrap. Visit www.mastermindtoys.com. Mastermind Toys can also be followed on Facebook, Youtube and Twitter.