Friday, November 19, 2010

Pinkalicious Review (3 in 1 Card Game and Pinkalicious Scrabble Jr)

Pinkalicious 3 in 1 Classic Card Game



Card games are classic and never grow old.  I played card games with my grandmother every time I went over her house.  We played Gin Rummy, Fish, and WAR, just to name a few.  Those were good times.

Pinkalicious has created a new 3 in 1 set of classic card games, Pinkalicious style, of course!  The three games include Cupcake Snack, Golden Wands, and Princess Purple.

Cupcake Snack is based on the classic game of Slap-Jack.  This is such a fun game!  There are 2 versions of this game you can play.  Here is Game 1.  Players take turns flipping over a card for all to see.  When a Cupcake card is turned over, everyone has to quickly place their hand over the Cupcake card.  The first player to "eat" the cupcake wins the pile of cards.  If a player mistakenly slaps another card, they have to forfeit all their cards and return them to the draw pile.  Game 2 is for you to find out when you buy this great set!  Here's  hint: it is based on the classic game of Spoons.

Golden Wands is based on the classic game of Crazy 8's.  There are also 2 versions of this game.  In Game 1 players are dealt a hand of cards.  It is each players job to get rid of all their cards by matching the card in the discard pile by either color or number.  All Golden 8 cards are "magical" and are wild cards.  If you cannot match by color or number in the discard pile, the player must choose a card from the draw pile.  First player to get rid of all their cards wins!  Game 2 is for 2 players and is a number stacking game.

Princess Purple is based on the classic game of Old Maid.  Again, 2 versions of this game can be played.  In Game 1, all the cards are dealt to the players.  Players discard any matches from their hand.  Players offer one card to be picked, if a match has been made, those cards get laid down.  Players do this until all matches have been made and one player is left holding the Pinkalicious card. They are the automatic winner.  Game 2 is a version of the classic game, Memory, but Pinkalicious style!

These cards games are for ages 4 and up and retails for $12.99.  It is available at Walmart.


Pinkalicious Scrabble Junior


I admit, I definitely don't play enough Scrabble.  I love the game and always have a great time playing.  I will be playing more Scrabble now that Pinkalicious has now turned this fun game Pink with Pinkalicious-Junior Scrabble!

Straight from out of the box, this game is adorable.  For younger players, the playing board displays fun Pinkalicious pictures and easy to read lettering.  The reverse side of the playing board allows older players to form their own words, with some suggestions along the sides for help.  The letter tiles are large and easy for little hands to manipulate. 

There are two versions of Pinkalicious Scrabble.  The first on uses the pre-lettered side of the playing board.  Players take 7 letters and attempt to spell the words using the correct letters, in the correct order.  If you are the player to complete a word, you get to collect a scoring chip.  You play this game until all the letters on the board have been covered.  Then see who has the most scoring chips, that is the winner!

The second version of Pinkalicious Scrabble is more like the original Scrabble game.  Players create words on the board in crossword fashion.  Each player takes a turn creating a word, earning one point for each letter used.  Keep playing this game until all possibilities for words have been exhausted.  The players with the most points at the end wins!

This is a great game that can help enhance letter recognition and spelling skills.  Included in this game is the 2-sided playing board, 101 letter tiles, and 44 scoring chips.  This game is recommended for children ages 5 and up.  It retails for $19.99 and is available from Amazon.

If you love Pinkalicious and want to add some "Pink" to your holiday season, check back for our Giveaway starting on Monday, November 22, 2010!!!!!!




Pinkalicious provided me with the products reviewed above in order to facilitate this review.  All opinions are 100% mine.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Electra Doodle Creative Light System by Cra-Z-Art


Cra Z Art Electra Doodle Creative Light System is SO cool!  I could not wait to get this out of the box to play with it.  And to my delight, I was not disappointed.

This Creative Light System uses colorful light to create pictures.  When you turn on the Electra Doodle, you have two options, Draw and Play. 

In the Draw mode, you have 4 options, Draw, Doodle, Dot-to-Dot, and Kaleidoscope. 
  • Free Draw allows you to draw whatever you want on the screen.  This is where you can be as creative as you want.  You also have different brush sizes to choose from and when you are done, you can animate or invert your picture. 
  • The Doodle option gives you 18 images that you get to enhance by drawing on the picture.  I had fun coloring in the pictures and adding silly faces to the pictures. 
  • Dot-to-Dot will give you 16 different connect the dot pictures to choose from.  When I was a kid, I loved dot-to-dot puzzles but I wasn't sure how this would work.  It was actually quite easy!  Just like a regular dot-to-dot, it starts with part of a picture and then it is your job to follow and connect the flashing dots to finish the picture. 
  • Kaleidoscope - this is probably the coolest drawing option.  When you draw, your picture is automatically mirrored on the screen.  This is also a great feature for the kids because they don't have to draw a perfect picture.  Whatever lines and scribbles you draw turns into beautiful artwork.  Again, you can use different brush sizes to create different effects.



In the Play mode, you also have 4 options.  Options include Tic-Tac-Toe, Mazes, Match Em', and Find Smiley. 
  • Tic-Tac-Toe is the same game that everyone loves to play.  As soon as my husband saw that, it was game on!  Needless to say, we played about 15 games and somehow I only won 2 games. 
  • Mazes will test your skills navigating through 16 different mazes.  Who doesn't love mazes?
  • Match 'Em is a game similar to Memory.  You will be presented with 8 circles, making 4 pairs of images.  Select each circle until you find 2 that match.  When you find all 4 pairs, you win the game.  This is a great memory skill building game for kids.  I love this one too! 
  • Find Smiley is a game where you will see 8 random images on the screen.  Your job is to find and touch the smiley face.  For each smiley face you touch, you earn 1 point, and for each wrong image you touch, you lose 2 points.  This game is timed for 30 seconds per game.

The Electra Doodle also has 6 features to choose from - Clear (obviously erases the screen), Erase/Draw (though this button to turn your brush into an eraser and visa versa), Brush Size (choose 1 of 4 brush sizes to use), Invert (flip your images from color and color to black.  also invert a black screen and use the eraser to draw), Animate (bring your art and pre-loaded images to life), and Home (goes to the main menu).

If you are looking for an original and creative gift for the holidays, this is it!  Kids will have hours of fun with the many games offered in 1 package.  The Electra Doodle has a handle that make it easy for kids to carry around with them.  It would also be good to use during car trips or for taking to friends houses when visiting over the holidays.

Cra Z Art Electra Doodle Creative Light System is for children aged 5 and up.  It retails for $29.99.



Cra Z Art provided me with the product reviewed above in order to facilitate this review.  All opinions are 100% mine.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Kung Zhu Review and Giveaway (Closed)


I have fallen in love with the original line of Zhu Zhu Pets.  Now Cepia, LLC has introduced a new line of Zhu Zhu, Kung Zhu.  These new "battle" hamsters are geared for boys aged 4-10. 

Kung Zhu Hamsters have 4 Modes, Talk Mode, Explore Mode, Sleep Mode, and Power Up Battle Mode.  The Talk, Explore, and Sleep modes are the same as the original Zhu Zhu Pets.  The Power Up Battle Mode is new!  In the Power Up Battle Mode, the Zhu Zhu will change both its sound and behavior when it reads one of the codes that come with the armor and the battle arena.  Kung Zhu's battle for about three and a half minutes then will go to sleep to save the battery.

Kung Zhu's have the same playfulness as the original Zhu's, but different in that you get to "Train, Transform, and Battle" your Zhu for combat in the battle arena.  Your Kung Zhu will train as it goes through the training ground.  Once it get through that, you can put on the battle gear to transform your Pet.  Finally, you send your Zhu Zhu into battle, where only the strongest will survive!  The first set of hamsters are the "good" hamsters.  They include the Ninja Hamsters, the Delta Forces, the Rangers, and the Dragon Tribe.  The "bad" hamsters are called the Bad Skull Tribe. 

Instead of  clothes for these hamsters, these battlers have battle gear to wear.  This is sold separately from the Kung Zhu Pet.  You can also purchase the Battle Arena, Training Arenas, and the Special Forces and many other accessories to build you own, unique play set. 

Like the original Zhu Zhu Pets, the Kung Zhu's are innate to imaginative play.  Kids will spend hours arranging and rearranging the play sets to create new battle scenarios. 

Check out Kung Zhu  online too at http://kungzhu.com/ .  You will find  Hamster Bios,  Fun and Games, News and Events, Info and Instructions, and much more!  Kung Zhu Zhu Pets sell for about $9.99 each and accessories like battle armor, retail for about $7.99.  Additional play sets will retail from $9.99 to $29.99.

Here are the Bios I found online:

Kung Zhu Pet Battle Hamster Toy Stone Wall Special Forces:
Stonewall: Loud, crazy, and no one really knows what he’s saying. Pretty much if there’s a fight, just point him in the right direction and when the dust settles, you’ll find one happy hamster..
Likes: Battles, Wrestling and Ladders.
Dislikes: Checkers, Capes, and Ladders.

Kung Zhu Pet Battle Hamster Toy Sgt. Serge Special Forces:
Sgt. Serge: Sgt wants nothing more than a great day for everyone, and if that great day doesn’t happen, then by golly, he’ll know the reason why.
Likes: Warm apple cider, apple pie, and folk lore. (Johnny Appleseed.)
Dislikes: Cloudy days, swings without kids swinging, and hamsters who play with the idea that it is okay to swim before the allotted 30 minutes time frame for digestion.

Kung Zhu Pet Battle Hamster Toy Rivet Duke Special Forces:
Rivet: Master of demolitions and leader of the special forces, Rivet loves a good explosion, so much that every 4th of July, all the Zhu Zhu’s that can make their way to his house always love the amazing fireworks show.
Likes: Good jokes, tasty brats, and tough obstacle courses, not in that order, but doesn’t mind if they happen at the same time.
Dislikes: the color red, cold pizza, and snails.

Kung Zhu Pet Battle Hamster Toy Rock O Special Forces:
Rock-O: Some call him noodle ‘cause he has the biggest brain in the bunch. Rock-O is in charge of communications and technology. If he doesn’t know the answer to your question… he’ll Zhu-ogle it.
Likes: Video Games, Potato Chips, and Sky Diving.
Dislikes: the lack of knowledge.

Kung Zhu Pet Battle Hamster Toy Drayko Ninja Warrior:
Drayko: a JONIN in his clan, Drayko is a fast learner of the ancient art of stealth, and he still has a lot of power to tap inside. Drayko will stop at nothing to be the best dragon he can, and leaving his clan to help the world is one way he sees best in helping him become SHOGUN.
Likes: his family Katana, the code of the dragon, and pudding.
Dislikes: the skull clan, tape and pop rock candy… it doesn’t help with being stealthy.

Kung Zhu Pet Battle Hamster Toy Thorn Ninja Warrior:
Thorn: no one knows where he came from, or what he wants. He truly is zhu-vil. He’s rough, tough and isn’t afraid to cheat.
Likes: maybe Azer knows, but he won’t tell. Thorn is the Zhu of mystery.
Dislikes: we’re pretty sure it’s everything… literally.

Zhu Zhu Pets - Kung Zhu Ninja Warrior - YAMA the Hamster:
Yama : only a student in the dragon clan, Yama is the best friend of drayko, and well never leave his side. Some might say he’s too loyal. Yama might not be the fastest ninja, but he’s definitely the strongest. He’s the only hamster in his clan that can use the boars head, the ancient war hammer of the dragon clan.
Likes: moving mountains, changing the course of rivers and reading.
Dislikes: birds.

Kung Zhu Pet Battle Hamster Toy Azer Ninja Warrior:
Azer: the older brother of Drayko, Azer was raised in the dragon clan. He left the clan to better himself, and joined the kung zhu forces. But when his best friend Duke beat him in the arena for title of Lieutenant, he knew he couldn’t take it anymore. He left kung zhu, but couldn’t return to his clan because of shame. He created the skull clan, and so far only has one member, and the two of them will stop at nothing to bring about the worlds not so happy day.
Likes: spoiled milk, baseball and the katanas of fire (his personal swords)
Dislikes: sunny days, ice cream and Sgt. Serge

I have no doubt that these Kung Zhu Zhu Pets will be a hit this holiday season.  Be sure to pick up the whole line so your kid can have hours of fun battling all the Kung Zhu's.


Cepia, LLC provided me with the products above in order to facilitate this product review.  All opinions are 100% mine.
Winners of the Kung Zhu Giveaway are Therri D & Roxann T.  The winners will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond.  If a response is not received within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

There will be two winners for this Giveaway.  Each winner will receive 2 Kung Zhu's (one Special Forces - Rivet or Rock'o - and one Ninja - Azer or Thorn) and the battle gear for the Kung Zhu.  There are several things you can do to earn entries for this Giveaway.  Please fill out the form for EACH entry, including the bonus entries.  You may enter once a day, including each bonus entries.  Multiple entries other than the daily entries will be deleted..  This Giveaway will run from 11/15/10 at 12:00pm until 11/22/10 at 12:00pm.