Toy Directory is an exciting new website that we are supporting. The Toy Directory (www.toydirectory.co.nz) has been developed to give New Zealanders access to a central point of information on the New Zealand toy industry. There, you will find articles of interest about the NZ toy industry, a complete list of all New Zealand toy shops, a listing of NZ toy wholesalers and manufacturers (useful if you are a toy retailer looking for new products) and also a listing of places where you can hire toys from throughout the country.

One of the exciting things we like about it is the way it is split into regions. So if you are living in Wellington and looking for local toy stores, you simply select the 'Toy Stores' tab at the top of the screen and then select 'Wellington' from the list of regions on the right hand side. Then in the blink of an eye you have a complete list of all Wellington toy shops. The same goes for toy hire companies. You also have the ability to search the entire site by keyword - so if you are looking for an article about the NZ toy awards, just type "toy awards" into the search box.

We hope you enjoy using the toy directory and look forward to getting some feedback about it!

True story from one of our customers...

It’s actually a pretty funny story, which, fortunately, has a happy ending. It’s a bit involved, but it’s worth reading...

"Living on the beach, we get pretty regular sea breezes. We have a foot mat outside our front door which is fairly heavy. When I was digging out the Christmas decorations, I found a Christmas mat we had from previous years. Liz tried putting it outside, but then brought it inside, telling me that she was concerned that it would blow away. Around that time, our regular mat was placed on its side to the side of the front door (leaning almost vertically against the wall). I saw this and assumed that Liz had put it there while she was experimenting with putting the Christmas mat out. Tonight, over dinner, somehow the topic of the mat came up and Liz asked me why the mat was on its side. I told her I assumed she had done it—she told me she assumed I had done it. We had a bit of an enigma here!
So tonight, when I took out the trash, I removed the mat to put it flat in front of the door where it belonged. What I found behind it was Julie’s Christmas gift! Apparently, we weren’t home when the delivery took place, and the delivery person very carefully concealed the gift behind the mat! He did a good job—we passed by it a dozen times without even recognizing that something was behind it.
So, our enigma is resolved and Julie will have her gift in time for Christmas! This is a magical time of year!
Please pass along my apologies to the place you ordered the gift from!
Merry Christmas!
Chip"

Review: Bus Stop Game

Our eldest boy Max, 5yrs, received this game for xmas. The game is for ages 4-8 but to our surprise Jackson, our 3.5 yr old (with a short attention span) also loved it. My wife and I also played to act as mediators!

The object of the game is to get your bus around a circular course with the winner being the one with the most passengers on board at the end. The games playing board is made of four sturdy laminated cardboard pieces that form a road going around the outside of town which slots in as the centrepiece (slightly different, but better than the one in the picture). The kids had fun constructing this which was like putting together a simple jigsaw. Each player then gets to chose a different coloured large board which is cut out in the shape of a bus (there are 4 in total and unlike the picure they are all different colours). Each player also has a small bus in the same colour which slots into a holder and acts as their playing piece.

The game is simple to play. Each player (starting with the youngest) takes turns throwing the dice. There are 2 dice - the number on the red dice indicates how many moves forward that player can go and the white dice indicates how many passengers they are allowed to add to their bus or take off. If they land on a + they get to add passengers to their bus and a - take them off. The passengers are head and shoulder cut outs of people of all walks of life. Max, our eldest had a particular liking for a passenger that looked like Santa and he was always the first to be taken on board and last off!

We found this game not only fun but very educational. We had been looking for ways to improve the kids addition and subtraction skills and this game was perfect, also teaching them about + and - signs. We were surprised that Jackson, with a short attention span played they whole game and also did really well with his counting. I could also see the game could be made more difficult by keeping a running tally to see who transported the most passengers rather than having the most passengers at the end. This is not in the instructions but could be a nice addition for those wanting more challenge for older players (i.e. 7 or 8 yr olds). Highly recommends. Rating 4.5 stars out of 5.

Click here for more information or to order

Time to think about christmas!

Christmas is comming fast. At iQ Toys we try to help releving the stresses of chritmas shopping.

We have selected our top ten toys for christmas that we believe will be a big hit on the big day.

1. Star Party CD Player
2. Roboraptor
3. BRATZ TWINS Dolls 2nd Edition: Tess and Nona
4. Airzooka
5. Klutz Tiaras Set
6. Lego: Harry Potter And The Hungarian Horntail (4767)
7. Aquadoodle
8. Hills Lemur Play Center (FK211052)
9. Bounce Around Trampoline
10. Mookie All Surface Junior Swingball

If none of these toys hit the spot, why not check out the rest of the toys on the website. There is a wishlist feature that allows you to add as many toys as you would like and store it for when you may wish to purchase, perfect for organising christmas pressies!

Got a special request? That toy you can't find anywhere, a new toy on the market. let us know and we will do our best to help you out.

Toys r us

On a recent trip to Australia we decided to check out the competition -- Toysrus.

We were happy to see that our product range was comparable. We had some products that they didn't stock and they had some that we didn't stock that we quite liked...we made a note of those!

Pictured (left to right): Jackson (3 yrs), Shane, Suzette, Max (5 yrs).

School Holidays are Coming!

To be prepared for these school holidays we are running a promotion. Buy one of the selected toys to keep the kids busy in the holidays and you'll receive a free 17 piece Frog 4D Puzzle. Offer valid till 10th October or while stocks last.

iQ Toys delivers free shipping!

New Zealand's largest online toy store, has today announced free shipping on orders totalling more than $150.
Director, Shane Loomb states that adding free shipping is an effort to take online shopping for toys more mainstream. "Currently online toy purchases represent a small (but growing percentage) of the total toy market in New Zealand. By offering free shipping we believe more New Zealanders will purchase toys online, particarly as our product range and prices match or better most traditional toy stores".
Established in 1996, iQ Toys is New Zealand's largest online toy store stocks over 1000 toys and more than 175 different suppliers.

Featured Pages on iQ Toys

Recent developments on the iQ Toys website, sees the unveiling of some new exciting featured sections. These sections target specific audiences after certain products.

• NZ Toys - Toys made in New Zealand, designed by New Zealanders or go with the New Zealand culture. These toys are iconic and are sure to remind you of the land of the long white cloud.
• Lego - Lego is one of the worlds most popular brand. Here at iQ Toys we have bundled all our lego products into this easy to navigate lego themed section.
• Space Toys - As featured earlier this month in this blog, the space section was built just in time for the launch of the discovery, now that the discovery is back on the ground. The space section is still standing as one of the most popular sections on iQ Toys with products that are sure to get a good reaction from the kids, check it out!
• Smoby - Smoby products featured on iQ Toys completes the portfolio of products nicely. Table soccer (foosball), Star Party range, plus much more!
• Step2 - Step2 creates fun and useful products for children 9 months to 10 years old. Whether indoors or out, for fun or for function, Step2 products are durable and innovative. They encourage creative learning and last for years.
• Hi5 - 1,2,3,4 Hi5! Hi5 is known for their upbeat, bright and energenic performances. Some of these are captured on their range of video's and DVD's. Here at iQ Toys we stock a fabulous range of Hi5 video's and DVD's.
• Plus more...See full list here