Gifted Originals

It’s not just humans that love toys. Oh no, Gifted Originals has learned that birds across Scotland have been found with a range of  cuddly toys lining their nests. Apparently, red kites have been known for centuries for their scavenging nature – in the 1600s the birds were protected by a royal decree because of their street cleaning abilities.

While bits of plastic and cloth are often found in their nests, staff at RSPB Scotland have found some weird and wonderful things lurking in the birds’ nests.

A Rudolf the red-nose reindeer toy, teddy bear and a small child’s glove have been found keeping the bedding warm. Underwear, socks and coloured string and paper have also been tucked into the structures. Also found lurking in the nests were a small plastic dog, a woman’s clutch bag and pink heart-shaped sunglasses.

Traditional nests are made of dead twigs and grass, lined with sheep’s wool.

Brian Etheridge of RSPB Scotland said: “Over the years we’ve found many strange and interesting things in the nest of red kites. The birds use these items, many of which are discarded by humans when out in the countryside, to line their nests.

“However, cuddly toys are probably taken as they are mistaken for food. We often find them later with bits of stuffing pulled out. That’s bound to cause a surprise, not least to a nestful of hungry chicks.”

Red kites had completely disappeared from Scotland until they were reintroduced by RSPB Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage in the 1980s.

At Gifted Originals, we love toys and none more so than on Christmas Day when GO children are opening their presents. But as parents, we have something to confess: we can’t bear the mess!

An article by Rachel Mainwaring on WalesOnline.co.uk sums up our, and we’re sure many parents’, sentiment to a tee.

I’m in a state of absolute chaos. There used to be a rug in my lounge. One of those nice fluffy ones that was lovely to lie on (or cartwheel on, if you are a seven-year-old girl).

Now it’s covered with Christmas presents and discarded bits of wrapping paper (that just keep appearing, despite my efforts to clean up).

There are new DVD packets strewn by the TV, new cars that have been driven round every nook and cranny and, quite frankly, the house looks like a bomb site.

And, for the next few days anyway, that’s exactly how it’s going to stay.

Because, one of the joys of that funny week between Christmas and New Year, is the luxury of not having to tidy the house.

Whereas I am normally quite fastidious when it comes to making the kids put the toys away, this week I just can’t be bothered.

After spending the days before Christmas in a virus-induced snowed-in trance, very little was done around the house and I think I’ve got used to the mess.

Although I was ailing (in spite of all the efforts I took NOT to suffer before Christmas) I did manage to do a few chores. But when it came to the playroom, it was a serious no-go zone.

Despite warning the kids that Santa didn’t like toys left all over the place, the children took great comfort in informing me that Santa’s magic would even tidy them away for them on Christmas Eve, so they didn’t need to do it anyway.

“He’s clever,” my three-year-old son told me. “He has a wand that makes it all go back in the cupboards… to give us extra time to go to sleep.”

Mmm. I wonder who told him that. Big sisters can be rather clever too it seems.

I’ve come to the conclusion that my boy will never be tidy. Whereas his sister Molly likes everything in its place (but heaven help anyone who tries to chuck anything of hers away, even a smelly old lunchbox from her first year in school) George is quite happy to be sitting in the middle of a million different toys.

He will get something new out before putting the old toys away; resulting in complete and utter mess but it seems to be the way he likes to play.

So, on Christmas Eve, as they slept soundly waiting for Santa Claus to arrive, a certain someone had to put them in all the right compartments – just like that.

So Mr Potato Head went back with Mrs Potato Head, the racing car was, somehow, retrieved out of the toy digger (although how he had got it in there in the first place I’ll never know) and then 72 tiny green soldiers had to be reunited, which certainly proved a bit more of a challenge.

They were eventually found in a series of various places including – under the hamster’s cage, behind the toilet cistern and three naughty ones in the washing machine.

So you’ll probably understand why I can’t really summon the effort to do anymore tidying for now. While the kids are happy playing with their new toys, I am safe in the knowledge that, at the weekend, the big 2010 tidying-up session will begin.

It’s just a shame Santa won’t be around to do it. Never mind kids, only another 51 weeks to go.

Just when we thought it was the end of the Toy Story saga, word reaches Gifted Originals that those people at Pixar have something in the pipeline.

According to WorstPreviews.com, Pixar is working on a Toy Story short film that will play in front of Cars 2 on June 24th. The short is called Hawaii”and will revolve around Barbie and Ken.

It turns out that the full details can be found in an upcoming children’s book called “Play-cation”  which is published by Disney and tells the story of Barbie and Ken’s honeymoon immediately following the events of Toy Story 3.

Plot: Bonnie is off to Hawaii, and Barbie and Ken are excited to go along on their first tropical vacation! But when they’re accidentally left behind, it’s up to Buzz, Woody, and the rest of the toys to create a Hawaiian paradise right in Bonnie’s room.

This isn’t the first time that Pixar has revealed the story of one of their upcoming shorts in a book. The plot of Day and Night, that played in front of Toy Story 3,was revealed in a similar way last year.

Gifted Originals is thankful that Pixar have shown some mercy and are weening its avid fans off the toys rather than making us go cold turkey!

Toy Story 3 IS the biggest film of 2010!

According to the Guardian, Toy Story 3 has been named the highest grossing film of 2010. In a year that was dominated by animated movies, Pixar’s  final instalment in the saga which began in 1995 with Toy Story, the world’s first fully CGI animated feature, made a spectacular $1.05bn (£682m) globally. It just beat the Disney fantasy Alice in Wonderland for the top spot with the Tim Burton-directed film taking $1.02bn.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part one, the latest instalment in the saga of JK Rowling’s boy wizard, made third place with $831m. It has only been in cinemas for six weeks, so could well end up with a rather larger haul.

The three other animations to make the top 10 were another sequel, Shrek Forever After, which took $737m worldwide and took the fifth spot, Despicable Me, with $539m in eighth and How to Train Your Dragon with $493m in 10th place. Animations have performed well before at the box office, but studio Disney, which owns Pixar, will be hoping to capitalise on Toy Story’s success in this year’s Oscars race. The company wants to see its film – also one of the year’s best reviewed movies – rewarded in the best film category, rather than handed the traditional “best animated film” gong.

Now it’s official, toys rule the world and Toy Story 3 ruled 2010! Gifted Originals is wondering what’s in store for 2011…

Readers,

Today marks the first day of 2011 and after the world said goodbye to 2010, we thought a poem for the little ones would be a great way to start the New Year. Remember, this year Gifted Originals is going to be bigger and better than ever, selling traditional favourites and introducing more of tomorrow’s classic toys.

Ken Nesbitt’s On New Year’s Day

On New Year's Day a year ago,
I started off the year
by making resolutions
that were probably severe.

I said I'd save my money,
as this seemed so very wise.
I vowed I would improve my health.
I swore I'd exercise.

I stated I would do my homework
every single day.
I'd brush my teeth religiously
to ward off tooth decay.

I'd eat my fruits and vegetables
and keep my bedroom clean.
I'd treat my sister kindly
though she's often very mean.

My resolutions lasted me
about a half a day.
I promised I would keep them
but I broke them anyway.

So now I'm fat and penniless.
My homework's overdue.
My sister's mad. My teeth are bad.
My room is messy too.

And yet I think I may have found
the best of all solutions,
and this year I've resolved
to not make ANY resolutions.

The National Museum of Scotland’s art and industry collection of playthings is showcasing a wonderful exhibition of toys from across the ages.

According to the Scotsman, toys that whizz and pop, games consoles that catapult you into the heat of battle from the comfort of your living room, dolls that do everything except log on to Facebook to update their status – “Having a pool party then heading to ballet lesson before dressing like a fairy princess! Whoop!” – and cuddly animals that are more lively than the family pet.

The unusual – and most unlikely – toy is part of the National Museum of Scotland’s art and industry collection of playthings, some devastatingly simple and others bordering on downright dangerous, each providing a nostalgic view of childhood from a bygone age.

More than that, they also provide a fascinating snapshot of the past, reflecting both the eras in which they were developed and when playtime was more about using imagination than simply pressing buttons, and health and safety was still to be dreamed up by a man in a fluorescent vest with a clipboard.

Gifted Originals is always fascinated by toys from the past, for they provide a snapshot of what life was like, how children played and interacted with one another. So, if any of our customers living in Scotland are nearby, surely the National Museum’s toy collection is worth a look – and a trip down memory lane for that matter!

It seems retro toys are not only huge with adults who remember them the first time round, but little ones are also loving these too. According to the Daily Mail, We tend to assume that today’s children want Wiis, iPods and other high-tech gadgets for Christmas. But it seems that modern youngsters (or their nostalgic parents) can also be charmed by toys from days gone by.

Of these charming toys, sales of Retro Space Hoppers are up 100 per cent. During the 1970s, children across the UK were bouncing around on their space hoppers as the country went crazy for the bright orange rubber ball.

According to Wikipedia, Space hoppers were introduced to the UK in 1969 — the Cambridge Evening News newspaper, contained an advertisement for the hopper in November of that year and described it as a “trend”. Although in practical terms they served absolutely no useful purpose whatsoever (in that they didn’t allow the user to go faster, bounce higher, or run further than they could on foot), nevertheless they became a major craze during the late 1960s/early 1970s. The space hopper also lent its name and face to the Birmingham Psychedelic trance parties that ran from the mid-nineties to 2000, and also appeared at the Glastonbury festival.

For a piece of some bouncing action, take a look on Gifted Originals for our brilliant space hopper range.

With six children, Christmas at Brad and Angelina’s is not only an expensive one (although Gifted Originals doubts they’re short of a bob or two) but also involve a lotta wrapping.

The Jolie-Pitts were pictured with their trolley piled high shopping alongside the busy crowds at a mall in Windhoek, Namibia. Shunning the US, the couple’s daughter Shiloh was born in the seaside town of Swakopmund in the African country four years ago.

The well-travelled family spend every other Christmas in the U.S., then enjoy a trip to a far-flung location the second year, this year Namibia. Earlier this month Angelina explained to the Daily Mail, “We’re going to travel with the kids and go to a random part of the world,” she said.

“We’re going to travel and have an adventure because that’s what we love to do.”

Unleashing your little one’s creativity during playtime is essential to keeping them stimulated when playing, and at Gifted Originals we’ve got just the toys to help do that.

The Melissa and Doug range is brilliant for babies, especially Fill and Spill Toolbox. This soft play fabric tool box by Melissa and Doug is great for role play. It comes with a hammer, saw , 2 soft nails and screws and 2 soft wooden blocks that fit together easily. It also has an easy grip, vibrating drill. Comes complete with a fabric toolcase thats easy for little hands to carry.

BigJigs Toys are great for babies and improving their hand-eye coordination. A fantastic early learning toy, First Building Blocks has a wooden storage box which contains 17 brightly painted wooden blocks of various shapes and sizes, all made from wood from replenishable sources.

If you’re after something for when you and the little one are on the move, the Shooting Star Rattle is perfectly sized for little hands. This colourful rattle satisfies baby’s need for visual and auditory stimulation. The Shooting Star Rattle helps develop sensory skills and is suitable for age 3 months and upwards.

Things just go from bad to worse for the mega corporation, McDonald’s. A few months ago, the fast food chain was banned in Santa Clara from selling food with toys. The latest incident sees a Californian ‘mom’ launching a lawsuit against Macca D’s.

The Guardian reports: Maya Parham loves McDonald’s. But not because of the food. According to a lawsuit filed in California last week the fast food giant is using Barbie, Shrek, Strawberry Shortcake and a galaxy of other toy and cartoon characters to lure in the six-year-old. Now Maya’s mother, Monet, wants it to stop.

“I object to the fact that McDonald’s is getting into my kids’ heads without my permission and actually changing what my kids want to eat,” she said.

Her suit is backed by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and comes as McDonald’s and its rivals face pressure over their use of toys to sell kids’ meals. In California, two counties have imposed nutritional limits on the meals McDonald’s can sell with toys attached. In Wisconsin, the fast food firm recently fought off another lawsuit. These toy wars are being fought against an increasingly heated debate over what to do about the US’s obesity rate.

McDonald’s hit back last week. Chief executive Jim Skinner told the Financial Times that the “food police” were trying to “dictate behaviour through legislation”. In a statement, the company said it would “vigorously defend” its brand.

But the latest story gets more interesting. The article continues: Critics are challenging Parham’s stance as an “everymum”; she is employed by the state of California and works on child nutrition matters. But as obesity rates rise, John Banzhaf, a law professor at George Washington University, believes McDonald’s can expect more suits. Banzhaf founded Ash, the anti-smoking lobby, and sees some parallels between the tobacco and food companies.

“I think there’s a good case to argue that it’s unfair and deceptive to target young children with something that means a lot to them in order to induce them to eat something so unhealthy,” he says.

Gifted Originals will keep you posted with the next batch of lawsuits, bans, etc against McDonald’s and the UnHappy Meal saga!