My mom gave me a hundred bucks to spend on the Toys for Tots box at my workplace. But I haven’t spent any time around kids in years, and I haven’t seen a commercial in a long time. So I don’t know what’s cool. I also don’t know where to get the most bang for my buck… Walmart? Family Dollar? Help me spend money on kids!
I was in a Toy R Us last year and they had sets of plastic dinosaurs, farm animals, etc that were a pretty good bargain. I’d start there and try to maximize the volume of what you buy. Part of the thrill of Christmas is if the present is big, IMO. Also with the animal sets, if you lose a Brontosaurus behind the couch, the kit isn’t ruined. The kid will just have to fight off the cows with a T Rex, instead.
You’ll get good advice at your local Toy-R-Us store. Just ask them. You might even find a way to maximize your $100 and make it go far.
And, thank you for supporting Toys for Tots and the US Marine Corps Reserve.
Semper Fi,
e7t
I second everything you’ve said. Toys R Us has been really competitive these last few years and their amount of choices is unsurpassed. “Kits” “Supplies” “Build a…” are all good buzz words. What’s “hot” now may fizzle out but things that stimulate a child’s imagination go on and on for a long time.
How cool that you’re doing this Rachaelogram!
ETA Meant to add this to Pine Fresh Scent’s post.
Well my mom did it, technically. I’m just the messenger!
Thanks for the tips! I figured Toys R Us would be too expensive. Any word on what the hip new toys are this season? Last time I looked, it was pogs and tamagotchies. And pokemon or something… shit, I dunno.
Monster High.
The movie Cars remains big. Also saw a ton of Avengers kids this Halloween.
The kids still like Transformers, even though adults know the movies suck.
My 8-year-old son likes Mario Bros., Minecraft, Sonic, Pokemon, and Lego Ninjago. Each of these things has a video component, but he loves action figures and other real-life toys where he can imagine and play out his own games. So we have stuffed Marios and Luigis, stuffed Pikachus, and a truly godawful number of Lego sets, which build the world of Ninjago, hallowed be its name. He likes T-shirts and jammies with this stuff on them as well.
Lego sets are really expensive though. Like $70 for a big playset. :rolleyes:
Last year I saw this aircraft carrier for $20 at a Walgreen’s and had to pick one up for the Toys-For-Tots bin. I don’t care how much electronics kids are into the days, if you don’t feel awesome getting a 2 1/2 foot long aircraft carrier under your tree, you’re not allowed to celebrate Christmas 
I buy Barbies that are packaged with extra outfits. Getting Barbies is easy, getting extra clothes for them isn’t.
Awesome ideas! Is angry birds merchandise popular? And what is monster high, is that a tv show?
((What’s the age range for Toys for Tots?))
I would check the toys for tots website for gift ideas, as well as where to buy them.
Also, I believe there are restrictions on what toys they will accept, so you may want to make sure you don’t buy something they can’t distribute.
We are also awash in Angry Bird toys, so based on Chez Cherry, yes. (The piggies snort-laugh when you squeeze them.)
From the local T4T FAQ:
So provided you stay away from toy swords (do they even make realistic toy guns these days?) and candy-making kits, you should be okay.
The same FAQ said they prefer not to distribute lists of accepted/desirable toys since everyone would follow the list and greatly limit what they receive.
If you really want to maximize your donation to Toys For Tots, just donate the $100 directly to them on their website. Organizations like that not only don’t pay sales tax on their purchases (5-10% savings right there), they get massive deals for ordering in bulk. I certainly understand the appeal of going to a toy store and shopping for physical gifts, and the satisfaction of dropping them off in the donation box, but if “bang for your buck” is at the top of your priority list, that’s your absolute best bet.
Good idea, and definitely easy!
If it was my money, I absolutely would donate it straight-up. My mom likes to imagine little kids playing with the toys she purchased, though. Plus, since I’ll be doing the actual shopping and transportation, no portion of the donation will be going to administrative overhead. I don’t know if it exactly evens out in the end, but it’s gotta be fairly close.
Monster High. Angry Birds. Star Wars Legos. Art supplies and kits.
If you buy anything that requires batteries, buy the batteries too and tape them to the box.
Without administrative overhead, there wouldn’t *be *a Toys for Tots. So really it comes down to - would you rather 10% of your gift go to the government, or to help support the people whose careers are dedicated to Toys for Tots?