The Frugal Shopper, take two

So many adorable and affordable new goodies have come in recently that I figured it was about time for another frugal round-up! In case you missed the first transmission, this feature highlights quality, budget-friendly toys for all those little occasions you want to bring a little something but not empty the piggy-bank on.

Gifts Under $20

We may not have mentioned much of this store favorite before, since she flies off the shelves so quickly, but we carry boatloads of Hello Kitty beauty and hair accessories, lunch cases, outdoor toys, and school and office supplies. The newest and absolutely most adorable Hello Kitty item we've recently received are Hello Kitty Crocs. These red clogs come in toddler sizes and include decorative charms (is the official term jibbitz?). If only they came in larger sizes, I just know we'd see book buyer Donna sporting them...

Battat's Sturdy Work Trucks are perfect for construction-loving toddlers, with moving parts and Playmobil-style little workers. You can choose from a cement mixer, garbage truck, fire engine, dump truck, or the ever popular front end loader.

Shopping for a newborn? Supplement the classic gift of Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon with Goodnight Moon alphabet blocks from Peaceable Kingdom. The blocks picture upper and lowercase letters and items from the book, with my personal favorite, a bowl full of mush.

I love all things Lewis Carroll, so of course my heart pitter-pattered over Alice In Wonderland note cards and envelopes from potter style. This collection of vintage style prints comes bound in a "book" with a magnetic clasp (swoon). As if my pen pals needed more Alice paraphernalia in their mailboxes. We also carry the Alice and Wizard of Oz jigsaw puzzles from potter style.

Down in our chapter book room, challenge your friends, family or just yourself with the quick-to-learn puzzle game Set. Each card has four characteristics - color, shading, symbol, and number - and a set is three cards with either all matching or all conflicting features. You can give it a try at Set's Daily Puzzle page.

Another popular game downstairs is Bananagrams, which yes, is actually a cloth banana full of letter tiles. The appeal of this crossword game is that each person makes their own board, with the object of the game to use all of the letters in the "bunch." ...Perhaps you could sing along to Raffi's Bananaphone while you play?

Gifts Under $10

Hands down, the best toy in this category is the Blooming Flower Wand (or as staffer Bethany terms it, the Tulip Scepter) from Jeannie's, a flower wand with a dignified, not excessive, amount of ribbon and sparkle, perfect with fairy wings and a tutu.

For crafters, menders, or fans of tiny cute things, Cupcakes and Cartwheels offers us the Russian Doll Sewing Kit, a pocket-sized kit in the shape of a matroshka doll, with all of the necessary tidbits of sewing, including scissors, measuring tape, a handful of spools of thread and a tube of needles.

Fans of tiny cute things might also love, as we certainly do, Two's company's Kimono Fish Coin Purses. These adorable, big-eyed fish come in a variety of colors and "kimono-style" fabrics. (I have a feeling this may turn up Rachel's weekly "What I Want" series, another place to discover some of our treasures).

Manhattan Toy's chic is epitomized in the Wobbles Water Teether, a colorful, multi-patterned, ribboned and textured rattler-and-teether-in-one. All this fun, and perfectly sized for infant clutches!

For the budding naturalist (that pun wasn't even intentional), toy giants Melissa & Doug bring us a new brand of gardening tools: Sunny Patch. My favorites are the big, safe, and easily gripped Mombo Snake and Blossom Bright Magnifying Glasses, perfect for sleuthing and staring at bugs (which you can learn about in a variety of books, especially Dirty Rotten Bugs and DK's Big Book of Bugs). Just look at the snake's head handle, too cool!


If our Molly & Me jewelry selection isn't enough for your young accesorizer, try Two's Company's new Charm Candy Charm Bracelets. These faux-silver bracelets can be adorned with cute charms ranging from butterflies, cupcakes and "sweet 16" to cell phones, miniature purses, and a little black dress (!).

Gifts Under $5

This Small World Toys' Viking Helmet brings to mind fond memories of my college roommate one silly Halloween. What child or adult could not enjoy hours of imaginative play/roommate or co-worker amusement with this fun accessory?

For those of you who prefer more practical uses to your toys, try Toysmith's Animal Rubber Bands. These colorful farm or zoo themed rubber bands add pizzazz to any project.

Mad Gab's Lip Balm are tasty and stylish little gifts for pouters of any age. Flavors include Vanilla Shark Smooch, Spearmint Monkey Smooch, and Citrus Penguin Smooch, variety enough to tempt palates of all tastes.

No game room or college dorm is complete without the classic game of pick up sticks. Try Schylling's Pixie Pic Up Stixs, stored in a convenient blue, pixie-decorated tube.

Use your crafty noodle to design anything you can imagine with giant, soft, pliable pipe cleaner-esque Brain Noodles, sold individually or in a set. Just look at this life-like (as life-like as a muppet can be) replica of Oscar the Grouch crafted by yours truly...

Last, but certainly not least, the toy that everyone has been asking for: Japanese Erasers!
Collect all the colors of the cute hamster, make a picnic with the tiny cakes and burgers, or stage Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go with the little fire engines and motorcycles. Or, you know, just erase mistakes with an especially cute eraser.

The Frugal Shopper

We here at the George totally understand budgeting concerns in these troubling times, which is why we're going to try to highlight toys and gifts that are particularly fun and affordable in this new feature. Whether you're a grandma who likes to bring a little something to the little (and not so little) relatives when you visit, or you're buying for your child's schoolmate's birthday party, or any other occasion where you just don't want to go empty-handed but can't break the bank, we have some surprisingly awesome affordable and quality options.


Gifts Under $ 20


Klutz activity books are renowned for their fun factor and easily understood instructions.
For girls who like to make jewelry, try Friendship Bracelets, which comes with embroidery floss, beads, and instructions for over a dozen kinds of bracelets. If you have a comic fan, try Quick Draw Flip Books, which contains an assortment of mini flip books with scenes to fill in.


For the more advanced jewelry aficionado, Alex's Native American Bead Loom is a kit to create gorgeously detailed beaded rings and bracelets. The loom and beading needle come with easy instructions and over 2,000 seed beads.

Watches are a safe, fun bet for children you don't know very well. We carry a few brands with designs that run the gamut from sports, horses and spiders, to trucks, puppies, and flowers.


Upstairs in our newly relocated games case, you can find I Spy Eagle Eye, Junior, a pre-reading I Spy matching game, great for families with some siblings that can read and some just learning.


In the baby room, the musical, light-up, spinning Bump'n'Go Alien from International Playthings has inspired many an impromptu dance from toddlers and staff alike. We dare you not to dance.


Gifts Under $ 10

Klutz, that super fun activity kit company I mentioned above, also makes a line of easy and safe craft kits for the younger crowd, called Chicken Socks (the line is Chicken Socks, I mean, but you could call your honeybunny crawler that too, I suppose). The possibilities range from a Superhero Starter Kit (comes with cape!) and a pop-out, scary Build Your Own Monsters to doll lovers' Clothespin Cuties and a fold-out Mermaid Palace.

Older artistes will enjoy the classic craft of Shrinky Dinks from Alex, with cool themes like robots, pirates, and cars & trucks. This activity requires adult supervision during the oven baking, but younger siblings can participate, too, as the shapes do not require cutting.


Who doesn't love stickers?? How about stickers you can reuse again and again? Peaceable Kingdom's Sticker Activity Fun Totes contain two scenes and dozens of reusable stickers, in many themes, including dinosaurs, farm animals, pirates, and horses. They also have sticker scenes for characters too: Curious George (of course!), Thomas the Tank Engine, and Dr. Seuss.

For the budding musician in your life, we have an assortment of instruments. For the classicist, try Schylling's Mini Piano, or Toysmith's Song Flute. For those wanting more unusual sounds, JackRabbit makes adorable yellow and purple Pufferfish Shakers. Schylling's tin music boxes, either decorated in primary colors or with farm scenes, are also fun for beginning bandmates...how slo-o-ow can you play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata or the Farmer in the Dell?


Move over, Rubber Ducky, the coolest toy for getting clean are Alex's Draw In The Tub Crayons! These crayons come in your basic six colors and can write on (and easily come off!) bath tiles and toddler bodies. Also try the Star Crayon, one graspable star with six different colors to create bathtub masterpieces.


Gifts Under $ 5



On those sunny, windy days that are soon upon us, nothing beats a Balsa Wood Glider soaring in the park. These simple planes are easy to assemble and easy to fly, and come in different styles, including Sky Streak Airplane, Starfire Glider, and Biplane Glider.

Toysmith's Scratch Board Art are great to entertain kids at restaurants or traveling: these lightweight boards don't need too much room or make a big mess. Scratching at the black and white lines reveals colorful designs. (I remember my babysitter used to make these with crayons, it was awesome scratching off the black to see what she'd drawn underneath.)

One of our biggest hits is one of our smallest items: Hogwild's colorful, animal-themed joined chopsticks! These are great for any kid (or adult) who has trouble with sushi, or for any picky eater. You can choose from dinosaurs, zoo or farm animals shapes.

I've saved my very favorite for the end: a lobster desk set! This small lobster opens up to reveal a crab paper clip, which in turn opens to reveal a frog eraser. No school supply box or executive corner office should be without this handy crustacean.