#Toys I couldn't keep my hands off of! #TBTBHoliday #holidaygiftguide

There were a couple especially notable toys though from the Toy Fair...ones I really couldn't take my eyes off of. I think you'll love them! It's a slightly longer post but you won't be sorry for reading it! Make sure you read to the end to find out about AppGear as well. First up is the line of toys from The Bridge Direct. This company has a gigantic selection of toys that you know and love including shoulder buddies, Power Rangers, Looney Tunes and more. The item that caught my eye as soon as I walked into the room was the Glo-Glo Inkoos. Super adorable, super cute and cuddly right?

At the same time, it's not really girly at all and I love that. They come a 3 styles/colors and are pretty good value for their money ($24.99+). You draw whatever you’d like on them with the 3 included washable markers. Then when you get sick of the design, toss them in the wash and start with a blank template. You can also use other washable markers on the Inkoos but don’t use the Inkoo’s markers on anything else.

A special light pen allows you to visualize the glow in the dark pattern. The light pen also allows you to draw on the Inkoo in the dark. Essentially, it lights up the part of the fabric it draws on for a short duration before fading away. The main Glow in the Dark feature comes from the special fabric the Inkoo is made from. Flip off the lights to see it glow. A little fabric loop on the side of this adorable monster allows you to clip your markers and not lose them.

Overall, Glo Glo Inkoos are super cute! I love the reusable functionality it carries and that you can use any washable markers on it. That makes it worth it in itself.

My next love came in the form of the new line of AppGear toys from WowWee. Seriously, how do they make toys that appeal not only to kids but to adults too? As soon as I saw their table at the Toy Fair, I got sucked in to this little gun game. Ha…it’s called Elite CommandAR ($24.99) and is a part of their new interactive app games that work with smartphones.

Before we get into Elite Commandar though, let’s talk about Akomodon ($9.99), another AppGear game that’s compatible with smartphones and tablets. In essence, the app is free. You just have to buy the game pieces in stores to activate features. My particular game had 2 characters. By scanning the QR code on the back, I activated those two characters. I could then play in my adventure with either of those two characters. If I wanted to unlock more characters, I’d have to go to the store and buy a set that had 2 new characters in it. The game was cute, you wander around, collecting items and defeating enemies.

You could also switch the background to your surroundings (Amplified Reality) and train, feed, or groom your character. Once you unlocked the characters, you don’t really need them around anymore. It’s recommended for kids aged 9+ but I found it challenging to play. It would definitely keep me busy for hours!

I’ve kept you waiting long enough. Elite CommandAR, here we come! This game is totally phenomenal. You’ve got a plastic toy gun and you download the free app, just like the other one, onto your smartphone. You then assemble the phone holder onto the gun and it safely clips your phone in. Attach the cord that’s hidden beneath the gun barrel to the headphone jack and you’re ready to go.

It does require 2AA batteries that you put in the gun handle. These batteries are NOT included. That was a bit surprising but not a big deal.

Boot up the app to find yourself in target shooting area. As you turn your gun, your screen moves with you as if you were right there in the game. So cool! There’s target practice wherein you’re timed and you have to hit a certain number of targets to pass. LOL, I managed to take some pictures and screenshots while I was shooting…haha, pretty good, right? It even had futuristic gun sounds. There’s also a campaign mode and another Amplified Reality Mode where you battle aliens in your own home!

This game I can see people of all ages playing with. LOL, I had a blast with this 360 degree game. In fact, my brother even asked me to bring it home for Christmas so that he could check it out too. There’s a 2 player/multiplayer mode where you can connect with others with the same game.

Overall, AppGear has some pretty neat games. The smaller app games retail for under $10 and Elite CommandAR is $24.99. There’s a holiday special going on right now hwere if you buy 1 elite CommandAR online you get a free Mysterious Raygun ($9.99 value) for US & Canadian orders. Offer expires Dec 14, 2012 at 11:59PM EST. It’ll be automatically added to your order.

Make sure you check out #TBTBHoliday Part 1 where I go over many of the newest toys out this season and the hottest toys to get your kids this year.

Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above have been provided for the purposes of this review. No other form of compensation was received. Opinions expressed belong to Whirlwind of Surprises and are NOT influenced in any way. Please view my full disclosure, TOS, and privacy policy. Please take the time to enter my other giveaways while you're here.

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