toys

Nerf, "Star Wars," and Marvel gear was everywhere at Hasbro's showcase at the Toy Fair in New York City.

Hasbro's Toy Fair showcase was housed several blocks away from the rest of Toy Fair 2012, in a two-level set of showrooms that was easily one of the most elaborate setups of the weekend.… Read more

We don't cover a whole lot of toys for kids here at CNET, but every year we make the journey to Toy Fair, which is once again in town at the Javitz Center here in New York. And like every other online gadget publication, we wanted to give you a little taste of what's there.

Granted, with somewhere around 1,500 manufacturers, distributors, importers, and sales agents from 30 countries making the rounds at the convention center, we're only highlighting a small fraction of all the products on display. But hopefully there's a little something for everyone in the lengthy photomontage below (click on any image to start the slideshow).

Enjoy--and as always, feel free comment. The last slide returns you to the main story. … Read more

If you're burning to spend this Valentine's Day, Pizza Hut has a $10,000 engagement party package that includes a personal fireworks display, a one-topping pizza, and bread sticks with icing to prep your stomach for a lifetime of loneliness. … Read more

Barbie is a digital camera, Angry Birds flock to Facebook, and iPad 3 rumors hint at 4G connection speeds.

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

The year 2015 will be here before we know it, and we're still a long way from flying cars, skyways, and auto-drying jackets as imagined by "Back to the Future II." It's depressing, but there is one futuristic piece of tech from the movie that will be available soon: hoverboards.

Mattel announced at Toy Fair 2012 in New York that it will finally release a 1:1 replica of the hoverboard from "Back to the Future II" and "Back to the Future III," and it's set to arrive just in time for the holidays.

The "movie accurate" replica includes such details as a hole at the front of the deck where Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, ripped out the handlebar and pole and features the same neon-rrific coloring. According to Mattel's press release, it also makes multiple whooshing noises and "glides" over most surfaces. The company didn't provide much detail on how it glides, but one thing's for sure: It does not work on water. Dangit! … Read more

At first glance, the title of the video "Sneak Peak Greatest Toy in the Universe!" sounds like a showboating claim conceived by a lunatic.

As the video progresses, you meet a remote-controlled toy spider wielding powerful weapons, and suddenly realize maybe creator Jaimie Mantzel is onto something. After all, it takes part genius and part luck for an independent person to get nearly half a million hits in one day for a YouTube video about a toy robot. We also recommend you check out the official promo video for the spiderbot, which is set for release later this year.

Mantzel's 7-minute, 29-second video showing off his creation highlights the arachnid's weapons, which include Ping-Pong balls, darts, and flying discs. It even has removable armor. The spider seems to move around well, and if it doesn't cost a fortune, this could just be the hottest toy of 2012. The operating noise does seem loud, though. … Read more

I like to think I'm pretty young at heart, but even I forget sometimes how fun it was to be a kid, when being entertained took something as simple as a cardboard box and a lot of imagination. Thankfully, littleBits reminded me.

littleBits is a set of circuit boards that can be snapped together to form whatever you want. Created by engineer and interactive artist Ayah Bdeir, littleBits was designed in part to help kids (and adults) understand how electronics work and get them interested in building their own devices, instead of just consuming them.

Each littleBits module has a specific function, such as power, motor, light, or switch, and they attach to one another via magnets, so there's no need to solder or program anything. To create a working circuit board, all you need is a power source and some kind of output, and each part is color-coded (blue, green, pink, or orange) depending on its function (power, output, input, or wire). … Read more

Get in the groove and let the good times roll. T3 Motion will launch its latest electric standup vehicle at the Big Boys Toys 2012 show this week at Atlantis the Palm in Dubai.

T3 Motion's popular electric law-enforcement patrol vehicle has about 3,000 T3 Series units in more than 30 countries around the world.

The latest version offers an easy-to-use, quick-response vehicle that helps urban cops catch the bad guys.

"We have made great headway with law enforcement in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) and the Middle East, opening the door for a successful launch into … Read more

Cast your eyes on the freshly unveiled set of Lego "Lord of the Rings" miniature figures.

All of the major characters from the first movie (and a handful of villains) are included in the collection, which debuts this summer. Lego unveiled 14 characters in total yesterday, and the brick maker has done an outstanding job re-creating the characters' iconic appearances. … Read more