toy fair

LAS VEGAS--Lego! iPhone! The two were made for each other.

iPhone cases are like snowflakes in Aspen at CES 2013, but Belkin's tucked-away iPhone 5 Lego cases found a way to catch my eye. Maybe because they're cute and colorful...and maybe because I have a 4-year-old who likes to make Lego dioramas when we're out at dinner.

I can't help but imagine setting up my face-down iPhone at a table and setting up a Star Wars action scene on it...or building an awkward tower. Or, using bricks to design your own 3D makeshift look. … Read more

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:

This year's Toy Fair in New York City was a little lacking in big-ticket excitement, but there were a few surprises for office geeks such as myself. Nanodots are high-powered mini magnetic balls, perfect for whiling away fidgety minutes at a desk. They come in packs of 216, cost around $30-$40 a set, and are tremendously addictive (just keep them away from small children--they're quite dangerous if swallowed). The problem with them generally tends to be finding a place to put them. They roll, they damage sensitive electronics, and they're easy to misplace.

The $20 Nanopad is a mat woven with iron, heavy and dense like one of those aprons you wear for dental X-rays. Nanodots stick to it like glue, and won't slide around and glom on to each other. On one side is a printed chessboard, perfect for building your own chess/checker/made-up board game set, if your inner geek dares. … Read more

This week: In celebration of Valentine's Day, we look at some of the timely press swag that has turned up in our office. Scott talks about his visit to Toy Fair, and we play some more tech trivia with the chat room.

Bonus: You can download the show's theme song as a free MP3 here for a limited time!

… Read more