Get smart! Toys for your kids

Get Smart
Of course, spy stuff is always cool. And in honor of Don Adams (1923-2005), a.k.a. Maxwell Smart on “Get Smart,” it’s hard not to mention spy toys this year. Toy company Wild Planet does not yet make a shoe phone like the one Smart used on the 1960s television show but the toy company released five new products this year, all designed for spies 6 years old and up.

High-tech security system Lazer Tripwire, $29.95, is comprised of red laser beams “just like banks and museums use!” according to the description on the box. The Spy Night Patrol-Listener, yellow-tinted, night-vision goggles priced at $19.95, has a special listening device attached. The Spy Nightwriter, which costs $16.95, not only produces a super-bright blue light but also spell outs messages in the air. The Spy Pen-X2, $14.95, doubles as a voice recorder. And the kid-designed, wrist-mounted Spy Light Hand, $6.95, puts “illuminating power right at your fingertips.”

Briarpatch Da Vinci’s Challenge has nothing to do with Dan Brown’s novel “The Da Vinci Code,” but creates its own brand of suspense.

Bored with the same old board games? Consider Da Vinci's Challenge, a new board game from Briarpatch. Da Vinci’s Challenge, recommended for ages 8 and up, has nothing to do with Dan Brown’s novel “The Da Vinci Code,” says a company representative. The game, which retails for $24.99, consists of a simple board that features The Flower of Life, an ancient symbol of overlapping circles, plus 144 oval or circle-shaped pieces that resemble marble stones. The object of the game is build different patterns with the plastic pieces, ranging from a simple triangle (1 point) to the more complex pyramid or hourglass (10 points.)

The Da Vinci connection? Apparently Da Vinci studied the Flower of Life to help him understand proportions and geometry for use in practical applications, says the company representative.

Cogno Cogno Deep Worlds takes players, ages 7 and up, on a race across an ocean on another planet.

Other challenging new board games this season include Platypus Games’ Evolution and Cogno Deep Worlds from DoubleStar, LLC. Evolution has little to do with Darwin’s theory but challenges teams of players or “tribes” to take on increasingly difficult tasks on the game’s evolutionary ladder. Recommended for teens to adults, the game retails for $34.95. Priced at $29.95, Cogno Deep Worlds takes players, ages 7 and up, on a race across an ocean on another planet.

Some places to shop for the above toys, and other cool toys, include Brain Builders, Dave’s Cool Toys, Discover This, Exploratorium Store, Growing Tree Toys, Kazoo Toys and The Silly Goose Toy Store.

Remember to read the directions carefully and look for sales.

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