BY BRAD KAVA Three things you need to know this holiday season right way.
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First, if you put off toy shopping you will be in trouble. Those container ships you keep hearing about are backed up all the way to China and Santa canât get at âem. Sadly, Santa Cruzâs homegrown toy maker, Modarri, says they donât want publicity for their hot make-your-own-cars because they wonât be available for the holidays. So be the early bird and not the worm.
BLINDED BY SCIENCE
A KIDâS HOME IS LOCAL HARD THEIR CASTLE TO FIND HIT
The box says it all: a gross body lab, recommended for ages 8 and up. Slimy brains and bulging eyeballs? Maybe you can turn that kid into a surgeon yet. We found it at Wonderland Toys.
How about a room made of giant LEGOs? They donât really make them, but Jennifer Ford found these EverBlocks, which businesses use as temporary room dividers and made the most awesome kidsâcastle from them. They can shape into furniture too. You could probably build your own castle and rent it out in your Santa Cruz backyard for $3K a month. You get them at everblocksystems.com
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Second, Hanukkah starts Nov. 28 and lasts for eight days, with a gift on each. You can be sure a lot of shopping will be done by then.
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Third, you can find some of the wackiest gifts this year locally, things that would have been unheard of back in the days when TV characters werenât allowed to be shown sleeping in the same beds. Poop, farts and slime are hot items for the 7-year-old boy set and his dad.
PRANKSTERâS DELIGHT
THE POSTMAN MAY NOT RING TWICE
The Santa-Cruz designed Modarri car is a mix of Hot Wheels and Legos and has been a nationwide hit. We found one at Imagitorium, but no telling how long it will last. They are sold out all over and are on a slow boat from China that will likely not make it here by the holidays. We are planning a cover story on the local toy maker soon.
Voted #1 Toy Store in Good Times Best of Santa Cruz County 2021
This may have been our favorite purchase this year. OK, it was Dadâs. These were the toys advertised in the pages of comics when he was a kid. Fake poop, vomit, the hand buzzer, the cut off thumb, the squirt ring. Yeah, our 5-yearold enjoyed pranking house guests, but not as much as Dad enjoyed watching him. We got it at Wonderland Toys in Aptos, but they are out of the big box right now. They do, however, have some smaller vintage sets with equally disturbing pranks.
We love, love, love this locally-made mailbox done by our favorite Cruzinâ artist, Jimbo Phillips. You can find it at Artrageous in Capitola. 19B Rancho Del Mar Aptos | (next to Safeway off State Park Dr.)
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NOVEMBER 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz
