Does a "toy" like this exist?

[cute fuzzy bunny]

So Gabes in love with any switch, button or toggle, especially if it lights up.

So I'm looking for a toy thats basically a bunch of light up switches, buttons, toggles, etc. Cant seem to find anything like that.

In fact, if it had a bunch of strips of velcro on it that could be peeled off and stuck back on, I think he'd be entertained for hours.

Anyone see anything that would be safety suitable for kids like this? I guess I could get a piece of quarter ply, plunge a few holes in it, mount some light up DC switches and buttons and get a few 9v batteries...but I'm feeling a little lazy today.

 

[retire@40]

Your kid must be real sophisticated.  My kid just liked to play with the cardboard boxes that the toys came in along with some old wood spoons and big wood blocks.

I say, if you make one of those toys yourself, you might as well keep making more and more and sell them on Ebay in your spare time.

That would keep the kids of the world happy and more occupied while saving other parents from having to make a similar toy themselves.

Plus, you would get rich all over again.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Oh the boxes are usually far more interesting than the toys, no doubt.

I'm having a hard time mustering the interest to make one, let alone go back to work

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Well, I remembered the the local junk yard has some sort of reproduction Gemini space capsule they appear to have made themselves, including some car seats inside it and a huge fake instrument panel. For a moment I thought I could haul it home on the trailer and set it up in the backyard, but my spoil sport spouse (s3) nixed it

 

[Nords]

Gabe might be a little young for this... or maybe not.

http://www.firebox.com/?dir=firebox&action=product&pid=159

 

[justin]

I'm having the same problem, Bunny. DW wants me to find/build a device like you described. I might be willing to pay $5-10 for said device (plus shipping) if you build an extra one. The little one's b-day is coming up soon in about 2 weeks, so I'll need that sucker fast!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

The dang switches are $3-5 each.

I'll have to get a couple and see how much juice they take to light up in series. Most of the DC ones are meant for auto applications and I dont want to put THAT big a battery into the thing. He has a little playhouse in the living room he likes to hang out in and one window of it faces a wall...while you cant do anything interesting with it as a window its a couple of feet by a couple of feet and I have enough depth to set a little "instrument panel".

I googled for an hour yesterday and we laid waste to We Be Toys yesterday for almost an hour...nothing even remotely like this is available for sale that I can find. Interestingly, I ran across a bunch of patent applications for something exactly like this, but despite ideas of invention, no product. What was interesting is I dont think I've commonly seen patent stuff come up in a google. Maybe the recent RIM thing gave google the idea to highlight more patent hits?

On that topic, are the RIM guys idiots or what? Screw up their business for a couple of years, make their whole customer base nervous and probably cost them a lot of business and then end up settling anyhow? :

 

[justin]

The dang switches are $3-5 each.

So no deal? I'll just stick with supplying the little one with cheap plastic crap from Walmart (Made in China). The flashing lights and noises are not bad for $5.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Oh he has plenty of those. He just has a finer fascination with real toggle/rocker switches that light up and turn off when he flips them.

On thinking about this overnight, perhaps the fascination is that the ones he plays with are actually attached to stuff that he's not supposed to touch, and the draw is that he's not allowed to play with them.

Switches, the dog water bowls, the cats and dogs tails, electrical cords, and the velcro on his shoes...if I could find a way to combine those into a single baby toy he'd lose interest in them all and the toy within 24 hours.

That cheap crap made in china at wal mart is pretty amazing isnt it? I was in there last week and saw an electronic keyboard. One of those ones that you can set a back beat from 15 different music styles, play different instrumental sounds with the keyboard, etc? It was obviously cheaply made and wouldnt last a year, but it didnt seem to lack any features against something costing a hundred bucks or more, albeit with lousy sound quality...$9.98...unbelievable.

 

[Martha]

. . the cats and dogs tails. . .

I have an old squirrel tail from my childhood that you can staple to Gabe's board.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I have an old squirrel tail from my childhood that you can staple to Gabe's board.

Now why would a grown woman still have a squirrel tail from her...oh....umm...sure, that'd be a nice thing to throw in. Do I need to launder it?

 

[justin]

That cheap crap made in china at wal mart is pretty amazing isnt it? I was in there last week and saw an electronic keyboard. One of those ones that you can set a back beat from 15 different music styles, play different instrumental sounds with the keyboard, etc? It was obviously cheaply made and wouldnt last a year, but it didnt seem to lack any features against something costing a hundred bucks or more, albeit with lousy sound quality...$9.98...unbelievable.

Yeah, we have one of those keyboards. Ours was $5 I think. It's a P.O.S. but the kid loves it (and I do too...). A couple of keys don't work, is sounds like crap and the "scratch", "drum", and "laser" noises are labeled incorrectly (mixed up). Not that any of that matters to an 11.5 month old. But it's $5, and when she uses it Bam-Bam style to attack something or someone, or she steps on it, I don't care. A $100 keyboard would have me constantly worrying about it and it would be much less fun overall.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I'll get him one of those today, i've been thinking about it. He does like music. Starts out his day playing a tune on one of his toys and then 'dances' to it (bends his knees, bobs his head and slaps his hips or thighs). Walks around blowing in his recorder a lot.

But yeah, everything is feasibly a dog whacking device.

 

[Martha]

Now why would a grown woman still have a squirrel tail from her...oh....umm...sure, that'd be a nice thing to throw in. Do I need to launder it?

You're disgusting.

I have all sorts of "country" toys. Rabbits feet. Pellet guns. Sling shots. No one to inherit them. Gabe can have them if he wants.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Disgusting? Moi?

I was just figuring that you were the nostalgic type, and you know, after being around for 10-12 years since you were a little girl, it might need a bit of a wash. Whats the disgust factor in that? (where the HELL is the "innocent look" emoticon?)

Swell. He'll not be having any of that stuff right now. I once said that someone that dislikes you will buy your kid a drum and a hammer. My dad bought him both

 

[REWahoo]

I have all sorts of "country" toys. Rabbits feet. Pellet guns. Sling shots. No one to inherit them. Gabe can have them if he wants.

Better watch out CFB. You give Gabe toys like that, he might end up shooting his eye out, or someone else's. Like this kid:

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Oh come now, he merely sprayed the man with some bird pellets. No eye was lost. Well, if there was, it would only have been some unscheduled occular manipulation or something like that.

 

[Martha]

Gabe daydreaming of toys to come:

With his little brother in the backround.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

With his little brother in the backround.

AIYEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

My wife wants another one. I'm very, very afraid

 

[KB]

Go ahead and do it now.....before you get out of diapers and child safety items. If you wait too long, she'll want another kids more and you wil want one less.

Besides....Gabe needs a little brother...doesn't he?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Ehhh...no. We already gave away all of his little clothes and infant stuff to other people. Thats it!

 

[REWahoo]

Thats it!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Yeah, I know. I'm powerless in the presence of...

 

[sailor]

The dang switches are $3-5 each.

CFB,
I just used a regular wall light switch from Home Depot (38 cents) mounted to a small plywood box (recycled from some Melissa and Doug toy) and also mounted an electric outlet for little Sailor, since he likes to plug the stuff in.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Do you make it light up when its flipped? Thats the big draw I think. Not sure how much power it would take to light up a lit AC wall switch. I kinda want to stay away from outlets so he doesnt get used to sticking stuff into those.

If I built it, i'd want them to light up, maybe do some stuff in series so different throws of the switches would cause stuff to light up, maybe a few beeps,boops and buzzes...