My children enjoy these toys very much! I was sent these for review.

By now you have most likely heard the buzz behind the latest toy craze this holiday season; Zhu Zhu Pets. With their ability to behave, react and adapt to their environment like real Hamsters, these little motorized “pets” are stirring up a mad shopping frenzy rivaling past holiday toy crazes like the Tickle Me Elmo and the Furby. Zhu Zhu Pets by themselves are fun enough for many of their young owners, but there are also a myriad of play sets and other accessories available to outfit/entertain your Zhu Zhu; with the various playsets in particular being customizable and combine-able into one large hamster city: providing hours of fun for your kids. Some of the big Zhu Zhu Pets play sets and accessories this holiday season include:

Hamster Funhouse – The Hamster Funhouse is the main hamster accessory for all new Zhu Zhu Pets owners. This habitat for the hamsters has two main areas consisting of a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and a tunnel to connect the two areas together. The playset also features special “bumps” in areas that stimulate the Zhu Zhu Pets to make unique noises such as sleeping noises in the bedroom, or toliet flushing in the bathroom, along with funny movements. Of course the Hamster Funhouse also has openings that allow it to connect with the other Zhu Zhu pets playsets available, making it a great starting point for building your own Hamster City!

Adventure Ball – Another Zhu Zhu Pets accessory inspired by real-life, this clear blue ball works by first placing a stabilizer below the Zhu Zhu Pet hamster, keeping it from tipping over while inside the ball. The hamster is then placed inside the ball where it is free to explore the world around it, especially over rough surfaces such as carpet where Zhu Zhu Pets on their own may have a hard time treading. As a bonus, the Adventure Ball set also includes a “Rattlin’ Clatterin’ Mini Ball” that can be pushed around by the hamster almost anywhere, including within the playsets themselves.

Spiral Slide and Ramp – This playset has your Zhu Zhu Pets hamster scooting up the ramp, then going down and around on a large corkscrew slide. A simple, but fun addition to a Hamster Funhouse and other playsets.

Surfboard and Sleep Dome – The Surfboard and Sleep Dome set makes hamster surfing a reality. The Zhu Zhu Pets hamster can “surf” around a floor with the surfboard, but it can only surf on land, so don’t try it in water! When the hamster is done for the day, it can rest in the included sleep dome.

Hamster Bed and Blanket with Pet Carrier and Blanket – These two accessories provide your Zhu Zhu Pets hamster with a cozy pouch like plush place to snuggle up and “sleep” with the Hamster Bed and Blanket, or a soft and secure way to take your hamster with you with the Pet Carrier and Blanket. Both accessories come in a range of colors, to personalize your Zhu Zhu Pets even further.

Hamstermobile and Garage – Probably the most interesting Zhu Zhu Pets playset is the Hamstermobile and Garage set. The ingenuity of Zhu Zhu Pets’ artificial intelligence is shown when the hamsters enter the garage, hop in the Hamstermobile, open the garage doors, and drive off all by themselves. Many good times can be had watching the hamsters steer, accelerate, brake, and reverse the Hamstermobile all on their own. As long as they don’t find their way out of your house and motoring on real-life roads, that is.

Hamster Wheel and Tunnel – Much like real-life hamster wheels, the Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster Wheel and Tunnel playset is exactly as it says on the box; “Zhu Zhu Pets hamsters scamper up the ramp to jump on the exercise wheel and start running”. Only unlike a real hamster wheel, it can be connected with other Zhu Zhu Pets playsets.

Skateboard and U-Turn – Similar to the Surfboard and Sleep Dome playset, the Skateboard and U-Turn set has our curious little motorized critters tackling the sport of skateboarding. The Zhu Zhu Pets hop on the skateboard and ride up the included U-Turn ramp, to come down and around back on the ground or to another connected playset. May not be quite as spectacular as surfing, but how many hamsters do you know of that can do one, let alone two sports?

Hamster House Starter Set with Exclusive Patches Hamster – A very special playset, the Hamster House Starter Set, like the other playsets in the Zhu Zhu line, creates a fun little play space for you zhu zhu hamsters to roam around in. Of course, the Hamster House also connects with other Zhu Zhu play sets to create one big hamster city. What makes this play set extra special however is the inclusion of Patches the Hamster. Exclusive to this playset set, Patches is a special yellow hamster with a white patch on his back, not available anywhere other than with the Hamster House Starter Set. What better way to start your Zhu Zhu pets collection than with a special limited edition Zhu Zhu Pet by the name of Patches?

Certain accessories and playsets are also available bundled with one of the five current Zhu Zhu Pets, making it easier to get into owning a Zhu Zhu Pet without having to buy one separately. In addition there are even more Zhu Zhu Pets and accessories coming in 2010, so get your hamster surfboard ready, because the Zhu Zhu Pets wave is just starting to hit!

For the Star Wars and/or Lego fanatic in all of us, Lego brought a new era of enjoyment when they agreed to a license with Lucasfilms, enabling them to produce a unique Star Wars line of Lego toys. The Lego Star Wars series has been available since 1999 and has been continually expanded upon. It was introduced with characters and vehicles from the original Star Wars trilogy (Episodes IV-VI). Since then there have been new sets and releases that encompass the prequel trilogy (Episodes I-III) and even the latest Clone Wars animated film and TV series.

All of the mainstays of the Star Wars franchise are available in Lego form. The characters, for the most part, maintain the typical Lego figure. That means that they have a square body with a block shaped head, with just slight variations such as colors and accessories like capes or hats/helmets. However, due to the wide discrepancy between the shapes and sizes of many of the Star Wars characters, unique and original molds were created for the Lego Star Wars line. Darth Vader for example, has his own easily recognizable head and head shape, as do the Stormtroopers, Yoda and many other aliens and characters. Yes, the lightsabers are available with some figures as well!

Outside of the characters, Lego Star Wars also produces all of the recognizable and famous ships and vehicles from the franchise. This includes the ultra-popular Millennium Falcon, which has been tweaked and improved upon since its original release. Also available of course is the X-Wing fighter. Other available vehicles and ships include the Imperial AT-ST, TIE fighters, a Rebel Blcckade Runner (the starship you see being chased by the Imperial Star Destroyer in the opening scene of the original movie) and several speeder crafts. There are also location sets including the Death Star, the Hoth Rebel base and more.

In addition to these characters and vehicles, Lego has released a vast array of Star Wars products, including several additions to their Technic line, which is based on complex parts and movement and are less reminiscent the classic block look, feel and construction of Lego figures. Also released was a mini figure magnet series with a dozen Star Wars characters. Additionally, Lego released several Star Wars products for their Ultimate Collector Series, which are large and highly complex designs. The Millennium Falcon for this series, with over 5,000 pieces, was the largest and most complex Lego product ever released for the public.

The single most popular Lego Star Wars product however would have to be the videogame series. These videogames sold tremendously well and reached critical acclaim across both the Star Wars and videogame community. The first game was based on the prequel trilogy, and the second game was based on the original trilogy. Afterwards, both were released together in one complete addition.

Lego Star Wars toys, figures and products are fun for just about everybody. Whether you are an adult reliving his childhood, or a child discovering the series for the first time, Lego Star Wars combines the best of two great franchises into an amazing line of products that should give you hours upon hours of entertainment.

This was my entry for the Nintendo Shortcuts Showcase contest. I litterally finished it days before the deadline and mailed it to them by express mail. I came up with the idea out of no-where. I just woke up early one morning, pulled out all my Lego’s and started building. After I was done, I decided to make this film. Tell me what you think! If you all like it…I think I’ll do something even more amazing. Oh—btw—I didn’t use my screename (Kooberz) cause I don’t want Nintendo to own that.