Pittsburgh’s happy to show off its riches

From The Miami Herald: Pittsburgh’s happy to show off its riches
By Eleanor Berman
Travel Arts Syndicate

PITTSBURGH -- Call it the Cinderella City. Like the fairy tale heroine, Pittsburgh has scrubbed away its ashes, the industrial grime and smog of its past steel-making days, to emerge as an American beauty — and a great town for visitors.

Now you can see clearly the awesome vistas in a town ringed by steep, green hills and laced by three rivers and more than 800 bridges. Many days are needed to fully appreciate the legacy of the fortunes made by the likes of the Carnegie, Mellon, Frick and Phipps families when this was the nation’s steel-making center. The riches include world-class museums for art and science and a glorious, art-filled conservatory. The Heinz family, whose food business is still going strong, is a supporter in many areas from art, a history center and concert hall to one of the city’s two fabulous sports stadiums offering river and skyline views. Andy Warhol, a Pittsburgh native, is honored with his own museum.

Pittsburgh remains a major business center, with some 15 skyscrapers rising as high as 60 stories. Three department stores, lots of dining choices, a growing cultural district of theaters and galleries and plenty of green oases are good reasons for a downtown stroll. A multi-ethnic population that came in the past for steel mill jobs created colorful neighborhoods that are full of good eating.

Add a day trip to Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, Fallingwater, just 50 miles away, and there’s every good reason to plan a trip.

To appreciate Pittsburgh, start by boarding the restored 1877 Duquesne Cable Car for its 400-foot ascent to a hilltop where you can get a full perspective on the city. The triangular center is bordered by the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers, which merge at the tip to form the Ohio River. The confluence is marked with a handsome park; scenic walking trails border most of the riverfronts.

Next stop is Andrew Carnegie’s grand domain, the free public library, museum and concert hall opened in 1895. The next year, the ongoing Carnegie International was inaugurated, the first showing of contemporary art in the United States. The art museum has grown to include treasures like one of Monet’s Water Lilies plus works by Rembrandt, Hals, Cezanne, Sisley, Cassatt, Klimt, Homer and Hopper, and a fine decorative arts collection.

Carnegie sponsored early expeditions searching for dinosaurs that in 1904 came up with the nearly complete skeleton of an 84-foot saropaud, which was named “Diplodocus carnegii” in his honor. Fondly known as “Dippy,” the huge skeleton warranted an expanded dinosaur hall in 1907. That hall, completely redone in 2007, now is one of the country’s best, featuring 19 skeletons, many of them enormous and in dramatic poses like the fierce fighting tableau featuring a giant T-Rex. The science museum has other excellent displays featuring gems and minerals, American Indians and objects from Egypt.

The expanded 1907 museum also allowed space for a remarkable Hall of Architecture, with cast models of some of the world’s great buildings and sculptures. The Apollo Belvedere, the Venus de Milo and the Nike of Samothrace are just a few of the replicas, fulfilling Carnegie’s goal of allowing those who could not travel to appreciate great works.

The original Carnegie Museums are in the Oakland neighborhood that is also home to the Phipps Conservatory, with 19 indoor and outdoor gardens highlighted by glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly, as well as the impressive campuses of Carnegie-Mellon and Pittsburgh Universities. Two popular newer institutions are in other parts of the city. The Carnegie Science Center and Buhl Planetarium, a modernistic marvel on the Allegheny River with up-to-the-minute interactive displays, opened in 1991

Bermuda Author Celebrates Lyme Regis Ties

From Bernews: Bermuda Author Celebrates Lyme Regis Ties
The 400-year-old links between the Bermuda and the British coastal town of Lyme Regis – birthplace of the “Sea Venture’s” Admiral Sir George Somers– are celebrated in a new children’s book by Bermudian artist/writer Betsy Mulderig.

The Bermudian children’s author honour Bermuda’s connections with Lyme Regis in her latest release “Toppy Tours the Dinosaurs”, set in the West Dorset town.

Bermuda was settled by former Lyme Regis mayor Sir George when he was shipwrecked on the islands on his way to help the starving in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1609. When he later died, his heart was buried in Bermuda and his body returned to Lyme Regis and buried nearby in Whitchurch Cononicorum.

The historic link led to an official twinning between Lyme Regis and St. George’s in Bermuda, which is celebrated with annual trips.

Ms Mulderigg — author of the long-running Bermudian children’s book series about the adventures of Tiny The Tree Frog — introduces a new character in her latest book. In In the new volume, tourist dinosaur Toppy visits Lyme Regis’ Jurassic Coast, where he discovers how he gained all of his personality traits from his ancestors.

The spectacular Jurassic Coast in Dorset and East Devon wa England’s first natural World Heritage Site. This unique stretch of coastline has joined the ranks of the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon as one of the wonders of the natural world.

The site was granted its status for its outstanding geology, which represents 185 million years of earth history in just 95 miles, covering from Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks at Studland Bay on the Dorset coast. It displays not just superb Jurassic, but older Triassic and younger Cretaceous rocks too.

“Toppy Tours the Dinosaurs” is now on sale in Lyme Regis.

It is the first book in a series that will see Toppy touring dinosaur touring children around Palma, Paris, Venice and London in the near future. Toppy will show a child various sights in different cities and teach them, as well, to speak a few words of thoset cities’ languages.

11 Nov 2011: Rockland, Maine: Celebrate all things prehistoric at Dinosaur Day

From Village Soup: Celebrate all things prehistoric at Dinosaur Day
Rockland — What diverse group of animals populated the earth for more than160 million years? Stumped? Ask a 7 year old and he or she will be sure to say, “dinosaurs!” On Saturday, Nov. 11 the Rockland Public Library invites individuals to come and celebrate all things prehistoric on “Dinosaur Day.”

Scheduled programs are an exciting “Roar! Storytime” at 10:30 a.m. and a showing of the PG rated Disney movie, Dinosaur, at 2:00 p.m. " Dinosaur" tells the story of Aladar, an abandoned iguanodon adopted by lemurs. When a meteor shower plunges their world into chaos, Aladar and his family follow a herd of dinosaurs heading for the safety of the "nesting grounds." Viewers will be able to feast upon treats during the film.

All-day activities include a scavenger hunt for dinosaur facts. There will be a prize drawing for all who have finished the hunt at the end of the day. Participants will also be able to dig for fossils (and other surprises) at the indoor dig site. Others include activity stations throughout the children’s room and a dinosaur art wall where all are invited to get creative and add their art. Activities will wind down at 4 p.m.

This month the library is also featuring a display of bones, which includes a casting of a saber-toothed cat. Although there are no dinosaur fossils in the display, it is sure to appeal to dino fans. The Rockland Public Library located at 80 Union St. and is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please call 594-0310 for more information.

Setting hearts aflutter: The bird-like dinosaur that acted like a Vegas showgirl to attract mates

From Daily Mail Online: Setting hearts aflutter: The bird-like dinosaur that acted like a Vegas showgirl to attract mates
With just a flirty swish of a feathered fan, Vegas showgirls can quicken any man’s pulse.
But it seems it's a centuries-old trick.

Scientists believe a species of dinosaur may have acted like a showy Vegas diva to attract mates.

Oviraptor dinosaurs had a fan of feathers, similar to the fan of a flamenco dancer, attached to a flexible tail, according to a new study.

They may have flashed these feathers to attract attention in a similar way to the modern-day peacock – or a Vegas showgirl.

Scott Persons, a doctoral student at the University of Alberta, presented the research at the Society for Vertebrate Paleontology's annual meeting.

He found that Oviraptors, which lived about 75 million years ago, had tails with a peculiarly dense arrangement of bones.

‘The tail of an Oviraptor by comparison to the tail of most other dinosaurs is pretty darn short,’ he told LiveScience.

‘But it's not short in that it's missing a whole bunch of vertebrae, it's short in that the individual vertebra within the tail themselves are sort of squashed together. So they're densely packed.’

This dense arrangement of bones would have made the tails flexible, Parsons said.

The bird-like dinosaurs also had tails that were much more muscly than those belonging to modern-day reptiles.

Fossil impressions show they also boasted a fan of feathers at the end of their tails, attached to fused vertebrae similar to that found in the tails of today’s birds.

‘If you combine that with having a muscular, very flexible tail, what you have is a tail that could, potentially at least, have been used to flaunt, to wave that tail-feather fan,’ Persons said.

And just like modern-day birds, the dinosaurs may well have waved their tail fans to impress potential mates.

Persons added: ‘If you think about things like peacocks, they often use their tails in courtship displays.'

Oviraptors lived in the late Cretaceous Period.

Their name is Latin for ‘egg thief’ as the first specimen was found near a pile of eggs as if it had stolen them.
Subsequent discoveries revealed they were likely dinosaur’s own, though scientists are still unsure of whether its diet would have included eggs.

Museum's paleontologists discover new dinosaur species above the Arctic in far north Alaska

From Art Daily: Museum's paleontologists discover new dinosaur species above the Arctic in far north Alaska

DALLAS, TX.- Paleontologists from the Museum of Nature & Science will announce their discovery of a new species of the ceratopsid dinosaur Pachyrhinosaurus at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 71st Annual Meeting to be held Nov. 2 – 5, 2011 in Las Vegas. The new species will be formally named the Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum, in recognition of the Perot family (Margot and H. Ross Perot and their children), who have demonstrated a long history of supporting science and science education for the public and for their support of the Museum of Nature & Science, located in Dallas, Texas.

In conjunction with the announcement, a draft of the paper that describes the find was posted recently at the website of Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, an international quarterly journal that features papers of general interest from all areas of paleontology. Jointly submitted by Anthony R. Fiorillo, Ph.D., the Museum’s chief curator and director of research, and Ronald S. Tykoski, Ph.D., chief fossil preparator at the Museum, the paper is entitled “A new species of the centrosaurine ceratopsid Pachyrhinosaurus from the North Slope (Prince Creek Formation: Maastrichtian) of Alaska.” The new dinosaur was discovered on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and the research was funded by the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs. The final paper will be published by the end of this year.

An excerpt from the report: The Cretaceous rocks of the Prince Creek Formation contain the richest record of polar dinosaurs found anywhere in the world. Here we describe a new species of horned dinosaur, Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum that exhibits an apomorphic character in the frill, as well as a unique combination of other characters. Phylogenetic analysis of 16 taxa of ceratopsians failed to resolve relationships between P. perotorum and other Pachyrhinosaurus species (P.canadensis and P. lakustai). P. perotorum shares characters with each of the previously known species that are not present in the other, including very large nasal and supraorbital bosses that are nearly in contact and separated only by a narrow groove as in P. canadensis, and a rostral comb formed by the nasals and premaxillae as in P. lakustai. P. perotorum is the youngest centrosaurine known (70-69 Ma), and the locality that produced the taxon, the Kikak-Tegoseak Quarry, is close to the highest latitude for recovery of ceratopsid remains.

“Discovering hundreds of bones from all these pachyrhinosaurs in one spot was unbelievably exciting, and we really thought the expedition was an incredible success. To later realize that we had unearthed a whole new species was one of the best days of my career,” said Dr. Fiorillo.

Dr. Fiorillo discovered the Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum during a return excavation in 2006 in far north Alaska, many miles north of the Arctic Circle. Incidentally, because of Dr. Fiorillo’s stature as an internationally renowned authority on polar dinosaurs, a film crew from PBS’ NOVA series was documenting his team’s work at the site.

The film crew fortuitously captured the unearthing of the skull and hundreds of surrounding fossils that came from at least ten Pachyrhinosaurus individuals. Those exciting moments were featured in an hour-long NOVA program entitled Arctic Dinosaurs, which debuted in 2008 on PBS (view the segment at http://video.pbs.org/video/1022686073/).

The NOVA segment followed the perils of working in Alaska – from operating a base camp in frigid temperatures, to the daily crossing of the precariously frigid river and the climbing of a steep bluff to get the site, to other researchers’ use of dynamite to access the hidden layers of the Earth. According to PBS, the segment also explored “how dinosaurs – long believed to be cold-blooded animals -- endured the bleak polar environment and navigate in near-total darkness during the long winter months.”

Once the dig was completed, Fiorillo and his team meticulously packaged the precious cargo in plaster-burlap jackets (although getting plaster to harden in sub-zero temperatures proved challenging), then painstakingly airlifted them by helicopter – encased only in heavy-duty netting attached to a clevis. They were then taken to a nearby airstrip, where they were flown to Fairbanks. Placed in wooden crates and marked “Dallas or bust,” the carefully padded treasures traveled to Dallas by truck.

Upon their arrival in the paleontology lab at the Museum of Nature & Science, the jackets were handed over to Dr. Tykoski, who spent the next several years meticulously whittling away the 70 million-year-old sediment that entombed the dinosaur bones.

“It’s as if someone took 15 Pachyrhinosaurs, dumped them into a blender for 30 seconds, poured all the mess out into a ball of concrete, then let it solidify for 70 million years,” said Dr. Tykoski describing his experience.

In early 2011, Dr. Tykoski and Dr. Fiorillo were stunned and excited when newly cleaned and reassembled pieces clearly showed they had found a new species of the Pachyrhinosaurus.

Dr. Fiorillo gives credit to field crewmembers that collected data for this project, including David Norton, Paul McCarthy, Peter Flaig, Kent Newman, Thomas Adams, Christopher Strganac, and Jason Petula.

A reconstruction of the Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum will be installed in the Life: Then and Now Hall, a 14,000-square-foot hall that will be part of the new Perot Museum of Nature & Science, which is currently under construction and slated to open in Dallas’ Victory Park in early 2013. The Life: Then and Now hall will showcase the Museum’s paleontological research, mounted animals, and highly regarded ornithological book collection, The Mudge Collection.

Illustrating their strong support of science, in May 2008 the Perot children made a $50 million gift to the museum campaign in honor of their parents, Margot and Ross Perot. The Victory Park facility has been named in their honor. The Perot children are Katherine Reeves, Carolyn Rathjen, Suzanne McGee, Nancy Perot Mulford and Ross Perot, Jr.

“Science has been a cornerstone in the lives and careers of the Perot family. They have also been longtime supporters of science education, especially in the area of making science exciting and relevant to young people. We’re truly thrilled to name this discovery in their honor,” said Dr. Fiorillo. “And we can’t wait for the world and everyone who loves dinosaurs to this see this life-sized reconstruction of the Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum when it debuts at the new Perot Museum.”

To read a draft of Dr. Fiorillo and Dr. Tykoski’s entire paper, go to http://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app56/app20110033_acc.pdf.

Nov 5, Delaware: Dinosaur Museum set to open at Granite Run Mall

From Delaware County News Network: Dinosaur Museum set to open at Granite Run Mall
Granite Run Mall is set to become the first shopping Mall in the region to house a museum.

Dino Don’s Dinosaurium, the brainchild of explorer, author and television personality, Don Lessem, opens to the public Saturday, Nov. 5. Meet the creative team behind this unique new museum via a series of exclusive videos on DelcoNewsNetwork.com.

Advisor to the Jurassic Park film, excavator of the world's largest dinosaurs, and owner of America's largest private collection of dinosaurs, “Dino Don,” has teamed with Media's Granite Run Mall to create the Dinosaurium, transforming a Mall store space into a hybrid museum / under-the-Big-Top-show and providing kids, families and students of all ages the opportunity to see dinosaurs up close and experience dinosaurs as never before. Visitors to the carnival-styled mall museum will not only see dinosaurs, but hear them and smell them.

The exhibit will include a dozen rare dinosaurs up to 30 feet long, including the infamous Velociraptor from the original Jurassic Park film. The Granite Run Mall will be the only place to see this terrifying 15-foot-long villain of Steven Spielberg's classic film outside of Universal Studios.

Dinosaur fans will be able to learn about the evolution of dinosaurs across the Mesozoic World. “I want everyone – kids and adults – to share in the wonder of the greatest creatures ever to grace the Earth.” says Dino Don. “Not only are these dinosaurs far more awesome than any movie, but from an educational perspective, dinosaurs are a child's window into the world of science. And by making it hands-on with surprises around every corner, the Dino-saurium opens that window wider than ever.”

“We’re committed to making Granite Run Mall a safe, clean and family-focused destination, and projects such as this are a perfect way to fulfill our commitment,” said Aubrey Proud, Director of Marketing for the Granite Run Mall.

Via his company ExhibitsRex, Inc. based in Media, Dino Don has created the most popular touring dinosaur exhibitions in science museums across North America. A long-time resident of Delaware County, Lessem is delighted that Granite Run Mall is behind this collaborative venture. “I love sharing the wonder of dinosaurs with my friends and neighbors. And as an overgrown eight-year-old myself, I can’t think of anything cooler than seeing giant dinosaurs in my local mall.”

Located on the lower level of the Mall adjacent to Center Court, Dino Don’s Dinosaurium will open to the public on Saturday, Nov. 5. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $4 for children, $8 for adults. $1 from each admission ticket will be donated to Delaware County schools.

For more information, visit www.dinodonsdinosaurium.com.

"Dino Don” Lessem is the author of more than 50 books on dinosaurs and natural history. He's dug up the world's largest dinosaurs. He's hosted and written NOVA and Discovery Channel documentaries, founded the world’s largest paleontological charities, and served as advisor to the Jurassic Park film, and to Universal Studios and Disney films and attractions.

He has answered more than 11,000 letters to his "Ask Dino Don" column in Highlights Magazine, the nation’s largest-circulation children’s magazine, and has been a profile subject as well as a frequent guest on such national broadcasts as The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Morning News, and NPR’s All Things Considered and Science Friday.

Via his company, Dinodon, Inc., Lessem is also the creator of the world’s most popular touring dinosaur exhibitions, including Jurassic Park and The Lost World seen by more than 4 million people worldwide. Those exhibitions raised more than 2 million dollars for dinosaur research via the nonprofit Dinosaur Society, founded by Lessem. In recognition of his support, "Dino" Don is one of the few people still alive with a dinosaur named after him -- the Argentine planteater dinosaur Lessemsaurus. As a vegetarian he's pleased, though not with the fact that it was a particularly big-bellied and dim-witted animal.

"Dino" Don's work extends beyond dinosaurs. Lessem’s current international touring exhibition projects include Genghis Khan in cooperation with the government of Mongolia and the forthcoming The Great Wall Exhibition with the government of China.

Lessem is a degreed animal behaviorist and former Knight Journalism Fellow at M.I.T. University while a science correspondent for The Boston Globe. He was a Jeopardy contestant and winner on other network quiz shows.

He and his partner Val Jones live in an 18th century Philadelphia area mansion surrounded by the original dinosaurs from The Jurassic Park film. He has two adult daughters and is a frequent visitor to China, and Mongolia.

What you'll find inside:

Filled with hands-on, participatory activities, the 6500 square foot exhibit will allow visitors to:

• Feel the floor-shaking asteroid impact that may have wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

• Behold a Dinosaur “boxing match,” as an ancient 20-foot-long relative of Stegosaurus faces off with its archenemy, the equally big and far more nasty, Monolophosaurus.

• Unscramble the Wacky Dinosaur – A confused 20 foot-plant-eater posed as no museum ever would.

• Dig for a Dinosaur – Excavate fossils as paleontologists do on a Dinosaur Dig in an actual DIG PIT.

• Come face to face with killer dinosaur skulls and compare the deadly heads of Allosaurus, and the last, smartest and deadliest of the carnivores, the tyrannosaurs - Albertosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex.

New Zealand: Christmas just around the corner as Top Toys revealed

From Scoop.co.nz: Christmas just around the corner as Top Toys revealed
The official start of the holiday season is almost upon us and to help parents to navigate the world of play … Toyworld has released its Top 10 hottest toys list for this Christmas.
Toyworld is New Zealand’s largest toy retailer and compiles the annual list of favourite toys from sales trends from its 39 stores around the country.
This year’s Toyworld Top 10 Hot Toys for Christmas list includes the latest and greatest in international toy trends and some old favourites too.
Toy Buyer for Toyworld Repeka Haurua who travels around the world sourcing and buying toys for New Zealand kids says, “This year we are seeing innovation, creation, construction and interaction in the new toys like we’ve never seen before.”
“Dinosaur Train uses SmartTalk technology to give its toy dinosaur range the ability for the different toy characters to recognize and interact with each other,” she says.
“The dinosaurs can all have roaring contests with the children playing with them; it’s really amazing what these toys can do!”
Old favourites that have returned to the Toyworld Top 10 Hot Toys for Christmas 2011 list include the ever popular collectible range Sylvanian Families and Lego.
“These popular favourite ranges are offer good present options as they have so many different price points meaning there’s a toy for every budget,” says Haurua.
“Traditional play patterns such as toys that allow for creative, interactive and outdoor play remain consistently popular such as the 3 Unit Swing Set,” she says.
“The most popular toys tend to sell out before Christmas every year so we always advise parents to act quickly if their children want a toy from the Top 10 list to avoid disappointment.”

The Toyworld Top 10 Hot Toys for Christmas 2011 are listed below in alphabetical order:
1/BEYBLADE METAL FUSION XTS BATTLE SET: - The Beyblade Metal Fusion Battle Set is an engaging, twenty-first century version of the classic game Battling Tops. Modern details and rules of engagement, along with customizable designs and a concave playing field, will have kids aged eight years and up at the top of their game in no time. Ages 8+

2/ COOKIE PIE PUP: - The most loveable and huggable puppy yet, Cookie will be a girl’s best friend! Cookie will respond to the sound of your voice and the sound of her squeaker toy by turning her head towards you, blinking her eyes and barking! She will even “talk” back to you just like a real puppy would. Ages 4+

3/ DINOSAUR TRAIN:-Boris Tyrannosaurus InterAction Figure is based on the iconic character from Jim Henson's Dinosaur Train television series. SmartTalk technology gives Boris the ability to recognize and interact with other dinosaurs in the line and have roaring contests with YOU! Press his back button for big chomping action! Press his interactive button, and he shares tons of fun dino data! Chomping sounds are triggered in Boris' mouth, huge roaring sounds are activated when Boris' tale is pressed down; and when Boris walks on the ground, he makes stomping sounds! Boris features a fully pose-able head, legs, arms, and tail. It's truly an interactive dinosaur experience! Ages 3+

4/ ELMO ROCK: - It’s music time! Rock out with LET’S ROCK Elmo! Dressed in a concert-style tee, Elmo takes the stage singing and making music - and pre-schoolers can too! Elmo comes with his very own microphone and two instruments – a tambourine and a drum set. Pre-schoolers can choose which instrument Elmo plays, and he "magically" recognizes which one you give him. Kids can also play along on Elmo’s instruments - they’re perfectly sized for little hands! For even more rockin’ fun, Elmo also interacts with other LET’S ROCK instruments (each sold separately); he knows when you’re playing the LET’S ROCK Guitar, Keyboard or Microphone and plays along with you! The LET’S ROCK Elmo toy sings six rockin’ songs, so grab an instrument and join Elmo’s band. Ages 18mths +

5/GLITTER LAVA DESK:-Everything you need to create colourfully sparkly stickers is included for hours of creative fun. Take the special, new Glitter Lava Ice compound, spread it over one of the special project cards, then colour it in with the special markers. Finally, peel and stick your masterpiece wherever you like. Decorate your room, your books or share with friends. It stretches and shines to make the coolest designs and decoration. Ages 4+

6/ LEGO:-Lego is great ways for kids to develop new skill and improve their development. The fine dexterity it takes to make a complete Lego toy is something quite difficult. The imagination that takes place alongside building is something most every parent can praise and the time spent in building and playing with such a simple toy that transitions into complex works of art just cannot be replaced. Kids take such great pride in the creations they make and they building they come up with. All ages

7/ NERF VORTEX NITRON BLASTER: - The VORTEX NITRON disc blaster is the ultimate in VORTEX innovation and technology! The NITRON blaster’s cutting-edge acceleration trigger propels a full-auto storm of discs toward targets at extreme range for an all-out assault. Its Centerfire Tech electronic scope features pulsing targeting lights. Offering long-range, high-powered disc-blasting technology, NERF VORTEX blasters hurl ultra-distance discs for the ultimate battle experience! NITRON blaster comes with electronic scope. Ages 8+

8/ TRANSFORMER LEADER: - Get ready for action with this exciting vehicle-to-robot hero! Convert this mighty Transformer figure from vehicle mode to battle-ready robot mode and back again so he’s ready for anything. His light-up pop-out weapons and blaster sounds are sure to scare off his opponents. As the battle rages on, keep switching him back and forth and prepare to face whatever his enemies throw at him! Ages 5+

9/ SYLVANIAN FAMILIES:-Sylvanian Families is a unique and adorable range of distinctive animal characters with charming beautifully detailed homes, furniture and accessories. They live work and play in the idyllic and wonderful land of Sylvania. Ages 4+

10/ 3 UNIT GYM SET:-It will be hard to get your kids back inside for dinner when they're having such a good time on this 3 Unit Swing Set. This durable metal frame features a classic A-frame style and supports all the play equipment your kids need for an afternoon of fun. A compact design for safe play for up to four children. It includes dual glide ride, roman rings/trapeze bar and single swing. Set up space: 3.25m(L) x 2.8m(w) Ages Junior

For more information visit www.toyworld.co.nz