With the release of Toy Story 4, it is no surprise that one of the most exciting aspects of the franchise returning to theaters is all of the wonderful merchandise headed to stores. There is an incredible depth in the options of toys that are available, from those that tie-in with the latest film to others that celebrate characters and moments from previous films.
Recently, I was given the chance to play with a new series of Toy Story toys. Similar to wind-up toys, Disney has released Shufflerz, which are toys that shuffle forward slowly (hence the name of the line). The difference with the Shufflerz is in how you interact with the toy and “wind it up” – rather than turning an uncomfortable plastic stick until your wrist begins to throb, you simply press down on the character’s head repeatedly. In the notes accompanying the products, Disney suggests pressing down 10 times. This gives the toy enough of a wind to cover a significant amount of ground.
I was sent Bo Peep and an Alien. I decided to play with them alongside my 4-year-old daughter, who could not get enough of these toys. I was transported back to when I would play with wind-up toys for endless amounts of time, always enjoying the characters shuffling forward. Wanting to be creative, we designed a mini-racetrack so that we could race our two Shufflerz to see whose could make it to the finish line first. We played a few rounds, with each of us having the chance to win at least once. I have to say, not having to turn an awkward stick to wind up the toys was a welcome addition. It was all of the fun of these types of toys without the pain!
There have been several waves of these toys released at Disney Stores across the country (and online through its Shop Disney website). The entire line-up of toys is below:
The Shufflerz are priced at $12.95 each – they are currently on sale at Disney Stores and on Shop Disney. Not all of them are currently in stock at this time. As we move toward the June release date of the film, we may see more of these go on sale!
