The Moon is not made of cheese. The Big Dipper holds no water. And yes, Martians are preparing to invade. You’d know all of these things if only you owned a telescope. Embarrassed? Of course you are. Don’t worry though, Terra Toys has you covered. With our wide range of telescopes from Italian optical experts, KONUS, the night sky is yours to explore.

The Konuspace-5, with its simple yet powerful design, is ideal for those casually touring the stars. Need more? The Konuspace-6 provides the extra quality and magnification you’re looking for. Know your way around a telescope already? If you think it’s time to join the big leagues, the Konusmotor-500 is out top-of-the-line model. Its superior magnification, electric focuser, and motor driven base make this telescope a unique astronomical experience. If you’re a little more down to earth, we also carry KONUS brand binoculars, microscopes and compasses. Keep your eyes on the skies, toy lovers!

Aurora Naturally is Aurora’s recent line of plush animals made from eco-friendly, hypoallergenic fibers. Nowadays, most plush is manufactured with man-made fibers like polyester that are meant to imitate the look and feel of traditional (but more expensive) mohair. Aurora has found a happy medium between mohair and plastic fiber.

Their Eco Animals have "lockwasher eyes and a fabric nose for safety and durability. Aurora ‘Naturally’ plush is made from 100% soy fiber. The stuffing is 100% Kapok, a golden silky fiber known for its hypoallergenic softness. Kapok is a sustainable rainforest crop that comes from the seed pod of the Kapok tree. All Aurora ‘Naturally’ is handmade in Indonesia and come with a recycled paper hang tag and a sewn cotton label."

These guys are soft and cuddly, and surprisingly not priced much higher than similarly-sized bears made of synthetic materials – and they’re not even made in China. Dreamy!

Long-time Terra Toys fans will remember the days of the Gumball Gizmo. Two years ago, he stopped working, and we put him in storage. Many of you have stopped by to offer your condolences.

But now Gumball Gizmo is back in action! Come see for yourself. It’s still only 25 cents to see the gum show. Kudos to Steve and Dale in Salt Lake for helping us get the thing up and running again.

Sketch Art LED, $50, ages 8+

Sketch Art LED is a cool new design toy. Like a lite brite for the new generation, it is made up of illuminated color pegs. But unlike the old model, this one has no pegboard – the entire surface is usable, so you’re not limited to a pixel-grid. Each peg has two short metal legs which, when pressed through the soft foam surface, connect to the current underneath and light up. There’s also a light cord that can be shaped and woven around the pegs to add extra flair, and set to be continuous or blinking for even more nighttime fun.

Though it can be used with just fingers, it comes with tools for more precise insertion and extraction. And because use is slightly more sophisticated (and possibly pokey) it’s recommended for ages 8+.

We have one set up and turned on – come by and give it a try.

 

Prices and availability may vary – call store for current info.

 

Get your kids a marble run, so they can become engineers when they grow up. They might even create something like this someday!

(Skip ahead to 7:56 to see it in action)

 

 

The kit in the video is home-made, not sold in stores, but Terra Toys carries a few different marble run construction sets: Quercetti plastic sets from Italy; Haba wooden sets from Germany; Alex brand wooden zoo themed sets; and though it isn’t in stock right now, we anticipate the return of the popular Quadrilla wooden sets in late fall or winter 2010.