Hasbro gets five stars out of me for a toy line and property they acquired through their…read moreacquisition of Tonka in 1991: MASK. MASK was created and sold by Kenner. The white-and-blue Kenner logo and/or name was on the MASK toys, boxes, etc. Kenner became a subsidiary and division of Tonka in 1987. The MASK toy line ran from 1985 to 1988. So, for the majority of its production run, Kenner (or Kenner Parker Toys) was the main owner and manufacturer of the MASK toys. Not Tonka, not Hasbro. I was such a big fan of MASK that, when I was a kid, I wrote a letter to Kenner asking if they'd make new MASK toys. I got a letter back in the mail from Hasbro explaining how they had ultimately acquired Kenner and that there were no plans for new MASK toys. I was about nine then and I think that was my first exposure to mergers and acquisitions. Ha. MASK is one of the more obscure and forgotten franchises of the 80s. It's not surprising because they had to compete against juggernauts like GI Joe and Transformers (also Hasbro properties). MASK was like a hybrid of GI Joe and Transformers. You had good guys (MASK: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) and bad guys (VENOM: Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem) who wore masks - each mask had a unique special power - and drove/piloted vehicles that transformed into battle machines. Pretty awesome. Like many toy lines from the 80s, MASK had a cartoon TV series to help sell the product. To this day, I remain impressed with the level of detail in the toy design, both in look and in function, as well as the wide variety of vehicle types. Every vehicle - from sports car to motorcycle to tanker truck to ATV to F1 race car to dune buggy (I could go on) - looked like a miniature version of its real-life counterpart. The little action figures, which could fit perfectly into the vehicle seats, resembled the characters on TV, complete with distinct masks that fit over their heads. However, most impressive was the ability for each vehicle to transform as depicted on the show. Some true engineering work went into these toys. I'd love to learn more about the history behind MASK, its creation by the folks at Kenner (now Hasbro), and where and how exactly the toys were made. As a diehard MASK fan, I have to admit that the show hasn't held up well over time. It was definitely made for kids in the 80s. The toys are something I still treasure. As the saying goes, I'm not sure Hasbro would make them the same way today if they were to ever release a new line for MASK. While curious, I probably wouldn't be into it. Obviously, nostalgia plays a role in my biased opinion. In the 80s and 90s, other Hasbro toy lines that I was a fan of, to varying degrees, included Battle Beasts, the aforementioned GI Joe and Transformers, GoBots, and the official WWF action figures. The Hasbro WWF Superstars were hilarious.

4/9/21 Does anyone…read moreremember Transformer from September 17, 1984 to November 11, 1987?  This would be the orginal not this Tranformers Beast Wars or any other version.  Do you remember GI Joe?, The Real Anerican  Heros? Or maybe a combination of GI Joe/Transformers? No?! Maybe you played Monopoly, Medical Monopoly  or Monopoly with credit cards instead of paper?  How about My Little Pony, Play-Doh, Power Rangers, Pokemon, Jem and The Holograms? Well they all were made by Hasbro and a whole lot more. You could shoot guns with water, guns with foam or guns with balls. Care for a Frisbee? Hasbro has you covered. All of these fun toys could be found at Toys R Us, Child's Play  or any other toy store. So many kids like me enjoyed playing with they GI Joe action figures or they My Little Pony. Watching GI Joe or My Little Pony on television would be the next big thing. Especially on a Saturday Morning. Its it's truly truly outrageous to miss those shows. I remember playing with my favorite GI Joe action figures Battle Android Troopers, Storrm Shadow ( I went through a lot of those), Zartan, Zarana and Tomax and Xamot Paoli. These were the coolest action figures to collect and play with.   I will say one of the first things to break on my action figures were the thumbs.  I had to use clay to hold the weapons in the toys palms. Eventually the rubber band holding the action figures would snap and I glued the action figures together with rubber cement.  More than once I gave one or two of my action figures a burial.  One of these figures is still buried in my backyard of my old house. One of my old friends did something similar,  but forgot where he buried his action figures. Back when Transformers cartoon came out, I knew just by the introduction theme song, The Gobots were going to hell.    Triple Changer was one of the coolest Decepticons out there. I liked Optimus Prime, but the Decepticons had cooler robots.  Soundwave had a number of additional robots inside him. Frenzy, Laserbeak, Ravage & Rumble were awesome.  When I watched Transformers,  I normally did not see Frenzy to offten, but he was my favorite.  The most infamous/annoying/humorous  is Starscream. His voice was just as annoying  as it was to see what the character would do next. When Transformers The Movie came out, Starscream annoyed/betrayed Megatron  for what seemed to be the last time.  Yet, you can't keep an annoying pest down forever. The fans had something to say about this too. Hasbro is responsible for entering many fans. Hasbro entertained use fans again when the live action versions of Transformers and GI Joe became Hollywood movies.  My Little Pony movie might be around the corner at some point.  Hell, Jem was made into a Hollywood movie....talk about truly outrageous..., but it happened. I learned today that Play-Doh was aquired by Hasbro in 1991.  Another amazing kids toy that I played with when I was a kid...and yes I tasted it too. It was very salty.  Hasbro has made a lot of kids happy and will continue to make kids happy while letting kids imagination run while all over the world.   Thank you Hasbro.

God Bless America My granddaughters…read more These dresses were obviously a big hit. And there will be plenty of hand me downs So much fun

Beautiful shop with a great selection of clothes from baby through 12 years. We visited a few years…read moreago & we're happy to come back this week to buy our daughter adorable dresses. They had many special Easter dresses that we loved. They also carry unique toy's & accessories. The owner was lovely. We'll be back the next time we're in Newport.

This store is a favorite of kids of all ages...I know people in college that go here to get their…read morepersonalized teddy bear. They also offer events where you can have your own personal birthday party at the store with all types of "building-a-bear" workshops. The staff was nice when I had questions and the selection of clothes and bear types is really good...they change seasonally, so now there are a lot of "Halloween" type bears around the store....

Waa here on a Saturday afternoon and it was quite busy. Especially since there appeared to be a…read moreBirthday Group there. But the store was quick to have everyone move thru. Not too many staff walking the store to help guide us so we kind of winged it. Process was simple when we figured it out but they sure do add on those extras. Anyways, good experience for the children.

Best doll shop I have ever been to. Incredible selection, fair prices, knowledgeable staff. No…read morelonger operating at 208 Taunton Ave.; may be working from residential address. Miss the old store. My favorite place in MA.

Had our daughter's 4th birthday here. Ages ranging from 3 - 13 and they all loved it. Super engaged…read moreand entertained All the staff were great. Helped keep everything flowing smoothly. Got everything cleaned up and organized. We will definitely be back and recommended it to everyone

It was a good time. It was a little stressful because it was our first time coming. The person that…read moreexplained what to do was nice, but it was still a little confusing. It was fun to paint. The only thing is they stuck us in a corner with other people's painted pottery so it felt like they were just throwing us somewhere. My biggest issue was the fact it was $60 for 2 mugs that we painted ourselves. I understand they have to bake it. But $60 for 2 mugs really just feels extremely steep. I could see $40-$45 at the most. Especially since I picked the most basic standard coffee mug. The dinosaur mug I can see being a little bit more because it's not just a standard mug. The paints were also majority empty. I kept having to find one that wasn't empty.

I bought mugs, soap holders etc. I can't wait to go back on Sat. Her pottery is lovelyread more

Had such a pleasant experience at this unique ceramics/stoneware shop. So many beautiful mugs,…read moreplates and other one of a kind gifts to choose from. Denise was so helpful and everything was very affordable! Definitely would recommend!

I cant say enough about AJ and Hammer and Stain in North Kingstown. We had the absolute best time…read moreat my daughter's 8th birthday 'art' party! AJ was amazing with the kids, guiding them through exciting art activities with so much patience and enthusiasm. She was able to keep a large party of 16 kids engaged even though the age group was a tad on the younger side. One of the coolest parts? AJ even took music requests! The kids got to rock out to Taylor Swift while they painted, crafted, and danced around--it added such a fun, lively vibe to the whole party . We also found out she has a Taylor Swift summer camp posted. The space was bright, colorful, and perfectly set up for little artists to let their imaginations run wild. There's even a Moms' night out option where you can bring your favorite cheese platter! Every child left with their own artwork and a huge smile on their face. It was the kind of party they'll be talking about for weeks. If you're looking for something creative, engaging, and truly joyful for your child's next celebration, we can't recommend AJ at Hammer Stain in North Kingstown enough!

Came here for a Sunday afternoon family friendly pottery painting event…read more Owner was on site and super friendly. My daughter changed her prepurchased item last minute and the owner was very accommodating. Was a really nice/relaxing time. Would like to go back after being able to explore the store....they teach/do large knitting, custom signs (and its easier than I thought), pottery and more. Great for kids, girls (or guys) night out, or even a team building event!

Found this cute little knitting shop tucked at the end of a busy shopping street, and it was such a…read morenice, quiet break from the crowds. Huge selection of yarn and notions, way more than I expected for a store that size. I was looking for yarn dyed by someone local in Rhode Island to bring home as a souvenir. I asked one of the employees, and she actually set down her own knitting to help me out. She walked me right to exactly what I needed. So kind and friendly, you could tell she really knew the shop. Only downside is it's a little messy and hard to navigate on your own, so I didn't get to browse as much as I wanted. But that just means I have a good excuse to go back. If you're into knitting, definitely worth stopping in, I left happy with the perfect souvenir.

The place was pretty disorganized and yet had some lovely yarns. I got tired of rummaging and…read morebought some locally dyed yarn in pink. Lovely.