MARVEL Power Poppers: Taking The Fun Up to 6 Feet High

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Momma Told Me: Take that outside!

We've already established that I was a bit of a tomboy; I'd play with anything muddy, loud, sticky, or potentially dangerous and it drove Momma crazy. As a young girl with primarily male friends I was used to playing rough and action based pretend play involving super heroes, cops, robbers, and cowboys. But my favorite toys were the ones Momma wouldn't allow in the house. In fact, if I picked something up at the toy store and it immediately solicited a concerned face and "Not in my house!" from Momma, it made me want it even more. Naturally, she was only looking out for me, or her good China, but the same fascination with loud, obnoxious, potentially fast moving toys still lingers today.

One of my favorite childhood toys was deceptively small and fell within the same 'quarter machine' wheelhouse as Silly Putty and those 'crawling' bugs you'd throw at walls simply to watch them cartwheel on down. I wonder if the same people who invented those slime trail leaving quarter toys also had an investment stake in magic eraser scrubbers! In any case, this toy was extremely simple and something I couldn't leave the arcade without trading my tickets in for. It looked like a hollow bouncy ball cut in half and operation was simple; snap it inside out and place it on the ground. The force of the sphere inverting itself would result in an unpredictable 'POP' that sent the toy sky high and in every direction. I could watch it for hours.

And, on Thursdays, I get to play the fun, funky, rule breaking Aunt once a week when I visit my friend's after school daycare to do what I do best, play. Because outdoor play is so crucial to active, healthy, kids and social skill development I'm always excited to find toys that motive kids to get moving and these new Power Poppers, sold at Walgreens, do exactly that while mimicking the fun and surprise of my childhood popper toys. They look unassuming at first, available in fun Marvel Avengers characters even the girls in our group were fighting over. (Apparently Captain America is quite the hot commodity.)

Power Poppers are fun, self propelled, projectile (don't let the word scare you) toys intended for fun and play outdoors. Their bodies are made of dense foam to minimize impact in the event of a collision, and there are absolutely no batteries required to power them. They are entirely kid propelled! Simply press the bottom launcher into the cap-like base and tap the bottom of the Power Popper character on the ground. Make sure to let go as the foam super hero rockets up into the sky as high as 6 feet!

We have kids as young as age 4, and as old as 13 in our after-school group and it was interesting to see how each of them problem solved to get the best height and easiest release. Some of the middle aged kids tended to want to throw it into the ground, while the younger were more hesitant and found the perfect tapping action more naturally. Whatever the case, nobody ever got bored of watching these toys pop up into the air and several demonstrations and contests were even initiated by the older kids.

We kept everyone seated for our playtime, to minimize the chance of Power Poppers shooting over a fence of into someone. Those that weren't launching the poppers helped spot and catch the wayward superheroes ensuring everyone was engaged and actively participating. The plastic bases seemed to take a beating quick, but this actually only made them respond even faster, and with less force, to the driving launch force. At around $7 a piece at Walgreens, these were the perfect afternoon toy to fascinate a wide range of children. What kid doesn't like watching things rocket into the air?

Currently Power Poppers come in MARVEL super hero themed designs ranging from Captain American and Iron Man to Hulk and Spiderman. This didn't seem to bother the girls one bit, who identified with the superheros and discussed their own potential super powers while waiting their turn to play. We were a bit worried that Power Poppers would be one of 'those' toys that quickly got out of hand but were thrilled to observe how well the kids followed instructions at the promise of shooting a fast moving foam rocket into the air! What was one of your favorite 'outdoor only' toys, growing up?

What Daughter Says: Some of the best toys require a trip to the park or backyard!