Based on extended at-home play testing by hundreds of children, The Noise on Toys features independent reviews of the best kid-picked and parent-approved toys on the market. Former Editor for Today’s Parent Magazine (1998-2009) and past Chair of the Ratings and Awards Committee for the Canadian Toy Testing Council, Marcia MacQuarrie also shares her 25 years of expertise with parents looking for the best toys they can find. With over 3,000 toys profiled, users can search for specific toys or generate a list of gift ideas to suit a child’s age and interests – and the purchaser’s budget.

EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE & CREDIBILITY

Our editorial content is COMPLETELY independent. The Noise on Toys website receives no revenues - directly or indirectly - from toy manufacturers. There is no advertising on the site. And while the toys are supplied by the manufacturers, unlike most review sites, the manufacturers pay no fee, either to submit their toys or a licensing fee to use the awards a toy earns.

There are costs, of course. And while the bulk of our testing samples are donated to charity at the conclusion of testing, we do generate a few dollars from toy sales. The balance of expenses are generously subsidized by the MacQuarie law firm in Ottawa, Canada.

Readers can easily judge our independence and credibility by reading the comments that testers post directly to the site. Each of our testing families sign a declaration that they have no connections to any toy manufacturers or retailers. That means 150+ testing families are feeding their independent opinions into our reviews. And since you can read them all, you’ll know if we’re ignoring what they have to say.

OUR PLAY TESTING PROGRAM

Toy manufacturers typically send 4-6 samples of each toy. The toys are then distributed to our volunteer testing families who take them home so their children can play with them alongside all their other toys. In order to best model “real life” consumer reaction to the toys, we have taken great care to set up a request system so that toys can be matched to families specifically interested in those toys.

Families are given two months to play test and evaluate the toys. We ask them to start a Testing Journal within a week or so of receiving the toy, so that readers can see their initial reactions – both to satisfy consumer curiosity about the toy, as well as, to set up a baseline to compare longer term reaction to the toy. If our kid-testers can’t sleep for excitement about a toy that subsequently disappoints, that’s an entirely different scenario that if they’re only half interested in the first place.

At the conclusion of the testing period, families post their final summary comments – for both the adults and kids old enough to talk. As well, parents fill in a fairly extensive report, rating and commenting on 27 different aspects of the toy - including the 8 category ratings you see posted in the orange box below our awards logo.

We then pool and summarize their observations for you, and feature a couple of sample tester comments – although the original posted comments are still there for those who want to read more. As well, when merited, toys are given an award status. Our Seal of Approval means the toy is basically a good toy. An Award of Excellence is for toys that inspire solid play appeal. Our Gold and Platinum Awards are for the extra, extra special toys. Only about 1 in 10 toys merit these awards: About 8% getting Gold, and less than 2% earning Platinum.

If a toy simply has a “kid-tested” logo, it might be because we only received a single review sample. While we can offer some feedback, it’s perhaps not enough to provide detailed ratings. Alternatively, the toy may not merit a Seal of Approval. Reading the comments will give you a better indication of the merit of those toys.

There are currently about 3,000 toys profiled on the site, including a few great, but now discontinued, toys (in case you’re inclined to garage sales!). Our search tool makes it easy to find the toy you’re looking for – or to generate a list of gift ideas that fit specific criteria, say perhaps for a particular age, type of toy, or price range. You can even sort by manufacturer, or narrow your search to new toys (eg. toys launched in the last year or two). And, you can sort by award status - in case you want to see which toys got our Gold and Platinum awards this year.

It’s a large database, but it’s easily navigated, so please take some time and explore! And by all means let us know what you think. We’ve already put a lot of work into site, but we’re still building and expanding it, so let us know if you’ve got any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you.