Because my wife is expecting and we will soon have a little car nut of our own, I have recently spent an inordinate amount of time in the baby section of stores, desperate for cool JNC-related stuff. Not surprisingly, it’s proven difficult. Most vehicle-themed baby items are pretty darn lame, if I’m honest. The majority feature not-real cars, and seem to be 90 percent fire truck. I dreaded having to introduce my son to the world of toy cars with goofy cartoon jalopies. As enthusiast parents we should demand better for our kids, and that’s why I was so excited to discover this awesome Datsun 240Z bath toy.
Made by a company I had never heard of before, called Munchkin, it is part of a four-car lineup called Magnet Motors. Each car is split in half and lock together with a magnet. The idea is to mix-and-match the fronts and rears, and each piece floats for a fun time in the bath.
There are two different sets, each of which comes with two cars, for four designs in total. The one that caught my eye and made my wife question my sanity as I shouted out loud in the middle of Meijer had an orange Datsun 240Z and a blue Ford GT40. The other one includes a yellow Dodge Charger-ish car and a split-window Corvette Sting Ray. Even though there’s only one JNC, 25 percent is actually an amazingly good ratio for baby toys.
Obviously, the whole concept of these makes no sense, and there is absolutely no reason for these things to be car-shaped, much less based on actual cars. But that’s exactly what makes them so cool. They were a pleasant surprise in a world of plastic blobs on wheels, and in case there was any doubt about the exact models, the numbers on the roundels helpfully clue you in. At $9 a set, they were a no-brainer for me, and I can’t wait to introduce them to our son.
A little Munchkin – for a little Munchkin… Cool!
I sincerely hope he likes them because as much as I have wanted my girls to like certain things, I have come to the realization that they are their own people. Nice find though!
It doesn’t hurt to try! I think being able to see your toys come to life, on the road in 1:1 scale, makes for an infinitely better experience than playing with a random made-up car. Maybe there would be more enthusiasts out there if toy cars were more realistic!
Or real cars were more toy like? ;P