However, educational toys have been on the rise, as more parents opt to purchase products that would give them the most value for their money, as compared to, say, buying Bratz dolls and Hot Wheels. The record for educational toys was broken in the Holiday season of the year 2000, when toy maker LeapFrog's LeapPad Learning System electronic reading toy became the bestselling children's game of the time, helping the company boost its sales by a whopping 120 per cent! In the past, the term 'play' carried a rather negative connotation, because some parents think that play is just a waste of time and energy. However, child experts will beg to differ, as play time, while it appears to have no outright value, is actually a very effective learning tool. This is what educational toys aim to reconcile - that toys can actually be very academically beneficial. Because of this, most parents try to make it up to their kids by purchasing toys that seek to compensate for the absence of prolonged sit-down times. Thus, the demand for children's educational toys has grown. What educational toys do is fill the gap that has been created by the lack of time parents have for their kids. Even if it is time to do homework or go to school, they still either stay home to play, or take their precious toys with them. This is the everlasting dillemma a parent has to face. You just can't let your kid let go of that toy when it is time to study. They just do not seem to know the difference between the time for playing and the time for studying. Educational Toys For Toddlers Have you ever experienced getting an invitation to a birthday party of your beloved 2-year old niece or nephew and do not know what to give? The moment you step into the toy store you find yourself in the midst of fascinating toys and you just can't decide which one to pick. Let's Get Gross is another toy, which is, mind you, the grossest set of them all. This educational toy set gives enough of the ingredients or materials needed in creating lots of odorous and really disgusting body parts. You can get to make slimy brains, fake eyeballs, rotten egg smells, fake snot, and fake cuts and wounds.