We at TDmonthly Magazine would like to congratulate the following innovative toy manufacturers who have recently received iParenting Media Awards for their creative and educational products. It's not easy to design new toys in a market that already has so many skillfully crafted products, but the following toy makers managed to do just that. Take a look for yourself at the following toys that truly stand out. (To see more award winning toys, click here.)
Baby Road Trip CITY by BABY ROAD TRIP LLC
This newest DVD in the on-going Baby Road Trip series takes baby on a whimsical road trip to locations where toys, animation, photography and real life footage combine to introduce children to new and exciting experiences. CITY takes a ride downtown as children explore colorful city streets featuring a visit to the museum, theater, firehouse and playtime in the park. They will join Scout, their travel pal on this new and exciting journey. CITY runs 35 minutes and is appropriate for ages 6 months to 3 years. The brand has won the Creative Child Award, Dr. Toy Award, iParenting Media Award, the Kids First Endorsement, the Dove Family Seal of Approval, NAPPA Award, the Toys Tips Endorsement and the prestigious Telly Awards. VHS $14.99 DVD $18.99
Jack Grunsky has been creating music and entertaining children for over 25 years. His unique multicultural approach to music incorporates authentic instruments, rhythms, melodies and arrangements from around the world. A winner of many awards, including two JUNO Awards for Best Children’s Recording, several Parents’ Choice Gold Awards, a NAPPA Gold Award and an iParenting Media Award, Jack has been compared to Paul Simon and Justin Timberlake in the world of children’s music. With My Beautiful World Jack Grunsky takes children on a journey through a day in their own lives and with energetic, upbeat songs, clever lyrics and Jack’s trademark rich, cultural sounds helps children to see themselves as part of a beautiful world. This album received a 2007 JUNO Award, Canada’s highest music award, for Children's Album of the Year. Other awards include iParenting Media Award 2006 Excellent Products Call, 2006 National Parenting Publications GOLD Award, and Our Choice 2007 Award.
This gorgeous bird spread its tail feathers for the first time early in 2006. The tail of this 18” hand puppet can be manipulated into a magnificent display. As with all of Folkmanis’ puppets, the peacock is high quality and durable. Folkmanis puppets have won many awards from respected toy evaluators such as Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Dr. Toy, Parent's Choice and iParenting Media. — "We sell a lot of Folkmanis puppets. People buy so much," was the enthusiastic response given by Barbara Fineblum, owner of Barston’s Child’s Play in Baltimore, Md.. — "Puppets by Folkmanis: Parents like them because of the price and they have a lot of choice for children in terms of stocking stuffers. I sell a lot of Folkmanis," said Marilyn Sipila, owner of Toys Etc. in Poulsbo, Wash. — Elaine Kollias of Folkmanis believes the Peacock puppet will be their biggest hit for the Holidays 2006. "It's been stellar since it was introduced in the spring," she said. "The extraordinary use of fabrics, colors and textures along with the innovative puppet movement is what makes this a very 'special bird.'"
Kids will have fun using this tunnel to connect to other tents and tunnels from Pacific Play Tents to make mazes and secret hide-aways. Through the building process, they will develop their cooperative skills, muscles and imaginations. It has a padded interior and two nylon mesh windows that act as “see-me” windows or for keeping an eye on the kids. The tunnel collapses down for easy storage and carrying and wipes clean with a damp cloth. It recently won an iParenting award.
Mommy, Teach Me Spanish! - Que Duermas Bien (Sweet Dreams) by FIESTA FRIENDS LLC
Hola! This unique video series centers on the home and daily routines of babies and children through age 9. This video provides translation and is designed for those whose first language is English but are looking for a fun and easy way to give their children a basic first introduction to Spanish that relates to their everyday lives. Kids will meet Fuerte the adorable Chihuahua and his amigo Fuego, a chili pepper. It also stars the Fiesta Friends Kids, bright graphics, fun musical scenes and unique toys. This DVD centers on the bedtime routine, offers popular nursery rhymes in Spanish, numbers from 1 to 20, items in the bedroom, toys and bedtime phrases as well as simple commands. It has won numerous awards.
Simply enough, the Beltkro belt is a quality leather belt with a hook and loop (Velcro) fastening system that passes through a non-movable buckle to give the illusion of a traditional prong buckled belt. Many people cannot tell that the belt uses Velcro. The belt is simple enough for a 2 year old to use and fashionable enough for an 80 year old to wear. It is also great for individuals with special needs.
Baby's First Pop-Up: Noah's Ark by BRIGHTER MINDS MEDIA
This unique soft cloth book will delight babies with four fun and exciting handcrafted cloth pop-ups. The pop-ups are soft, sturdy, extremely durable and machine washable. The classic story of Noah's Ark is simply told and beautifully illustrated, and children will giggle with glee as they turn the pages to follow the ark and identify different pairs of animals on every cloth page.
Light Rangers: Mending the Maniac Madness by DIGITAL PRAISE INC.
Set in the fictional town of Angeltown, “Light Rangers: Mending The Maniac Madness” is rendered in the ultrapopular Japanese anime style. Players take on the roles of friends Angel, Amos and A.J. as they defend Angeltown from the influence of Maniac Brainiac who, through his evil minions Vanna Vanity, Fast Forward, Dr. Nono and Mimi Me, is leading kids toward lives of pride, impatience, disobedience and selfishness.
The light:night can be used in any space to light a pathway for safe passage or provide a colorful glow. For safety, the light:night boasts an auto-on feature in case of power failure and the cradle sits on the nightstand with a 3’ cord to detract toddlers from electrical sockets. While on the recharging cradle, the light:night emits a dim-colored glow, signifying that it is recharging. Once removed from the cradle, the light:night automatically shines a bright white light and can be controlled by its button. The button allows the light to be toggled from off to bright white light to colored glow. The LED’s will never get hot and they last up to 100,000 hours. For additional security, the battery lasts up to 14 hours on a full charge. The light:night comes in red, blue and green.
Travel With Kids Caribbean DVD by EQUATOR CREATIVE MEDIA
Travel With Kids Caribbean follows the Roberts family through Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, discovering history, culture and nature. Kids experience the Caribbean through the eyes of the family and learn about the region in an innovative, educational format with pop-up facts and fun segments full of pirates, parrots and dolphins. Bonus features include Travel Planner, Parental Tips, Pre-Trip Activities: recipes, language and crafts. Locations of interest include Old San Juan, El Morro, El Yunque, Rio Camuy, Ponce, Vieques, Blackbeard’s Castle, Atlantis Submarine, Dolphin Discovery and more. Travel With Kids Caribbean Awards include the Telly Award, iParenting 2006 Excellent Products Award, KIDS First Endorsement and Dove Foundation Seal of Approval. This is a part of a Travel With Kids series. Other titles include "Travel With Kids Hawaii: The Island of Oahu," "Travel With Kids Hawaii: The Islands of Maui & Molokai," "Travel With Kids Hawaii: The Island of Kauai" and "Travel With Kids Hawaii: The Big Island."
This is an exciting three-way battle among a fearsome shark and two double-crossing Sea Marauders who have just discovered a rare treasure. As they return to their crew’s ship, they encounter a fearsome giant shark that stands in their way! The massive attack shark destroys the sail barge and devours the figures with attack-jaw trigger action! It includes two highly-detailed mini-figures, firing harpoon with tether and a special hiding place!
This is a remarkable encrypted treasure hunt for inquisitive minds. A crime has been committed. A trail of clues will take players around the world but only if they can learn a futuristic secret language along the way. After playing the game, players can download fonts for e-mail and instant messaging. This game of logic and intuition is suitable for one to four players. It recently won an iParenting award.
This game'll get kids up and moving. If they can't dodge the disks, they can block them with a built-in shield. Dodge Discs are a set of long-range disc launchers that send foam discs flying up to 25'. Each lightweight hand-held device serves as a disc launcher and doubles as a shield. A top-loading compartment holds 10 soft foam discs that feed into the rapid-fire launcher. Each set comes with 2 launchers and 20 discs that are dispersed with a push of a button. In early 2007, Michael Ziegenhagen, owner of Playmatters in Cleveland, had been selling Dodge Discs for one year. "It's a good action boy toy for indoors and out for under $20," he told TDmonthly. They were chosen as an iParenting Media Award Winner for Excellent Products of 2006.
