TDmonthly Magazine is happy to congratulate the dozens of honorees whose names appear on lists for this year’s toy awards. To find out what constitutes an award-winner, TDmonthly spoke with noted child development expert Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D., better known as Dr. Toy (publisher of Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Children’s Products for 2006); and children’s media expert Stephanie Oppenheim, co-founder (along with her mother, Joanne) of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio (publishers of the 2007 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Awards). We have compiled four pages worth of toys that have been awarded for their efforts. To read more about what Dr.Toy and Stephanie Oppenheim had to say, CLICK HERE.
Braincandy, My 5 Senses — Music and Sound Exploration CD by BRAINCANDY
This unique and yummy CD is the first from the multi-award-winning children’s company, Braincandy. The CD introduces fundamental instrumentations of various musical genres including reggae, classical, rockabilly, jazz and Latin, all of which are lightly peppered with funny and colorful sound effects that will engage your child like no other CD. Moms and dads will find the Braincandy-styled approach refreshing and diverse — this is great listening music for young and old. This is the first CD in a series of six awesome, aural explorations for your little listener. It was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy. This one-of-a-kind series offers very young children a chance to be challenged; it invites them in to be a part of the learning process. “Braincandy helps parents stimulate a child’s sense of imagination and a level of engagement we never saw with any of the products we introduced to our own children,” said Johnny Dagnen, co-founder and chief creative officer of Braincandy.
The charming shapes, patterns and motifs will guide children into Fantasy Land. Mouse, bear, lion and the other blocks can be arranged into a jigsaw picture or piled like constructing blocks. With a kaleidoscope block, mirror and little bell, these constructing blocks of beech wood have a foil coating. It is ideal for ages 18 months and up. “This creative block set offers the unique feature that it is a 3-D puzzle also — it may be constructed vertically or horizontally on a table. The multi-faceted colors, textures and optical effects create a one-of-a-kind set for specialty stores,” Lea Culliton of HABA USA told TDmonthly. It was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy.
The Made by Me kits come in six different vehicle styles — bug, racer, truck, tractor, train and tugboat. The vehicle bodies are 4” long, crafted from pine and sanded smooth to the touch. Each kit comes with unfinished wheels and axles for assembly, plus the vehicle body. The train engine kit even comes with a smokestack. Easy-to-follow assembly instructions are included under the tag ($1.90). New for summer 2006 were boxed Made by Me kits. Each box set comes with one of each vehicle (four in all) with wheels and axles to match, and a smokestack for the train. An instruction sheet ($7.60) is included. “Made by Me's [kits] are the product of imagination…[and] meet the needs of such a wide range of children and abilities,” Barb Rainville of Maple Landmark told TDmonthly. The product was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy.
Wallamoppi – The Fast Stacking Game by OUT OF THE BOX PUBLISHING
In a race against time, players attempt to “one up” each other by pulling Kiwi Disks from a teetering wall and daring to stack them ever higher. The last player to successfully stack a disk before the timer marble drops out of sight wins Wallamoppi. The game includes 36 Kiwi Disks, a wooden storage box with a built-in marble timer, two timer marbles, a Kiwi Disk bag and quick-play rules. “Once this is set up on a table [for demonstration purposes] it draws immediate attention. [It’s] like no other game out there!” Out of the Box Publishing Director of Marketing Matt Mariani told TDmonthly. It was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy. Launch date: January 2006.
This fast-action, futuristic adventure helps teach kids math. It includes addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, helping to build children's confidence as they increase their speed with answering math questions. In addition, it introduces kids to fact families, basic problem-solving, the notion of equivalence and mental math. Once kids know the answers to math problems, they maneuver the character on the screen to blast the problem away. The game provides automatic progress reports to help boost kids' confidence and encourage progress. It recently won an iParenting Media Award and was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy. Math Blaster Master the Basics “helps kids reach their potential by uniquely delivering state-standard math content in an engaging and exciting video game format,” Colwin Chan, marketing manager of Knowledge Adventure, told TDmonthly.
The Time Out Spot gives children place to spend time out. The company recommends giving children one warning and then, if they don’t obey, sending them to their “spot” for one minute per year of the child’s age. Pink, tan/brown, cat, and dog varieties are also available. Dr. Toy named it one of the Top 100 Best Children’s Products and one of the 10 Best Socially Responsible Products for 2006. Heather Sievers of Time Out Spots told TDmonthly the product “is a one of a kind behavior management tool designed to help parents with constructive discipline.” Launch date: August 2005.
Children can create two hardcover books with this set. The smaller book includes a die-cut frame and room for a story, which makes a great family activity. The kit includes story ideas, markers, clip art and sticker sheets. “Create Your Own Books encourages children to use their imagination to write and illustrate stories that reflect their interests and personality. The activity is both enriching and fun, and allows children an opportunity for open-ended self-expression,” Lisa Ritchey of Faber-Castell told TDmonthly. This item was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy.
Kapla has won a Parent’s Choice Award and a Dr. Toy's Smart Play, Smart Toys award and has even been named to Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Classic Toys list for 2006. Kapla produces wooden building planks that stimulate the imagination and artistic side of everyone. Made of high-quality marine pine, children can build large bridges, skyscrapers, castles, and more using the Kapla 200 Building Set. This set comes with 200 planks and an illustrative booklet. It can be used in the classroom to foster discussion and at home as a bonding activity with the family. Wooden planks are also available in various colors.
Anywhere from one to four players can battle and bluff to win up to nine different twisted trivia card games, as long as they have a LeapFrog Fly Pentop Computer (sold separately). The game comes with 68 Trivia Category Cards, four Answer Cards, two Category Counter Cards, a carrying case and a rule book. Games include Solo Psych Out, Match 20 and Hot Streak. Typical questions are “What does Karaoke mean in Japanese?” and “True or False? Identical twins have identical fingerprints.” To date, Totally Stumped has won the 2006 Parent's Choice Gold Award, the 2006 Dr. Toy Top 100 Best Children's Products Award, the iParenting Media Award and the iParenting Hot Media Award. “Totally Stumped! brings together two favorite tween activities: playing card games and answering bizarre, off-the-wall trivia questions! Bluffing, planning, strategizing, second-guessing, and sheer luck are all part of the fun,” Jo Hendrix of BinaryLabs Inc. told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2006.
Yoon and the Christmas Mitten by FARRAR, STRAUS AND GIROUX
Winner of the 2007 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award, this book, written by Helen Recorvits and illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska, follows the story of a Korean girl who is excited to learn about Santa Claus and Christmas, even though the holiday is not part of her family’s tradition. No matter how hard she tries to convince her parents to sing Christmas songs or put up Christmas stockings, they always say no. Yoon soon realizes she must use her own “Shining Wisdom” to persuade her parents that they can be a Christmas family. Launch date: November 2006.
These 14" tall multicultural rag dolls have adorable embroidered faces. The boy wears pajamas and holds a teddy bear with matching PJs and the girl wears a nightgown and holds a matching teddy bear. It is perfect for accompanying child to bed. It is machine washable and dryable. The Nighty Night Doll “is sweetly appealing, soft and cuddly. Nowadays, when so many dolls talk, burp, sing, move and do things that are possible with electronics, it's good to have a back-to-basics doll,” Fanny Wong of Fanny’s Play House told TDmonthly. It was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy and received a 2007 iParenting Media Award.
This large-scale modular construction toy includes colorful, precision-engineered thermoplastic components. Kids can build and rebuild designs and then climb, slide and play indoors and outdoors. The kit helps children with social interaction and motor skills, and was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy. “Quadro is the ‘only’ modular large-scale construction toy that you can build multiple designs and then actually play on them. Other products are designed to be constructed and then admired, but they do not have the strength and durability to take the weight of kids playing on them,” George Maday of Phunzone told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2006.
This 200-piece easy-to-carry magnetic building case features a base with a silver platform and four metal poles with adjusting bars of metallic colors. Children can design planets, stars and other shapes, then hook them, spin them or hang them. Parts include curves, flexors, twisters, lateral rods, bars, lights, extenders and a chain. The MagnaCase is compatible with all Magnetix Building Sets. It was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy and received a Spring 2007 Best Products iParenting Media Award. “For the first time, [Magnetix] features a MagnaBase for base and aerial building. The MagnaCase is a creative factory,” Stephanie Santini of MEGA Brands Inc. told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2006.
The KidsWealth Money Kit is changing the way kids view life and manage money forever. Recommended by money experts, the KidsWealth Money Kit will give kids a financial edge as they grow into their teens and go off to college. The simple, fun and powerful program teaches children about money while enhancing their self-esteem and self-confidence, and empowering them for success. It was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy, as well as one of the 10 Best Socially Responsible Products. Launch date: July 2006. — “We believe that teaching money to children is the responsibility of parents and must begin at home to be effective," Rob Sansome, vice president of business development, told TDmonthly. "The KidsWealth Money Kit provides parents with a fun and simple tool to begin that process."
Elizabeth Mitchell: You Are My Little Bird by SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS RECORDINGS
“This is the family music that I love – soulful, mysterious, inclusive & rollicking!” – Dan Zanes Mitchell performs homespun renditions of songs by Woody Guthrie, Bob Marley, The Velvet Underground, Vashti Bunyan and more. It was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy. “This is real, honestly recorded acoustic music…[that] parents will want to sing along with their children and enjoy for years to come,” Beth Blenz-Clucas of Sugar Mountain PR told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 29, 2006.
Kids can discover a new way to play I SPY with 13 fascinating mysteries on this CD-ROM. They simply choose a case file, and then earn mystery clues by solving riddles and searching for concealed objects. Children must employ problem solving skills to follow clues to solve the case of the Locked Gate and other mysteries. The game “engages kids in solving I SPY riddles and mysteries while simultaneously building their vocabulary and language skills,” Amabel Fulgencio of Scholastic told TDmonthly. It was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy. Launch date: August 2006.
Each activity traveler contains 72 exciting game pages and comes complete with either eight large markers or six jumbo crayons depending on age and grade. Color-N-Carry comes in all of the favorite children’s licenses, and the easy-carry handle makes it a great take-along for travel. It was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy. Launch date: October 2003.
The Color Wonder Sprayer makes airbrushing easy and mess free. Clear Color Wonder Spray magically appears in color on Color Wonder surfaces or paper - not on skin, walls, carpet, or clothing. Children can use the unique sprayer stencils to easily create images, or airbrush their own designs for personalized scenes. The unit comes with four spray cartridges, two markers, a 12-page tablet, three stencil sheets, one pop-up figure, and one white crayon for writing and revealing secret messages. The product requires 4 C batteries. It was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy. Launch date: July 2006.
Baby Animals: Books in a Box by CHRONICLE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
This set includes 18 full-color board books that feature baby animals hopping, waddling, leaping, trotting, flying and swimming. “This is a unique format for board books that comes in a convenient carrying case that will make the perfect gift,” Jessica Levy of Chronicle Books told TDmonthly. The product is a 2007 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award Winner. Launch date: April 2006.
Moose may be shy, but if children keep on the lookout, they just might find one. Readers will learn about the animals and the changing seasons, and even ages 5 and under can read along with someone. “This journey to the far north contains a fun quest for a moose, but also includes important educational endnotes about the wildlife and habitats found in the story,” Jeanne Nicholson of Barefoot Books told TDmonthly. It received the 2007 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award. Launch date: September 2006.
Penny and Bill are having a blast learning about money. Join them as they learn strategies for counting coins and cash, making change, expressing money in written terms and more. Fun rock-style songs combined with humor provide plenty of practice using real-world skills. “Money and Making Change” will be available on both DVD and VHS and runs approximately 55 minutes. — The program’s characters “know how to keep kids entertained while they are learning,” Kathie Caudle, director of marketing at Rock 'N Learn, told TDmonthly. The product was named one of the Top 100 Toys of 2006 by Dr. Toy.
Writer's Bio: Julie L. Jones has written articles for both newspapers and magazines. Before joining the staff of TDmonthly Magazine, she worked as a communications writer and provided editorial support for a market research company. Read more articles by this author
Writer's Bio: Julie L. Jones has written articles for both newspapers and magazines. Before joining the staff of TDmonthly Magazine, she worked as a communications writer and provided editorial support for a market research company. Read more articles by this author
