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ToyDirectory.com® and TDmonthly™ Magazine Contact: Alison Marek, Managing Editor 12340 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 226 Los Angeles, CA 90025 Phone: (310) 979-4330 Fax: (310) 979-4350 E-mail: alison@toydirectory.com www.tdmonthly.com www.toydirectory.com August 22, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Industry Leader Names Most Positive Toys of the Year TDmonthly Magazine Honors 44 Winners in Second Annual Awards Program Los Angeles, Calif. (August 2008) – TDmonthly Magazine is pleased to announce the 44 winners of its 2008 toy awards, including two prototype recipients of TDmonthly’s new In the Lab award. From shape-shifting games and toys that go “under construction” with surprising designs and materials, to favorites that can’t be forgotten, the awardees collectively capture a spirit of innovation and classic appeal. Winners were independently nominated and did not pay a fee to enter the competition. They were selected based on a number of criteria, including product quality, safety and design; play value; appeal to children and parents; review by experts, consumers and TDmonthly staff in-house and at industry trade shows (e.g., American International Toy Fair); positive effect on children and society; and success within the specialty market, or the potential to perform well in specialty stores. “The quality, educational value and ‘fun’ factor inherent in these products demonstrate what the specialty toy market is all about,” said TDmonthly Publisher Bob Naimi. “Our awards program is one way we’re helping toy-store owners and parents identify safe and constructive toys for today’s children.” Because TDmonthly is a trade magazine devoted to identifying new trends in the specialty toy industry, its staff is uniquely qualified to recognize toys of superior value. Of the nearly four dozen winners, 43 percent are safety tested at least once per year, 36 percent feature recycled materials in their composition, and 18 percent are made, at least partially, in the United States.* TDmonthly takes toys seriously, and believes that great toys that inspire creativity, caring and intelligence will one day help to shape a better world. See a list of the award-winning products below: TDmonthly Top Toy 2008 Baby Deglingos by All New Materials Sixteen by Alpine Games Scramble Squares® by b. dazzle, inc. Brain Noodles by Brain Noodles Soft Play Dragons by Bullyland Toys Inversé™ by Family Games, Inc. WebWilds by Folkmanis, Inc. Handstand Kids Mexican Cookbook by Handstand Kids Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach by Kids Can Press Puzzibits™ Flexible 3D Puzzle Art™ by Manhattan Toy Xeko Mission: Indonesia by Matter Group LLC ZipBin® Softie™ Wheelie™ by Neat-Oh! International LLC ScienceWiz DNA by Norman & Globus Pawparazzi by Noodlehead, Inc. Food Chain Friends by Pint Size Productions PlayMais by PlayMaisUSA LLC Press ‘n Dress Dolls by Pockets of Learning Potty Monkey by PottyMD Stack & Stick by Stack & Stick 4th Corner by Strategic Space, Inc. Chocolate Fix by ThinkFun Scavenger Series Kits by Überstix Chimalong XR by Woodstock Chimes TDmonthly Top Seller 2008 MACK Granite Rear Loading Garbage Truck by Bruder Toys America, Inc. Calin Cheerful Pink by Corolle Dolls Ultra Stomp Rocket by D&L Company Blokus Trigon by Educational Insights, Inc. Sticky Mosaics Jewelry Box by The Orb Factory Zingo! by ThinkFun TDmonthly Innovations 2008 Beyond Chess by Beyond Chess GIANTmicrobes Petri Dishes by GIANTmicrobes HEXBUG Micro Robotic Creature by Innovation First, Inc. Flibbix by Merillian Prehistoric Puppets by Puppetoys Inc. Teething Bling by Smart Mom LLC FunFlyStick by Toys i.e. LLC TDmonthly Classic 2008 Abalone by Foxmind Games Kapla Planks by Kapla Groovy Girls by Manhattan Toy Cynthia Jabar Woodkins by Pamela Drake Inc. Original Slinky by Poof-Slinky Quiddler by SET Enterprises TDmonthly In the Lab 2008 Twig by Fat Brain Toy Co. Mini Voxal by Voxal LLC Click here to view the awards announcements online at www.tdmonthly.com. *Percentages are based on information provided by manufacturers at time of submission. About ToyDirectory.com® and TDmonthly™ Magazine For more than 12 years, ToyDirectory.com has been connecting retailers and manufacturers within the specialty toy industry. As of May 2008, Google ™ ranks ToyDirectory.com the No. 1 site in the world for wholesale trade directories. TDmonthly Magazine, an online trade publication for the toy, hobby, gift and game industries with more than 27,800 registered retailers, is dedicated to being the most comprehensive monthly resource for the toy industry through trend reporting, news, reviews, trade show coverage and a searchable database of 17,000+ products in more than 100 categories, plus more than 1,000 video demonstrations of toys and games. |
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