These eco-friendly construction toys were inspired by children's board books and come with landscape and character pieces. Each set includes flat panels printed with colorful, water-based ink and slotted building blocks made from earth-friendly Sprigwood. The Palace and Barnyard are large sets. There are also medium sets: Construction Site, Ladybug Adventure and Safari Adventure (MSRP: $19.99). Large sets are 90 pieces; the medium are 60. Launch date: Fall 2009.
This action-packed, hidden-identity game is geared to please the younger crowd. Assuming the identity of one of six spies, each player uses the die and moves cards to move around the gameboard. If a player lands on the same colored space as his/her opponent, he/she may take a guess of the opponents identity. If the guess is correct, the opponent is out of the game. The winner is the last player remaining. The game "focuses on bluffing and guessing," Bill Stephenson, president of Spy Alley Partners, told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 1, 2008.
Blunders™ - Make Learning Manners Fun by SUCCESSFUL KIDS INC.
The adorable characters of Becky, Bobby, Brenda and Billy Blunder revolutionize the way manners are taught. The game includes a game board, a story book and 300 fun and interactive charade, multiple-choice, scenario and true/false questions covering social and dining etiquette. “Blunders™ is the only board game on the market today that makes learning manners interactive and fun!” Successful Kids Inc. President Aimee Symington told TDmonthly. This game has received the following awards: Dr. Toy, National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, iParenting Media, Creative Child Preferred Choice, Mr. Dad Seal of Approval, eChoice, and The Toy Man Award of Excellence and Seal of Approval. Launch date: February 17, 2008. — "I've loved the Blunders Game from the moment I was introduced to it. Now you can reinforce manners at one of the places where manners are key. Manner Mats takes the blunders concept and turns it into a set of 38 table mats. The mats include tones of games including word searches, challenges, multiple choice, what is wrong with the picture, complete the sentence and many more. Another innovative way to teach manners without having to point your finger," Jennifer Shuman, owner of 1SmartNoodle, told TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.
Set imaginative gears in motion with this colorful and durable puzzle. Children can challenge themselves by setting interlocking gears into different logical and creative patterns on the puzzle board. Includes 48 gears and 30 interlocking gear pegs. Helps develop logic and creative thinking skills for 3 dimensional systems and geometric patterns.
Tanner's Bond Water-Based Contact Cement - 4 oz. by TANDY LEATHER FACTORY INC.
This exclusive bonding adhesive will work great on most materials. Tanner's Bond Water-Based Contact Cements are non-flammable, non-toxic and low VOC. Available in a 4-oz. size, quarts and gallons, all are safe for retail consumer sales. "Due to regulation by the CPSC, TLF has developed a water-based cement line [that] is compliant in all 50 states, Canada and Europe, and ha[s] a low enough level of VOCs to be sold in CA. Our line is made exclusively for TLF and co-branded with Barge Cement," Tony Hernandez, national sales manager for Tandy Leather Factory, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2009.
The Dangerous Book for Boys: Electronics presents information on electronics every child should know through fun, engaging, and impressive experiments and activities. Children ages eight and up learn how to construct simple electronic toys, such as a joy buzzer and insect. It comes with a 32-page, full-color experiment manual and retails for $35.95. Launch date: Fall 2009.
Orchard Toys - Greedy Gorilla by THE ORIGINAL TOY COMPANY
The Greedy Gorilla's come all the way from England to teach kids better eating habits. Give him something unhealthy and he burps. He's made of 75% recycled cardboard. Launch date: February 2009.
The ball features a great texture that makes catching easy and fun. Additionally, the ball comes with five special modes of music that suggest over 50 creative movements. The ball’s sound track is specially timed for slower auditory processing. Get caught with the ball when the music stops and one will need to perform a special move or task. A game book is included.
Sunny - Fearless Guard Dog by THE SHRUNKS FAMILY TOY COMPANY
Are Your Children Having Trouble Getting to Sleep at Night?
Do they hear strange noises? Do they imagine things lurking in their closet or under their bed? Are they frightened of the unknown sneaking into their room? Or, is it what goes bump in the night? Sunny, the Fearless Guard Dog will help make their fear disappear. Specially trained by The Shrunks', he sleeps with one eye open and one eye closed, so that he can watch over you when you are a sleeping. So, what are you afraid of?
Game play starts by removing the towers from the base. The goal is to place the towers following two simple rules: there must be only one of each colored tower in every row and column, and the towers must fit into the base to form a perfect cube, with all the towers being the same height. Launch date: November 19, 2008.
Kids can recycle a soda can into a silly, walking, wobbling robot. The kit includes all the parts needed, right down to the googly eyes, except for the two AAA batteries that are required. Launch date: 2008. — “The Tin Can Robot is a huge hit. It’s from their Green Science series, which has been doing great,” Jennifer Schneeweis, owner of Izilla Toys in Seattle, told TDmonthly in late August 2009. Two of 40 retailers mentioned the brand when discussing best-selling educational items in fall 2009. ― “Right now we have the Tin Can Robot for 8- to 10-year-olds and that's doing well,” said Marlene, manager of Kits & Kaboodle in Carmel, Ind., when asked about her best-selling item for tween boys. Seven of 39 retailers surveyed in October 2009 said science kits are their top sellers for tween boys. ― “It's a good price point and an excellent product. It sells all the time,” Priscilla Moore, owner of Mr. Fub's Party, Toys and More in Yellow Springs, Ohio, said of the Tin Can Robot and other 4M science kits in spring 2010. — In August 2010, seven of 43 retailers told TDmonthly that Toysmith is a best-selling science and nature brand. Two retailers named Tin Can Robot as a top product. AWARDS:2010 TDmonthlyTop Seller
Baby Signing Time sets your baby's day to music with signs and songs for everyday events - playtime, getting dressed, going places, getting ready for bed, manners and more. Baby Signing Time is a great first step into signing or add Baby Signing Time to your existing Signing Time collection for new songs and reinforcement of those beginning signs. Created specifically for babies as young as 3 months old up to 3 years. Features Emmy-nominated host Rachel Coleman, along with animated Baby Alex, Baby Leah, and Baby Hopkins.
With delightful illustrations, Tell-Me Tarot is a charming deck designed for beginners, teens and tweens. The meanings are written right on the cards, so there's nothing to memorize. Kids can just ask a question, choose a card, and receive an answer. "This deck is simple to use and easy to understand so it's perfect for young people interested in tarot," Lynn Araujo, communications director for U.S. Games Systems, told TDmonthly. Launch date: December 2008.
University Games - The Very Hungry Caterpillar Fun Pockets (Colorforms) by UNIVERSITY GAMES
The playset comes with 22 Coloform pieces that stick to the included play scene. The pieces can be arranged and rearranged, letting the imagination of children run wild on the road. Launch date: November 2007.
According to Valtech Co., Magna-Tiles were inspired by Pythagoras of Samos (560-480 BC), an important historical mathematician. (Perhaps you recall the Pythagorean Theorem from high school.) If this lofty inspiration doesn’t impress you, perhaps the design of the magnetic tiles themselves will. While using the tiles to build various constructs, children will also be developing familiarity with geometric shapes, which will lay a strong foundation for advanced mathematics, such as geometry and calculus. This product has no equal, Michael Ziegenhagen, owner of Playmatters in Cleveland, told TDmonthly. "It's used in some schools to teach geometry and spatial reasoning," he added. — Two of 50 retailers who spoke with TDmonthly in spring 2008 singled out this item as the best-selling construction toy in their stores. — “We're constantly selling Magna-Tiles. This is a weekly seller, and they're even high end,” said Peggy Sebert, owner of Becky & Me Toys in Glenview, Ill., during an April 2009 survey of 49 retailers on their best-selling construction toys. — “We sell the Magna-Tiles from Valtech really well on a consistent basis,” Kim Emigh, VP of e-commerce at Growing Tree Toys in State College, Pa., told TDmonthlyof her store’s top-selling construction items in spring 2009.
The bidding game features four suits on each card, making skill the determining factor. Xactika can be played with two to ten players. It is adaptable to any skill level, with three variations of play. This item is a 2005 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award, 2002 Games 100 Award and 2002 Parent’s Choice Award winner. “Xactika is a truly unique card game with a deck that provides players with a new level of control,” Set Enterprises Vice President Bree Popp told TDmonthly. “No competitor’s version comes close.” Launch date: 2002.
Inspired by her beloved King Charles, college student Elizabeth Rives created this fun-filled kit for kids and their pets while she was working part-time at Scientific Explorer. Pamper your Dog will have pets woofing with delight over yummy, nutritious dog cupcakes. Children can give their canine friend a healthy scrub with homemade shampoo, brush those long teeth with special doggie toothpaste, and learn the secrets of a great massage for their furry friend, as well as design a unique "dog tag" for an ID. Insights into canine thinking will turn kids into real dog psychologists. The kit "helps teach social responsibility in a fun way," Scientific Explorer's Vice President Susan Rives told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2008.
