New & Notable Toys: Play Houses

X9 Rocket by PLAYHUT INC.
Kids can blast off on a cosmic journey in the Playhut X9 Rocket play structure, which is comprised of a large, shuttle-shaped play hut and two 20” tunnels. It has multiple tunnel ports for crawl-through fun and structure expansion, and EZ Twist technology allows for instant set-up and quick-fold down for convenient storage. It received a 2009 Outstanding Products iParenting Media Award. Launch date: July 2009. 8/19/2009 (Price: $29.99; Age: 3 to 8) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Kids Crooked House - Pirate Ship Playhouse by KIDS CROOKED HOUSE
Kids Crooked House can customize a playhouse specifically to the interests or needs of a child. Custom-designed playhouses are handcrafted and built to individual requirements. Parents can turn to the company's existing designs for inspiration or ask their kids (or inner kid) to describe their dream playhouse. Launch date: June 2009. 7/17/2009 (Price: $7300.00; Age: 1 to 12) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Le Cafe by TIME TO PLAY CORPORATION LIMITED
Le Cafe is the perfect place to share a cup of coffee or tea. This 48' x 48" x 70" playhouse features an awning, roll-out patio and swinging front door with a roll-up window. The cover is made of high-quality polyester in bright, vibrant colors. Shock-corded poles make for easy set up and storage. It includes an apron. Launch date: January 4, 2008. 8/27/2008 (Price: $49.99; Age: 3 to Adult) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Lilach Doll House by PASTEL TOYS
This two-floor, open-plan doll house with a base and slanting roof features window openings at the back. It is styled from composite wood (MDF) and comes with sanded corners that give it a traditional look. Dimensions are 69 cm H x 30 cm D x 60 cm W. Launch date: 2006.
Display Ideas: Display with a few items of doll furniture that will show off the versatility of the layout. 7/18/2008 (Price: $97.00; Age: 1 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Crawlerpillar by INSECT LORE

My 1st Wooden Doll House by PLAN TOYS
This 1:12 scale wooden dollhouse includes four rooms and a balcony, and comes with tools for assembly. It measures 24.8" L x 14.2" D x 23"H.
— “We cycle out what we carry year to year — right now we have a Plan dollhouse,” Tina Schwindt of Fairhaven Toy Garden in Bellingham, Wash., said when asked in June 2008 about top-selling furniture and playhouses.
— “Plan Toys — not selling a lot right now, given the time of year; generally, I’ll sell six rooms a month. … As we get into fall, [we] will expand [the line] a lot more; it’s a line we love and their dollhouses are great,” Jerome Crawford, owner of Crawdaddy’s Toys in Lafayette, Calif., told TDmonthly.
— When asked about best-selling furniture and playhouse items, three of 62 retailers told TDmonthly that they carry dollhouses by Plan Toys. There was some concern, though, about slow sales at the time of the interviews, in early summer 2008. ( Watch Video) 7/10/2008 (Age: 3 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Ryan's Room Carry 'n' Play Dollhouse by SMALL WORLD TOYS
Outfitted with magnetic closures, this portable dollhouse with a wooden handle comes with a kitchen unit, a table, a rug, a fireplace, a sofa and other accessories.
— “We sell playhouses — wood playhouses from Ryan's Room,” Kathy Goeddy, manager of JaZams in Pennington, N.J., told TDmonthly when asked about best-selling furniture and playhouses in June 2008.
— One other retailer, out of 62, mentioned dollhouses from Ryan’s Room as a top-selling item in that category.
— The Ryan’s Room brand offers several different styles of wooden dollhouses. 7/10/2008 (Price: $80.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Snuggle-Kins Sparkling Moves Nursery by FISHER-PRICE INC.
With this jungle-inspired nursery little girls can role-play as mom to an adorable stuffed monkey. The monkey can coo, suck on a pacifier and go to sleep like a real baby. The nursery also includes a butterfly, dancing lights and soothing lullabies. 10/11/2007 (Price: $39.99; Age: 3 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Circus Tent by BAZOONGI KIDS
Our Circus Tent is fun with vibrant colors for hours of indoor and outdoor play. 9/21/2007 (Price: $124.99; Age: 3 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Tent Combo Set by SCHYLLING
This combo set includes two colorful pop-up tents that pop up and down in seconds, plus a sturdy polyester tunnel that connects them. It includes hold-down pegs and a “Go Anywhere Bag.” 7/6/2007 (Price: $59.90; Age: 3 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Super Fort by CRANIUM INC.
Kids can supercharge their imagination with Cranium's Super Fort building system. Hundreds of structures can be built with the Super Fort, including submarines, fantasy castles and more. The fort can be built safely and easily using quick-snap magnetic connectors and foam tubes, and it comes with floor and fabric panels, clips and large and small storage bags.
— "Probably the best [play house] we've got going now is the Super Fort from Cranium," said Dan Willis, owner of Communique Toys in Seattle. "We probably sell a couple a month.”
— Two of 62 retailers TDmonthly spoke with in spring 2007 specifically cited Cranium forts when asked about customer favorites in play houses and furniture. 
— “As opposed to fantasy-based play delivered by traditional small-scale construction toys, Super Fort delivers a stronger role-play experience where kids can actually climb into the ‘rocket’ they just built, for example,” said Cranium Head of the Hive Heather Snavely. 6/15/2007 (Price: $39.99)

Deluxe Wooden Fold & Go Dollhouse by MELISSA & DOUG
The Fold & Go is a roomy portable dollhouse that features working doors, two flexible wooden play figures, 11 wooden furniture pieces and easy-access design, as well as a convenient carrying handle. It's an adorable "mobile home" that's solid, lightweight and built to last. The Fold & Go measures 11.5" x 16" x 10" and weighs 6 lbs.
— "We have a Melissa & Doug Fold & Go Dollhouse that does real well for us," said Joel Hardy, owner of Magpie Toys in Red Lodge, Mont., when asked about play house favorites in his store.
— Seventeen of 62 retailers TDmonthly spoke with in spring 2007 cited Melissa & Doug when asked about play house and furniture favorites with their customers.
— Lynn Robillard told TDmonthly in summer 2007 that Melissa & Doug wooden items are top sellers at her store, Toys in the Attic in Manchester, Vt., for many reasons: They are non-toxic and the company is diverse, including “arts and crafts, magnetic dolls and a huge array of everything imaginable.”  6/15/2007 (Price: $29.99; Age: 3 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Doorway Playhouse by THE STEP2 COMPANY
Turn any room into a playhouse with this unique playset. This indoor "playhouse" can be used in a doorway or freestanding to create a playhouse as big as your child's imagination. “We just make sure that things are very bright and colorful,” Jacklyn Warrick, marketing coordinator for Lumisource, said of the company’s furniture. 5/22/2007 (Price: $59.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Fashion Dollhouse Set by KIDKRAFT
Perfectly sized for most fashion dolls, this large dollhouse is filled with wooden furniture, and is brightly finished in trendy colors of hot pink, lime and lavender. The fashion dollhouse set includes a secret attic under the flip-top roof, three floors (excluding attic) including living room, kitchen, den, bedroom and bathroom, and 18 pieces of wooden furniture, some with fabric detail. The house weighs 39 lbs. and measures 32 ½” x 13 ½” x 51” H.
― Kelly Rummelhart of Ruby Q’s in Gridley, Calif., told TDmonthly in spring 2007 that she’s had “great experiences” with KidKraft. 1/9/2007 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Space Module by PACIFIC PLAY TENTS INC
Kids can let their imaginations “take off” in this play space module, which is decorated with exciting graphics. It comes with 2 roll-up “hatch flaps” for secret access, and a roll-up entry door for easy passage, with zipper and Velcro on the front door. The tent is made of 70 Denier nylon 190T with PE-coated fiberglass shock-corded poles. It features a durable, washable floor. The tent measures 48” x 48” x 44” high. A carry bag is included. 10/26/2006 (Age: 3 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Tattletale Tudor by LILLIPUT PLAYHOUSES INC.
The premier designer of children's play homes is proud to introduce the Gold Kit Series, a fun and economical way to own a Lilliput Play Home. The Tattletale Tudor is a Cotswold-inspired playhouse that features brick- and stone-look walls, criss-cross trim and an eye-catching cedar roof. The always-popular Dutch door is the crowning accent to this picturesque 8' L x 6' D x 9' H play home. Features include an interior loft, operable aluminum windows, no-rot polyurethane trim, window boxes, cedar roofing and Dutch door. It’s easy to assemble with pre-cut, pre-painted panels. 9/22/2006 (Price: $3499.00; Age: 2 to 10) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Color It! Cardboard Playhouse – SpongeBob SquarePants by TOY PLAY
This unique playhouse allows kids to color in their favorite characters - and then build their own playhouse, decorated with their designs! Made of durable cardboard and styled in iconic shapes, it comes with five colorful markers for little artists. Color It! Playhouses are available for Dora the Explorer, The Backyardigans, SpongeBob SquarePants, Blue’s Room, Care Bears, Koala Brothers, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, Tonka, Groovy Girls and a generic race car. Color It! Furniture is also available. 2/22/2006 (Price: $12.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Aerobloks Starter Kit by TINKER MINDS INC.
This set of five durable, inflatable blocks comes in a mixture of translucent fruity colors. Once inflated, the pieces can easily be put together and taken apart to create such fun pretend spaces as a tent, castle, or even a ball box — as long as one can find enough rubber balls to fill it up. This imaginative toy is part construction, part pretend. Many other sets are available to allow kids to construct and deconstruct as far as their imaginations will allow. Designed for easy storage and portability, the blocks can be deflated so they do not take up permanent space. THIS ITEM IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.  READ MOM REVIEW 11/2/2005 (Price: $52.99; Age: 4 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

SoftWalls 7-Piece Set by EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS INC.
SoftWalls are inflatable panels with Velcro-lined edges that allow the user to connect the pieces and build a variety of playful structures. The panels come in different colors and sizes, and are made of durable nylon. Pieces can be inflated manually, or with a separate electric pump. Sure beats the old sofa cushion fort!  9/14/2005 (Price: $199.99; Age: 3 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Super Fort by RIGHT BRAIN (BIG BOING)
Super Fort is the all-in-one fort making system that allows kids to create secret spaces and cool places, then climb inside their own world of fantasy. The Super Fort system uses flexible, fun foam noodles and a magnetic connecting system for easy assembly. And, each set includes "skins" (some with windows) to cover the structure to complete the kids´ Super Fort creation.  6/30/2005 (Price: $49.99; Age: 3 to 9) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Inflatable Dark Attractions by ScAir Structures, Inc.
These 1000 square foot haunted houses inflate like a jumper, but do not have a bouncy floor. They are easy to transport to most any destination and are great for wicked little parties - even when it´s not Halloween. 12/29/2004 (Price: $8995)

Teton Log Cabin Playhouse™ by KIDZBUILT
The process of building our playhouses stimulates your child´s imagination and encourages interactive play in addition to helping them develop important skills and self confidence.  9/1/2004 (Price: $109.99; Age: 4 to 12) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

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