February 2012 Notable Toys — All

There’s no dice to roll in Patch’s new version of Farkle. In Farkle Flip™ The Quick-Grabbing, Risk-Taking Card Game™, Patch puts a new spin on the popular family game by turning it into a card game. Players flip cards over, hoping to make combinations to help them win using their own cards or another player’s cards. If a player draws a Farkle, they lose their points for that round. But they can score those Farkle cards later – definitely a new twist on Farkle. Launch date: 2012.

The brightly colored big eyed patriarchs, Mr 'n' Mrs Owl, are large and soft. Their five lively children come as keychains and can be carried around or used as cute, small decorations. Launch date: January 2012.

It’s layer after layer of fun frilly ruffles filled with floral prints and loads of polka dots beneath a pretty embroidered yoke. Each 8” wide bag is the perfect size for little divas to carry all those must-have items. The bag has two wide coordinating print handles embellished with grosgrain ribbon. There are seven new Ruffle Totes to choose from.

Sillos are trendy, fashion-forward purses in the shape of an animal. There are many new styles: bird, elephant, owl, chihuahua, butterflies, and horses! They are sturdy working purses approximately 10" wide with shoulder straps and plastic zippers.  Lots of coordinating patterns and colors with that Douglas touch for "Everygirl!"

This 5½-inch clutch toy features soft pastel colors, and has two petal rings that can be moved up, down and away. Listen for the rustling sound and watch baby’s eyes light up. The plush feel comes from a mix of velour and cotton/polyester. Also available in blue "Kai" style.

This colorful pull toy always makes a happy face and will follow baby wherever s/he wanders. Caterpillar wiggles her whole body when pulled. Made from beech wood, the body of this toy measures 12 inches long.

This red-roofed barn has dual purposes, as a handy farmhouse setting for adventures and later as a carry-all for stored farm toys. The large playset includes Farmer Tim, a tractor, 8 animals including a cat and dog, straw bales, shrubs and fencing. Launch date: 2012.

Meet Mama and her Baby Zoobling. Mama is bigger than most other Zoobles and can hold her baby right inside her belly. Their shared Happitat comes with a hot spot for mom and a bassinet for baby to rest and play when not safely in her Mama’s belly Together they’re always having adventures and looking out for one another. With a Mama and Baby Zoobling the whole family springs to life.

It’s almost time for the Heartlake Dog Show and Mia is getting her puppy groomed and ready. Use the soap, spray bottle and tub to help Mia give her puppy a bath. Brush its hair on the grooming table and dress it up with a pretty bow. Head out to the puppy parade and win a first prize ribbon to hang on the puppy’s house. All of the Lego Friends will be so proud to watch her compete. Includes Mia mini-doll figure and puppy, plate, bone, bows, prizes, spray bottle, soap and brushes. Set features grooming table, tub, puppy house and apple tree.

Emma is dreaming up her next fancy fashion design. Help her to make new stylish designs for all of the Lego Friends. Use her laptop for inspiration and design table with color samples to create fun fashions. She can take photos of her work with the camera. Crank up the tunes with her mp3 player while she creates. Emma has everything she needs to create trendy new dresses and the coolest clothes for all of her friends to wear. Includes Emma mini-doll figure. Accessories include sandwich, cup, ruler, inspiration board and flowers. Features chest of drawers, design table with ruler, desk, laptop, camera, and mp3 player.

Take the Lego Friends fun to the tree tops with Olivia’s Tree House. All of the friends love meeting in this treetop retreat to play games and camp out under the stars. Climb the folding ladders to watch the ladybirds, catch butterflies and feed the cat. Watch the ocean waves or wish on stars through the telescope. Stash secret treasures in the hidden compartment and decorate the whole fort with wildflowers. Includes Olivia mini-doll figure, and features the tree house pet cat Maxie, 4 ladybirds, a bird Goldie with birdhouse, 4 butterflies, hidden compartment and folding ladders.
— As of 02/28/2012 this product had 4.9 out of 5 stars from 19 reviews on Amazon.com.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys

The General of the Hypnobrai snake tribe, Skales, is using mind control to stop Cole from taking the golden Hypnobrai staff with its powerful anti-venom. Counterattack his hypnotic powers with Cole's Tread Assault vehicle. Launch the rock shooter and ninja blades. Flip the Tread Assault vehicle over for a surprise attack. Stop Skales and his mind-controlling minions by grabbing that staff. Includes Cole ZX and Skales minifigures, Tread Assault vehicle, golden Hypnobrai staff, golden scythe and mini-snake.

This is the 6th addition to the game of Dominion. It adds 26 new Kingdom cards to Dominion including 20 Actions 3 Treasures 3 Victory cards and 3 Reactions. The central theme is cards that do something immediately when you buy them or gain them. Dominion: Hinterlands is an expansion and cannot be played by itself; to play with it you need Dominion or a standalone expansion to Dominion (e.g. Dominion: Intrigue). Those provide the Basic cards you need to play (Treasure Victory and Curse cards) as well as the full rules for setup and gameplay. Dominion: Hinterlands can also be combined with any other Dominion expansions.
— As of 1/02/2012 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 10 reviews on Amazon.com.

4 dynamic action images - "picto-verbs" get minds in motion. Roll the dice & the creative problem solving, language learning, and story telling begins. "Once upon a time, a giant LAUGHED..." Rory’s Story Cubes Actions features 9 cubes that illustrate 54 every day verbs. Players can play with them solo or combine them with other sets of Rory’s Story Cubes to kick-start their creativity and set their imagination in motion.
— As of 1/02/2012 this product had 4.4 out of 5 stars from 5 reviews on Amazon.com.

Players beware; getting the answers wrong is a lot harder than getting them right. Get it Wrong to Win is the only game where the objective is to give the WRONG answers to the questions. Players attempt to answer five questions with wrong answers before the timer runs out. But watch out, one correct answer and their turn is over. The player with the most tokens wins.

The popular Brainstring has been turned inside out. Brainstring Revenge is just as knotty as the original, but features a movable ball with a 360° spin that will have users on the ropes. Twist, turn, stretch and slide the puzzle in all directions to unravel the tightly wound knot. Once the strings are completely separated, the puzzle is solved – no strings attached.

Children use their building skills to create machines, buildings, robots, and more from their imagination. Easy to grasp Magic Brix assist children with fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, logic, creativity and sensory awareness. Just put two blocks together and apply pressure to connect them. The littlest kids can create houses, vehicles, animals, or whatever their minds dream up.

This set includes 41 magnetic geometric shapes that can be creatively combined to animal shapes, people, patterns, and more. The set includes 24 design suggestions cards to get the creative juices flowing.

Thanks to the pre-cut wooden pieces budding craftsmen have immediate construction pleasure without having to do any sawing. Thanks to the easy to read instructions assembling the pieces is very simply. The construction sets bring physics within easy reach and are real fun to assemble, and then to observe and test the results. More than 50 wooden pieces to glue and assemble together (3 mm strong waterproof plywood), 2 plastic swimming elements, 3 plastic bushings, 5 propulsion rubbers, glue.

This kid sized Ukulele from the Hohner Kids line, all wood ukulele with real tropical sound is 21" long and includes instruction book. The Kohala is a little bit of a step up in quality and materials but essentially the same look and size as the HOH029.

Himeji Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle complex located in Himeji in Hyogo Prefecture. It is regarded as the finest surviving example of 17th century Japanese castle architecture.  It comprises a network of 83 buildings with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period. The castle is frequently known as Hakurojo ("White Egret Castle") or Shirasagijo  ("White Heron Castle") because of its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight. More than 2,000 pieces.

Rapid reflex is a card game that challenges players to match images, colors, and left/right directions. Players take turns reading the action cards. The first player to slap the color that correctly matches the action card, with the correct hand, gets to keep the card. The first player to collect one card of each color wins.

Adapted from the CLEAR program, this colorfully illustrated book emphasizes the art production skills of cutting and folding paper, sculpting, weaving, printmaking, and more and introduces masterworks created by artists from different backgrounds and cultures. This encourages students to learn about art history and to develop aesthetic perception and the ability to evaluate and discriminate between different art forms. Each activity covers materials, the procedures step-by-step, and related vocabulary. 8-1/2 x 11 in. Over 300 color illus. Grades K-8. 112 pages, paperback.

Lyla Tov Monsters are one of a kind, plush monsters. They are intended to make kids less afraid of monsters, after kids see how cute and cuddly they can be. "Lyla Tov Monsters' original design was by 3 year old (now 5) Lyla Black. The form and intent of the monsters is perfect for children as it was designed by one of their own," Eric Black, owner of Lyla Tov Monsters, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2010.