February 2012 Notable Toys — All

GameChanger is an electronic, multiplayer game board that works with the iPad.  Featuring interactive animation and sound, GameChanger adds a whole new dimension to the traditional board game by creating a different experience every time you play. Kids are given the option of playing 6 different games; The Magic School Bus® from Scholastic or Animal Mania, plus 4 action games. The iPad simply slides into the GameChanger cradle, and one of the included game skins can be placed on top of the board.  Parents can download the App, which is free with GameChanger purchase. The game pieces themselves interact with the iPad, which asks questions and assigns tasks, so players always know whose turn it is. A “spin” of the wheel on the iPad lets players move their pawn across the game board. Since the game board and the iPad are connected, all game play is completely guided and tracked. Launch date: February 12, 2012.

Great for backpacks and carry-ons, this fun and friendly, go-anywhere travel buddy puts an international twist on the message of friendship. Globe Clip keeps bracelet in place during knotting. Numbered slots keep threads organized for written and video instructions featured online. Slide-out drawer features 20 pre-cut Prism® threads in 10 different colors. Easy instructions included. Launch date: February 12, 2012.

FirstBIKE is a developmental training bike which enhances motor skills, builds confidence, and teaches proper two wheel balance and cornering. FirstBIKE Balance Bikes do not use a drivetrain- there are no pedals or cranks, no chain or sprocket, and no training wheels. Deleting these complicated parts makes it possible for children to safely reach both feet flat to the ground on a much lighter weight bike, giving them a boost in control and self-confidence. Feet are used as stabilizers, for propulsion and for braking. Children as young as two years old can use FirstBIKE Balance Bikes and benefit from the fast-track program of two-wheeled riding. Training wheels make it impossible for children to feel the sensation of balance. They also prevent children from leaning their bikes in the direction of a turn because training wheels hold the bike fixed in a vertical position.

The new Handy Science Kits, exclusively from GeoCentral, will have kids learning from real science experiments. There are four different kits including Water, Color, Magnetism and Light. Each kit includes 6 experiments that strengthen a child's powers of observation while being interactive and fun. The Water Handy Science Kit teaches experiments like how to make fish swim, float objects and explore paper. With the Magnetism Handy Science kit you can do experiments like navigate through a magnetic maze, attract objects through water or build force fields. The Color Handy Science Kit teaches how to change colors, make colorful super bubbles and make rainbows. The Light Handy Science Kit teaches how to use the sun to tell time, magnify objects or block light. Launch date: 2012.

Two of boys' most popular toys - dinosaurs and vehicles - have been brought together to create a unique 2-in-1 play experience with VTech's Switch & Go Dinos. Each toy transforms from a dinosaur to a vehicle and back again in a few simple steps. Each comes equipped with an LCD screen for customized animation, dinosaur and vehicle sound effects and educational dinosaur facts. The line features seven unique and collectible dinosaur toys. Launch date: February 10, 2012.
— As of 10/30/2012 this product had 4.6 out of 5 stars from 43 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Durable; easy for kids to make the transformation happen; sounds change between dinosaur noises and car noises, depending on which form the toy is in. Cons: One reviewer said the toy was too noisy.

Prepare for take-off with this pocket-sized, take-anywhere, air-powered rocket launcher that blasts foam rockets 50 feet. Real rocket launch action that’s safe for indoors and out. Launch date: Spring 2012.

Players give their brains a spin in the right direction and put all the twisted puzzle pieces on the game board. It looks easy until they realize that there are pegs that are in the way. And players can only put a playing piece over a peg if both are the same color. 100 challenges ranging from easy to extremely difficult. It's compact, so it's an ideal brain snack while on the go.
—  Paula Bolte, owner of Imaginations Toy & Furniture Co. in Blacksburg, Va., told TDmonthly in a February 2012 survey about best selling games that "Over Christmas time, IQTwist did well. Getting a big display of it and playing with it in the store helped."

Now kids can re-create the sound of a steam locomotive's whistle with this wooden train whistle. It's four chambers give it a rich, realistic sounding whistle while its chunky design is ideal for little hands to grip. Makes a great accessory for a child's train set or dress-up engineer's costume.
— In a February 2012 survey about wooden toys, Meghan Porter, owner of Charleston Child in Charleston, S.C., told TDmonthly that they sell more than 20 units of this item each month. “There's nowhere else in town” that has them, she said.

Brightly colored wooden sail boats. Assorted numbered boats, from one to six.
— In a February 2012 survey, two of 14 retailers said that Toysmith is their bestselling brand for wooden toys.

Detailed, brightly colored pictures encourage 1 1/2 - 3 years old to complete these 9-piece wooden puzzles, each with a different theme. Our level 2 puzzles help children learn to group like items and expand their vocabulary. Constructed with smaller knobs than Level 1 puzzles, each piece is easy to hold and promotes the development of fine motor skills.
—  Linda Laramy, owner of Crackerjacks in Easton, Md., told TDmonthly in a 2012 survey that puzzles from Small World Toys are their bestselling wooden toys.

Clear hardwood Flip Tops will flip right over onto their stem if they are spinned fast enough. These tops are not recommended for kids under six as they haven't yet developed the proper dexterity to get the tops to work. Flip Tops measure approximately 1-1/4" diameter by 1-3/4" tall.
— In a February 2012 survey about wooden toys, Dean Smith, owner of JaZams in Princeton, N.J., told TDmonthly that these tops were their bestseller. They sell 15-20 units each month.

These cubes are a fun variation of a familiar form that are similar to other stacking blocks but have more graphics and characters. These blocks are very colorful. There is one animal for each box so it can be used for matching. The boxes nest for easy storage. The coated heavy cardboard is very durable and very brightly printed. The adorable animals and characters are made of soft PVC and are washable. In addition, each piece uses all sides for different motifs, so the sets are open-ended. For 18 months and up.
— In a February 2012 survey about bestselling wooden toys, Barbara Fineblum, owner of Barston's Child's Play in Baltimore, Md., told TDmonthly they sell 12 units of this item each month.

With this set, kids can practice counting, numbers and stacking. Includes 15 jumbo popcorn pieces to count into 5 different-size bowls (printed with numbers 1–5). Bowls nest to store—largest measures 21/4”H x 43/4” in diameter. Launch date: February 2012.

Measuring madness is coming to the kitchen. Enticing, chunky tools are contoured for little hands. Scale, bowl, 3 self-standing spoons and 6 unique cup designs help children visualize quantities as they make mystery goo, puffy paint, slime and more. Activity Cards included. Launch date: February 2012.

The Tribute Kendama is a Japanese wooden skill toy that challenges hand-eye coordination, focus, balance, and creativity. Enjoyed by millions in Japan, its only recently been introduced into the USA thanks to KendamaUSA. " It is the only Kendama designed so that the cups can never fall off the handle, which is the #1 customer complaint with copy-cat brands," Jeremy Stephenson, president of Kendama USA, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2007.
Awards: 2012 ASTRA Toy of the Year Award Nominee
— David Castillo, vice president of The Red Balloon Toy Store in Salt Lake City, Utah, told TDmonthly in a November 2014 survey that Kendamas, especially ones from Kendama USA, are one of their store's best-selling toys.

Twenty designs featuring feathered friends and their swine foes. Each pack comes with high gloss finish dog tag, ball chain and two Angry Birds sticker sets. Launch date: March 2012.

The Build-a-Bear experience in an all new mini format. A dozen BABW favorites come packed with T-shirt, customizer sticker set, heart and ceremony, trading cards and collector's activity guide with online code for items on bearville.com.

X-Wing is a tactical ship-to-ship combat game in which players take control of powerful Rebel X-wings and nimble Imperial TIE fighters, facing them against each other in fast-paced space combat. Featuring detailed hand painted miniatures, X-Wing recreates exciting Star Wars space combat throughout its several included scenarios. The X-Wing starter set includes everything players need to begin their battles, such as scenarios, cards, and fully assembled and painted ships. Launch date: Q2 2012.

Hey, That’s My Fish! is an engaging, award-winning board game of strategic fish hunting, in which 2-4 players control determined penguins hungry for their next meal on a bustling Antarctic ice floe. Since Hey, That’s My Fish! was originally published in 2003, it has become widely popular as an engrossing and strategic board game for casual family and tactical play. Hey, That’s My Fish! includes 60 hexagons to create an ice floe with new artwork renditions of fish, 1 rules sheet, and 16 newly sculpted colorful and animated penguin miniatures.

This two-toed BABY SLOTH PUPPET is taking it easy and wants to be carried everywhere. This fascinating creature comes from the rain forest. BABY SLOTH PUPPET measures 15-inches tall. Launch date: 2012.

This adorable NIBBLING MOUSE PUPPET sits coveting his wee wedge of cheese. His rotating head is always on the lookout for cheese thieves. NIBBLING MOUSE PUPPET measures 6-inches tall. Launch date: 2012.

This big cuddly AMERICAN ALLIGATOR PUPPET will swamp kids with affection. This realistically rendered puppet, with soft plastic teeth, is a life-size 31-inches long. Launch date: 2012.

Our Eco Green Acrylic Paints come in 54 vibrant colors and are "NO-VOC", or "LO-VOC" products that do not bring toxic fumes and chemicals into the studio, school room or play area. Launch date: January 2012.

The Eco Crayon is a completely natural crayon that is made with all natural ingredients, and does NOT contain any petroleum wax, oil or other toxic ingredient.  The Eco Crayons are currently available in two sizes, a 4-pack (MSRP $.79) and a 24-pack (MRSP $2.99). Launch date: January 2012.