November 2008 Notable Toys — All

A member of the current line of collectible Beanie Babies from Ty, Boomer is a caramel-colored plush pup with darker ears and a spot around one eye. He has a soft, bean-filled body, shiny plastic eyes and nose, and wears a ribbon collar around his neck. 
—  “Beanie Babies are still sold,” Chuck Susmilch, owner of JT Puffins in Madison, Wis., told TDmonthly.
—  Six percent of 64 retailers said in August 2008 that Beanie Babies continue to be a mainstay of their sales in collectibles.

The World of Elves line from Schleich brings a fanciful air to the carefully detailed figurines that Schleich has been producing for many years. In the World of Elves, a great battle between good and evil is played out between the Sun elves and the Shadow elves.  The wolf-riding character Jaro adds to an extensive host of characters for children to collect and illustrate their own creative stories with. Launch date: Spring 2008.
—  “The Schleich Fairy line has done very well,” said Jackie Englehart, assistant manager at Great Rocky Mountain Toy Company in Bozeman, Mont.
—  “We sell a lot of Schleich,” said Wallace Harvey, buyer and manager at Three Cheeky Monkeys in Los Angeles, Calif., when TDmonthly asked about his best-selling collectible toys.
—  Margy Peine, owner of Tree House Toys in Cumberland, Md., said in August 2008 that she sells an average of 100 Schleich animals and knights per month.

Breyer’s Bluegrass Bandit model is a replica of a champion Tennessee Walking Horse of the same name. The 1:9 scale sculpture is hand painted with great attention to detail, and no two are exactly alike. Bluegrass Bandit is part of Beyer’s Traditional line.
—  “I sell a lot of Breyer horses … 20 to 30 per month. We're in horse country,” explained Mike DiAndrea, manager of The Hardware Centre in Paoli, Pa.
—  “People are still into collecting them,” added Greg Bonner, owner of Heights Toy Center in Little Rock, Ark.
—  Retailers reported average sales of 20 Breyer horses per month to TDmonthly in August 2008.

This highly detailed figurine is hand-painted and historically accurate. Almost all Papo Figurines can stand on their own or ride any of the horses. "The concept of creative imaginative play continues to be something that retailers and parents are very pleased with," Larry Hotaling, president of Hotaling Imports, Papo’s U.S. distributor, told TDmonthly. "It’s something that’s [otherwise] lacking with today’s children ... Papo’s been very well received." Launch date: April 2008.
—  “They're popular because they're cool. [Kids] can play with them alone, or here in the store.  They'll sit down on the playmat and they'll set up their guys, and they'll have wars,” said Linda Angel, owner of Kidoodles Toys in Norman, Okla., of the popularity of her Papo figurines. “The girls are buying the princess fantasy and fairy tale figures. And when they're not playing with them they make great room art and [the kids] can display them.”
—  Eight percent of 64 retailers named Papo as their best-selling line of collectibles in August 2008.

This family of cute, flocked cat figurines, all with names and characters in the storyline of Cloverleaf Corners — the neighborhood where International Playthings’ Calico Critters live — comes with a mother, a father and two babies, all just the right size for the wide variety of accessories and friends included in the series.
—  “[They’re] nice imagination toys,” said Jackie Englehart, assistant manager of Great Rocky Mountain Toy Company in Bozeman, Mont. “[They] also have a variety of price points and little kits, so you can go all or small.”
—  Of 64 retailers surveyed by TDmonthly in August 2008, 8 percent named Calico Critters as their best-selling collectible toy.
— “Calico Critters continue to develop new characters and play sets, and … provide what I feel is much-needed imaginative play,” said Joe Berardoni, Sr. of Pun’s Toy Store in Bryn Mawr, Penn. in October 2008.

Designed to allow kids to express their feelings through art, this activity book explores a different feeling for every letter of the alphabet and encourages use of the imagination.

More than 50 pages of activities are included in this book by Margaret M. Connery-Boyd and Brendan F. Fitzgerald. It allows kids to color pictures of players Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter as well as Yankee Stadium, and includes crossword puzzles, word searches and games about the team.

This camouflage tank is part of the brand's Extreme Metal Series.

Medium weight cotton apron with "Best Cook ... Hands Down" printed on the apron. Includes paints for handprints, directions, and a gift card.

Quality heavyweight 100-percent cotton t-shirt with "Best Mom .... Hands Down!" printed on the shirt. T-Shirt also includes paints to add handprints on the t-shirt, directions and a gift card.

Quality heavyweight 100% cotton t-shirt with "Best Dad .... Hands Down!" printed on the shirt. T-Shirt also includes paints to add handprints onto the t-shirt, directions, and a gift card.

This African version of the Good Samaritan story is written by Kunle Oguneye and illustrated by Bruce McCorkindale. When a fish, stork and elephant come up with excuses for not helping an old woman whose clothes have fallen into the river, Sikulu the spider and Harambe the hippo come to her rescue and are surprised to be rewarded for their help.

Based on the official Ninja Gaiden II box artwork and in-game 3D model, First 4 Figures has captured Ryu Hayabusa's intensity and deadly demeanor from the Xbox 360 video game Ninja Gaiden II. In Ninja Gaiden II, Ryu must battle the evil Black Spider Ninja clan and Four Greater Fiends to avenge the honor of the Hayabusa Clan and protect Humanity from destruction. The base of the statue is covered in artificial grass and features Ryu walking through a graveyard of swords from fallen warriors. He comes equipped with his signature Dragon Sword, Eclipse Scythe, and a Falcon's Talon. At 1/4 scale, Ryu stands at 18 inches tall and when you include his Eclipse Scythe, he stands at 31 inches tall. Limited to 1,999 pieces worldwide. Comes in deluxe full color packaging, hand numbered base, and includes a Certificate of Authenticity

First 4 Figures has used the official game files in order to create an extremely accurate recreation of the Phazon suit worn by Samus Aran in the Metroid Prime series, with pose inspiration taken from official Metroid artwork. The Phazon Suit is awarded after defeating the Omega Pirate and has a black and red color scheme. The original Varia suit model was reengineered to make the Phazon suit by casting it entirely in transparent resin, adding over 25 LED lights through the suit and finished it off by adding a mirror base which really shows off the lights. When the lights are turned off, an internal IC chip allows for the lights to fade out slowly. The statue is hand finished and hand painted with metallic paints to give an authentic representation of the suits. Comes packed in a foam interior full colored box with a card of authenticity. The Phazon Suit is highly limited at just 1500 pieces worldwide.

First 4 Figures is proud to present a new collection of models based on the classic Sonic the Hedgehog line, starting off with the 12 inch Sonic the Hedgehog statue. Sonic the Hedgehog burst onto the scene in 1991 and in super sonic speed went on to become Sega's mascot. Sonic is full of speed and attitude and spinning abilities that allows him to out-maneuver and stop Dr. Robotnik's evil plans of world domination. This Sonic the Hedgehog statue has been recreated from the official artwork from the classic games. The base of the model has been inspired by the first level in the first game, the Green Hill Zone, complete with a grass top and recognizable checker board base. Comes in deluxe full color packaging, hand numbered base, and includes an Authenticity Card which allows you to purchase the same number of the model next in the Classic Sonic the Hedge hog series. Limited to 3,000 pieces worldwide.

At the beginning of the Ocarina of Time, Link unsuccessfully tried to save the Great Deku Tree from the evil curse placed by Ganondorf. However, with the help of his fairy companion Navi and a host of other friendly faces, he sets out on an adventure across time to banish the evil forces of Ganondorf from Hyrule. Cast in high quality poly-stone, this Adult Link from the Legend of Zelda: the Ocarina of Time statue is hand finished and hand painted. Not only has Adult Link been faithfully recreated, but so has the Master Sword and Hylian Shield. Stands upon a diorama base and includes a dungeon map and dungeon key for added realism. His pose shows him winding up for his signature spin attack. This statue is highly limited at only 2,500 pieces available worldwide.

Just as fun for adults as it is for kids, Cranium Family Edition features activities that challenge adults, too. From balancing cubes on elbows to deciding what the most popular pet was in ancient Egypt, kids and parents alike will celebrate the wacky collaboration that results from the outrageous activities teams are asked to complete. To play, teams work together to race around the board by completing a mix of classic and all-new CRANIUM activities, including sketching, acting, solving word and picture puzzles, completing scavenger hunts, sculpting with purple Cranium Clay and more.  The Data Head in your family will love guessing how many NFL teams are named after birds and trying to remember the first five gifts in “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” while the Creative Cat will enjoy sculpting a turtle out of Cranium Clay or attempting to draw a palm tree with their eyes closed.  Launch: 2008.

Baby Loves Music is proud to announce the release of "Baby Loves Salsa", a CD and colorful book featuring real salsa music by amazing artists under the direction of band leader and singer Jose Condé and produced by Grammy Award winning producer Aaron Levinson of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. Baby Loves Salsa family concerts have already taken place this year at Central Park, Miami’s Bicentennial Park and San Francisco ’s Golden Gate Park. The new book and CD feature a fanciful menagerie of characters – “Lalo el Largo," “Chico Chocolate,” “Arsenio Ruff Ruff” and “Celia La Cruz,” among other cleverly drawn Baby Loves Salsa band members, whose voices are actually those of acclaimed musicians and vocalists from various Caribbean countries. From the first track, “Somos la Banda,” to the danceable tunes “Vamos a la Playa” (Let’s Go to the Beach”) and “Mi Familia es la Musica” (“Music is My Family”), the songs will engage everyone in the family with their irresistible melodies and rhythms. Launch date: September 30, 2008.

The goal of this game for one or more players is to pull the bone-shaped blocks out of the lower portion of the tower, stacking the bones as high as possible without the tower falling over.

Two-inch-tall Birdie Girl is an eligible bachelorette with fresh breath and no signs of aging. She is designed by Tummie.

In this game for two or more players, each tries to match the drink displayed on the rolled dice to create the ideal martini for the win. Players can spill drinks or take them away, or even call for a Bartender Challenge to challenge an opponent for the win. Launch date: 2008.

In this game for three or more players, each team tries to guess a famous name as they're given up to four clues. More points are earned for guessing the name with fewer clues given. The first team to 300 points wins. Launch date 2008.

In this challenging game for two or more players, each participant is given five words on a card and must form a story using them in just a minute and a half. The first player to get to 300 points wins. Launch date: 2008.

After the potion dice are rolled, it is the goal of the two to four players/apprentices to be the first to create the potion as instructed. They must be careful, though, as some apprentices may steal ingredients, change the recipe altogether or even spill the cauldron. The game comes with 52 cards, four dice, 20 token, a token bag and a cauldron. Launch date: 2008.