November 2008 Notable Toys — All

Kids can build an army of Clone Troopers with this set, which includes four figurines plus a blaster turret and speeder bike.
— Dean Smith, Owner of JaZams in Princeton, N.J., told TDmonthly in late Spring 2011 that he sells "at least" 20 of these LEGO sets each month.
— As of 05/13/2011 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 20 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Detailed; the speeder vehicle included is fun and seats two clones; good for travel because of their smaller scale. Cons: One reviewer complained there weren't enough figures included in the set.
— "Every time there's a new Star Wars LEGO, it blows right out the door," Joe Berardoni, owner of Pun's Toy Shop in Bryn Mawr, Pa., told TDmonthly in September 2008. He and one other retailer, out of 63 polled, mentioned LEGO when discussing best-selling products.
— “Star Wars Lego has been insane at our store,” said Michelle Smith of Piccolo Mondo Toys in Portland, Ore., at the end of 2008.

This world-class MONOPOLY game for two to six players take participants to global cities on six continents. Each player has a MONOPOLY credit card, plus a digital device that acts as a bank to track the balance. It requires two AA batteries (not included).

Large size classic wooden jigsaw puzzle, measuring 13" x 18.5"; 496 pieces.  Heirloom quality puzzle featuring dozens of winter-related and other figural pieces.  Vintage Swiss Alps ski poster.  Liberty Puzzles offers over 200 different puzzle images, from fine art to vintage prints and posters.

Children's classic wooden jigsaw puzzle, measuring 9" x 12"; 104 pieces.  Heirloom quality puzzle featuring numerous figural pieces.  Part of our Little Liberty puzzle line, designed with larger pieces for children's skill level.

This large-size, classic wooden jigsaw puzzle, measuring 13" x 19", includes 479 pieces.  Heirloom quality puzzle featuring dozens of circus-related and other figural pieces. Box cover image is taken from an early 20th Century toy set.  Hours of fun for the entire family!

Small sized classic wooden jigsaw puzzle, measuring 5.5" x 9"; 104 pieces.  Heirloom quality puzzle featuring holiday-themed figural pieces (Santa, toys, reindeer, etc.).  Comes in small craft box, perfect stocking stuffer size.

Pop-up Christmas Album celebrates Christmas through various themes of Christmas decorated with personal photographs of friends and family. This pop-up photo album holds 38 4" x 6" landscape photographs set on 5 thematic pop-up spreads. Each photograph frame is double layered, like a small book, allowing for two photographs to be inserted into each one. The top photograph when lifted reveals the one beneath it, and waiting inside each frame are little hidden surprise pop-ups.

This baby photo album holds 41 4" x 6" landscape photographs. Each photograph frame is double layered, like a small book, allowing for two photographs to be inserted into each one. The top photograph when lifted reveals the one beneath it, and waiting inside each frame are little hidden surprise pop-ups.

The Pop-Up Baby Memory Book is the companion book to the Pop-up Baby Photo Album. Titled "Where Do Babies Come From?" this new book plays on the title by depicting classic stories told to little children about the birth of a baby, it is a unique keepsake for recording memorable moments in baby's life. Represented are tales such as "babies are brought by the stork," "found under a cabbage leaf," "hatched out of eggs," or "babies are bought at the store".

During a weekend road trip up the California coast, the girls new car (a totally tricked-out, gadget-filled gift from Jerry to celebrate their newfound super-spiedom) breaks down in a seemingly idyllic gated coastal town called Ocean Palisades or the O.P. for short. Until they meet the teens who seem too perfect to be true.

Collected from the first three Hardy Boys comics, here's the complete saga of Frank and Joe's adventure in the war-torn Middle Eastern land of Osyria! After rescuing Jackpot, a kidnapped prize-winning racehorse, Frank and Joe are stunned to return to Bayport and discover that the Department of International Security has arrested their best friend, Chet Morton, for stealing a priceless art treasure! The Hardy Boys decide the only way to clear the friend is to journey to the Middle East and find the Ocean of Osyria themselves. Plus: a preview of "Identity Theft", their next adventure. By Scott Lobdell & Lea Hernandez.

Manga-style mystery and suspense with everyone’s favorite Girl Detective! Nancy, and her BFFs Bess and George, encounter lions, tigers, and scares when they investigate a missing cat mystery. But when the authorities learn exactly how many cats eccentric old Mrs. Eartha keeps in her house, they are forced to remove most of them because of the health code violations. But Hell hath no fury as a cat-woman scorned! That’s when Nancy, Bess, and George run into escaped lions and tigers in the woods and a deadly cat and mouse game ensues. By Stefan Petrucha and Sarah Kinney. Illustrated by Sho Murase.

Based on the Best-Selling constructible Action Figure from LEGO! Six mighty heroes — the Toa — arrive on a tropical island to find a land under siege. The Great Spirit Mata Nui has been cast into an unending sleep by the evil Makuta. Now Makuta is attacking the island's Matoran villagers with vicious Rahi beasts. The Toa must combine their skills and elemental and mask powers to defeat Makuta and restore peace to the island. By writer Greg Farshtey. Illustrated by Randy Elliott and Richard Bennett.

On this 30-minute personalized DVD, blue-haired Billy speaks directly to the child who owns the DVD, educating him or her as he interacts with wild animals and encourages use of the imagination. A non-personalized version is also available. "We have over 400 unique names in stock, so product ships within 48 hours," Kris Olson, president of Kayo Media LLC, told TDmonthly.  This product received an iParenting Media Award. Launch date: October 14, 2008.

The 30 multi-part miniatures included in this kit are made of hard plastic and stand 28mm tall. They come with 15, full-color shield stickers and are unpainted and unassembled.

This set features 30 multi-part hard plastic Imperial Roman Legionaries that are 28mm tall. The unassembled unpainted figurines come with full-color waterslide shield transfers as well as extra helmets, shields, pila and more.

Packaged in a small tin, this product includes 15, 8 cm x 8.5 cm note cards and envelopes. "We start the thought. You finish it," the packaging says. Starter phrases include "You are especially good at ...,"You have a great way of ..." and "I remember when ..." The cards can be stuffed into stockings or lunch bags, and four other themes are available. Thought Cards won an iParenting Media Best Products Award.

This playful set of 15 fill-in-the-blank note cards comes in a tin with 15 envelopes. It challenges individuals to finish the sentence on each card. Phrases include "You are special because ...," "You make me smile when ..." and "I have fun when we..." Four other themes are available.

This soft, colorful spider has a smiling face and features decorative accents. Launch date: 2007.

This brightly colored plush hippo has his mouth wide open and features a decorative band around his body.

Girls who-just-wanna-have-fun will enjoy the tween-themed 6.75" x 9" Text Message Insulated Lunch Box. It features "LOL" zip pull and a 3-dimensional flower. The lunch box includes a nylon handle and shoulder strap. Launch date: 2008.

This 10.25” x 10” Laugh Out Loud paper frame has dimensional flower pop ups and a vibrant, popping pattern. Launch date: 2008.

Will this fish get his wish?  Join Theo on an amazing underwater adventure. Bonus features: Read-A-Long CD, read by the author, over 20 mouth-watering illustrations, a matching game, 15 ways to get your kids to eat more fruit, and green smoothie recipes using fruits and veggies. Hardbound. 36 pgs.

The Fruit Flies' Picnic are now available as cuddly beanies. Each Fruit Fly stands 6.5" tall and holds a piece of fruit in one hand. The Fruit Flies include Gracie, Zak, Ben, Nicholas and Jake.