November 2008 Notable Toys — All

Written by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Jill Dubin, "Over in the Arctic," chronicles life in a land where the snow goose "honks" and the wolf "howls." Children too will joyfully honk and howl while they count the baby animals and sing to the tune of "Over in the Meadow." And the illustrations— all done in cut paper — vividly convey the austere nature of the Arctic. The book measures 10" x 9" and features 32 fully illustrated pages. Launch date: 2008. Also available in hardback ($16.95).

Woodstock Chimes re-introduces the Remo Kids Drums to its award-winning Woodstock Music Collection® The Kids Bongo Drums feature two drum heads, which produce two pitches, and come with a shoulder strap, allowing children to play this Konga either standing or sitting. By drumming with different parts of the hand, children will find themselves surrounded by a variety of tones produced by the Konga Drum.   All of the Kids Remo Drums feature a fabric covering of vibrant colors and lively rainforest design. Remo is the most famous drum maker in the world.  These truly are the best drums available for young players. They range in size from 6.5" to 15" tall and are priced between $55 and $68, depending on the model.

Add intrigue and whimsy to a child’s nursery with unique mobiles imported from Denmark. From counting sheep to marching hedgehogs to whale watching, there is a style perfect for every child. The elephant party mobile is also a classic icon in Demark.  It makes a great baby shower or birthday gift.

This Asian inspired tote-style bag is purple, orange and black and white. The Zen theme gives it special appeal to the more intellectual girl. Inside is a playful black-and-white panda, and like all of Douglas soft pets, it is irresistibly soft with a must-love face. All pet-carrying Sassy Saks are 7” wide. Launch date: 2009.

Girls can design a fashion line for each model in this kit with the fabric supplied and detail them with trims, sequins, beads and more. This kit includes four 12" models, fabric, trim, sequins, beads, gems, glitter paints, tickers, patches, buttons, instructions and more.  10.5" W x 11" H x 2D".  Launch date: 2008.
— Barbara Vininsky, owner of Blossom & Harry in Ontario, Canada told TDmonthly that Fashion Angels Project Runway was one of her two top toys for girls in the autumn of 2008.

From the #1 most respected name in language learning, Berlitz Interactive provides three easy ways to learn a new language: on your PC, in your car, or on the go.  Inside, the best-selling Berlitz Guaranteed all-audio course provide the foundations of conversation and everyday language.  Add to that the acclaimed Berlitz Word Traveler™ game, currently available only as in-flight entertainment on major international airlines, including Lufthansa, China Airlines, and Singapore Airlines.  For the first time ever this language learning game will be available as a consumer CD-ROM inside this Berlitz Interactive program.

Including everything you need to create your own unique models of our world, this kit features a globe stand and a CD with a variety of map projections that can be printed out on adhesive inkjet paper (included) to be cut and placed on the globe.  A 64 page, full-color project book offers comprehensive instructions and information about how maps are made and additional globe-related projects, including how to make “origami globes.”  The book also tells the story of how our world was made and takes you on an entertaining voyage around the planet.

This set, developed alongside a language educator, includes 110 double-sided magnets. One side features Hebrew consonants, vowels and examples using the vowels; the other includes the name of the letter or Hebrew pronunciation. Launch date: Early 2009.

This fierce T-Rex add light to a dark room with the included 4-watt bulb. It's on a swivel plug and measures 5" W x 6" H x 1.25" D. Launch date: November 2008.

This retro-designed rocket ship has a swivel plug and comes with a 4-watt bulb. It measures 3.5" W x 5.75" H x 3" D. Launch date: November 2008.

This 7"-wide tote features iridescent fabric with pink and blue accents, plus gold and silver glitter swirls and two silver handles. The mermaid doll inside has long, golden hair. Launch date: 2009.

Written by Stephenie Meyer, this "New York Times" best selling fantasy novel captures the story of star-crossed teenaged lovers Bella and Edward. Bella learns that Edward, along with several other students at her new school, are rescued vampires. True to his vampiric nature, Edward knows he could kill Bella should his passion for her become too great, and therein lies the central tension of the story. Launch date: October 5, 2005.

Japan's favorite furball is invading the United States and Dark Horse is helping to lead the charge. Dark Horse adds to their growing line of popular lined-page journals with a fascinating photographic treatment of our apple-hating friend Domo laying in the grass. If you like “Blythe”, you’ll love this.

One of today's most popular newspaper strips is Patrick McDonnell's beloved feature "Mutts." Dark Horse offers these figural versions of these zany critters. Larger figures and bookends are also available. Working directly with Patrick McDonnell and the sculptors at Yoe Studio, the PVC set features Earl, Mooch, Shtinky, and Guard Dog; the stars of the daily offering of animal antics. Packaged as a boxed set featuring special art from the creator, the set is perfect for toy collectors and any pet owner.

This bright blue vacuum with red accents requires 3 C batteries (not included) to make realistic sounds of cleaning up dust. It functions in upright and handheld modes.

Dark Horse presents a Spirit mini-bust based on original concept art by Will Eisner. Modeled from an unpublished drawing from his archive as sculptor reference, thereby bringing Eisner's creation to life. Sculptor Tony Cipriano has captured the essence of Eisner's art perfectly. Included with this bust is a separate Central City manhole cover, to be placed on or near the bust by the consumer. First published in 1940, The Spirit kept newspaper audiences enthralled for more than thirty years with stories about a masked vigilante who fought crime with the blessing of the city's police commissioner.

A special deluxe package featuring Burton's hardcover book, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories, packaged with a specially created figure of Voodoo Girl. The four PVC figure sets based on characters from the book have been available, but Voodoo Girl is being brought forward for the first time exclusively for this package, which is a deluxe 7" x 4" x 9-1/2" double-sided window box. One side displays the book cover and the other side frames the elaborately detailed figure.

In the years following World War II the major export from Japan wasn't electronic equipment, but toys, specifically tin toys. Crafted in the shapes of submarines, planes, trains, cars, and horses, one of the most popular motifs were toy robots. Constructed in virtually every shape imaginable from the 1940s throughout the 1960s, they ranged in appearance from horror to science fiction characters. Today, these toys are not only fondly remembered by collectors but are being re-created for a whole new generation. Capturing this period in history became a passion of painter Eric Joyner's and in Robots and Donuts he celebrates this forgotten era with images marrying the metal creations with images plucked from his imagination. And, almost always, with donuts. This book also features a look finto Joyner's painting style as well as a glimpse at some of his other non-robot themed artwork.

Never before and rarely seen artwork, outlines, and entire stories from Jeff Smith's Bone are collected in this full-color hardcover volume. Bone is an international publishing sensation with hundreds of thousands of loyal readers and no end in sight to its growing popularity. Now, for the first time anywhere, see the homemade comics, sketches, and grand plans that set this masterpiece of literary fantasy in motion. From there, take a tour through piles of promotional art, holiday cards, and pivotal storytelling moments from the revolutionary self-publishing years, where Bone went from "the little comic that could" to an industry leader that changed the face of comics. Finally, revel in the wonder of Bone as a complete 1300-page graphic novel, a work for the ages, filled with comedy and tragedy and adventure for generations to come.

Based on the new motion picture and television series The Clone Wars comes this quarterly, graphic-novella series from Dark Horse. Dark Horse’s first offering, “Shipyards of Doom,” is a digest-sized graphic novella written by Henry Gilroy, the head writer for the TV show, and illustrated by the prolific Fillbach Brothers.

In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaneously born by women who’d previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, “To save the world.” These seven children form The Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again.

This colorful pull-along features wooden construction with pieces that fit into the shape cut-outs on the trailer. A doll or stuffed animal can ride along in the cab. It measures 13.7" x 7.7" x 9.5".

These 11" stuffed animal babies are wrapped in a removable blanket, that features a plush decorative velcro closure. 27 styles available from teddy bears, jungle animals, woodland creatures, and sea life.

The flowers are in full bloom, and it’s a lovely day for a tea party in the garden. This set, with over 30 moveable pre-cut felt figures, will captivate a young girl’s attention for hours of imaginative play.