Toy Frenzy! Contenders

The colorful building panels are made from durable nylon ripstop and offer a distinctive Velcro system allowing kids to quickly “lock” these fabric shapes together to form special forts and tents. Connectables come with six multi-colored 33” squares and two 58” long rectangles, all packaged in a backpack tote. Connect the panels to create small spaces or large roaming mazes. Launch date: February 2008.
— “Kids will adore the ease and freedom this product offers them in constructing unique spaces anywhere, indoors or outside,” Katherine H.P. Huck of The Happy Kid Co. LLC told TDmonthly.
— Linda Laramy, owner of Crackerjacks Toys and Childrens Books in Easton, Md., told TDmonthly in a Summer 2011 survey that she sells 2 of these each month.

The Fortamjig provides a fun, easy way to build cool play spaces anywhere. The Fortamajig measures an open 8' square and is created out of durable nylon ripstop with no hard pieces to break or lose. It has open-able, stretchy loops around the interior and exterior edges for attachment to chair backs, tree branches, doorknobs and more, and features a closable mesh window, a flap door and four corner pockets. A reversible double-layer design is available for $89.95. This product is a Fall 2007 Parent's Choice Gold Award and Summer 2007 Dr. Toy Best Product Award winner. Launch date: February 2007.
— “The Fortamajig's open-ended design allows kids to create any play structure they can imagine, both indoors and out. Parents will appreciate the versatility the Fortamajig offers in one lightweight, portable and washable unit,” founders Katherine Huck and Kristen Stocking of The Happy Kid Company told TDmonthly.

With Flibbix™, players build their own board game, make their own rules and then play. It's super easy and lets players rebuild and replay the game as much as they want. Players race to the finish, but things can get wacky along the way — even the game board and rules can change during play. “It's the first-ever build-a-board-game set: Players can easily build and play their own, custom board game with Flibbix. Because each game is different, it has great replay value and players can make a game that’s fun and perfect for them,” Jason Ivan of Merillian told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 2008.

Sprig Toys is a new, environmentally responsible toy company created by award-winning industry veterans (former Mattel and Radica designers). Its line of kid-powered, totally green adventure vehicles for preschoolers is made from Sprigwood™, a child-safe bio-composite material derived from 100-percent recycled wood and reclaimed plastic. The Sprig Adventure Series harnesses the natural energy of push- and pump-action play to power lights and other electronics — all without batteries. Adventure Guide characters wearing LED-lit hats plug into durable, attractively designed vehicles and engage preschoolers with audio that guides them through exciting adventures as they play. Launch date: Fall 2008.
— "The sets were attractive, nicely packaged in recycled/biodegradable material, and had a rugged, tactile quality," said TDmonthly reporter Marie Raven, also a buyer for Over the Rainbow in Anchorage, Alaska, at Toy Fair 2008. "It's a small line but felt to me like an appropriate number of items for a nice in-store presentation while appealing not only to the eco-sense of our customers, but also providing active and stimulating educational play."
— “I was really impressed by all the angles that it covered,” said Jennifer Klein, who in early 2008 ordered all three Sprig Toys vehicles for her store, Earth Child, in Sebastopol, Calif. Five of 24 retailers told TDmonthly this was one of their favorite lines at Toy Fair.