|
|
 |
The Few, The Proud...The Award-Winning Toys!
Who Made the Cut This Year?
By Alison Marek and Julie L. Jones
Thousands
of products are introduced to the toy industry every year, but only a
limited number are good enough, playable enough and innovative enough
to garner an award.
In addition to issuing
TDmonthly
Awards, TDmonthly
Magazine regularly asks manufacturers
to present their award winners to our readers so that retailers can quickly
identify products with great potential and manufacturers can learn and
be inspired by others' successes. Here are the most recent responses:
The Wheels on the Bus: Mango's Big Dog Parade by OUR HAPPY CHILD PRODUCTIONS
 In the third volume of the award-winning “Wheels on the Bus” series, Woof messes around and misses his ride to The Big Dog Parade. Mango and his friends learn about taking turns and getting along as they journey through an Enchanted Forest on their way to the Dog Parade. This product is an iParenting Media Best Product of the Year award winner. "'The Wheels on the Bus' combines entertaining musical adventures with lessons on key socialization skills like helping and sharing. The lessons are woven through the program in an easy and friendly way so that children can readily grasp them and then make them a part of their daily play," Andrea Blain of Andrea Blain Public Relations told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 22, 2008.
6/1/2007 (Price: $14.99; Age: 1 to 5) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Desktop Factory 125ci 3-D Printer by IDEALAB
 Whatever your challenge or interest — from school projects to that vexing home repair to a customized toy or avatar — Desktop Factory will cause the creative disruption of the manufacturing value chain, enabling each of us to personally manufacture what we need, when we need it. Desktop Factory prints 3-D solid objects from traditional CAD software, the variety of new low-cost or free CAD programs aimed toward the consumer, 3-D scanners and/or 3-D objects that are downloaded from websites, such as Turbo Squid, DAZ, etc. IdeaLab was founded by dot.com entrepreneur Bill Gross. This product received a 2007 Best of What's New award from Popular Science.
— “Our intent is to reduce the costs over time, delivering a model below $1000 by 2011,” an enthusiastic Cathy Lewis, CEO of Desktop Factory, told TDmonthly. “Contemplate the creative talent that will be unleashed when each of us has a 3-D printer. Imagine, too, the enormous reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when we alter the current manufacturing pipeline!” Launch date: 3Q 2008.
6/1/2007 (Price: $4995.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Bur Bur's Fishing Adventure by FARMER'S HAT PRODUCTIONS
 In this adventure by JoAnne Pastel and Kakie Fitzsimmons with Bill Dunlap, Bur Bur learns about fishing during a day out on the water with his dad. The story is illustrated by Lindsay VanDeWeghe. The Bur Bur books by Farmer's Hat were created to remedy the lack of stories about biracial kids, founders Pastel and Fitzsimmons told TDmonthly. This product is a 2007 iParenting Media Award winner. Launch date: July 2007.
5/31/2007 (Price: $14.95; Age: 2 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Bur Bur Throws Out the First Pitch by FARMER'S HAT PRODUCTIONS
 This story tells about Bur Bur's exciting opportunity of throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game. It is written by JoAnne Pastel and Kakie Fitzsimmons and illustrated by Lindsay VanDeWeghe. The back of the book includes baseball basics, a field illustration and labeled baseball gear. The Bur Bur books by Farmer's Hat were created to remedy the lack of stories about biracial kids, founders Pastel and Fitzsimmons told TDmonthly. This product is a 2007 iParenting Media Award winner. Launch date: July 2007.
5/31/2007 (Price: $14.95; Age: 2 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Gazillion Bubble BBQ by FUNRISE INC.
 The portable BBQ allows kids to be part of a backyard cookout all summer long. The battery-operated BBQ includes 4oz. of Gazillion Solution, two tongs, a spatula, a basting brush, six food bubble molds and a dipping tray. "While mom and/or dad are barbequing, the child can be doing the same, but creating a backyard full of bubbles instead of smoke!" Funrise Inc. Marketing Manager Kathy Hawk told TDmonthly. "This item has great packaging that jumps off the shelf." This product is a 2008 iParenting Media Best Product Award winner. Launch date: July 2007.
5/30/2007 (Price: $19.99; Age: 3 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Music Time for Parents and Grandparents (Children's Classic Songs CD) by ROBYN DUPUIS ENTERPRISES LLC
 This album is designed to help new parents and grandparents “brush up” on classic children’s songs so they can pass along these wonderful musical traditions to the children in their lives. It includes 55 classic songs, sung simply and clearly so listeners can easily follow, learn and sing along. “The ‘grandparent’ niche is a particularly important marketing strength of this product. This population values musical traditions, yet [they] are often ignored in the children’s product market. … People buy handfuls of these CDs,” artist Robyn Dupuis told TDmonthly. This CD received a spring 2007 Parents’ Choice Approved Award. Launch date: September 2006.
5/24/2007 (Price: $14.00; Age: 0 to 5) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Good Kids, Bad Choices by CWK NETWORK INC
 “Good Kids, Bad Choices” features real kids telling their real stories — about consequences of drinking and driving, having sex and doing drugs — and offers expert advice about warning signs and how parents can set limits. Each DVD includes a Family Guide with facts and questions to help parents start a conversation with their kids. “Connect with Kids’ peer-to-peer format features real kids sharing their true stories. That format resonates with teens and adolescents and helps parents start a conversation that can improve communication, attitudes and behavior,” Teresa Stier, director of marketing for CWK Network, told TDmonthly. The product received a 2007 Parents' Choice Award. Launch date: September 2006.
5/24/2007 (Price: $14.95; Age: 11 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
zPix by CARSON OPTICAL
 This digital microscope links to most computers for exceptional detailed viewing. Its power zoom mechanism goes from 26x to a super-strong 130x. An integrated camera allows for quick and easy snap shots that can be saved for later use. It also comes with a specimen base, forceps, eyedropper, USB cable, three blank slides, one prepared slide and CD-ROM software. This educational tool makes learning fun and inspires children and adults to discover more about their environments. “The zPix is educational and fun at a fantastic price,” Shannon Kelly of Images Group, on behalf of Carson Optical, told TDmonthly. The zPix has won the following awards: Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award 2007, Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products Award 2007 and Dr. Toy 10 Best Educational Products Award 2007. Launch date: June 1, 2007.
5/24/2007 (Price: $79.99; Age: 8 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Chakra Energy by SPIRALING HEARTS
 With this game, two to six players can energize all seven chakra centers in their bodies by doing yoga poses. Participants learn the name, location, color and symbol of each chakra and how it relates to life. A portion of all Spiraling Hearts proceeds is donated to children's charities. This product is a 2007 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval Award winner.
5/24/2007 (Price: $29.50; Age: 6 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Turn Around the Sun by OREN AND THE HICCUPS
 This CD features a musical group of dads and includes songs “Lollipop Tree,” “Uh-Oh,” “Shine Down on Me” and more. “Grown-ups everywhere are saying this is a CD that not only captivates their young children, but grown-ups themselves enjoy the music, too!” Lead Singer Oren Pfeffermann told TDmonthly. The album received a spring 2007 Parents’ Choice Award. Launch date: November 2006.
5/23/2007 (Price: $15.00; Age: 0 to 6) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Following are some of the programs represented in TDmonthly.com's section of award winners: Dr.
Toy, iParenting
Media Awards, TIA
T.O.T.Y., Oppenheim
Toy Portfolio, The
National Parenting Center, and Parents'
Choice Awards.
You may also access TDmonthly's review
section to see which products earned 5 TD stars.
|
|
Advertise on TDmonthly
|
