The Few, The Proud…The Award-Winning Toys

Who Made the Cut This Year?

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:

Gentle Giraffe™ by CLOUD B

Gentle Giraffe offers a compilation of soothing sounds designed to entertain, educate and help children achieve a better sleep. Tucked inside Gentle Giraffe’s back is a removable sound machine that plays four sounds specifically composed to transport young listeners to the beautiful and mysterious plains of the Serengeti. With Gentle Giraffe, kids will listen to the rhythmic drums of a native tribe, gaze over the cliffs of Victoria Falls and hear actual sounds from real giraffes. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of both products will benefit Conservation International Foundation, a wildlife conservation organization. This product received a 2009 iParenting Media Award and a 2009 NAPPA Honors award. 2/25/2009 (Price: $28.00; Age: 0 and up) ENTER CLOUD B TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Repeat or you're obsolete™ by INNOVATIVEKIDS

Conceived by 13-year old Zach Levins, Repeat or you’re obsolete is a memory game. Players make noises, act things out, create stories, make lists, and play with words in a fast-paced, memory building, pay-attention-or-you’re-out game. It includes a 32-page bonus book of memory tips and tricks. The game received a 2008 iParenting Media’s Best Children’s Product Award. 2/23/2009 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Polar Cuddle Cub™ by CLOUD B

This cuddly bear is made of eco-friendly materials, including hypoallergenic stuffing and sustainable toy bean fiber, and includes a heart-shaped vibration unit that offers gentle vibration at two modes: heartbeat, a soothing pulse; and continuous, a constant motion. It comes with the Polar Cuddle Cub Storybook that tells the bear's story while educating kids on endangered animals. This product received a 2009 iParenting Media Award. 2/19/2009 (Price: $29.00; Age: 3 and up) ENTER CLOUD B TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Tail Wags Bizzy Bee Helmet Cover by TAIL WAGS HELMET COVERS INC.

This endearing yellow with black stripes bumble bee will create a BUZZ on the ski slopes, skating rinks and bike paths. Tail Wags helmet covers fit over ALL makes and models of bike, ski, snowboard, toboggan, skate and equestrian helmets. Available in over 35 different animal character designs. Tail Wags received a 2009 iParenting Media Award. 2/18/2009 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Snap Caps by m3 girl designs LLC

These interchangeable bottlecap necklaces were designed by a tween girl, Maddie Bradshaw, who continues to provide the artwork for the bottlecaps as the line grows. The bottlecaps have a magnet on the back so they can be easily switched out on the stretchy choker necklaces that are available. Snap Caps have received the following awards: 2009 Best Toy Award - Most Innovative New Toy - Learning Express Toys; 2009 Best Toy Award - Best Toy Girls 5+ - Learning Express Toys; Creative Child 2009 Seal Of Excellence Award; and 2009 PTPA Winner. 2/18/2009 ENTER m3 girl designs LLC TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Rebelle Friendship Bags by REBELLE INC.

So, why call them Rebelle Friendship Bags? Because each Friendship bag unzips to become two bags which can then be shared between best friends. Each style is available in two color ways so each friend gets a different color. Girls can exchange halves to create a dual colored bag which symbolizes that they are BFF's. Each handbag also contains a secret code which gives them special access to the Rebelle website and the Rebelle Girlz...Holly, Rosie Shaye, Lola, Allegra, Sophie, and Kaia. These six girls from around the world, meet at summer camp and instantly became best friends forever. Log on and Say Hello to the Rebelle Girlz! This product received a 2009 PTPA Media Seal of Approval. 2/16/2009 (Price: $39.99; Age: 3 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Exploracise Gymathtics™ by EXPLORAMANIA

This DVD program features a full exercise routine coupled with mathematical concepts from lines to numbers. The exercise program is for kids of all ages, with math concepts ranging from 2nd to 5th grade. It was named 2009 DVD of the Year by Creative Child Magazine and one of Dr. Toy's 2009 Best Vacation Children's Products. 2/11/2009 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Eco-friendly 4 Seasons Block Puzzle by BOIKIDO

ScareMeNots by INNOVATIVE TOYS, INC.

ScareMeNots are plush creatures designed to take the “scary” out of monsters. Soft, cuddly and appealing, they are perfect bedtime companions for children. However, for kids with nighttime fears, ScareMeNots offer an extra sense of protection and comfort. Their special features allow them to ward off those scary things that hide in all the usual places (under the bed, in the closet, behind the drapes) — and in the unusual places as well. "All ScareMeNots have a long tail with two Velcro strips (at tip and midpoint) that allow the dolls to hang from door handles, closet or curtain rods, chair backs, etc. The tail can also be placed between the box spring and mattress, allowing the ScareMeNot to hang down and peer under the bed. And of course, ScareMeNots are happy to sit on dressers, inside toy boxes or under furniture, or just to snuggle up in bed with your child," Carl Restivo, President of Innovative Toys Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 15, 2009.
— The ScareMeNots received a 2009 Preferred Choice Award from Creative Child Magazine, a 2009 Seal of Approval from The National Parenting Center, a 2009 PTPA Media Award and a 2009 iParenting Media Award. The products were also named to Dr. Toy's 2009 Top 100 Products of the Year and Top 10 Best Socially Responsible Products of the Year. 1/30/2009 (Price: $24.99; Age: 3 and up) ENTER INNOVATIVE TOYS, INC. TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Super Scratch & Sketch by PETER PAUPER PRESS

This product includes 20 super-cool drawing and design projects, from hieroglyphics to superheroes to Van Gogh. It comes with punch-out, reusable stencils kids can use in their designs. "Easy-to-handle wire-o binding makes each book user friendly," Rasheen Hewlett, marketing assistant for Peter Pauper Press, told TDmonthly. It was a 2006 NAPPA Honors award winner. Launch date: 2003. 1/30/2009 (Price: $12.99; Age: 8 to 14) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

To view more products and learn more about each award, please click on the following links: TDmonthly Awards, Dr. Toy, iParenting Media Awards, TIA T.O.T.Y., ASTRA, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, The National Parenting Center, Family Review Center, Parents' Choice Awards, Canadian Toy Testing Council, Mr. Dad, The Toy Man Product Guide, Teachers' Choice Awards, NAPPA, Toy Wishes Ultimate Toy Awards and MAJOR FUN. You can also access TDmonthly's review sections to see which products earned 5 TD stars.

And to learn more about how award winners are chosen, read What Makes an Award-Winning Toy.

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