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:

Head Snuggler by MELROSE KIDS INC.

The Head Snuggler is designed to safely and properly support a child's head and neck while sleeping in a car seat. It provides support from above, which helps keep children in a proper posture to promote better breathing, and thus, more restful sleep. "It's the first head support that provides support from above where it is actually needed, which helps keep children in a proper posture to promote better breathing .... It's pediatrician approved and chiropractors are even using them," Melanie Risdon-Betcher, owner of Melrose Kids Inc., told TDmonthly. The Head Snuggler received a 2009 Mom's Best Award. Launch date: March 27, 2009. 10/5/2009 (Price: $22.50; Age: All Ages) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Sprout Shell Infant Carrier Cover - Orange Kashmir by SPROUT SHELL

Parents can protect baby in style with this infant cover that has an over-the-handle design to create a tent-like enclosuret. The hole in the top allows for a secure grip on the handle, a view of baby inside, and allows air into the baby. The all-around elastic keeps the cover securely in place. It's designed to protect babies from the sun, wind, rain and nosy strangers, and creates a cozy nap-time environment. When it's time to feed baby, Sprout Shell becomes a nursing cover to give a little added privacy on the go. At the store, Sprout Shell becomes a shopping cart cover to keep those nasty germs away from baby. It is made of 100-percent cotton corduroy and can be used for restaurant high chairs, too. It's "the only infant carrier cover that has multiple uses and can be used after baby is no longer in the infant carrier," Kirsten Reeder, co-founder of Sprout Shell, LLC, told TDmonthly. The Sprout Shell received a 2009 Baby Planner Seal of Approval. Launch date: September 12, 2009. 10/5/2009 (Price: $45.00; Age: 0 to 3) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Zhu Zhu Pets™ Hamster - Mr. Squiggles by CEPIA LLC

This hamster on a mission loves to explore and can scoot along the ground and boogie through its different habitats. The Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster line also includes Chunk, Pipsqueak and Num Num, all of which squeak and chatter when in loving mode. This product was named one of Dr. Toy's 100 Best Children's Products 2009. Launch date: Fall 2009. 10/5/2009 (Price: $11.99; Age: 4 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

The Amazing Alphabotz™ Superphonic Decoder Cards by IDEOPOLIS LLC

The Alphabotz Superphonic Decoder Cards jumpstart beginning reading skills by building lasting associations between sounds and the letters that represent them. The cards include a variety of games and activities that are designed to promote vital early literacy skills such as phonemic awareness and are geared toward children of various skill levels, making this product both an educational tool and a toy. "The ALPHABOTZ personify sounds in the English language. They help children visualize and build lasting associations between sounds and the letters that represent them. The letter/letter team on a character's chest and the icon on its head serve as constant visual reinforcements for the sound that is represented by that character," Nicole Sigsby, principal of Ideopolis LLC, told TDmonthly. This product received a 2009 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award in the Educational Products Category, an iParenting award, and was named one of Dr. Toy's 100 Best Children's Products 2009. Launch date: July 2009. 10/2/2009 (Price: $19.95; Age: 3 to 7) ENTER IDEOPOLIS LLC TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

QUAD DOKU by CADACO INC.

The challenging word game of four letter words!  Play with letter tiles on a matrix of four intersecting words.  The goal is simple.  Just form as many "dokus" (4 letter words scoring 10 points). Score 4 dokus in one turn and you have scored a perfect QUAD *DOKU*! plus an additional 10 for each Doku for a total of 80. Play continues as you add letters to change words and build up until all the letters are gone or you can't change any more words. For 2-4 Players. This product was named one of Dr. Toy's 100 Best Children's Products 2009. 9/3/2009 ENTER CADACO INC. TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Pop Fly by JUSTIN ROBERTS

The album relates true experiences of baseball success and failure as well as other fun and funny stories. This is the sixth CD from Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players. Indie rock for kids, this “kindie” album tells 11 tales of distracted outfielders and magnificent imaginations. It won the Parents' Choice and NAPPA Gold Award. Launch date: 2008. 9/1/2009 (Price: $15.00; Age: 2 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

EZ Rider by RADIO FLYER

Made for intermediate-level riders and designed to help younger children master balance while allowing them to keep pace with older siblings or more accomplished riders, this scooter is available in red or pink. It features extra-wide wheels, an ultra-low deck, a rear foot brake and limited steering to ensure maximum safety and offer parents peace of mind without sacrificing style. It comes fully assembled with minimal packaging and folds for storage and travel. "The scooter helps children maintain their balance while learning to ride a two-wheel scooter," Blessly Thomas, marketing coordinator for Radio Flyer, told TDmonthly. It has received an iParenting Media Award. Launch date: July 2009. 8/28/2009 (Price: $59.99; Age: 3 to 8) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Push Pull & Ride by RADIO FLYER

The Radio Flyer Push, Pull & Ride offers three interchangeable modes: stroller, ride-on and pull wagon. The large, easily removable bucket encourages children to build cognitive skills by loading and unloading objects, while the free-rolling wheels permit easy forward and backward motion and encourage active play. Toddlers can push their favorite toy in the stroller mode, scoot across the floor on the back in foot-to-floor mode, or pull their favorite treasures in wagon mode. It is a National Parenting Center Seal of Approval winner. Launch date: July 2009. 8/28/2009 (Price: $49.99; Age: 1 to 3) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Small World by DAYS OF WONDER

In Small World, players vie for conquest and control of a world that is simply too small to accommodate them all. Picking the right combination from the 14 different fantasy races and 20 unique special powers, players rush to expand their empires — often at the expense of weaker neighbors. Yet they must also know when to push their own over-extended civilization into decline and ride a new one to victory. "Designer Philip Keyaerts has expertly interwoven the fantasy worlds with competitive game play to create a game that appeals to casual players of all ages and experience while simultaneously maintaining a complexity that draws in the more serious crowd," Elizabeth Case, marketing assistant for Days of Wonder, told TDmonthly. The game has received the following awards: 2009 Bruno Faidutti's Game of the Year; 2009 Finalist for the International Gamer's Award; and 2009 Spiele Hit (Vienna Game Academy). Launch date: January 26, 2009. 8/28/2009 (Price: $50.00; Age: 8 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Little Soles™ Squeaky Shoes by LITTLE SOLES INC.

The Little Soles™ Squeaky Shoes collection is free from harmful dyes and toxins, utilizes premium materials sourced specifically to surpass standards in footwear testing set by Health Canada or the CPSC, and features inner and outer materials tested for the following: European Council directive 2002/62/EC testing for AZO colourants or dyes, formaldehyde content, and seven toxic elements (lead, arsenic, antimony, barium, mercury, cadmium and selenium). The flexible outsole is suited to pre-walking and early walking, and the shoes also have a padded ankle collar, an air-cushioned heel, an audible squeak that provides confidence for first steps and promotes a proper heel-to-toe step, as well as giving parents peace of mind by being aware of where their child is walking. The squeaker mechanism is removable and replaceable. This product received a 2009 iParenting Media Outstanding Products award. Launch date: April 30, 2009. 8/28/2009 (Price: $29.95; Age: 1 to 3) [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.

Advertise on TDmonthly

Recent Products Animal Daysack - Turtle By LITTLELIFE » More Information Mystery Party Games Activation Card By HOST-PARTY.COM, LLC. » More Information Torno Torno By LEARNING MATERIALS WORKSHOP » More Information