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:
Physics by SCIENCE WIZ / NORMAN & GLOBUS INC.
 Blast off with Newton's laws of motion and prepare to excel in PHYSICS! Develop a fundamental understanding of inertia, the laws of motion, centripetal force, mass, weight, velocity and acceleration. Concepts are covered with time tested experiments and highly visual illustrations. This kit includes a balance scale for measuring mass, a stopwatch accurate to 1/100 of a second to clock speed and a jet car that really zooms.
Awards: Dr. Toy's Best Toys Award; Dr. Toy's Best Vacation Toy Award; Creative Child Magazine Award
4/4/2014 (Price: $19.95; Age: 8 and up) ENTER SCIENCE WIZ / NORMAN & GLOBUS INC. TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
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Chemistry by SCIENCE WIZ / NORMAN & GLOBUS INC.
 40 page science book with materials. Candle making, water squirting, freezing thawing, glop, and mud pie experiments -- things every child should do to explore the matter of matter. 35 activities include: Capture a CO2 explosion; Squeeze an egg into a bottle; Grow crystals and more. Authors Note: When my children were small they tested the experiments that are in this book. We sorted through many, many projects and picked our favorites. In high school and college both my son and daughter loved chemistry. I took a lot of chemistry, but I never loved the field the way my children do. I think this kit and their early experiences with chemistry had a lot to do with this difference.
Awards: Creative Child Magazine Award
4/4/2014 (Price: $19.95; Age: 5 to 10) ENTER SCIENCE WIZ / NORMAN & GLOBUS INC. TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
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Scoot-Around by HAPE
 Four-wheel drive takes on new meaning with this foot-powered rider. Encourage lots of short rides to develop muscle strength and balance. As your child gains more power and confidence, increase the wheel time and distance.
Awards: 2013 - Oppenheim Toy Portfolio - Gold
— Diane Gervais, owner of Amato's Toy & Hobby in Middletown, Conn., told TDmonthly in a March 2014 survey that Hape ride-ons were best-selling ride-on toys.
3/31/2014 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Tundra Wooly Mammoth by DOUGLAS CUDDLE TOYS
 Tundra Wooly Mammoth is 12 in long, but appears bigger and fluffier in his long plush materials. His pure white tusks add to his allure. SRP $24.
Awards: 2014 TDmonthly Top Toy Debut Award
3/31/2014 (Price: $24.00) ENTER DOUGLAS CUDDLE TOYS TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
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Snap Circuits Motion by ELENCO
 Contains over 40 parts. 165 experiments can be completed using the kit, like a spinning lighted fan, a small RC car that moves forward and backward, and more. It stimulates the mind and teaches kids about electrical engineering, gears and rations in a fun and educational way.
Awards: 2014 TDmonthly Top Toy Debut Award
2/26/2014 ENTER ELENCO TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
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Kendama Pro by YOMEGA
 The Yomega Kendama Pro is a professional model based on our popular Kendama. This piece is crafted out of wood, making for a better grip and a premium feel. Catch the competition-sized ball on the various size cups, then go for the spike, landing the ball on the pointed tip. A game easy to learn yet difficult to master, ensuring hours of concentrated play.
Award: 2015 TDmonthly Magazine Top Toy Award
2/6/2014 ENTER YOMEGA TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
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DISRUPTUS™ by FUNNYBONE TOYS LLC
 Disruptus taps into the innate ability of the creative mind to see things in surprisingly new and different ways, spurring players to new levels of innovation and creativity with bouts of silliness and hilarity erupting frequently along the way. Players look at images on the cards and follow whichever of the four innovation methods (Create 2, Improve, Transform, Disrupt) is face up on the die as they jot down their ideas with pencil and paper. The player with the craziest, most innovative idea for modifying the objects wins the round. There are several play variations for players of all ages and abilities.
Awards: Good Housekeeping Game of the Year 2013
1/17/2014 (Price: $24.99; Age: 10 and up) ENTER FUNNYBONE TOYS LLC TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
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Grunting Pig by FOLKMANIS INC.
 Entertain your friends and LOL with the Grunting Pig puppet. Delightful silky soft plush of pale pink with grey patches and a curly tail come to life with a workable snout, mouth and front trotters. Squeeze his pot belly to make him grunt and witness the hilarity that ensues! This little piggy wants to come home with you. 14” long
Awards: 2014 TDmonthly Top Toy Debut Award
— In a June 2014 survey, four out of 10 retailers told TDmonthly that Folkmanis was their best-selling puppet brand.
1/9/2014 (Price: $29.99) ENTER FOLKMANIS INC. TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Yoga Spinner by UPSIDE DOWN GAMES CORPORATION
 Perfectly portable and tons of fun – it’s Yoga Spinner! Players spin the spinner, collect cards and attempt to perform yoga poses -without falling down laughing. The first player to collect one card of each color first wins. Yoga Spinner enhances coordination & balance, increases physical strength and develops greater flexibility. Includes spinner, 54 yoga pose cards, 12 group cards, card storage and instructions.
Awards: Oppenheim Toy Portfolio’s Platinum Award 2013, Parents’ Choice Silver Award 2013, Dr. Toy’s Best Picks 2013, Creative Child Magazine’s 2013 Preferred Choice Award, Rated for children with special needs by AblePlay™
1/9/2014 ENTER UPSIDE DOWN GAMES CORPORATION TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
The Magic Path of Yoga by UPSIDE DOWN GAMES CORPORATION
 Get both mentally and physically fit while having fun with this creative game. Players roll the die, pick a card and perform a basic yoga pose or answer questions about nutrition and the environment. The first player to reach "OM" wins. The Magic Path of Yoga helps to strengthen & tone muscles, improve posture and inspire teamwork & cooperation. Includes 85-page booklet, game board, die, 2 game tokens, 54 yoga pose cards, 12 group pose cards, 64 quiz cards and instructions.
Awards: Parents’ Choice Gold Award 2013, Creative Child Magazine’s 2013 Game of the Year Award, NAPPA Gold Award 2013, Dr. Toy’s Best Picks 2013
1/9/2014 (Price: $29.95) ENTER UPSIDE DOWN GAMES CORPORATION TOYSHOW [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.
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