|
|
 |
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:
Go Go Minis by KID GALAXY INC.
 Constructed of soft-cast molded PVC vinyl, these pullback vehicles are safe for young children. The cars can zip across almost any surface. Each car’s wonderful details, squeezable quality and large size makes it perfect for little hands. This product is a 2007 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award winner.
7/19/2007 (Price: $5.00; Age: 3 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Wrist Racer by KID GALAXY INC.
 These mini muscle cars are controlled by an adjustable “power pad” that can be worn like a watch. Infrared technology enables the wearer to move the cars forward, backward, left and right. Available car models include Hot Rod, Muscle Car and T-Bucket. This product is a 2007 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award winner.
7/19/2007 (Price: $15.00; Age: 5 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
RC Mega X Morphibian by KID GALAXY INC.
 This aggressive machine is fully functional with deep-tread tires that dig up dirt while riding across the terrain. Move it onto the lake, pond or stream and watch water spit up from the tires while twin propellers spin for extra power. This product is a 2007 Creative Child Preferred Choice Award winner.
— Radio-controlled vehicles were named as a much-wished-for-holiday toy by boys, according to a 2007 Reuters report.
— “This remote-controlled car goes on land and water and is designed for kids ages 5 and up,” said Joe Berardoni, Sr., owner of Pun’s Toy Store in Bryn Mawr, Pa., in the fall of 2008. “It has been popular for several years now.”
7/19/2007 (Price: $79.99; Age: 5 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
The Blankies: Action by POWER ARTS COMPANY, INC.
 The Blankies are a cartoon band with engaging songs for every mood. Part of the Blankies series, Action teaches children about learning, exercise and life skill lessons. With four great singers and a mix of styles, there's something for everyone. The Blankies series also includes “Learn” and “Peace.” “Fill-in-the-blank style lyrics give listeners a chance to deduce answers and also build listening and recall skills,” Chris Bihuniak, at Power Arts Company, Inc., told TDmonthly. “The lyrics promote kindness, friendship, global citizenship and positive self-esteem.” This product is a Spring 2007 Dr. Toy Best Products Award winner. Launch date: April 2007.
7/19/2007 (Price: $12.99; Age: 3 to 8) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Daniel + Divinity Donkey (Poitou) – Noah's Pals Series A by Caboodle! Toys LLC (Noah's Pals)
 Poitou donkeys are the hairiest donkeys in the world. Their shaggy coats can become extremely matted and tangled if left uncut. Noah's Pals is a 2007 Parents' Choice Approved Award winner. ”Each animal pair is packaged with an educational ID Card that contains a unique secret scratch code, similar to Webkinz,” Caboodle! Toys LLC co-founder Steve King told TDmonthly. “When collectors gather and register the entire series, Caboodle! Toys rewards their diligence by sending a Caboodle! — a box of special, exclusive rewards.” Launch date: 2007.
7/19/2007 (Price: $8.00; Age: 3 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Smart Beats – Educational Hip Hop Songs For Kids by BINGO RECORDS
 Smart Beats is a fun collection of melodic, gentle, imaginative and innovative songs about recycling, dinosaurs, coloring, geography, play time and more. Josh Nadel, along with some of the best musicians from R&B and hip-hop, mixes intelligent songwriting with rap and hip-hop beats to create a truly unique record. This product is a Parents’ Choice Foundation Award winner. Launch date: May 2007.
7/19/2007 (Price: $11.99; Age: 2 to 10) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Mighty World's Complete Base Camp by INTERNATIONAL PLAYTHINGS LLC
 This play set includes three explorer figures, an ATV, an adventure truck, a horse, a horse trailer and hitch, a kayak and paddles, a tent, sleeping bags, a campfire and more. The vehicles can even be adjusted and taken apart. “Mighty World is a comprehensive, exciting line of play figures, accessories, and play sets designed to foster children’s imagination and creativity by encouraging them to create, experience and explore their own world of pretend play,” Andrea Harvey, public relations representative for International Playthings, told TDmonthly. This product is a Spring 2007 Dr. Toy Best Product Award winner. Launch date: September 2007.
7/19/2007 (Price: $85.00; Age: 4 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Earlyears® - TAGGIES™ Clickety Twist by INTERNATIONAL PLAYTHINGS LLC
 This innovative activity rattle ring is designed to attract and entertain infants as they develop cognitive, language and motor skills through sensory stimulation, exploratory manipulation and independent and cooperative play. “Clickety Twist, like all of the Earlyears products, was designed specifically to promote meaningful development, as well as interaction between caregiver and infant,” Andrea Harvey, public relations representative for International Playthings, told TDmonthly. This product is a Spring 2007 Dr. Toy Best Product Award winner. Launch date: June 2006.
7/19/2007 (Price: $15.00; Age: 1 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Tote Along Travel Game by INTERNATIONAL PLAYTHINGS LLC
 This toy features eight memory and seek and find games. For memory games, players open the tabs on the game unit one by one, trying to find matching pictures. With seek and find games, players open all the tabs, and then close the tabs on images matching items they spot out the car window. “The Tote Along Travel Game is a self-contained travel toy offering multiple games that can be played by one or two players,” Andrea Harvey, public relations representative for International Playthings, told TDmonthly. This product is a Spring 2007 Dr. Toy Best Product Award winner. Launch date: January 2007.
7/19/2007 (Price: $10.00; Age: 4 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Bonsai Village by DUNECRAFT INC.
 The bonsai village includes elm, lilac, pea shrub, beauty bush, butterfly bush and more. The plants will begin growing in less than a week and live for years. “It teaches children all different kinds of techniques such as pruning, wiring, over-wintering and more. In other words, it helps bring learning to life,” Dunecraft Inc. Public Relations Specialist Alicia Borley told TDmonthly. This product is a Spring 2007 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval Award winner. Launch date: October 2006.
7/19/2007 (Price: $24.99; Age: 4 and up) [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
|
