January 2009 New Specialty Toys — Tween

This 36" x 18" image of a bucket of baseballs is destined to be a sports classic. At the end of the baseball season, the victories and defeats are recorded on the team's bucket of baseballs with their many scraps and scars. The photography is by Kim Riseley Delph. The exclusive Art4Kids print is available in the following ready to hang presentation styles: Contemporary Mount (with beveled edge), Creative Canvas Wrap, Framed Canvas, Gallery Framed, Heritage Framed and Art Block Mounted. "Glassless presentation formats [offer] safety in a child's environment," Joy Phillips, founder and owner of Creative Images, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 3, 2008.

Designed for kids heading off to camp or for family camping trips, this fun game was created for kids, by kids.  It’s also a good way for kids to get to know new friends at camp. The handy flashlight and compass allow you to navigate your way back to your campsites or cabin for some fun, late night conversations.  Great around the campfire too. It's "perfect for kids going away to summer camp. This product was requested by specialty retailers," Owner Beth Daniels of Around the Table told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 15, 2009.

Created by kids, for kids, Buddy Talk is a fun way to get friends talking. Children can find out a ton about their friends at the bus stop, during recess or at a sleepover. They just draw a card, read one of the 50 cool questions, and let the fun begin. Launch date: February 15, 2009.

This black-and-white Pinto is a horse at Pine Hollow Stables in "Horse Sense," a book in the Saddle Club series written by Bonnie Bryant.
— "Shipping has been really good" with Breyer, noted Mike DiAndrea, manager of Hardware Center in Paoli, Pa., in fall 2008. Two of 52 retailers told TDmonthly Breyer is one of their favorite vendors.

Girls can easily start collecting and trading ChatterChix cards with this set that includes the following: a ChatterChix binder with five pages to store cards, flower stickers, a tracking map and three card packs.

Chrissie is a Broken Heart Doll. Broken Heart Dolls is a character-driven line of super-soft plush hearts for tweens, teens and collectors. There are five original BHDs, with more to be unveiled seasonally. The nurturing, sad-eyed, 7" hearts have humorous story-lines geared to help young people navigate the emotional landscape of middle school and beyond. Launch date: November 1, 2008.

Style Paige LLC introduces Shailie™: going beyond “dress-ups.” With Shailie™, girls design, create, and wear their own fashions. Shailie™ includes a life-size designer dress form and stand. Shailie™ dresses come in pieces. Sleeves, skirts, tops, and accessories come in various styles, colors, and lengths. All pieces easily attach and detach; girls can mix and match creating endless looks to wear. Launch date: February 13, 2009.

This 13" x 39" piece of art is by artist Aaron Christensen.

This light, fanciful dress can easily be applied with Velcro to any of the 7" Sticky Pixies fairies, which can be used in scrapbooks or on walls for decoration.

This hip, 12"-square piece of artwork is one in a series that also includes drums, electric guitar, and microphone versions. The image is available in the following styles: contemporary mount (with beveled edge), creative canvas wrap, framed canvas, gallery framed and artblock framed.

This 9"-square artwork on canvas features a pretty, polka-dot dress on a neutral background.

My Smart Budget is a fun, parent-child interactive financial literacy program that trains kids as young as 8 to become Money Wise for Life™. Kids CREATE their budget; DECIDE to spend, save, share or invest; MANAGE their activity; and TRACK their results. Parents CREATE the budget; FUND the budget monthly; DELEGATE management and STAND BY to help. Professionally designed by Day Timer, the kits includes everything needed to get started. "Just like an adult, kids get to manage a real budget on expenses that are all about them while still under the tutelage of the parent. Well beyond an allowance program, the expenses the parent incurs for the child are delegated to the child to manage. No more kids asking for money everytime they want something. No more worried parents when they send their child off as a young adult," Creator Danielle Aguiar told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2008.

Shailie goes beyond “dress-ups,” allowing girls to design, create, and wear their own fashions. It includes a life-sized designer dress form and stand (girls' size medium). Shailie dresses come in pieces, and sleeves, skirts, tops and accessories come in various styles, colors and lengths. Using Velcro®, all pieces mix and match to create endless looks. The design easily comes off to wear and model with friends. "Shailie promotes interactive play among a variety of ages, and the possibilities for creativity and fashion fun are endless," President Kari Kawa of Style Paige LLC told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 15, 2009.

This 14"-long edgy canine features black and grey markings, a toothy grin and a half-winking eye. Sly 9 Junior (9" long) has an MSRP of $8.95. Launch date: Early 2009.

Each Charm It! box holds a surprise, oversized charm inside. There are seven different charms available, including Troy, Chad, Sharpay and Gabriella. Charm It! Secret Surprise Boxes are also available in Hello Kitty and Hannah Montana themes. Launch date: September 2008.

Complete with Harry Potter shoes, this whimsical footstool features Harry Potter-themed fabric and corresponding red tassels around the edge.

Girls can design a fashion line for each model in this kit with the fabric supplied and detail them with trims, sequins, beads and more. This kit includes four 12" models, fabric, trim, sequins, beads, gems, glitter paints, tickers, patches, buttons, instructions and more.  10.5" W x 11" H x 2D".  Launch date: 2008.
— Barbara Vininsky, owner of Blossom & Harry in Ontario, Canada told TDmonthly that Fashion Angels Project Runway was one of her two top toys for girls in the autumn of 2008.

ModelWorks makes artfully crafted personalized action figures in just 10 days. ModelWorks Mini-Me separates itself from other companies by making hobby-grade models. The difference lies in the details. “We don’t just sculpt a face, we capture an expression," Graeme Warring, president of ModelWorks and creator of the Mini-Me, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 20, 2007.

These 12" plush tooth fairy dolls are shaped as little fairies and come in boy and girl styles. The dolls hold a child's tooth in their shiny pouch, waiting for the tooth fairy to come. Launch date: September 6, 2008.

The peace sign is back in fashion. Girls can show off their peaceful side and inner fashionista with the Peace and Love Jewelry collection by Fashion Angels. The ring-shaped pendants come etched with the words “Peace & Love” and are embellished with Austrian crystals. They are adjustable, come packaged in a decorative gift box, and come in a silver-plated or antique-silver finish, with rainbow or crystal gems. Launch date: July 2008.

Love - Hope - Peace - Believe. Fashion Angels Enterprises' Faith Inspired jewelry collection includes necklaces with cross-shaped pendants and circle-shaped pendants with a cross in the center. The necklaces are embellished with Austrian crystals for just the right amount of glam, and etched with inspirational words. They come in a sterling-silver-plated and antique-silver finish in a decorative gift box. "There is a wide variety of finishes and word combinations for everyone's taste," noted Sarah Koth, PR coordinator for Fashion Angels Enterprises. Launch date: July 2008.

Wishing on stars is a thing of the past with the Wishes 2 Wear line from Fashion Angels Enterprises. Girls can write their wish on paper and slide it inside the pendant to wear close to the heart. The pendants have the sides — one with glam Austrian crystals and two with inspirational sayings such as "Peace - Live in Peace." The necklaces come with a chain and leather cord, with six different messages in antique brass or antique silver finish.

This combo garden and playset gives girls the opportunity to grow a Lilly Bloom and Jasmine Fern while also utilizing the main flower as an enchanting doll house. The set comes with two dolls, two seed packets and 20 accessories.

This origami kit comes with 16 sheets of metallic gold paper and 16 sheets of red- and gold-toned, multicolor paper. When completed, the star has 20 points and measures approximately 6" in diameter.