March 2011 New Specialty Toys — Wooden Toys

Fastrack is an all-new kind of sports game. It consists of a wooden tray with an elastic band across each end and a bridge in the middle with a slot opening. Each side starts with 5 wooden disks. Using the elastic cord, players must be quick and aim well to be the first to send all of the disks zooming across to the other side. The first to successfully clear all 10 disks to the opponent's side wins the round. "Fastrack is high quality, eco-friendly, durable and made of wood," Nicole Britton from Blue Orange Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 2011.
Awards: 2011 Dr. Toy's Best Green Product; 2011 ASTRA Best Toys for Kids
— In a July 2014 survey, one out of 14 retailers told TDmonthly that Fastrack was their store's best-selling toy.

Build-A-Robot features four interchangeable, geometric-shaped heads featuring the emotions of happiness, sadness, anger and surprise as well as a range of textures to address sensory issues. To strengthen fine motor skills, the heads are attached with snap connectors. The legs are attached with screw connectors allowing the robot to sit or stand. Designed specifically to address the needs of children with ASD, the robot appeals to children of all ages. Launch date: February 2011.

Funky Shape Sorter with Five Chunky Blocks. Kids learn about shapes and colors with the funky shape sorter. Rotate the gears, line up the shapes then slide the blocks through. Blocks drop inside the jet pack back with a funny clunky sound then slide out the side to keep the play going. Helps to improve fine motor skills and develop shape and color recognition. Launch date: April 2011.

A delightful combination of wooden and felt pieces that have been graphically-enhanced to help youngsters pull of a pretend healthy lunch. Educo does it again with silk-screen graphics on the veggie and fruit pieces that fit with lettuce and cheese in felt to tuck in a whole wheat pita pocket. Just what the new food pyramid suggests. Launch date: February 2011.

Tegu's patent-pending blocks cleverly incorporate magnets inside sustainably harvested wood, offering gravity-defying blocks that show no visible point of connectivity and enable multi-dimensional building experiences. Available in the following honduran hardwood finishes: natural, mahogany, tints and jungle. "We utilize eco-friendly hardwoods, making them both durable and friendly to the forest," a rep for Tegu Inc told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 Parent’s Choice Award, 2010 Dr. Toy Best Green Toys and Children’s Products, 2010 Oppenheim Gold
— David Stelzer, owner of Shananigans in Baltimore, Md., told TDmonthly in a March 2015 survey that Tegu blocks were one of his store's best-selling eco-friendly toys.

Celebrating it's 25th "Jubilee" year in 2011, Cuboro is a wooden block marble maze system from Switzerland. The Jubilee set, only available in 2011, features 25 blocks, including 4 completely new blocks. Precisely crafted from ecologically harvested European beechwood, the variety of Cuboro blocks allow for seemingly infinite marble run creations. Cuboro stimulates creativity and spatial sense. What sets this item apart is "The infinite creativity possible within a system where every element is a cube of the same size," Ken Kahn, owner of Oh! Toys, told TDmonthly.

This environmental friendly wooden Double Sided Domino is made of wood from FSC-monitored source, painted with water-based paints, packaged in a box made of recycled materials, and printed with soy-bean ink. It's designed for preschoolers to learn numbers, counting and matching, plus develop motor and cognitive skills. The pieces can be stored in the sturdy drawer box that comes with the toy. It's been tested to meet European and U.S. safety standards.
Awards: 2011 Parents' Choice Recommended Award

This environmental friendly wooden Rainbow Numbers Game is made of wood from FSC-monitored source, painted with water-based paints, packaged in a box made of recycled materials, and printed with soy-bean ink. Kids can learn counting and numbers. Color coded matching provides helpful hints to minimize frustration. The game helps develop motor and cognitive skills. Store the pieces in the nice and sturdy drawer box which comes with the toy. Tested to meet European and U.S. safety standards.

This environmental friendly wooden Flower Counting Game is made of wood from FSC-monitored source, painted with water-based paints, packaged in a box made of recycled materials, and printed with soy-bean ink. Kids learn colors, numbers and counting with this attractive flower with a happy smiley face. The game helps develop motor and cognitive skills. It includes 60 pegs for counting. Store the pieces in the sturdy drawer box that comes with the toy. Tested to meet European and U.S. safety standards.
Awards: 2011 Parents' Choice Approved Award

This environmental friendly wooden Double Sided Matching Game is made of wood from FSC-monitored source, painted with water-based paints, packaged in a box made of recycled materials, and printed with soy-bean ink. Learning ABCs is very important for kids while growing up. These 52 double sided wooden pieces will help kids learn their ABCs while playing. Develop motor and cognitive skills. Match the upper case letter with the corresponding lower case letter, each pair has a unique way to fit into each other to minimize frustration. Flip the pieces and you have a different set of matching game for extra fun. Store the pieces in the nice and sturdy drawer box which comes with the toy. It's been tested to meet European and U.S. safety standards.
Awards: 2011 Parents' Choice Recommended Award

This environmental friendly wooden Double Sided Alphabet Puzzle is made of wood from FSC-monitored source, painted with water-based paints, packaged in a box made of recycled materials, and printed with soy-bean ink. Learning ABCs is very important for kids while growing up. These 26 double sided wooden pieces will attract kids to it so they can play and learn while developing motor and cognitive skills. By sorting the capital letters in the right sequence, kids can assemble a beautiful picture. On the reverse side, a long caterpillar helps kids learn both upper and lower case letters. Store all the pieces in the nice and sturdy drawer box which comes with the toy. The toy has been tested to meet European and U.S. safety standards.
Awards: 2011 Parents' Choice Recommended Award

This high-quality, durable and easy-to-assemble wooden ride-on toy encourages the development of  balancing skills and stimulates the imagination. It's been tested to meet European and U.S. safety standards.

This easy-to-assemble wooden workbench is perfect for pretend DIY projects. It comes with 13 geometric shapes, 4 wheels, 14 screws, 6 nails, 12 nuts, 4 square nuts, 1 hammer, 1 screwdriver and 1 wrench. Build whatever you like, use your imagination, the sky is the limit. Instructions for 5 construction projects included. It's been tested to meet European and U.S. safety standards.

All kids like pretend play, particularly kitchen and cooking. This 4-sided wooden kitchen is equipped with oven, stove with clicking knobs, fridge with working door, blackboard with 2 pcs of chalk for "menu of the day" and a clock for learning how to tell time. Accessories include a pan with lid, stove with lid, 3 vegetable magnets, 2 pcs of chalk, and a spoon. Perfect for mom and daughter bonding. No assembly required. It's been tested to meet European and U.S. safety standards.

This high-quality, durable and easy-to-assemble Activity Table will engage children in hours of wholesome play. The exploring, learning and fun elements include shape sorting, stacking, hammer game, bead coaster and zigzag maze. Kids can develop problem-solving and fine-motor skills, as well as learn colors and shapes. It's been tested to meet European and U.S. safety standards.

The Zither Heaven harp, while small enough to be portable and affordable, is capable of quality sound. When the strings are plucked, the soundboard resonates. The strings form a diatonic scale, allowing many familiar tunes to be played. Beginners can explore the harp while making real music. The harp pictured is 38" tall and has 22 strings. Zither Heaven also offers a 15-string harp that is 30" tall that will debut at Toy Fair 2011.  Both instruments are made in the U.S.A.  The neck and pillar are made from sustainable native North American solid cherry or maple and the soundboard is made with Baltic birch.

Zither Heaven's ukulele is well constructed. The neck is made of solid maple and features a 15-inch vibrating string length. The body is made of solid cherry, maple, or black walnut. Made in the U.S.A. from sustainable native North American solid cherry or black walnut.

Zither Heaven's soprano ukulele features a smaller body with a 14-inch vibrating string length. The frets are closer together making it easier for a young child to play. The Baltic birch back on Zither Heaven’s soprano ukulele makes this instrument very sturdy and durable. Its small size makes it easy to carry. Made in the U.S.A. from sustainable native North American solid cherry, maple, or black walnut with a Baltic birch back

To play the thumb piano (kalimba), the musician pushes down on a key with a thumb. When the key is released, the vibration resonates in the wooden body. A thumb piano is sturdy and easy to carry, making it an easy choice for children. The 8-note thumb piano forms a diatonic scale (middle C to C, no sharps or flats). Made in the U.S.A. from sustainable native North American solid cherry, maple, or black walnut.

To play the thumb piano (kalimba), the musician pushes down on a key with a thumb. When the key is released, the vibration resonates in the wooden body. A thumb piano is sturdy and easy to carry, making it an choice for children. The 8-note dished thumb piano forms a pentatonic scale (sharps and flats only). Made in the U.S.A. from sustainable native North American solid cherry, maple, or black walnut.

The psaltery has survived through the centuries, from ancient times to the present. Zither Heaven's bowed psaltery features a triangle shape, which separates the strings to form a diatonic scale on one side and the remaining chromatic notes on the other side. imply designed and easy to bow, the Zither Heaven psaltery is designed for a child interested in music. The psaltery includes tuning wrench, bow, and rosin. Made in the U.S.A. from sustainable native North American solid cherry, maple or black walnut.

The psaltery has survived through the centuries, from ancient times to the present. Zither Heaven's bowed psaltery features a triangle shape, which separates the strings to form a diatonic scale on one side and the remaining chromatic notes on the other side. Simply designed and easy to bow, the Zither Heaven psaltery is designed for a child interested in music. The psaltery includes tuning wrench, bow, and rosin. Made in the U.S.A. from sustainable native North American solid cherry, maple or black walnut.