June 2010 New Specialty Toys — All

Hand tailored from deep-red cotton sateen stitched with a gold vine pattern, this decorative bear is a huggable alternative to a throw pillow on a couch or bed. Like all Vermont Teddy Bears, this HaBEARdasher bear is handmade in Vermont and guaranteed for life.

This "bouquet" features three fragrant Bears nestled in a bright pink flower wrap and tied with a white ribbon. Each bear is approximately 14" tall and features its own signature scent, including Watermelon, Strawberry and Vanilla Cupcake. The fragrance is guaranteed for up to two years, and the bears are guaranteed for life.

This fold-out play scene comes with an Ella figure dressed as a ballerina, a poseable Dog-Dog the Puppy, a glittery cape, a floral ballet bar and a full-length swivel mirror.

This 3.5" multi-poseable figure comes dressed in a fabric bee costume with a shimmery stinger and wings. Included are a gingham picnic blanket and a honey-filled pot.

This playset comes with an Emily figure dressed as a cowgirl, and a poseable pony. Also included are a wicker basket carrots, an apple, a pony bridle and reins, a saddle, a pony Brush, a pail with movable handle, a blanket and a fold-out play scene.

This handbag, a miniature version of the Sassy Pet Sak Sillo comes in 6,” 8” and 9” sizes, and is intended to carry just a few essential items. Six styles - Owl, Green Zebra Dachshund, Celebration Horse, Peace Dachshund, Lily Flower Cat and Pink Butterfly - are available, each beautifully designed with brightly hued quilted fabrics and embellished with coordinating trim and faux gems.

Each turn, one team flips over a category card and team members quickly brainstorm words that fit the category. The team agrees on a word before the time runs out and then pulls each letter in that word one lane closer to their side of the street. The first team to pull eight letters off the street wins. Word on the Street Junior is designed to encourage vocabulary development, creative thinking and teamwork, and is "great for all ages and all group sizes," Out of the Box VP of Marketing Leah Sugar told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 Mensa Select; 2010 Major Fun; 2010 Oppenheim Gold; 2010 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Product; 2010 Parent's Choice Silver
— Verlina Adema of What You Reading Now played Word on the Street Junior with her three children and enjoyed that the game required teamwork and brainstorming. As a homeschool mom, she appreciated that “This game incorporates visual, auditory and tactile learning styles so there is something for every child!”
— The Board Game Family described Word on the Street Junior as the perfect party game because “every time we play it, we can’t stop with just one play…But that’s just great because the second game is always louder, more energetic, and lasts longer for a lot more fun.”

When unzipped, ZipBin Ice Cream Shoppe becomes an activity center and messy mat perfect for building Ice Cream creations. When play is done, all the toys can be captured inside. This play set includes four colors of modeling dough and five utensils. It "creates a fun and educational area to play and makes clean up a breeze!" Neat-Oh! International Sales & Marketing Specialist Noah Winterer told TDmonthly.

"Color Me Cosmo," designed by the creator of the chidren's book "Cosmo The Boat Cat" and made in the USA, encourages children to use their imagination to create a colorful Cosmo to share with family and friends. "Color Me Cosmo" is a 12" cotton stuffed animal with a handy pocket sewn on the back with three washable makers. Cosmo is washable and can be used again and again.

This selection from author Will Dodson consists of six oversized movie poster postcards and a flat-spined book filled with vintage stills. "Cult Films" focuses on the sometimes campy, sometimes gruesome, sometimes thrilling movies that have attracted a small yet dedicated knot of fans over the decades. This collection is vividly illustrated with black-and-white and color images throughout. "There’s something about the quirky and bizarre nature of cult films that appeals to the movie-watcher in all of us. Cult Films strikes that same chord, covering ground never before seen by non-hardcore cult movie enthusiasts," Langenscheidt Publishing Group Marketing Assistant Andrea Sper told TDmonthly.

This book and postcard package is an informative visual feast of pop-culture iconography. Featuring spreads on movie icons and individual musical classics, Hollywood Musicals covers show-stopping classics such as "Singin' in the Rain," toe-tapping favorites like "Jailhouse Rock," and modern romps like "Mamma Mia!" "Not only is there an informative book, written by an expert on film and media, about the iconic and glamorous Hollywood Musicals, but there is also the added bonus of six, full-colored oversized postcards," Andrea Sper, Langenscheidt Publishing Group marketing assistant, told TDmonthly.

This necklace, which features a peace sign within a heart-shaped pendant, is worn by animated character Anni Zola in her music video. It is made of solid polished stainless steel and includes a 16" black leather cord with a spring clasp. The necklace comes in an embroidered Anni Zola velvet pouch. "All our products carry the message of peace," Zuriani Zonneveld, CEO of Generation Z, LLC, told TDmonthly.

Old School FIKI Football is a tabletop football game with a genuine leather triangle "football." It includes a goalpost and 5" x 7" replica football field. "FIKI Football is patented and the only genuine leather tabletop football game on the market," Richard M. Crasnick, president of FIKI SPORTS, told TDmonthly.

These soft cotton T-shirts feature an image of the globe filled half empty with water along with the message "Use Water Wisely." The shirts come in sizes small to large.

The Complete Hawaiian Reef Fish Coloring Book includes more than 200 colorable illustrations designed to help teach children how to identify over 80 species of fish. Each illustration is accompanied by a complete description of the fish, with information about anatomical features, coloration, body designs, feeding habits and reproductive strategies. An overview of coral reef ecology is provided to help children understand the relationship between the fishes and the coral reef as well as the importance of conservation. This eco-friendly book is printed on recycled paper. "This book is often referred to as a coloring textbook or even coloring encyclopedia, because it is the most complete source of information about reef fish that you will find in a coloring book," Lucid Publishing Author Monika Mira told TDmonthly.
Awards: Summer 2010 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children's Products; 2010 Creative Child Magazine Book of the Year Award

Scramble Squares® are nine-piece puzzles that feature original art and only one solution. They're designed for everyone from age 4 to 104.
— Teri Lucas of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine loved Scramble Squares, describing them as “the puzzle lover's challenge, the perfectionist's nightmare, and loads of laughs.”
— Living Sola Gratia’s Brandi found Scramble Squares to be deceptively simple. She suggested keeping an unopened Scramble Squares on hand as a perfect last-minute gift.

Why do cats' eyes glow in the dark? How do our ears stop us from falling? This close-up look at human and animal senses delivers clear and concise answers to the questions children ask.

Why do cats' eyes glow in the dark? How do our ears stop us from falling? This close-up look at human and animal senses delivers clear and concise answers to the questions children ask.

Children want to know "Why don't ships sink?", "Which is the fastest jet plane?", and "Why do cars need gasoline?" Climb aboard and discover the answers in this intriguing look at transportation.

I Wonder Why the Wind Blows answers all sorts of tricky and fascinating questions about Planet Earth, such as "How cold is snow?", "How hot are deserts?", and "Where do rivers end?" An entertaining introduction to our planet for budding scientists and beginning readers.

Discover the secrets of chemistry, and learn about the properties of matter and the ways in which they interact, combine and change. Chemistry is a compelling guide to a community of characters who make up everything around us.
— SimplyScience’s Shirley loved the book’s “funny (and accurate) introduction to the periodic table.” She imagined “the kid who is fascinated with science picking up this small trim-sized book, reading it, and showing it to all his/her friends.”
— Despite some issues with the book’s organization, Roberta Gibson of Wrapped in Foil found that the book makes chemistry concepts “fresh and interesting” by presenting the terms as characters. She loved that “The sections are written in the first person from that character’s point of view, and each section stands on its own.”

Meet Zero, a bubbly fellow who will dissolve you to nothing, and say hello to the all-action Units, who just love to measure. Get a load of greedy Multiply, a big guy who hoards numbers together, and stand amazed by mysterious Pi, who goes on and on and on ... to Infinity. Multiply your number know-how with Basher’s unique one-stop guide to the building blocks of mathematics. Packed with top tips and memorable characters, this is an essential book for students ages 8 and up.

With its lively, creative approach, this is a unique and highly memorable one-stop guide to using punctuation marks correctly. Each mark is each represented by its own character – from unassuming Semicolon to loud-mouthed Exclamation Mark – who explain in their own words what makes them tick and how they are used. “Do’s and “Don’t”s provide practical advice to help every child unravel the rules and regulations of the English language.

From Basher, the illustrator who showed the periodic table in a whole new light and gave us his fresh spin on physics, bioligy, astronomy and rocks and minerals, comes Planet Earth, a book that sheds light on this rock we live on, from its mountains and ocean depths to the storms that whirl around it.