July 2009 New Specialty Toys — All

Jane Yolen and Mark Teague's remarkable series is a delight for children and adults. The books are a warm and no-nonsense way of helping kids manage the important things in their lives—going to bed, eating their food, coping with being sick, and going to school. By using humor and showing what a dinosaur would and wouldn’t do, the books make things easy to understand for even the smallest child. Dolls come in 14" ($16.00) and  8" ($9.00) sizes.

This 17 x 9 cm replica of the fiercest prehistoric predator is handpainted.

This recently discovered dinosaur is reproduced in a 1:20 scale. It measures 32 x 11.5 cm.

This Brachiosaurus replica is handpainted. It includes a to-scale human figure and an educational pamphlet.

The allosaurus is a predecessor of the T Rex. Watch out for his claws! This meticulously hand-painted replica comes with an educational hangtag in five languages.

This set of oversized building pieces is made of all-natural, finish-free hardwood maple with an interlocking design that facilitates construction of a classic barn measuring 18" W x 24" L x 20" H. It has sizeable windows and doors, plus a removable roof so that kids can play with their dolls and toys on the interior. Launch date: 2009.

The apatosaurus from Safari includes an educational hangtag in five languages. It's meticulously handpainted.

WhisperPhone Duet uses the power of auditory learning while also allowing students to learn together in pairs. Duet also can keep classrooms quieter. Duet is Title I and Reading First funds qualified, dishwasher safe and battery free. It received a 2009 Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Products award. Launch date: May 2009.

This set features a detailed Santa with his toy sack and best friend Rudolph the Reindeer for pretend play. The figures may be used with other WOW toys sets. Launch date: July 9, 2009.

This friction-powered cement truck has an automatic revolving mixer. Mike’s motor rotates his inner cement drum, tossing and turning all the mix of cement ingredients with real cement-making sounds. He is operated by a friendly removable construction driver figure who can either drive him to his next job or watch the mixing process from the top of his truck. A detachable bollard can be fixed to the back for easy storage. "Mix ‘n’ Fix Mike, as with all other vehicles from WOW’s toy range, has been designed to help children make sense of the world around them through imaginative play. Every WOW toy is compatible with others from the range, [and] they are extremely resilient, don’t require batteries, and exceed all toy safety regulations," Tanya Laperouse, PR manager for WOW Toys, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 9, 2009.

With this puzzle, toddlers can match the shape of one of the four knob puzzle pieces or discover what is underneath. The Pond Knob Puzzle is designed to promote fine motor and concentration skills. "Delightful graphics encourage children to uncover and learn more about animals in their environment," Robin Lehnert, marketing manager for Hape Intl, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2009.

Little Autos are child-sized vehicles made of maple with natural wood wheels painted with a vibrant burst of color and sweet graphics. They are available in four colors: lime green, blue, red and yellow, and accented with one of two whimsical patterns: checkers or blossoms. Little Autos are an "exceptional value for a modern, wood vehicle. This is available in a display with 8 autos in 4 colors," Robin Lehnert, marketing manager for Hape Intl., told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2009.

Reeves International announced its exclusive U.S. distributorship for WWF® - Games by Terra™ in 2009. Under the license of the largest multinational conservation organization in the world, the World Wildlife Fund, Terra Toys introduces the Wildlife Conservation Collection. These classic, timeless, family-friendly games and puzzles are made from sustainable materials, incorporating 19 endangered species and their habitats that are currently under protection. In Amur Chinese Checkers, players choose their favorite feline and walk, run or leap to find out the fastest route through the wilderness of the Amu-Heilong region. It includes 60 wooden playing pieces (six colors), an Amur-Heilong themed wooden playing board and playing instructions. Launch date: September 2009.

Kids can slip their hand through the opening of this soft, slinky ferret puppet's chest to work his mouth. There's an additional rear pocket for extra wriggling. Launch date: August 4, 2009.
Awards: A TDmonthly Classics Award for being an all-time favorite toy.
— As of 7/21/2011 this product had 4.8 out of 5 stars from 4 review on Amazon.com.
— In late Spring 2011, eight out of 15 retailers surveyed said that puppets from Folkmanis were best-sellers in the category. "They have all kinds, and people can get odd things, like a ferret," Lisa LeStrange, owner of Lucky Duck Toys in Wayne, Pa., told TDmonthly. She sells 10-15 Folkmanis puppets each month.

The Pink line includes organic rattles, teethers, and developmental toys designed with purpose. The House Sorter comes packed with four shape blocks ready to be shaken, squeezed and sorted. It's designed to stimulate and develop babies' sensory, motor and social skills vital to their personal growth and most importantly, have fun doing it. “From the organic cotton grown without pesticides and chemicals, coloring process, and right down to the plant-based fibers used in filling the plush toys, we’re all about delivering toys that babies will enjoy learning from and that don’t harm the environment,” Re-Think It Co-founder Amy Shumway told TDmonthly. A portion of the proceeds from the PINK line will support Breast Cancer Research. Launch date: September 16, 2009.

This hands-on, interactive science collection is full of fossils, minerals, marine life and insects that children can touch and examine. The wooden box includes more than 30 items, such as trilobites fossils, pyrite, geode, sand dollar, starfish, murex shells and an insect in lucite. Also included is a hand lens and activity guide. "It stimulates a child's sense of curiosity and encourages kids to make discoveries in the back yard, at the beach or on a hike. The Discovery Box becomes an heirloom that children will share with their own children and grandchildren in the future. The activity guide provides parents with great activities to do with their kids," John Skowlund, president of World Discovery Box, told TDmonthly. This product received a 2009 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toy award and was named a Homeschool.com Best Educational Gift 2008. Launch date: November 2008.

Simply fill the vase 3/4 full with water, add Vase-Over powder and stir. After thirty seconds, add the fun, themed foam and glitter accents, and voila — a decorated, multi-dimensional container. All that's left to do is add flowers. "There is no need to change the solution, and most cut flowers will last longer in our patent-pending formulation than water! This is the only product on the market that revolutionizes vases and how they look, as well as being made in the United States," Alicia Borley, PR manager for DuneCraft, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2009.

Kids can make three free-standing snowmen with this kit, which includes four types of polymers, a tray, whimsical instructions and information, and more. "This kit contains everything needed to make multitudes of snow-related items, and is completely made in the United States," Alicia Borley, PR manager for DuneCraft, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2009.

Stevia is known to produce a sweetener twenty to thirty times sweeter than sugar. The Sweet Leaf Plant is a sub-tropical plant that will grow 2' to 3' tall. "This product contains a plant that actually works! It is made in the United States and is guaranteed to grow," Alicia Borley, PR manager for DuneCraft, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2009.

Individuals can grow ingredients to make their own herbal teas. Plants include Lemon Balm, German Chamomile and Spearmint. These three herbs have many medicinal qualities, including promoting sleep, encouraging relaxation and lifting spirits. All make light, refreshing, aromatic teas. Decorative accents include natural gravel, decals, planting stakes, an instructions and recipe booklet and more. "The Tea House is completely manufactured in the United States, contains three types of herbal teas that can be harvested right from the terrarium, and has great educational value," Alicia Borley, PR manager for DuneCraft, told TDmonthly. It received a 2009 iParenting Media Award. Launch date: February 2009.

With this ready-to-use pocket chart, children are able to apply word-study skills to a shared reading text, engaging in shared reading with an instructional purpose. The activities target punctuation, letter combinations, letter patterns and word endings. It includes a pocket chart and 84 printed cards. Launch date: 2009.

Short and Long Vowel Pals are phonics flip-ups of rhyming words. They are designed to assist in learning the short and long vowel sounds and discriminating between them with visual reinforcement — consonants in black and vowels in red. Each set includes five Short and Long Vowel Pals and a Teacher's Guide. Launch date: 2008.

Teachers may usse this visual aid to help children learn and identify letter combinations that make the same sound. Sound Buddies can also be used to make word sorts and makes an excellent bulletin board display. Each set includes 25 Sound Buddies organized in groups of two, three and four by sound. A Teacher's Guide is included. Launch date: 2008.

This hands-on way to help students identify beginning, middle and ending sounds in words can be played with an entire class, an individual student or a small group of students. The set includes six double-sided boards, six race cars and an activity guide. Launch date: 2009.