July 2009 New Specialty Toys — Educational

Inspired by the author’s childhood memories of receiving notes in his lunchbox, Lunchbox Stories were created as an innovative way for kids to enjoy reading. With more than 40 chapters in each book, readers experience the twists and turns of each adventure through a series of suspenseful Chapter-Cards™. Four titles are available, and each story includes full-color illustrations and packaging. "The Chapter-Cards have approximately 200 words, and are written with just enough suspense to encourage the child to read the next card. The unique design makes Lunchbox Stories effective for quick and consistent reading before bed or during the day, and teachers find they can use the short chapters to playfully regain the attention of the class after recess and lunch," Brian Martin, president of Lunchbox Stories, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 5, 2009.

Now, teaching music history is easy for teachers and fun for students. "The Right Notes" music assignment book teaches music history for instructors, freeing up their valuable time for lessons. A weekly practice chart helps keep track of practice time. The 9" X 12" pages give ample room for writing weekly notes. Each notebook lasts a year. A completed "The Right Notes" music assignment book can also act as a lasting record of a student's progress. Click here to watch publishers' 2-year-old exhibiting her musical knowledge. Launch date: January 2009.

In this fast-paced word game for two to five players, players trade two-sided letter cards between elegant wood racks, to create words, or steal them from each other. It may be used for family game nights as well as in educational settings. Game play takes 30 to 45 minutes. "PatchWord employs a unique game mechanic using cards with different letters on the inside vs. the outside, which trains logic, memory and sequencing skills, as well as spelling and vocabulary skills," Daniel Weaver, founder of Knightweaver Games, told TDmonthly. This product has won the following awards: 2009 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children's Products; and 2009 Game of the Year for Educational Word Game from Creative Child Magazine. Launch date: January 29, 2009.

In Loop It, players connect their tiles to any of the twisting lines on the board and score points based on the point value of the tile they played, the place they played it and other neighboring tiles. "This international sensation is new to the U.S. but a great new twist on an old favorite," David Norman, president of Goliath Games, told TDmonthly. "[The] game combines logic, spacial reasoning, math and fun in a great game that is really easy to learn." Launch date: July 2009.

Designed for LaQ beginners to enjoy snapping together flat models, this kit includes all 10 LaQ colors, four types of blocks and four colorful pages of instruction sheets to make 39 interchangeable models. "Children enjoy the snap! and click! sound when piecing the parts together. LaQ is a highly educational block toy with an infinite possibility of creating three-dimensional and spherical models. The Mini Kit Plane is an introductory kit," Mo Saeki, in the overseas division of Yoshiritsu Co., Ltd., told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2009.

Morsel Munk® Word Stump® is designed to fuse fun, imagination and exercise for the mind. It's where word association, synonyms and antonyms meet crosswords and word searches. "The goal of these puzzles is to challenge and expand the creativity of which everyone is capable. They are not strictly a test of knowledge/book smarts," Brigitte Rouleau, vice president of Morsel Munk LLC, told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2008.

Kids can recycle a soda can into a silly, walking, wobbling robot. The kit includes all the parts needed, right down to the googly eyes, except for the two AAA batteries that are required. Launch date: 2008.
— “The Tin Can Robot is a huge hit. It’s from their Green Science series, which has been doing great,” Jennifer Schneeweis, owner of Izilla Toys in Seattle, told TDmonthly in late August 2009. Two of 40 retailers mentioned the brand when discussing best-selling educational items in fall 2009.
― “Right now we have the Tin Can Robot for 8- to 10-year-olds and that's doing well,” said Marlene, manager of Kits & Kaboodle in Carmel, Ind., when asked about her best-selling item for tween boys. Seven of 39 retailers surveyed in October 2009 said science kits are their top sellers for tween boys.
― “It's a good price point and an excellent product.  It sells all the time,” Priscilla Moore, owner of Mr. Fub's Party, Toys and More  in Yellow Springs, Ohio, said of the Tin Can Robot and other 4M science kits in spring 2010.
— In August 2010, seven of 43 retailers told TDmonthly that Toysmith is a best-selling science and nature brand. Two retailers named Tin Can Robot as a top product.
AWARDS: 2010 TDmonthly Top Seller

Kids can learn about renewable energy by building this functioning wind generator. When the blades turn, they create electricity that powers an LED light, demonstrating renewable energy from the wind. Users just add a recycled plastic bottle and the kit provides everything else they need. No batteries required. Launch date: 2008.

These kits are designed to offer everything kids need to learn about the basics of robotic science while constructing fun machines. There are four styles: Robotic Bird, Robotic Ball Collector, Robotic Bubble Blower and Robotic Beeper. All parts snap together with easy to follow instructions. Each kit requires 2 AA batteries, not included. Launch date: 2009.

The horses have been running wild on the range, and the players' job to round up as many as they can and bring them back to the Ranch Corral. Some may be in the box canyons, or grazing along the trail. As players ride out, they'll have to get some lassos and binoculars and watch out for falling rocks that could block up a trail and leave a beautiful horse trapped. Players have to work together as a team, sharing equipment and talking over ideas. Because of the random setup, each game is a new adventure. It includes a 12" x 12" board, rocks, lassos, wild horses and binoculars. Launch date: April 30, 2009.

Kids can choose an adventure and set off to a land near or far, playing with polar bears and seals in the freezing floating ice lands, or discovering tigers in the dense jungle. Four backgrounds set the arena for 26 animals to play and jump around. Launch date: 2009.

With more than 60 pieces and a lettered play board showing both upper- and lower-cased letters, this set gives kids a way to become more familiar with the alphabet. Each picture has the word on felt to go along with it. And ech vowel has an image of its long and short sound, helping to start the concept of beginning phonics. Launch date: 2009.

Kids's imaginations can splash into an underwater world where scuba divers explore the colorful creatures of the coral reef or venture out into open water and find magnificent giant mammals and fish. This play board and 28 felt pieces create a place to explore the depths of the sea. Launch date: 2009.

With this imaginative kit, kids can set a scene in which the characters fly a kite in the cool salty air, build art sculptures of sand, or go snorkeling and discover the world under the sea. A beach oasis is a playground paradise for this boy and girl. It includes more than 20 colorful felt pieces. Launch date: 2009.

Deep in the rainforest camouflaged againt dense vegetation hide unique animals. A tapir slumbers by the sleepy three-toed sloth, while toucans and monkeys sing in the trees. A lavish play board provides a dense cover for more than 20 felt animals. Launch date: 2009.

Each card is an opportunity to explore, explain and express oneself on subjects from serious to silly and everything in between — leisure suits to lava lamps and pet rocks to a favorite rock group on 8-track tape. Launch date: March 2009.

Friends and family can talk about the decade that changed the world, exploring topics from the heavy to the groovy, whether influenced by the Establishment or the anti-everything movement. Launch date: March 2009.

Valley girls and video games, Ronald Reagan and Rubik’s Cube, Flashdance and the fall of the Berlin Wall. TableTopics ‘80s edition has it all covered. The era of big business and even bigger hair can inspire fun conversation with friends and family. "The content and quality of our questions is unsurpassed by any competitive product, but if we had to pick on thing that is iconic about TableTopics, it is our beautiful cube. It's very upscale, permanent, timeless," Sheryl Brunell, vice president of TableTopics, told TDmonthly. "Our founder and owner, Cristy Clarke, wanted to create a product that people would use in their homes everyday and was beautiful enough to stay out on the dinner table, on the coffee table, on the dining room table all the time." Launch date: March 2009.

Designed to provide a thoughtful and imaginative play experience, this game features a princess who needs to be rescued from a mean guard and fierce dog. Players go through fields, woods, mountains and villages in search of things magical and practical that are needed to free the Princess. Participants share and help each other remember where special things are hidden, and together think their way past the obstacles. The games includes a 12" x 12" board, die, movers, night cards, good grief cards and special things.

The goal of this game is to help everyone from Mom and Dad to Granny and Grandpa have a great day and not get caught by The Blues. Players can pass on a hug, make others laugh with goofy faces, tell someone what they like about them, dance, sing, share a joke, and more. Feel-Good Cards have lots of things to do to chase away The Blues, but players must be careful, as The Blues can sneak up very quickly. Participants can personalize the game's supplies by adding various books and music of their own. Suggestions are included. The games includes a 12" x 12" board, feel-good cards, a neighborhood card, people movers, the blues and dice.

Kids 18 months and older can use these wooden stacking blocks to learn colors, numbers and letters and more! Launch date: Early 2009.

Each card in this geography themed deck sports a detailed custom map of one of the fifty states. The cards deliver facts about the states, including flags, important cities and towns, rivers, lakes, mountain peaks, national parks, historic sites, and other fun features. All of this information is displayed on the delicately shaded relief maps that are the heart of TerraCarta. The District of Columbia and U.S. territories are included in the playing card coverage. A two-sided map and playing card index, an informational key card, and a wild card that shows the entire United States in striking global perspective fill out the complete deck of 55 cards. With a full set of traditional suits and ranks, TerraCarta can replace standard playing cards for popular games, such as gin rummy, hearts, and crazy eights. It can also be used as a set of quiz and flash cards.

P’kolino’s Puzzle Stacker increases the play value of the classic stacker by adding the benefits of puzzles. This 6 ring stacking toy helps develop a baby’s hand-eye coordination and recognition of sizes and colors. The puzzle fine-tunes motor skills and teaches spatial logic through joining the interconnecting pieces, resulting in doubling its developmental value within a single toy. Also available in a 10 ring version. Launch date: June 2009.

This adventure game is designed to encourage thought and imagination in young children. On their journey to Granny's, players go through dark woods, cross a stream, need to be very careful passing a sleepy bear, etc. Players decide what to bring along — a dog, a basket of food, perhaps some sticks and a rope — and must use these items to invent ways to deal with whatever obstacle they meet. The game includes a 12" x 12" board, a team mover, a die, and good things tokens. "This is a cooperative game in which all the players use their imaginations to get by the obstacles on their path to Granny's house in the country," Jim Deacove, president of Family Pastimes, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 28, 2009.