July 2011 New Specialty Toys — All

Players will be challenged to put their memory to the test in just five short seconds as they attempt to memorize a specific shade of color and then match it to the correct color wheel. Just the slightest difference between shade, tint or hue can completely change the game. The first player to fill their artist’s palette with six color chips and win the game. Fast-paced play combines with memory building, visual thinking and art.  Color guide provides extra learning material.
Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy Award, January 2012; 2011 Finalist for ASTRA's Best Toys for Kids
— Why it won: Unlike most matching games, which require players to remember and pair off images, this game challenges players to remember the exact shade of a certain color. They then must match the color they saw to a color wheel. An entertaining, challenging twist on the classic memory game.

"While there are several stacking toys on the market, none of them are circular and included the added element of balance.  Tobbles is a stacking toy which encourages children to explore and discover," Erik Quam, Director of Product Development at Fat Brain Toy, told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2011 Finalist for ASTRA's Best Toys for Kids
— Melodie Ingwersen, owner of Creative Kids Inc in Columbia, S.C., told TDmonthly in an April 2012 survey about best selling infant & toddler products that they sell 2-3 dozen Tobbles each month.

Maple Landmark Woodcraft has had animal and vehicle dominoes for years, and now they have developed a colorful set of standard dominoes. This 28-piece, double six set is made from locally harvested hardwood maple. Each domino measures about 1 1/4" wide X 2 1/2" long and about 3/8" thick. The colorful dots are done in a very durable non-toxic ink. Each number is in a different color. The set comes with a drawstring cloth bag and a playing instructions and suggestions. "The dominoes are made in the USA," Barbara Rainville, marketing manager at Maple Landmark Woodcraft, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2011.

This 22 piece rattling building block set was designed specially for Little Builders. Shake, rattle, and build with these colorful blocks sized for little hands. Launch date: June 2011.
Awards: Dr. Toy 10 Best Toys of 2011

Dado Bricks are interlocking cardboard bricks, measuring 12 inches long x 6 inches deep x 3 inches high. Kids can use these stacking bricks to create kid-scale structures...walls, castles, forts, secret hide-outs, or even attractive room decor. Unlike other simple cardboard blocks on the market, the Dado Cardboard Bricks contain a protruding pair of square nubs along with a matching set of recessed square indentations. The result is a cardboard brick that when stacked, will not easily tumble and can retain a rigid structure. "The ONLY interlocking cardboard block on the market," Erik Quam, Director of Product Development at Fat Brain Toy, told TDmonthly.

This award-winning patented cloth pocket diaper is made with sturdy snap closures, which are made to last and require no maintenance. FuzziBunz diapers have no Velcro®, so they won't fray, collect lint or snag your baby's clothes. FuzziBunz come in a variety of sweet and fun colors and they fit snugly on your baby without the added bulk that  comes with most one-size diapers. They offer "Lots of adjustability with 30+ adjustable buttons and snap settings to adjust waist, leg casings and rise. It is the most adjustable one-size diaper," Ashley Boudreaux, marketing director at FuzziBinz, told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2007 Iparenting Media; 2008 PTPA Media; 2009 Best of Business Awards; 2010 Stevie Awards: Best New Product of the Year; 2010 Stevie Awards: Most Innovative Company

Zeven Card Zombie is like a Rummy game, but with Zombies and more interaction between the players. The object of the game is for players to lay down a matching hand of Seven Zombie cards first. Five cards are dealt, ten brain markers are given to each player, and during game play two cards are always picked up and discarded. Players play Zeven Card Zombie and collect cards to keep the brains of victims, while using the military Commando Team to rescue them from their opponents. Beware the Zombie Hunter as she will slay the minions on the spot- but don’t worry, for the wretched Grave Digger can always get what players need. Launch date: August 2010.

Colorio is a strategic game of memory and daring. Each round, players have to remove some of the caps to reveal the colored discs beneath. But players must be careful; if they reveal five discs of the same color they are out of the game. So, players must try to remember where the colors are placed and dare to remove more and more caps to trap their opponents and push them into making mistakes. Colorio is a simple game that is quick to learn, fast to play and offers challenges to players of all skill levels. Launch date: February 2011.

In Ponder, players must race to get their frog to the other side of the pond. It’s the annual Frog Race and the distance is one English pond; the aim is to get one''s team over to the other side of the pond before everyone else does. However, the frogs are not very fit, so they need the lily leafs to step on to cross the pond. The pond is crowded and one may only move as the cards dictate. Ponder is a fast and strategic race game for the whole family. Set in a beautiful pond with floating lily leaves, sun shining and a summer breeze; lazy frogs included. Launch date: February 2011.
Awards: 2010 Golden Dice Family Game of the Year, Sweden.

Repello is a game of grasped opportunities. The aim is to push as many Repellers and opponents as possible off the board. Objects pushed off the board are worth points and the player with the finest collection at the end of the game is the winner. There is one basic rule in Repello: All objects repel each other, and players decide which object pushes which. In a single move one may set off a chain reaction that will spread over the entire board, sending valuable Repellers, or opponents, over the edge. Master the pushes and bounces; see the possibilities in each moment and one stands a very good chance of winning. Launch date: February 2011.
Awards: 2010 Golden Dice Game of the Year, Sweden.

Skateboard Madness is a board game of skateboarding. The object of the game is to win the X Games Championship in skateboarding while meeting the four Madness professional skateboarders; Andy Macdonald, Corey Duffel, Tony Mag, and Ron Allen. Along the way, players must collect sponsorship cards from the official Madness sponsors.The game includes an extensive trivia section and random action for skateboard enthusiasts. "There is nothing on the market like it," Monica Lucas, VP of Operations at Mindtwister USA, told TDmonthly.

Fandooble is a party game filled with dragons, knights, wizards… and a scoundrel named Fandooble. Opponents must race against one another to steal all of the gold from the fearsome dragon and possibly some of the other players. Taking turns, players roll the four dice, pushing their luck to see how much gold they can get. Rolling as often as they want, taking treasure from the dragon or their friends and foes alike, it’s the luck of the dice- but if a player rolls three dragons, they are eliminated. Three of the dice have treasure and dragons. The treasure gets players gold; the dragons foil their spoils. Three dragons rolled and a players' stash goes back to the dragon’s pile; if those dragons are red, the player loses the stash from their turn and all the gold in their bank. The other die has wizards and knights to help along the way. It also has the rascally scoundrel Fandooble; he’ll steal players' hard stolen gold and give it to someone else. Fandooble is for 2-6 players, and game time last from 10-30 minutes. "Easy to learn, simple to take with you on the go," Monica Lucas, VP of Operations at Mindtwister USA, told TDmonthly.

Pedestal Pets are sold as "Pencil Toppers".  Each series includes 4 animal pencil toppers, 4 coordinating pencils and 4 fun fact trading cards. "The similar items on the market are sold as squishie toys and are not made specifically to be a pencil topper, although they sometimes market them that way. Similar products on the market either tear, or won't stay on the pencil at all," Lisa Jo Scherfel, owner of Inspired Design LLC, told TDmonthly.

The cooperative board games collection includes Count Your Chickens, Hoot Owl Hoot, Lost Puppies, Mermaid Island, and Stone Soup. Ideal for children two years of age and up, the games focus on socialization skills in a cooperative, group play setting. "Unlike traditional games where there is one winner and one (or many) losers, with cooperative games the players work together against a common obstacle in the game, not against each other. If the game is lost, the defeat is shared equally among the players. And, if the game is won, everyone is a winner," Donna Modrell, marketing & operations manager at Peaceable Kingdom Press, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.
Awards: Hoot Owl Hoot! - 2011 Dr. Toy Best Green Product

The Wheely Pig is the latest addition to the Prince Lionheart award-winning, ride-on toy line. The Wheely Pig teaches children balance and motor skills with castor wheels which will allow children free movement. Easy to clean and durable. Launch date: June 2011 Awards: Mother & Baby, Top Gear, 2005 Baby Gear Gold, 2005 Practical Pre-School, 2010 Fat Brain Best of the Best

Each pack of Twisty Stix Scented Erasers comes with four fragrant Twistys. There are six different scents to choose from, each with bright colors and a design on both ends. Scents include grape, watermelon, apple, banana, peach and strawberry. These unique erasers will last longer than other erasers- they are 6.5"" long, almost the same length as a standard pencil.

Inspired by kids’ submissions to Infinitoy’s online gallery, Z.A.C. the ZOOB Alien Creature gives kids all the tools they need to build their own aliens. Using specially-colored ZOOB pieces (including glow-in-the-dark pieces), and light-up eyes, kids can build aliens, a rocket, a UFO, a radio telescope, and lots more. This set includes 200 ZOOB pieces, 12 glow-in-the-dark pieces, 2 light-up eyes with batteries, and complete instructions. Launch date: September 2011.

The ZOOBMobile FastBack H2H features two pull-back friction motors, so kids can create their own ZOOBMobiles and race them against each other, or put the motors together to make a super vehicle that goes up to 50 feet. The Fastback H2H features 45 ZOOB pieces, and 8 high-quality tires that are notched so they work like gears. Because ZOOB® pieces snap together so many different ways, kids can use their imaginations to create their own vehicles, and add on pieces from their ZOOB collections to make even more. The FastBack H2H is fully compatible with all other Infinitoy ZOOB pieces. Launch date: September 2011.

ZOOB is a building set with a difference—the pieces move after kids put them together. So kids can play with their creations, instead of just looking at them. ZOOB JR. provides ZOOB’s award-winning creative play with softer pieces designed for young children. ZOOB JR. pieces are made with a special memory material that flexes and goes back to its original shape, so they bend, move, and snap together snugly. And just like ZOOB, ZOOB JR.'s open-ended versatility lets kids build anything they want to build as it sparks young imaginations. The ZOOB JR. Scooter includes 18 ZOOB JR. pieces, 4 wheels, and instructions for 17 creations, such as a scooter, a mini go-cart, a skateboarder, and a spinning robot (but kids can make up lots more). The instructions require no reading, and are printed on sturdy cards. Launch date: September 2011.

Kids construct circuits with colorful electric building blocks to learn about electricity and how electronic devices work. The innovative snap-together blocks in the ElectronX building system make learning electronics fun and accessible. Use the blocks’ bright colors and unique shapes, and easy-to-follow assembly diagrams to construct a variety of functional circuits. Includes Over 70 different experiments and building projects, plus capacitors, resistors, LEDs, phototransistor, cable blocks, battery holder, speaker, sound-integrated circuit, 30 contact blocks, and a 64-page, full color manual. Launch date: June 2011.

Players race against each other or work together against the clock to find the patterns hidden in the grid. Each time a tile is turned over, the pattern on that tile may be created by combining two or four of the tiles in the playing grid. Features 70 durable and vibrantly mind-bending pattern tiles, Acuity reinforces the importance of visual spatial skills and pattern recognition.
Awards: Parents' Choice Gold Award, 2010

Combination of game play, brainteaser, optical illusion.

The Classic Princess Dress is made of velvet stretch material, has a lace up ribbon corset with flowers and comes with a matching head wrap. This dress is available in either Pink & Fuchsia (PA105F) or Pink & blue (PA105B) in sizes (S) small, (M) medium & (L) large. It's an "Affordable, High-Quality dress," Rachel Scharfman, brand marketing manager at Almar Sales, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.

Experience Perfect Stride, the exciting horse-themed card game for 2-4 players ages 8 and up using our Junior/Basic rules. Players are riders who partner up with a horse of their choosing for a high-speed race across the countryside over a hidden course of jumps. Riders collect ribbons with each successful jump as they race toward the finish line. The rider with the most ribbon points wins the game. Launch date: September 2010.