November 2009 New Specialty Toys — Puppets

This lifelike dinosaur puppet, available in green and brown, features a molded vinyl exterior and poseable legs. It is 30" long.

Designed as an educational, fun and easy-to-use puppet making kit, SPP! Chinese New Year Edition puts the power of creation in the hands of the child. It provides a balance of structure and creativity as it leads kids through the process of creating five large, one-of-a-kind stick puppets with the Chinese New Year theme. It could be used for school projects or for parties or family nights. The kit includes five blank corrugated bodies, 10 blank arms and legs, five blank heads, five themed faces, five sticks, 20 fasteners, five sheets of decorative paper, 50ml glue, an informative synopsis of the Chinese New Year, and directions. Kids assemble the puppets, make the clothing, and complete the puppet characters with the included themed faces, photographs or hand drawings. The stick puppets stand 14" tall and have movable arms and legs. They are packaged in a 12” hang bag. This product is made in the USA. Launch date: October 2009.

Muddy Cloud is a character-driven line featuring bright colors and abstract shapes. These pint-sized characters are ideal for on-the-go storytelling and include Doot, Balob, Joop, Beep and Tada. They are also available as a set. Launch date: August 2009.

These soft, small characters can be used as fingerpuppets. They can also hang from mobiles or diaper bags, thanks to their attached clips.

Even if you find the real thing creepy, this roly-poly Rat puppet will win you over. With soft fur, expressive eyes and a little twitchy nose and tail, he can be shy or bold, cautious or curious. With his detachable "Pack" he can collect treasures to his heart's content.

This realistic butterfly puppet features spreading wings and tentacled eye stalks.

Thornwald will come alive with a child's imagination for puppetry magic. He features plush fur and googly eyes.

Children can make moving figures of a dozen world-changing individuals from thousands of years ago. Cut-and-color or pre-colored action figures really move as they play out the lives of Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, King David, Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi (builder of the Great Wall of China), Hannibal (and his elephant!) and others. Their stories are right in the book — or kids can make up their own stories about these historic figures. Launch date: April 15, 2009.

In the Colombian countryside, poverty and the displacement of peasants due to civil war has increased illegal wildlife poaching activities. One World Projects works with Fundación Ecologica Santa Fe in the 10,000-person community of Pintada, Colombia, to produce plush toys representing the monkey species that the organization hopes to reintroduce to the wild. Plush monkeys come in a variety of styles, including finger puppets and scarves, for kids of all ages. "Plush monkeys are all sustainably and fair-trade made and support two great causes. Located near the Pan American Highway, Pintada has become a rest stop for truck drivers, who have left behind a disproportionate number of children without fathers. Crafting these items also gives single moms a much-needed source of income, and gives their children hope for a better future," Sylva Dvorak, in marketing for One World Projects, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 10, 2006.