November 2010 New Specialty Toys — Novelties

This jigsaw puzzle features the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Featuring depictions of various stages of his life and the Neverland Ranch, this puzzle measures approximately 19"x27".

Standing tall at 16.3”, this cool piece of retro decor emits colored mood lighting that shifts with the mesmerizing motion of the 'lava' inside. The heat of the bulb in the base of the lamp warms the secret goo formula, causing it to convect in unpredictable globs and bubbles.
— “Lava Lamps are the most popular, I have some from Schylling,” said Fred Rosenberg, owner of On The Park in Kingwood, Texas, of his best-selling tween items. “I sell as many as I can get.”

Containing the shapes of a dolphin, sea turtle, crawfish, and other creatures native to the habitat affected by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, this special pack of Silly Bandz is designed to raise awareness for creatures threatened in this environment. A portion of the sales from every pack will go to helping rescue affected wildlife. In addition, this pack features “thermo activated” technology, causing a change in temperature to change the Silly Bandz's color.
— Two of 44 retailers listed Silly Bandz as a best-seller for tweens, reporting sales of approximately 100 per month during a September 2010 survey.
— "We've sold 2,300 this year at all three stores,” Marc Holcomb, owner of of Toys & Co. in Greensboro, S.C., said in autumn 2010. ''Silly Bandz is trending down, and they are selling their excess to stores in California, Washington and Texas,'' he added.
--Christine Osborne, co-owner of Wonder Works in Charleston, S.C., sells about 3,000 to 4,000 per month.

Chatimals are the latest in hamster entertainment. Just speak to Chatimals for up to 60 seconds and they will repeat what you say back to you. Available in hamster and meerkat varieties.
— Jenny of Mummy Reviews brought Oscar the Chatimal home and shared that her son “just giggles at it over and over again and it giggles back.” She reported great success using Oscar “to repeat instructions for our Little Garden Helpers when I need them to do something for me.”
— In her video review of Chatimals Oscar, Bubbles from Sweet Craftiness told of her son playing with Oscar and his grandfather; the hamster’s mimicry “had everybody in stitches,” young and old alike.

Screen with words that have many different sayings. Over 20 different words, these are in tie dye or solid color colors and they glow in the dark.

This 24-pack features Silly Bandz resembling the popular Hello Kitty character and her accessories, including a hair bow and an apple. These bands can be collected, worn or traded with friends.
— 14 percent of 44 specialty retailers named rubber band bracelets a top-selling accessory in a fall 2010 TDmonthly survey, with one retailer boasting sales of 4000 a month.

This monkey slingshot's strong elastic arms can propel him far distances. Users simply put two fingers in the hand pockets, pull back and let go. He comes complete with a cape and mask, and lets out a loud monkey call when released.
— In autumn 2010, Christine Osborne, co-owner of Wonder Works in Charleston, S.C., said she was still selling about 30 soaring simians per month.

Kids can grow up to 300 Orbeez at once, and 2,500 total, in this gizmo. While the Orbeez grow, children can shoot them through the hoops. Once grown, they cascade down the spiral ramp into the collection tray and can be used for play with ideas from the included activity booklet.

This classic disguise, with black furry eyebrows and mustache, will give users a whole new look, unless they already have a sizable nose, big eyebrows and thick black glasses. The plastic frames are designed to fit most adult heads, and come bagged with an illustrated header.

This bountiful beard extends a cascade of wispy whiskers 4' below the chin. It would take decades to grow a real beard that long. The adjustable strap is designed to fit all heads.

Christa is dressed to impress and sparkles everywhere she goes. She looks radiant in her green shoes with poofs on the toes, snowflake stockings, a shimmery off-the-shoulder red dress and a green scarf, topped off with a red bonnet.

Holiday Hannah is ready for any holiday party. Super fashionable, Hannah wears red pompoms in her highlighted golden hair, a cozy winter Santa sweater, a shiny gold light bulb-embroidered skirt, candy cane striped stockings and fuzzy white boots.

Girls can explore, play and help make the world a little better while looking just like their favorite Groovy Girl superhero! In Starletta fashion, the Starletta Dress Up comes with a matching cape and dress.

Red has an exuberant and athletic nature. She also tends to be highly cynical and sometimes teases her friends. Like Gobo, Red likes to take the lead and they sometimes butt heads. This life-size Red plush has a yellowish orange complexion, orange hair, and wears a red sweater.

Kids can discover some of the most celebrated, controversial and thought-provoking novelists of the 20th century while playing this simple, strategy-based card game.

Press this pig for "eye-popping" entertainment. This silly pig measures 3" tall.

Press this cow for eye-popping entertainment. This silly cow measures 3" tall.

This webcam-equipped desktop missile launcher can be hooked up to a messaging program and controlled from anywhere in the world, by anyone on the user's buddy list. It is capable of shooting four foam missiles on an automatic rotation up to 25' in any direction. Each direction plays a different sound effect. "This is the only webcam equipped USB missile launcher with internet control capabilities," Taylor Giovan, Dream Cheeky marketing representative, told TDmonthly.

Moose Popper launches a soft foam ball up to 20 feet. When the moose is squeezed in the mid section, the sudden air pressure shoots out a soft foam ball. The harder he is squeezed, the faster and further the ball shoots out. The moose comes with six soft foam balls and a carry net. "There is no other soft foam ball shooter like this on the market. Moose Popper is an original in-house design," Joe Rooper, president of Hog Wild LLC, told TDmonthly.