April 2013 Notable Toys — Gifts

What makes this a great gift item for the holidays?: The Sock Monkey Limo is perfect for any child. A new twist on a classic toy, this product is the latest addition to Brybelly’s line of Sock Monkey Family products. Featuring an adorable wedding theme, these stylish monkeys are dressed in their best as they take a ride in their pink limo to witness the marriage of Princess Penelope and Sammy Sarsaparilla. Housed in a creative limo-shaped box with cutouts for each monkey, children can enjoy hours of creative play as they use the actual packaging to play with the toys. The monkeys in the set are dressed in traditional wedding apparel, such as a bridal gown, tuxedos, etc. Each set comes with a total of six monkeys: Princess Penelope (Bride); Sammy Sarsaparilla (Groom); Minster Mook (Minister); Myles (Chauffer); Ava (Flower Girl) and Brayden (Ring Bearer).

GUND’s Boo, The World’s Cutest Dog is now the world’s cutest holiday plush. With over 6.8 million Facebook fans, Boo is recognized by fans worldwide. GUND’s version of Boo is the spitting image of the wildly popular Pomeranian. He is 9” and made of only the finest and softest fabrics. Boo with a Santa Hat is perfect for Boo fans of all ages. With over 6.8 million fans, he is the “must have” of the season. Launch date: March 1, 2013.

Aurora’s most popular plush animal line, YooHoo & Friends (23 million plus sold), sees an epic expansion for 2013 to include these everyday and holiday themed YooHoo & Friends. Meet Montee™ Moose, Wuskee™ Husky, Jolley™ Reindeer and Genee™ Penguin. Each YooHoo makes a secret sound when squeezed and new hangtags describe the character in detail. Launch date: April 2013.

This product is composed of a book telling a story of the appearance of a Kippah Kantor and an adorable Kippah Kantor doll. A Kippah Kantor magically visits during the Hanukkah season, appearing when kids and families do good deeds. In the story, children learn that they are rewarded with their own Kippah Kantor for being a good person and doing mitvahs. Kippah Kantors watch day and night to see all the things that children do right. Each night, the Kippah Kantor hides around the house for the children to find the next day.

Silver Dolphin’s Build It series combines visual and kinesthetic learning. Perfect for ages 6 and up, each fact-filled title includes a 32-page informative book and pieces to construct a two-and-a-half foot model of the given subject. No glue or scissors are required for assembly! At just $19.95, these unique interactive guides cover everything from the human body and dinosaurs to sharks and rockets.

Francois is one of 7 different Llamas to choose from! Douglas has a huge stable full of breed specific llamas and horses.  This silky llama is a combination of extremely soft materials and has the most irresistible face. 12" tall.

An armful of fluffy, soft fur, this raccoon is a wonderful toy or a premier gift! He is so cuddly with the sweetest face, yet is made so expertly that he looks very realistic!  He is one of the many unusual and usual breed specific animals that Douglas is famous for producing for their wildlife collection. 16" long.
— Fred Rosenberg, owner of On the Park Toys in Kingwood, Texas, told TDmonthly that plush from Douglas was a best-seller with tweens. "They have a lot of variety, so they even have 'oddball' animals like skunks, and they sell across age groups. Douglas is a great manufacturer," he told us.

Candies come in numerous colors and varieties and have a long history. The word candy began to be used in the late 13th Century, coming into English from the French "çucre candi." Candy is made by dissolving sugar in water or milk to form a  syrup, which is then boiled until it reaches the desired concentration or starts to caramelize. The resulting type of candy depends on the ingredients and how long the mixture is boiled. As the syrup is heated and boils, the water evaporates, the sugar concentration increases and the boiling point temperature rises. A given temperature corresponds to a particular sugar concentration. In general, higher temperatures and greater sugar concentrations result in hard, brittle candies, and lower temperatures result in softer candies. The candy business underwent drastic changes in the 1830s when technological advances and the greatly increased supply of sugar reduced its cost and opened up the market. Confectioners no longer supplied candy only to the wealthy, but to children, as well. The village candy store became a favorite of children of the American working class. Penny candies epitomized this transformation of candy, and candy became the first product on which children spent their own money. For this reason, candy store owners often relied almost entirely on the business of children to stay in business.  Today the global sales of candy are about $60 billion.

Ages 3 months to 24 months.The Octo-Brush from Baby Banana is a 100% silicone toothbrush and teether in one. The unique design of this product has nubs, bumps and suction cups on its unique tentacles, making teething and brushing 8 times more exciting for little ones. Specially engineered token bristles on the underside of the tentacles help children get used to manipulating a cleaning device in their mouths, while still having fun and being able to hold the Octo-Brush all on their own!

Aurora will initially release 18 My Little Pony styles with suggested retail prices ranging from $15-$20. Twelve small ponies each with a personalized carrying bag (Aurora’s popular Fancy Pals™ style; size: 6”) and six soft plush ponies (just over 10 inches in size) highlight the line. My Little Pony plush will be available for purchase in both the United States & Canada in Aurora’s retail channel of more than 25,000 specialty stores and gift shops as well as online at http://shop.auroragift.com. For more information, visit http://auroragift.com, email info@auroragift.com or call 888-287-6722.
— Gary Green, owner of Toy Box of Asheville Inc in Asheville, N.C., told TDmonthly in a May 2014 survey that Aurora's My Little Pony was their best-selling line of licensed toys.

This book comes with all the plastic pieces, paper parts, and special pages you need to experience 25 impossible things. These objects work like magic, but there are no tricks. All this weirdness has a solid scientific basis and we tell you why — from the mathematically amazing Möbius strip (a band of paper with only one side), to cardstock acrobats with amazing balance, to a color-changing spinning top.

BrainstormProducts shows their new Glass World products, including a new Hello Kitty line that will join their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ugly Doll, and Angry Birds collections. Made 100% of glass - no paints or dyes.

This highly usable collection of 30 songs invites children to sing, move and learn. With seven songs for each Season - Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall - plus hello and goodbye songs, children will be up and moving from the get-go. Launch date: December 2012.

The ALEXANDER GIRARD COLOR board book celebrates the vivid, playful, and sophisticated world of 20th century design icon Alexander Girard. Especially known for his textile designs for Herman Miller, Girard's wide-ranging repertoire also spanned many disciplines, including interior design, graphic design, and furniture design. This chunky board book is another wonderful addtiion to our series that features both design greats and up-and-coming new talent. ALEXANDER GIRARD COLOR features the vintage 1972 illustration "Girls" on the cover, as well as 26 classic Girard designs. Launch date: February 2012.

The EAMES MEMORY GAME features the iconic designs of Charles and Ray Eames. From their furniture design, graphics, textiles, toy design, architecture, exhibit design, and film, these modern masters are considered the pre-eminent pioneers of mid-century design. Most recently, their story is told in the 2011 documentary, Eames: The Architect and The Painter, and their living room, and all its contents, have been rebuilt and installed at Los Angeles County Museum of Art as part of the Pacific Standard Time Show. Launch date: January 2013.

These pink plush animal friends swing and chime with a shake. Colorful fringes add texture and explorability. Best of all, baby can take the fun anywhere as the toy's easy-grip rubber clip attaches to almost anything.

Aurora’s award-winning Miyoni™ line features adorable animals from popular domestic, woodland, farm and jungle categories that are incredibly realistic and made with exceptional attention to detail. The collection boasts over 200 styles with new introductions throughout the year. Ages 3+ MSRP: $15.50