January 2009 Notable Toys — Videos & DVDs

Everyone loves rapping along and learning multiplication with D.J. Doc—the Hip Hop Hamster. Positive lyrics, super-cool rap music, and high-energy action make these multiplication rap songs irresistible. Multiplication facts through 12 are easy to learn and remember with these fun rap songs — a different one for each set of rap facts. The DVD run approximately 50 minutes and now includes Skip Counting songs. Choose from DVD video or audio CD & book programs. Launch date: November 2008.

Peggy Flores explains and demonstrates relief printing by using flat cardboard, small pieces of corrugated cardboard, styrofoam and string, which are glued onto cardboard, painted, and inked. She also carves images on vinyl blocks to create images which she then prints. The film also demonstrates a variety of simple tools such as brayers, carving tools and bench hooks. Many student examples are shown. Running time is 26 minutes. "An art teacher actually demonstrates how these particular prints can be made simply with basic techniques and shows actual student work," President Amy Woodworth of Crystal Productions told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 17, 2008.

The theme of this DVD is about dinosaurs. Your children will be delighted with the dinosaur story and will want to see it over and over and again. Also, you will finds songs that will have your children moving, learning and burning calories. Counting to 100 is also a favorite of many teachers as well as children. This DVD will keep children occupied and delighted as Shawn Brown, the Pied Piper of Early Childhood, strikes it big with this first DVD project.

Blending watermelon with imagination, learning, and fun, each Wumbler DVD and CD centers itself upon lessons critical to nourish the "whole and balanced" child. The Wumbler Patch's goal is to help parents raise children that understand the many responsibilities they have to "human kind and the world" in a way that leaves a positive impression on them and remains a lifelong goal.

"The Riddle in a Bottle," filmed by award-winning wildlife filmmakers Laura Sams and Robert Sams, shows how life on earth is connected through moving water. The Riddle Solvers try to solve a puzzling riddle that mysteriously floats to their inland riddle stand from the far away ocean. Kids can join them as they meet sea turtles, a singing pirate and more. Launch date: October 1, 2008.

From the leader in language instructional videos for children, Language Tree introduces Italian to kids in a way that engages them from start to finish. Blending 3D animation, sing-along songs and interactive games, this DVD clearly demonstrates conversational Italian used in everyday situations. Topics include meeting and greeting, counting, colors, eating and playing. "To enable children to learn faster, we employ a unique methodology,the Multi-Cognition Approach, developed by a Stanford University PhD in Cognitive Sciences. Our DVDs also makes learning fun by incorporating 3D animation, original sing-along songs and interactive, remote-control games," Ana Leung, president of Language Tree, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 6, 2007.

This documentary follows the story of Jane MacLaren Walsh, a curator at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and her journey to discover the origins of a 31-lb. quartz crystal skull that was sent to the museum in the early '90s. In her quest, she visits ancient Mesoamerica and studies archives in the Americas and Europe, eventually discovering, along with her colleagues, the truth about crystal skulls. Launch date: October 14, 2008.

These animated stories from the "Book of Virtues" originally ran on PBS. Stories include "A Christmas Carol for Annie," in which Annie's desire to make a profit for her drama club blinds her to the true meaning of Christmas. "The Gift of the Magi" teaches kids the difference between true generosity and giving for the sake of taking credit for being "good." As a bonus, the DVD can be watched in Spanish, too. Approximately 75 minutes. Launch date: September 3, 2008.

This DVD follows 11-year-olds Zoe and Alex on a thrilling, beantifully animated CGI adventure, as they are swept from their local library into Animalia — a unique world of speaking animals. The four great adventures were first seen on PBS Kids Go and are based on teh bestselling picture book by Graeme Base. Launch date: 2008.

Smithsonian Networks, a partnership between Showtime Networks Inc. and The Smithsonian Institution, reveals never-before-seen footage of Japanese kamikaze training. Conceived by the Japanese in a frantic effort to avoid defeat during the final months of World War II, suicide attackes resulted in more than 150 allied ships damaged and more than 4,000 U.S. soldiers killed. Although ultimately unsuccessful, the strategy was an effective demoralizing campiagn that left American troops uneasy. "Day of the Kamikaze" documents the origins of kamikaze battle and shares eyewitness acocounts of the biggest and bloodiest suiceide attack over two days in 1945, when the Japanese launched "Operation Heaven" against the allied fleet in the Pacific. Another CD, "Eyewitness Kamikaze," shares personal stories of young WWII crewmen under kamikaze attack. Each program is available separately and runs for approximately 2 hours. Launch date: November 11, 2008.

This two-disc collection features 10 episodes of "The Magic Garden" television show that was a hit with parents and children in the 1970s. It stars Carole and Paula along with friends Sherlock and Flapper, and comes with a bonus CD of songs and a story.

This 7-disc set contains the entire final season of the classic TV series "Daniel Boone" starring Fess Parker as the legendary frontiersman, who lived from 1734 to 1820. The hour-long show ran from 1964 to 1970, Thursday nights on NBC. The plots and themes of the socially conscious show were often inspired by real-life historical figures and events. The final season (1969-70) features appearances by Jodie Foster in one of her earliest acting jobs, sausage king Jimmie Dean, and James Doohan, who played Scottie on "Star Trek" as well as numerous others over the 22-episode program. Launch date: 2008.

This fitness DVD gives offers parents a way to work out with their children from birth to 6 years old, while having fun at the same time. It features real moms and kids alongside cartoon scenery background to catch children's attention. There are three workout options: cardio; toning and abs; and cardio, toning and abs. Launch date: 2008.

In this two-episode DVD, characters Walker and Ping Ping take boys and girls on a tour of the Great Wall of China, and journey to the desert and the sea, eventually ending up in a Chinese street market. The story imparts bits of history and culture as they meet a Silk Road merchant and dumpling maker, and learn about calligraphy and the theater of the lantern shadows.

In the footsteps of the first discoverers of Lascaux, this unique and unusual visit goes into the original cave, closed to the public for over 40 years — an immersion into one of the most ancient periods of history, corresponding with the emergence in Europe, a little over 35,000 years ago, of a new human species, Homo sapiens sapiens, modern man. "Lascaux, A New Look" offers an interpretation that is original, rigorous and scientific, an interpretation that encourages further discovery and lets the imagination run wild. This spectacular film recreates the experience afforded to the few visitors who were allowed to go room by room and panel by panel into the original cave. Running time is 53 minutes. "As far as we know, there are no other DVDs in the marketplace with such comprehensive detail on this particular subject," President Amy Woodworth of Crystal Productions told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 17, 2008.

Bob the Builder and his Can-Do Crew welcome two new members, Gripper and Grabber, as they hurry to finish a new sports stadium in time for the Sunflower Valley Games. Launch date: January 6, 2009.

Designed for children ages 15 months to 6 years, this DVD features more than 15 Kindergarten sight words — including of, I, have, said and is — to help little ones be able to recognize them while reading.
— Kim Pagliarini of Teach! LLC http://catalog.teachcharlestoncatalog.com/ in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., sells about 15 to 20 per month, she told TDmonthly in autumn 2010.

This DVD pairs colorful music videos with 12 songs from the "That Baby CD," which offers acoustic versions of songs by Joni Mitchell, The Youngbloods and Fleetwood Mac, including "Circle Game," "Get Together" and "Songbird." It was created by Rob and Lisi Wolf.

Based on the hottest selling video game of the season, "Guitar Hero," this collection features 6" scale articulated figures that each come with a character-specific guitar. The line-up includes Lars Ümlaut, Johnny Napalm, God of Rock and Axel Steel. Launch date: October 30, 2008.

This four-DVD set includes 20 award-winning and best-selling children's stories colorfully adapted for the small screen. It provides hours of educational fun, with a helpful Read-Along option. From recent children’s best-sellers like "Karma Wilson’s Bear Snores On" and "Bear Wants More," to classic tales like Beverly Clearly’s "The Mouse and the Motorcycle," this value-priced gift set offers parents and children true storytelling treasures, expertly designed to enhance the reading experience. Together, these stories-on-video have won 35 awards including the Caldecott Medal, the NAPPA Gold Award and the Parents’ Choice Gold Medal. "The Scholastic Storybook Treasures series is produced by Weston Woods Studios. The stories are carefully adapted from the original books, and producers work with authors and illustrators to be sure the productions are faithful to the original stories," Beth Blenz-Clucas of Foundry Communications told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 18, 2008.

The Scholastic Storybook Treasures™ DVD series continues to rack up awards and acclaim!  With two newly announced Gold Awards from NAPPA and Parents’ Choice in hand, the #1 award-winning kidvid series will soon be enhanced by the "Treasury of 20 Storybook Classics," a wonderful, value-priced boxed set collecting 20 of the best-loved stories from this amazing collection.  From adaptations of recent children’s best-sellers like Karma Wilson’s "Bear Snores On" and "Bear Wants More," to classic tales like Beverly Clearly’s "The Mouse and the Motorcycle," this soon-to-be-classic gift set offers parents and children true storytelling treasures, expertly designed to augment the reading experience. Run time: 4 hours, 15 minutes; 4 discs. Launch date: November 2008.

Shout! Factory releases the ground-breaking collectible 6-DVD box set "Liberty's Kids: The Complete Series" packed with colorful and entertaining bonus features. The DVD brings America's history to life and depicts key events from the American Revolution as seen through the eyes of kids  who work in Benjamin Franklin's print shop. The kids may be fictional, but all of the history is accurate and authentic. Walter Cronkite, Annette Bening, Whoopi Goldberg, Dustin Hoffman, Billy Crystal, Ben Stiller, Liam Neeson, Michael York, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and General Norman Schwarzkopf headline the all-star voice cast. Launch date: October 14.