January 2009 Notable Toys — General Toys

Watch the newlyweds drive off in their yellow convertible.  Includes groom, bride with veil and bouquet, convertible with trunk space for luggage, and detachable flower decorations.  Recommended for ages four and up. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

Check out the new Playmobil Family Home!  The two-story house comes with attic windows that tilt, extendable marquee, garden, and grill.  Also includes four figures.  The house has a functioning door bell.  Two AAA batteries required. Dimensions: 26 x 16.9 x 18.8 inches (L x W x H). Recommended for ages four and up. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

Spend the day outside playing at the Playground.  Includes three figures, bench, red slide, and a yellow dinosaur that rocks back and forth.  A figure can also sit on top of the dinosaur.  Recommended for ages 18 months and up.

Help the veterinarian treat the animals at the Animal Clinic.  Includes three figures, pony, peacock, birds, puppies, and rabbits. Also comes with ultrasound device, removable cast, bandages, bird cage, and many other accessories. Compatible with Animal Nursery (#4344) and Vet Operating Room (#4346). Dimensions: 21 x 14 x 9.8 inches (L x W x H). Recommended for ages four and up. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

Keep the roads safe with the Road Maintenance Truck.  The truck comes with blinking lights, removable snow plow, and 190º rotating arm. The loading bin tilts and the cabin roof is removable.  The dispenser also functions to release contents onto the ground.  Comes with a figure and many other accessories. 2 coin batteries included. Recommended for ages four and up. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

Sail along the Nile River in the Royal Ship of Egypt.  Includes three figures, functioning crossbow catapult, and many other accessories.  The battering ram hinges.  The ship rolls on wheels or floats on water, and it can be upgraded with the Playmobil Underwater Motor (#7350).  Dimensions: 22 x 13 x 13 inches (L x W x H). Recommended for ages four and up. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

Keep the Pyramid from being invaded by releasing various traps with your very own amulet.  Intruders will have to overcome the collapsible staircase, chute, and scorpion trap.  There is also a secret treasure chamber, trapdoor with slide, and rotary secret chamber. The pyramid walls are removable. Set includes 4 figures, tomb, and many other accessories. Dimensions: 21 x 21 x 14 inches (L x W x H). Recommended for ages 5 and up. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

— "We sold out and are taking orders for it," Mike DiAndrea, manager of Hardware Center Inc. in Paoli, Pa., told TDmonthly of this high-ticket item in late November 2009. He cited unit sales of about 25 per week.

— Eight of 44 retailers surveyed in late fall 2009 named the Playmobil Pyramid as one of their top sellers. Seven others cited the Playmobil line in general as a popular purchase.

Board the Expedition Ship to explore the waters.  Expedition Ship floats on water, comes with a functional anchor winch, and can be upgraded with the Playmobil Underwater Motor (#7350).   With the cable winch, the Playmobil Shark Diver (#4500) or Deep Sea Diving Bell (#4478) can be hoisted into the water. Set includes three figures, binoculars, treasure filled chest, and many other accessories.  Dimensions: 18 x 6 x 10 inches (L x W x H). Recommended for ages four and up. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

Cheer on the newlyweds as they make their way out the Church.  Press the windows of the church tower and hear the bells and organ music.  Also comes with three figures, many accessories, and a pink jewel case with rings for the child. 2 AAA batteries required. Dimensions: 12.5 x 16.5 x 22 inches (L x W x H). Recommended for ages four and up. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

The Wave Stealth® Board, a newly designed in-line casterboard, blends the motions of surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding to the fast-growing and popular sport of Street Surfing. With a camouflaged design of Army green and brown colors, the Wave Stealth provides a fresh, fun ride for tweens or teens. It consists of two platforms with a sure grip-tape deckplate design, joined by an anodized torsion bar. The two “Street Tech” wheels have Abec 7 bearings and casters that spin 360 degrees while the swiveling base allows riders to self propel by going forward, downhill and even uphill by just bending their knees and twisting their hips and shoulders. This product was named a Greatest Product of 2008 for sporting goods by iParenting Media. Launch date: November 2008.

Kimochis are small pillows with a feeling (happy, sad, silly, brave) printed on one side and a corresponding facial expression on the other. Each Kimochis plush character comes with a set of three feelings and a How-To Kimochis Feel Guide. The characters have a special pocket where kids can store their "Kimochis" — of feelings. Using the characters and their Kimochis, kids can get in touch with their emotions through puppetry and play. "Getting back to the basics by playing and communicating with Kimochis is a simple, yet powerful way to teach children how to: be aware of feelings, choose how to communicate in emotional moments, and redo mistakes. Children will be drawn to the fun, adorable, accessible characters. Parents will be drawn to the high-quality craftsmanship and the valuable educational content," Associate Susan Schroeder of Plushy Feely Corp. told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 2008.
— Amy of Coffee with the Mrs. reported that her son “loves his Kimochi Cloud doll and is already starting to use more words about feelings since he got the doll.” He has even improved his reading by identifying the words printed on the emotions.
—    Take It From Me’s Kristin used the emotions of her daughter’s Kimochi to help her deal with the complex emotions she was feeling about a recent move. The Kimochis were so successful, Kristin said, that: “Now every time my daughter starts to get upset, I refer to the Kimochis and looking for what she feels helps her to calm down and relax.”
Awards:   Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Following the success of the initial introduction of the Clackers in 2008, Play Visions has added a new twist to the item ... with a maraca shape on the ends, filled with small beads. This combination produces a pleasant “swishing” sound while participants play with one of the most tactile, elastic items on the market. Launch date: January 10, 2009.

These sturdy plastic bins fit right into the P'kolino Children's Desk, Multi-Use Easel, and Klick. They can be easily removed and replaced with another for a simple way to change the activity and to organize a child’s toys. The lid is made of the same quality wood and is durable enough to be used as a work surface. The bin's colors can serve to brighten up a home and help organize through color-coding. Available in Orange, Purple, Red and Yellow.

Colorful water jugs with playful designs.

The Giant Construction Block Set comes with 24 blocks (16 timber blocks and 8 cinder blocks). Large and easy to handle, children can build objects from skyscrapers to cabins to forts.  The timber blocks are 12" x 16" x 3" and the cinder blocks are 12" x 16" x 6". Assembly of the blocks is required. For ages 18mo. and up.

These high-tech goggles allow kidsd to see in the dark, so they can spy on family and friends late at night. They are equipped with headphones for enhanced sound and a high-powered LED light for better viewing. Launch date: November 2008.

Kids can track the ball, take aim, swing the weight, IMPACT and score. In this game of skill and eye-hand coordination, players may swing too soon or too late and miss. Timing a swing just right earns points, and the highest score wins. Launch date: 2009.

Kids can make trick shots just like the pros, amazing and challenging their friends as well as themselves. The product is easy to assemble and comes with step-by-step instructions. Launch date: 2009.

In this bean bag game of skill and accuracy, kids have the chance to choose their strategy — get three in a row to win or UPSET your opponent before they win. Launch date: 2009.

This weather system includes four functional weather instruments: wind vane, anemometer, thermometer and rain gauge. Launch date: November 2008.

This digital metal detector allows kids to hunt for lost or hidden treasures. It includes headphones with audio tone alert and volume control. Launch date: November 2008.

With the Bionic Ear, children can listen to faint and far-away sounds with a range up to 300'. It includes digital record and playback with headphones, plus background noise reduction that makes the hearing amazingly clear. This product helps kids "learn how the secret spies listen to sounds and conversations far away," Janice Hudy, sales and marketing assistant at POOF-Slinky told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2008.

Kids can create their own ancient Egyptian pyramid, scare friends with the built-in mummy sounds, and use the built-in hieroglyphic decoder to read and write their own hieroglyphics — all while learning about ancient Eygpt. Launch date: November 2008.

Kids can learn all about mummies while creating their own from the inside out. With this project, children wrap, paint and display their mummy in the provided carved stone resting place. Launch date: November 2008.