March 2009 Notable Toys — All

Threatened by natural disasters and sometimes the need for safety measures, up to eight players must work together to construct as many homes as possible. The houses are from various cultures in various stages of history, offering an educational slant on the many different kinds of shelter in the world. It comes with a 12” x 12” board, diecut homes, and natural disaster, safety measure and rebuild cards.

This soft, cuddly robot has escaped from a factory with a bunch of his other robot friends. Stepper is known for his assembly skill, and even helped construct Bunk Bots themselves.

This cute, collectible bear is made of fine mohair and is jointed so that its arms and legs move. It measures 25 cm.

This 18" play doll has a soft, cloth body, brown eyes and beautiful dark brown hair. She wears a bright tunic, matching flats and stylish denim knickers, and comes with a "Friends" paperback book.

These 24" vinyl friends created by artist Diane Bucki wear springtime blouses and denim pants. They retail for $190 each.

This 18", lifelike vinyl baby doll was created by artist Denise Farmer and comes with a certificate of authenticity as well as a free pacifier and a hospital bracelet that can be personalized once she is named.

This 7.5" collectible doll is a limited edition of 300 pieces. She has red hair and wears a colorful onesie. Nell comes in a red Radio Flyer wagon with her twin sister, Poppy.

This brunette Ellowyne doll has brown eyes and an outfit that includes lace-up boots, fishnet stockings, a racing sweater and tulle skirts, and plenty of shiny jewelry. It's a limited edition of 1,000 pieces.

Full of spunk and character, Miss Piggy is ready to go out on the town. Dressed in a velvet, magenta suit with faux fur accents, she comes with a matching hat, shoes, jewelry and a golden wig.

This exquisitely dressed doll features a blue velvet bolero jacket over a white chiffon-overlay walking dress, plus accessories including a hat, parasol, purse, earrings and more. Launch date: 2009.

This 21" vinyl play doll wears a knit sweater and leather boots and comes with a certificate of authenticity. It was sculpted by Dianna Effner and has childlike facial features. Tanya comes with a "Forever Friends" storybook written by Maritza Gutierrrez and illustrated by Rhiannon Cunag. The doll received a 2009 DOTY award.

This 21" soft vinyl doll is designed by Angela Harris and comes with a certificate of authenticity. It has a cloth body and wears a gingham jumper and matching hat. It also comes with a 10" plush sheep toy. A twin girl, in pink, is also available. This product received a 2009 DOTY award.

Part of the Quarter Bear line, the coin in the pocket of the bear is a PRINTED REPLICA of the actual coin

Since their introduction in early 2000, Quarter Bears have passed the one million unit mark in sales in July of 2004 and on the way to the second million. Loyal customers and collectors have insisted on having the bears available in advance of the issuance of the State Quarters by the U.S. Mint! The quality and the detail of the embroidery of the bears is exceptional. Quarter Bears conform to all of the ASTM and CE Safety Standards.Quarter Bears are Collectible, Educational and make wonderful Gifts for young and old

Part of the Wild Creations eco-aquarium line, the Bamboo Water Garden comes with a 12" spiral bamboo, two frogs, a snail, and choice of base. This balanced ecosystem offers a low-maintenance way for children or adults to enjoy an aquarium environment.
— Two of 40 specialty retailers cited Eco-Aquariums as a June 2010 best seller. The same month, David Campbell, owner of Amazing Toys in Great Falls, Mont., told TDmonthly his store sells about 15 Eco-Aquariums each month.

Part of the Wild Creations eco-aquarium line, this balanced ecosystem offers a low-maintenance way for children or adults to enjoy an aquarium environment. This starter kit comes with the Jewel Water Garden, a snail, two little frogs, food and care pack, and choice of base.
—  Nine percent of 43 specialty retailers told TDmonthly Wild Creations’ Eco-Aquarium was a best seller in late spring 2010.

The Urban Classic now in a beautiful display box! This colorful counter piece contains twenty-four Sky Bounce Balls in an assortment of colors. Games listed on the side of the box are: Handball, Stickball, Stoopball, and Off the wall.

Original Sky Bounce ball, 2 1/4" diameter hollow rubber. The players' choice for One Wall Handball. Also great for stickball, racquetball and other games. Sold by the dozen in a bag.

These two-toned tennis balls are standard-sized tennis balls and sold in packs of three.

A traditional playground ball, this 8.5" ball is made out of 2 ply rubber.  Available colors: Red, Blue, Green, Orange and Yellow.

In this challenging and fun rapid-fire electronic word game, the object is to make words from a series of displayed letters against the time constraints of a ticking bomb that is being passed from player to player as they wrack their brains for the right word.

This adult social game tests players’ knowledge of friends, family and themselves with such questions as, “Do you think you’re attractive?” and “Have you ever lied about your age?” The ballot box is private, so players maintain their privacy on personal matters. Players vote yes or no, and the one who can best predict the number of yeses, wins the game.

Featuring a grow-with-me curriculum that keeps children engaged and challenged as their literacy skills grow and develop, the Zap & Learn Why Writer is a motion-activated handheld learning aid that combines role play and learning. It has two learning modes and focuses on word recognition and comprehension.

The Touch & Learn Super Duper Computer features a fully interactive touchscreen and more than 36 literacy activities. Each Super WHY! Character has a series of games that help children master different literacy skills, including alphabet skills, problem solving, spelling, word families, word comprehension, rhyming, and reading.

Gentle Giraffe offers a compilation of soothing sounds designed to entertain, educate and help children achieve a better sleep. Tucked inside Gentle Giraffe’s back is a removable sound machine that plays four sounds specifically composed to transport young listeners to the beautiful and mysterious plains of the Serengeti. With Gentle Giraffe, kids will listen to the rhythmic drums of a native tribe, gaze over the cliffs of Victoria Falls and hear actual sounds from real giraffes. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of both products will benefit Conservation International Foundation, a wildlife conservation organization. This product received a 2009 iParenting Media Award and a 2009 NAPPA Honors award.