March 2009 Notable Toys — American-Made

The Sports of All Sorts Kit optical illusion eye-hand challenges provide hours of independent, brain-powered, sit-down sports fun. Kids find and crayon morphed shapes on distorted coloring pages to make color appear in the right place in the sports cartoon reflections. They complete the morphed picture, create their own morphed drawing, navigate a morphed maze, connect the dots, predict a reflection, and more. The activities help develop logic and perception skills, flex problem-solving mental muscles, exercise fine motor control, test spatial intelligence, and spark imagination and creativity. The kit contains 32 coloring page activities (“Soccer” is shown), two mirror-perfect Morph-O-Scopes (easy assembly), 16 non-toxic crayons, a Sports Kit Enrichment Guide to maximize learning, and instructions in English, Spanish and French — all in a portable “desk” convenient for travel. The activities engage boys and girls, kids, tweens, teens and adults, as they have universal, cross-cultural appeal. The Sports of All Sorts Kit is made in the USA and meets or exceeds all U.S. safety standards. It's the second Morph-O-Scopes Kit offered by OOZ & OZ, whose Circus Kit earned 19 national educational toy awards.
The Sports of All Sorts Kit has received the following awards and honors: 2009 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children's Products,  a “Recommended” endorsement from the National Association for Gifted Children, 2009 The Toy Man Editors Choice Award, 2009 The Toy Man Award of Excellence, and 2009 The Toy Man Seal of Approval.  “No other products on the market use OOZ & OZ's exclusive technology or have earned as many toy honors," Myrna Hoffman, managing director and chief morphologist of OOZ & OZ, told TDmonthly. Launch date: December 13, 2008.

The Belly Bandit is an abdominal compression wrap for post-pregnant women. It is designed to help reduce the swelling of the uterus, decrease bloating caused by water retention, support the legs and back, and provide additional support for breast-feeding Moms. Tagless, latex-free, and comfortable under all clothing, the Belly Bandit also helps constrict the skin to help minimize stretch marks. Launch date: May 2008.

The 2009 SummerMuff InfantMuff is a 100-percent organic, lightweight, sun-blocking muff for infant carriers and car seats. Its patented design fits most three- and five-point harness systems and comes in three colors. The larger SummerMuff StrollerMuff fits strollers and joggers. The InfantMuff protects baby's skin from UVA/UVB rays using certified UPF50 fabric, and from scratchy synthetic fabrics in strollers by lining them with jersey cotton. Launch date: August 2008.

The MagnaPlay™ Wooden Magnetic Alphabet Picture Puzzle contains self-checking tiles that give little fingers the ability to put puzzles together and keep them together. Launch date: November 15, 2008.

This eco-friendly animal stool is chemical-free, recycled and recyclable. The sculpture piece also has a very real purpose — to be sat upon ridden like a horse. "The product is done in a very humorous way. We have many more styles with an animal table," Cathy Henszey, executive creative director of cardboardesign, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2009.