March 2010 Notable Toys — All

See how much you know with hundreds of interesting questions on dozens of different topics. Have fun competing with the invisible opponent as you play games by yourself. Each book includes 48 pages of fun and a special pen.

Revisit the story of how Tiana and Neveen meet. Magic Pen® Painting is a fun and easy way to paint - but with no mess! Use the Special Pen to paint each picture and watch the colors instantly appear. Each book includes 24 pages of fun and a special pen.

Buzz Lightyear and Woody are two great friends on one big adventure. The activities include Magic Pen® Painting, and Invisible Ink with Stickers. The Special Pen also produces a rainbow of colors instantly. The Special Pen reveals the invisibly printed pictures. Then match your stickers to the appropriate spot.
Book 1: Each book includes 24 pages of fun and a special pen.
Book 2: Each book includes 24 pages of fun, a special pen and stickers.

Biffle is fun-loving and cheerful. Biffle shares his "Smarts" of Friendship. Shoulder Buddies are unique to their Feather color, so no two are alike. They come with a collectible Shoulder Buddies Coin and a Backpack clip. Please be advised that Shoulder Buddies are an accessory, NOT a toy. They are not recommended for children under 4 years of age.

Bright, fabric-covered, build and play mat for playing fun adventures. Children can invent many of their own adventures using the adventure-themed elements on the mat. Includes a map, Leo along with his treehouse and yellow convertible, Fishing pole with velcro hook, Trees and flower bushes, Wishing Well, Rainbow Rock, and Purple Mountain, Troll and Troll Bridge, Hot Air Balloon, Sticky Tape, Chocolate Tree, Castle and Castle Draw Bridge.

Entertain and teach baby by creating scenes made of fabric covered foam. House scene includes a Square, Triangle, Circle, Rectangle, Car, Bus, Door, Window, Chimney, Flower Garden, and Dog.

Made of fleece covered foam, these plush blocks provide children with a safe construction toy. Children can make tables, towers, bridges and forts.

Child can learn about construction with this fabric covered foam product. Easy assembly using color-coded Velcro. Children 2 and up can enjoy learning to build this barn and play farm games with it. There are 15 sections to put in place with picture steps provided. A self-confidence building product with creative play value.

Musical Circles is a game where players compete to stay in the game and be the last one standing. Players move around the outside of the mat as music plays and scramble for a spot when the music stop. The mat is 96" x 36". There are six blue circles labeled "NOT SAFE", six green circles labeled "SAFE," and one red circle in the center labeled "SAFEST." Players line up on the outside and move in the direction of the arrows as music plays. For 2-14 players.
Awards: 2010 Creative Child Magazine Excellence Award

Challenge oneself and each other to spell words. Use adjacent letters on the mat to move about by spelling words. This game consists of a mat that is 96” x 72” that you lay out on the floor. There are 14 columns and 13 rows containing 182-letter circles. There is one letter per circle. Players compete to spell words moving from the “START/END” points (stepping on the letter circles) while moving to the far side and then return to the “START/END” points. The first one to return is the winner. Level I has the easiest level of difficulty.

This game consists of a mat that is 96” x 72” that you lay out on the floor. There are 14 columns and 13 rows containing 182-letter circles. There are two letters per circle. Players must spell words consisting of four or more letters using any letter combination from the circles they choose. Players compete to spell words moving from the “START/END” points [stepping on letter circles] while moving to the far side and then return to the “START/END” points. The first one to return is the winner. This is the moderate level of difficulty. This game can be played indoors or outdoors. The fabric is washable. For 2-4 players.

This game consists of a mat that is 96” x 72” that you lay out on the floor. There are 14 columns and 13 rows containing 182-letter circles. There are three letters per circle. Players must spell words consisting of six or more letters using any letter combination from the circles they choose. Players compete to spell words moving from the “START/END” points [stepping on the letter circles] while moving to the far side and then return to the “START/END” points. The first one to return is the winner. This is the most difficult level. This game can be played indoors or outdoors. The fabric is washable. For 2-4 players.

Best for heights up to 4’10" suitable for ages 5-8. Awarded both the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2004 and The National Parenting Center 2004 Seal of Approval, The Trikke T5 features durable steel construction, color options and encourage fitness disguised as fun for smaller children. 3 wheel contact and no foot pushing provide excellent stability.

T78cs is the base model for ages 13 and up and accommodates heights of 5’ to 6’3”. The steel T78cs Convertible carving vehicle comes with two rear polyurethane wheels that can be replaced with air tires. Designed to be a good starting vehicle for beginners.

For the cool style of a sassy breed, these glamorous pups are ready to go out and paint the town pink. Measures 7" in size. There are three styles available: Pinkette Ruffle Dog, Foo Foo Jewel Dog (pictured), and Fleur Noir Dog.

Andy's friends are out of the toy box. Woody and Buzz are ready to round them up for another adventure! Each tin includes a colorful play scene printed on the inside of the tin, 1 additional colorful play scene (2 cards) and 3 sheets of magnets.

Melissa & Doug put their spin on another classic toy with See & Spell. Eight, two-sided cutout boards feature pictures and empty spots for letters. Kids can use the 64 included wooden letters to fill the empty spots, complete the puzzle, and spell the sight-reading word featured in the picture. The wooden letters can also be used as stencils.
— Cleeo of cleeo and bea said the See & Spell is “an excellent tool in helping our tots grasp the concept of reading,” though she lamented the lack of a lid to keep all the pieces inside the box.
— Viewpoints reviewers praised the product for using lowercase letters instead of the typical uppercase letters found with most spelling products.
— Reviewers on Melissa & Doug’s site felt that See & Spell might not maintain the interest of children for a sustained period of time and hoped for a word expansion pack to help with this issue.

From Looney Labs comes the latest edition of Family Fluxx, a card game designed for the whole family. Family Fluxx starts with a single rule — draw one card and play one card — but the game gets more complex as cards add rules or goals. Cards like “Grandparent Bonus,” “Walk the Dog” and “Happy Birthday” are designed to get everyone in the family playing cards, changing rules, and having fun with Family Fluxx. Launch date: February 26, 2010.
— Jeff Provine of Blogcritics tested Family Fluxx and found games to last between two and 30 minutes, though no matter the length, “something is always happening.” He also felt the game’s balance of luck and skill is perfect to engage older and younger players. GeekDad’s Jonathan Liu found the game easy to teach to his 6-year-old daughter and an enjoyable experience for them both.

Inspired by his children’s LEGO collection and his own love for New York City, author and illustrator Christoph Niemann created several minimalist LEGO representations of daily New York life. His photos and handwritten captions caused an instant sensation when they appeared in the New York Times online. Niemann has since expanded his work into a 32-page board book that is simultaneously sly, cynical, childlike and celebratory. Launch date: March 1, 2010.
— Geeksugar loved the book, calling it funny and a great gift. Although kids may not understand some of the wry New Yorker humor of the book, they are sure to find it charming and inspiring, said Vincent Daly of CuteMonster.

This family game allows three to four players to join in the fun and suspense of the top-rated TV game show “Let’s Make a Deal” for “what’s inside the box” or “behind the curtains” in their own homes.

Two to four players get inside the heads of family and friends while playing this competitive matching game. Players try to match each other on categories like best foreign accent, best U.S. president and best topping for pancakes. It includes six game-show wipe-off answer paddles and 50 game cards with 100 categories.

The sequel edition of The Office Trivia Game features trivia questions based on seasons 4, 5, and 6 of the hit NBC sitcom “The Office.” There are two levels of difficulty in this game for three to six players.

Fans of “The Vampire Diaries” series by L. J. Smith can join their favorite characters from Mystic Falls in this board game featuring game pieces that transform them (the show’s characters) into vampires. Players move around the game board trying to avoid being bitten to be the last person left who’s not a vampire. It includes four human-to-vampire transformation photo-frames, a replica of Katherine’s ring, and a vampire fangs rubber stamp. For two to four players.

Kids use the self-contained, pop-up game die to race their character game pieces around the Looney Tunes-themed game board. Players must get all their pieces home to win. For two to four players.