March 2010 Notable Toys — Construction

This robot construction kit includes pieces for children to make animals and figures that move via a one-geared motor.

Straws and Connectors are colorful plastic straws and connector pieces that are simple to use for hours of imaginative play. Children can make play houses and forts, design buildings, or even engineer spacecrafts with this design and build set. The package contains 230 pieces and includes an idea guide.

Past videos: Toy Fair 2010

The hobby kits by WALACHIA vary in size and theme. They contain up to 300 parts of precisely cut wooden prisms of 9 x 9 mm, gables, roofs and bases made of plywood, doors and windows, even foil to substitute for glass. Paper prints can be applied on roof areas, or children can glue shingles made of beech veneer. The set also contains dusting material to represent grass, as well as sandpaper to use for small adjustments. Individual parts are glued with wood and paper glue according to step-by-step diagram instructions. Instructions available in eight languages. Launch date: 1992.

It is possible to build multiple variants of different buildings with the Dismantlable Vario Building Set from WALACHIA. The set contains beech parts of 15 mm in diameter, of various lengths, with which by means of locks at the ends, creative and unique constructions may be assembled and dismantled. Awards: 1995/Prague Toy Fair. Launch date: January 1992.

Art Revelations introduces Innovation in coil. The modular sculpture product that lets you create a sculpture of "whatever comes to mind" in minutes without tools. Just expand the coil, shape and connect the ends. Available in eight colors and three sizes.

Harry Potter fans and LEGOmaniacs alike will enjoy this recreation of Harry's alma mater, Hogwarts School. The 682-piece castle is intricate and has a number of special features, but comes with a clear set of instructions for kids to follow. The castle's portraits revolve, owls dwell in the spires, and flames rise up from torches. The set includes number of characters from the Harry Potter series: Harry himself, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Professor Snape, Hagrid, and Professor Dumbledore.
— In late Spring 2011, 5 of 12 retailers surveyed said that LEGO was their best-selling brand of licensed products. Joe Berardoni Jr., Owner of Pun's Toys in Bryn Mawr, Pa., said that "We try to avoid licensed products...that said, however, we still do carry LEGO, and their licensed kits sell well, such as Star Wars and Harry Potter."
— As of 05/13/2011 this product had 4.4 out of 5 stars from 57 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Reviewers really liked the mini-figures included in the set; very detailed. Cons: Recommended age seemed too young to several reviewers.

Children can learn numbers 1-10 while having fun. These bright, colorful Duplo bricks feature a number on one side and pictures corresponding to the number on the reverse to help children learn matching skills. Play pieces such as the child minifigure, dog and wagon are included along with a booklet to inspire imaginative and creative play.

LEGO Games has developed the first collection of buildable games with changeable rules and a unique buildable LEGO Dice. In this game, the Mummy King Ramses is planning on conquering all of Egypt with his army of mummies. Players must unlock the crystal coded layers to climb to the top of the pyramid and defeat the Mummy King in this family game of memory, skill and cunning. An entertaining game for 2 to 4 who can play as a team or opponents. Includes: 1 buildable LEGO Dice, 13 LEGO microfigures, 1 rule booklet, 1 building instruction. Launch date: 2010.

This starter set of 26 Tegu blocks includes cubes, long planks and short planks in a natural finish. The blocks are made of European Beech and contain small, embedded magnets that allow the blocks to stick together and be fashioned in a variety of ways not possible with traditional blocks.
Awards:  2010 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, Gold Seal.
— In a February 2015 survey, Terry Myers, owner of Kaleidoscope Toys in Round Rock, Texas, told TDmonthly that puzzles from Melissa & Doug are her store's best-selling wooden toys.

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.

Teifoc allows kids to build with real bricks made from high-quality materials. The mortar is made from a mixture of fine sand and a corn-extract, easy to create by just adding water. Teifoc offers many sets that include all materials needed to build housing structures. The bricks are reusable after immersion in water for a few hours. After the cement is dissolved, the bricks are easy to clean with fresh water. Launch date: June 2010 (U.S.).

Inchimals is a set of 12 wooden blocks with animal images that measure from 1” in height (ladybug) to 12” high (giraffe).  They can be combined with the 100 write on/wipe off math puzzles for kids to practice counting, number values and recognition, fine motor skills, language and more. Launch date: Spring 2010.

This collection is designed for Magformers to transform into hundreds of creative construction vehicles. Each set includes emergency lights and engine sound, plus an attachable, poseable figurine. Launch date: June 2010.

This set includes 32 seven-sided design blocks in various shapes and colors that are designed to allow for nearly unlimited constructions.

These beechwood blocks in a pastel palette are made in Germany and come in a 10-piece set.
— Two of 38 specialty retailers named HABA blocks as a best-selling wooden toy in February 2010.

This bright block set features 28 pieces colored with water-based, non-toxic stains.
— Two of 38 specialty retailers referenced HABA blocks when discussing best-selling wooden toys in February 2010.

This colorful collection of 36 wooden blocks comes in a red-wheeled wagon with a rope for transport. It measures 13" x 11" x 3."
— Five of 38 specialty retailers named Melissa & Doug's blocks as a best-selling wooden toy in February 2010.

Complete with interchangeable parts like the rest of the Automoblox collection, the T900 features a chrome grill and bumpers, all-terrain tires on chrome wheels, and an overall sleek, sporty design.
— Four of 38 specialty retailers named Automoblox as a top-selling wooden toy in February 2010. "Automoblox do really well," said Stacy Solie of Leapin' Lizards Toy Co. in Bend, Ore., citing sales of about 2 dozen per month.

This kit gives some structure to free-form building with planks, including an idea book with instructions for building ball-track structures, ramps, funnels and more. It allows for scientific experimentation as kids test rolling the two included lightweight balls to see if they move as anticipated.
— "A new concept kit will help kids build bigger and better — simple, open-ended and smart," said John MacDougall, owner of Golden Apple Learning Store in Pleasanton, Calif., at Toy Fair 2010.
— It was also a top-two favorite at ASTRA's Share the Fair event during Toy Fair 2010.
— In an April 2012 survey, Elmer Carranza, manager of Doodlehopper 4 Kids in Springfield, Va., told TDmonthly that KEVA blocks are their best selling construction toy.

JAWBONES® is The Buildable Art System™ with construction pieces that swivel, ratchet and snap together in countless ways. The precision pieces in the four Jawbones sets will provide many hours of enjoyment for any budding artist, architect, sculpter, designer engineer or builder.
— "We liked that most of the sets include a storage jar for the pieces," Joe Mitchell, owner of YoYo Joe's Toys & Fun, told TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.

This set comes with five blocks and a rolling car that are made of natural rubber with nylon flocking. Watch Weebabu WEDGiTS: Top-5 Video, Toy Fair 2010

Each set consists of soft, flexible pieces in various colors that slide together and lock to create an endless number of different shapes or random creations. Watch Space Chips: Top-5 Video, Toy Fair 2010
Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy Award, June 2011
— Why it won: The pieces are small, flat and flexible, so they won't break if Mom or Dad accidentally steps on them. Kids can play with the toys they make with the Space Chips— balls are both throwable and kickable. And though they were designed to create traditional building structures, kids have used their imaginations and turned the flat clips into suits of armor and costumes.

This set combines a fun construction toy with active play. It includes colorful interchangeable pieces to create sculptures that can then be tossed around and thrown on the ground both indoors and out. Watch OgoBild: Top-5 Video, Toy Fair 2010