March 2010 Notable Toys — Apparel

Fashioned from bright green lamé material, the Dragon Cape transforms a little one into a great, fierce creature of legend. The hood picks up to form horns, and bright yellow plates trail down the back into a long, pointed tail. 
— Ten of 37 specialty retailers who participated in a March 2010 survey said Creative Education of Canada is their top- selling line of dress-up clothing.

This hat from Jacobson Hats makes a ferocious statement with a bright red, wide-open mouth of shark teeth. The wearable plush shark is modeled after a Great White, and could be used in pretend play games, puppet shows, or any time when a situation needs a little silliness.
— “Jacobson Hats sell well,” said Gage Brownell, manager of Belmont Toys in Belmont, Mass., when asked about his top-selling dress-up items during TDmonthly's March 2010 survey of 37 specialty retailers.

This soft, simple cotton gown can be converted into a legged onesie by re-arranging the snaps around the leg. Great for changing weather or changing diapers, the gown is machine washable and sports elegant picot trimming around the hems.  The garment is available in three colors of embroidery detail: a green frog, pink hearts or a yellow duck.
— “Moms really like the quality and the designs,” said Vicky Davis, owner of Children's Prep in Atlanta, Ga., of Kissy Kissy.  In March 2010, Davis reported sales of around 30 pieces per day.

Whether used for a multi-media Halloween costume or good frightening fun any time of year, the musical Monster Mash skirt offers a funky dimension to dress up. The skirt, which is knee length and finished with multiple layers of colored tulle, plays music at the push of a button. This piece in Acting Out's line of musical dress up plays the 1960s hit “Monster Mash,” and the music continues with motion but stops automatically if the child is still.
— “We sell Acting Out, their petticoats and things. We sell a lot of those,” said Jill Brown, buyer at Kidoodles Toys in Norman, Okla., of the store's top-selling dress-up clothes in March 2010.
— Out of 37 retailers, two listed Acting Out as the supplier of their best-selling dress-up items in spring 2010.

Made of airy, sumptuous 100-percent silk, the Rainbow Fairy Skirt is designed to create magic with every move. Fully reversible, the skirt is finished with a satin rose detail on both sides, and its multiple layers come to a fluttering pointed hem.  The waist is elastic for ease and comfort of wear.
—  “We do great with Sarah's Silks; they have great skirts,” said Eric Masoncup, owner of Geppetto's Toy Box in Oak Park, Ill., of his top-selling dress-up items during a March 2010 survey.
—  Two of 37 retailers named Sarah's Silks as their top-selling line of dress-up clothes in spring 2010.

With details and fabrics selected with careful attention to both look and tactile feel, Creative Education of Canada's Sequins Fairy Dress is a costume and play tool all in one. This sleeveless dress has a skirt of soft, multi-tiered tricot and matching petals over the shoulders. The bodice of the dress is elastic with sequins, allowing a great fit for growing girls.
— “You can't beat Creative Education of Canada,” said Sheryl Guidera, owner of Kaleidoscope the Parent Teacher Store in Capitola, Calif., of her top-selling line of dress-up items in March 2010.
— “We've stayed with Creative Education of Canada for quality and value, delivery and service,” said Barbara Paeth-Haas, owner of The Durango Kid in Durango, Colo., in spring 2010.

Little Adventures tutus are simply designed in fluffy layers. The two-tone tutus are soft, comfortable and, best of all, 100 percent machine washable. Launch date: 2010.

This Dr. Seuss by Trend Lab ABC print bucket hat is great for the beach or any sunny day. It's available in infant and toddler sizes. Trend Lab's Marchelle Lyons told TDmonthly the "Dr. Seuss ABC scatter print design makes it fun and playful for your little one!" Launch date: December 2009.

These mitten clips are designed to keep mittens attached to jackets so they don't get lost. Julie Dennis of BearHands told TDmonthly the clips are "mitten insurance!" Launch date: August 2009.

Princess slippers are made from metallic sequin knit with a foam sole and non-skid vinyl bottom. Decorated with marabou and roses. *Winner of the 2010 Children's Choice Award- Best Toy In Pretend Play", by the Canadian Toy Testing Council.

This Halo has a comb to affix it to a child's head and is adorned with bows, flowers, ribbon and rhinestones.

Kidorable describes its Fairy Umbrella as an “imagination tent,” an apt description for such a delightful and functional product. This whimsical, kid-sized umbrella features a beautiful fairy print, a spiral handle, ruffled edges and magical fairy wings. Kids can pair the Fairy Umbrella with matching Fairy Rain Coats, Rain Boots, Backpack or any of Kidorable’s coordinating rainy day items.
— Cinde, The Freebie Fairy, recounted how her daughter was a big hit at school with her Kidorable fairy umbrella: “The girls all wanted to touch the wings!” Cinde praised the company’s attention to detail and was so enamored with the product line that she wished the items came in adult sizes.
— Stefany of To Be Thode reviewed the Kidorable Frog Rain Boots, Umbrella and Rain Coat. She found them all to be top quality products sure to last a long time.
— Cindi Matthews of Moomette’s Magnificents called the Kidorable Rain Coats she reviewed “absolutely fun.” She was especially fond of the easy-open snaps and the reflective coating the coats have to make kids visible at night.

These animal-shaped plush ear muffs are designed for both style and warmth. "Ear muffs are no longer the tedious style. If you are a child or lady, you will look even more lovely with our plush muffs," William Xie of China ToyBiz.cn told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 10, 2010.

This stylish sillo purse has coordinating fabrics, a sturdy zipper and straps. It measures 10" — 19 " including strap. Launch date: Feb. 15, 2010.

Animal and shape bracelets are made to be worn, traded and collected. These shaped bands are made of silicone, and they bounce right back to their shape after each and every wear. The Sightings bands even glow in the dark. Every pack contains six custom-designed shapes: Big Foot, Ghost, Alien, Mothman, Jersey Devil and Loch Ness Monster. An all-kid test group helped the company develop these designs. There are four of each design in a pack, for a total of 24 bands. "Our bigger bands are stronger than the competitor’s and are nice and comfy to wear. And they are all glittery on the arm!" April Mraz, CEO, OCG Products, LLC, told TDmonthly. "The packaging itself is a nice add-on: a reusable plastic pouch with a zipper and metal ball chain. Perfect for attaching to purses, backpacks, or belt loops to carry bands in style!" Launch date: March 15, 2010.

Warm and light-weight, the hat and mittens are both functional and complementary in shape and hue to the Muddy Cloud™ doll DOOT. Doll is sold separately. Sets are available to complement each of the five Muddy Cloud™ characters.

Warm and light-weight, the hat and mittens are both functional and complementary in shape and hue to the Muddy Cloud™ doll DOOT. Doll is sold separately. Sets are available to complement each of the five Muddy Cloud™ characters. Also available in Blue.

Warm and light-weight, the hat and mittens are both functional and complementary in shape and hue to the Muddy Cloud™ doll TADA. Doll is sold separately. Sets are available to complement each of the five Muddy Cloud™ characters.

Warm and light-weight, the hat and mittens are both functional and complementary in shape and hue to the Muddy Cloud™ doll DOOT. Doll is sold separately. Sets are available to complement each of the five Muddy Cloud™ characters. Also available in Crimson.

Warm and light-weight, the hat and mittens are both functional and complementary in shape and hue to the Muddy Cloud™ doll BEEP. Doll is sold separately. Sets are available to complement each of the five Muddy Cloud™ characters.

This t-shirt allows one to strum and make music with pre-recorded major chords. It comes with a magnetic pick and a mini amp with sound adjustment.
— "Geeks are our customer base!" said John MacDougall, owner of Golden Apple Learning Store in Pleasanton, Calif., at Toy Fair 2010.

Fashion Skinz are removable, reusable fabric stick-ons for your entire wardrobe. They are made of fabric, designed to work great as a fashion decoration for any article of clothing or accessory. Girls can decorate skinz with jewels, sparkly stickers, or markers, and just peel and stick to personalize any outfit. Fashion Skinz come in three different themes, based on the best-selling BOT themes for girls. Users can complete their look with matching tattoos for a head-to-toe fashion makeover. "Iron-ons are intended for a one-time use while Fashion Skinz are designed to be used over and over again on many different surfaces. Fashion Skinz are made from high quality woven canvas that won’t tear, stretch, leave a sticky residue, or damage any surface," Lacey Wilson, Account Coordinator, SAVVi, told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2010.

This 100-percent organic clothing is made in the United States using fair-trade cotton and labor. "We are in the process of setting up a 5-percent donation for all online sales to go to selection of charities. All of our artwork is done by amazing artists all over the United States," Samantha Fowler, owner, Green as Wee Grow, told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2009.

Each pack has four pairs of socks with an elastic band around the ankle to make sure they stay on. Made with certified organic cotton that was harvested without pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers, these socks are manufactured using environmentally friendly processes and use Oeko-Tex Standard 100 dyes, which meet health and ecological standards in the U.S. and EU, according to Baberoo.