March 2013 Notable Toys — Musical Toys

An engaging 10.5" bear shape. A natural head drum that is recessed into the body provides an easy playing platform. All wood body made from environmentally friendly Rubberwood. Play it with hands or mallet.

Children will enjoy making music by tapping the xylophone keys one by one. Even better, when children want to move on to another toy, simply unfold the instrument and it becomes a pull-along train. Children can tug on the string to watch the colorful 17"-long train chug-chug behind them! An attached mallet will help children reveal six different tones. For 12 months and up.

TDmonthly recommends looking at Schoenhut for similar, high-quality musical toys and instruments.

Eight multi-colored, precision tuned metal bars give any toddler room to make bright and colorful sounds. Includes child safe mallet and attractive vinyl carry case.
— As of 1/17/2013 this product had 4.8 out of 5 stars from 129 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: durable; clear sound; notes are on the correct scale. Cons: Some reviewers mentioned the paint scratched on the keys after a month of use.

This mighty music maker (with an easy-carry handle) lights up as kids rock. Jam on a 24-note keyboard with a choice of 8 instrument sounds, 4 percussion sounds and 8 different rhythms. It even records and plays back compositions. Approx. 7'L x 15'W x 2'H. Made of plastic. Requires 3 'AA' batteries (included).
— Andrea Scartozzi from Hardware Toys in Paoli. Pa., told TDmonthly in a December 2012 survey that they sold 6 of this keyboard during the holiday season.

TDmonthly recommends looking at Schoenhut for similar, high-quality musical toys and instruments.

The Confetti Ukulele is thoughtfully made of wood with blast-from-the past construction and quality. Fun, tune-able sound and a size that’s just right for a budding musician.
— In a December 2012 survey, Katie Rook, owner of Be Beep A Toy Shop in Columbia, S.C., told TDmonthly that they sold 40 of these ukuleles during the holiday season.

TDmonthly recommends looking at Schoenhut for similar, high-quality musical toys and instruments.

The Sing Along Star Microphone makes singing fantastic fun. Kids can hear their voice amplified, enjoy backing music and also see cool lights flash as they sing to their heart's content. At the end of the show, the pink Sing Along Star Microphone adds clapping and cheering. Children can use the microphone's extending stand to sing along while playing an instrument with their hands, or making extravagant hand actions. They can also take the Sing Along Star Microphone off the stand to dance while they sing.
— In a December 2012 survey about bestselling musical toys, three out of 12 retailers told TDmonthly that microphones were their bestselling musical toys.

Kids can be their own rock star with the cool Rock Star guitar. 8 buttons on the fret board make tunes and sounds, and there's a rhythm button, three songs and a demo, a swing bar to pull, light-up strumming section and lots of fun effects. Comes with cool glasses and hands free mic.
— In a December 2012 survey about bestselling musical toys, three out of 12 retailers told TDmonthly that ELC musical toys from International Playthings were there bestsellers.

TDmonthly recommends looking at Schoenhut for similar, high-quality musical toys and instruments.

Disney Baby Dreamy Sounds Soothers effortlessly help calm children to sleep and make the perfect nighttime companion. Similar to the best-selling Sleep Sheep, Disney Baby Dreamy Sounds Soothers will lull little ones to sleep with the classic melody “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and pleasant “white noise” – soft sounds of nature. They can also be attached to a crib with Velcro® straps and feature a removable sound box.

Touch Magic™ is a new product line from LeapFrog that brings intuitive touch technology to preschool toys for the first time. It combines fun, learning, and creativity. Touch Magic learning toys utilize capacitive touch technology that recognizes every tap, touch, and swipe to bring each product to life. This new collection of interactive toys includes four products that help develop core learning skills, and encourage exploration and discovery. The Touch Magic Rockin’ Guitar brings musical fun and develops preschool skills with every little touch. It fits kids’ development, engages their creativity, and builds their confidence as they learn ABCs and many new words through educational songs. Kids can choose to play solo without a backup, play along with a band, or select an electric or acoustic guitar to accompany songs including Rockin’ Robin, Itsy Bitsy Spider, If You’re Happy and You Know It, and Pop Goes the Weasel.
Awards: 2012 Dr.Toy Best Picks

TDmonthly recommends looking at Schoenhut for similar, high-quality musical toys and instruments.

Dance like the description. In this game players have a 40 second song clip to dance out as many of the dance charades cards as they can. They get a point for each correct dance charade the other player guesses. The other players also get to reward their opponent with dancing points by throwing purple tokens to you while you dance. In the Box, Audio cd with 40 songs-300 dance charades cards-300 purple tokens-Score Pad and Pencil. This game tends to bring even the shyest of people out of their shell.