June 2009 Notable Toys — General Toys

The magician wearing this well-traveled top hat has a few tricks up his sleeve. When one pokes a hand up through the velvet hat, out pops a fluffy white bunny waving his paws and twitching his nose (with movement from the magician, of course). It "actually works well as a puppet but looks like a stuffed animal," Elaine Kollias, marketing director for Folkmanis, told TDmonthly. This product received Dr. Toy and Parents' Choice awards in 1999. Launch date: January 2, 1999.

Fiesta is all fun and games with its new Peek-A-Boo Plush, a plush toy and soft pillow in one. When one unzips the pillow, the animal peeks out. When turned inside out, the pillow becomes a stuffed animal. Each animal is about 18” tall. The pillow 14” by 11”. There are 12 animal styles in all. Launch date: 2009.

A wooden multi color item that will keep young ones busy for hours. Strung together with elastic for creating multiple shapes and orientations.
— This engaging toy has been a best seller at The Parent-Teacher Store & Toys Too in Louisville, Ky., for about 18 months, Owner Kimberly Kopatz told TDmonthly in November 2009.

Launching in 2009, Marble Maze is the ultimate intriguing set in Marble Runs. All of these bright colored pieces all connect together to make endless runs for your 10 Marbles. The set contains a revolving paddle wheel, tubes, bases, snake pass with ringing bell, curves and chutes. The set will provide the Marble Maze builder with many simple or challenging alternates. Constructed of high quality material this set will last for generations to come. The Marbles will roll down the maze disappearing into the many columns and the different variety of routes the builder creates. Contains 45 pieces.

Made in Germany, this beechwood wagon is not only a multi-play-value toy but also a walker wagon. The front wheels have adjustable brakes to allow parents to adjust the ease of movement based upon their child’s ability. It offers role-play activities, including operating a hand saw, hammer, screwdriver and wrench. The wagon consists of solid beechwood with natural, water-based, non-toxic stains. Launch date: July 2009.

When placed in water, these animals grow to 600 percent of their size in two to three weeks. The series includes the following designs: Alligator, Clownfish, Frog, Manta Ray, Penguin and Shark. "These wonderful Growing Animals truly G-R-O-W! [They are] beautifully designed and packaged for an attractive presence at retail," Shelley Williamson, in sales and marketing for Warm Fuzzy Toys, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2009.

Pull back cars with a bite and a punch.

These large, foam gliders are now available in three new styles in the rubberband-powered gliders and three new styles bundled with an electric winder. They are not sold to mass-market accounts. "The first launch in this series sold out three times in the first six months of release," Dennis Edlund, marketing director for AG Industries, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 30, 2009.
— “AG airplanes (are) really great products. They’re 8 and up, so they’re great for the older boy,” Diana Gisolfu, co-owner of Sisters Kids in Springfield, Mass., told TDmonthly in early summer 2010.
— In June 2010, five percent of 40 retailers cited AG planes as a top seller for boys 4 to 12.

Press Pass Football kicks off the 2009 collecting season with a 100-card premium base set highlighting the top rookies from the NFL draft. Every hobby box will deliver at least five autographs. Collectors can also find Gridiron Gamers, which features rare, game-used collegiate jerseys. Other subsets and inserts are included. Press Pass Football is the first football card set available for 2009.

Press Pass Premium Racing 2009 is the first trading card release to feature all new photography of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. In 2009, Premium Racing will include one race-used firesuit card and one autograph card in every hobby box. With its 90-card tiered base set, Premium Racing captures all of the sponsor and team changes that have taken place during the off-season as well as the early 2009 race action, beginning with Daytona Speedweeks.

Three year olds and older will love creating their own waterpark with this extra large set. Phalate free with 15 pieces will help to create a water epire in a sand box or on the beach.

Pig Lubie is just like its traditional counterpart; pink and round, but smaller and softer. The Lubies collection received a 2009 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award. Launch date: 2009.

Do you like your eggs hard-boiled or sunny-side up? Well you can have both with this egg. Have it whole or make it SPLAT sunny-side up! When thrown onto the ground, SplatBacks splat into a flat, liquid-looking mess, then morph back into their original shape.

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WTHRA 2009

Toss this mouse SPLAT on the floor and watch everyone freak out! It goes from blob to squirmy mouse in seconds. Colors include Gold and Gray. When thrown onto the ground, SplatBacks splat into a flat, liquid-looking mess, then morph back into their original shape.

This cute, entertaining ducky SPLATs and comes back. When thrown onto the ground, SplatBacks splat into a flat, liquid-looking mess, then morph back into their original shape.

New and improved, this special edition updates the best-selling TIA 2008 T.O.T.Y. Game of the Year with new features to improve game play, more challenges to master, and a cool metal look and texture for a better grip. Packed with speed games and brainteasers everyone can play, the Titanium Edition features six electronic games that test speed and smarts, save high scores, and track progress.

Animal Yakkers™ are electronic toys that make kids feel as if they're on a farm, as they emit hilarious sounds of their favorite animals. Give them a shake and hear the wackiest animals on the funny farm start YAKKIN away. The faster you shake them, the funnier they sound. Yakkers come in three popular farm animals: cow, pig, and lamb.

To go along with the Pink Bear is the soft, plush Blue Bear Lubie.

No longer an egg, but not quite a full chicken yet, the Chick Lubie is soft, round and cute.

Let Rabbit Lubie be that cute and loveable silent companion. Soft and round, this softball-sized plush animal is part of the Lubies collection.

The elephant is nature's largest mammal. Lubies brings it down to roughly the size of a softball.

Penguin Lubies wobble around just like the real thing with its plump and plush design.

Orange Cat Lubie is a soft plush animal about 5 inches in diameter with distinctive cat features such as pointy ears and whiskers.

Small, round, and soft, Pink Bear Lubie fits well with any little girl's plush animals collection.