July 2009 Notable Toys — Bath

These organic terry cloth bath mitts come with a matching baby mitt so kids can join in the bathtub fun. Designed to offer bath time fun for kids and adults, the mitts are made with 100-percent organic cotton and non-toxic low impact dyes, and produced under Fair Trade. Launch date: January 1, 2009.

This playful pal does double duty as a bath toy organizer and bath time entertainer all in one. Multi-colored and sporting a big smile, Shanda! is designed to be a welcome friend to even the most fearsome at bath time. Shanda! has suction cups that allow her to easily adhere to the bathtub wall, a pouch that holds tons of toys (thus leaving the bathtub neat and organized during non-bathing hours) and a kid-friendly release that sends said toys tumbling into the water. Her Velcro paws can curl over a bath tub towel bar or shower rod. Shanda! can also hang in the nursery on baby's crib to store diapers or hang on high chair. This product received a 2009 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Award. Launch date: May 2009.

An addition to the TummyTub®, the Two Step Stool raises the tub to allow you to wash your baby from a seated position. The Two Step Stool also comes with a washing cup to aid in bathing your baby. The Two Step Stool comes in two parts. When the top attachment is removed you have a child's seat with a storage compartment. This can also be adjusted to provide a step stool which is great for children to use in the bathroom. The Two Step Stool is available in three colors; blue, pink and green.

The TummyTub was designed in the Netherlands by caregivers to ease the transition from the comfort of the mother's womb during bathing. Babies naturally adopt the fetal position while in the tub, allowing for easier bathing by the caregiver while at the same time providing a natural position for the infant and saving on water.

Loofah-Art products are made with 100-percent, all-natural loofah (a sustainable agricultural crop) and dyed with vegetable dyes, making them bio-degradable, eco-friendly, non-toxic and compostable. With natural fibers, they are designed to not scratch surfaces, and with whimsy designs, aim to encourage children to care for their skin. Launch date: July 2008.

This set has two different balls for baby to grasp, roll and hold. One is a ball-within-a-ball that chimes with every move. The sturdy plastic outer ball has generous cutouts to make gripping easy for little hands. Rattling and rolling inside it is a smaller inner ball with a bold polka dot pattern on one side and mirror on the other. A larger squishy plush ball rounds out the pair. It has bold, solid colored stripes in a velvety fabric interspersed with cheery polka-dot stripes in silky fabric. All are in high-contrast, bright colors to stimulate baby’s vision. The ball has an inner layer of crinkle fabric to make crunchy sounds when baby grabs it. It chimes when rolled, thrown or shaken. Launch date: July 2009.

BathKiddy is for both bath and pool time. Assorted small bath toys, bath stickers and even a magic washcloth are all packaged in a mesh bag that allows water to drain off the toys.  It packs easily in a suitcase and there is enough room in the mesh bag to pack shampoo and soap.

Kids can line up the arrows on Froggy's belly and watch him spin through the water from one end of the pool to the other. He uses 2 AA batteries. The "patented random direction makes him zip in random directions," Doug Rubel, CEO of MindWalk, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2009.

Specially designed for bathtime fun, Tidoo is soft and posable and so light that it floats. It's filled with polystyrene "beads" that can dry. It has sleeping eyes and can even suck its thumb. 12" tall Tidoo baby dolls can wear any fashion from the Mon Premier collection.
— “Corolle Calin and Tidoo dolls, and most recently Corolle’s Lia doll, are top sellers,” said Candace Gooch of At Once All Agog in Limerick, Maine in spring 2009.

This ergonomically engineered, visor-like guard is designed to keep water, shampoo and conditioner residues out of the eyes and ears of little kids during bath time, in order to eliminate tears due to stinging, soapy eyes. It has a soft-grip handle and soft contours to fit gently against a child's head, plus a rim  that directs water away from the face. This distinctive bath tool comes in four colors: yellow, purple, sky blue, and green.

This little duck in an inner tube is designed to make bathtime fun for kids.
— "I sell a couple of dozen a month" of the Bath Buddies, Fran Anaya, owner of Golden Aspen Toys in Flagstaff, Ariz., told TDmonthly in May 2009.

These floating drums introduce kids to rhythm while they bathe, and can be pitch-adjusted according to the amount of water in the drums themselves. They come with a waterproof rhythm chart.
— “We sell tons of Alex's bathtub musical instruments. A dozen or so [per month],” Mary Porter, owner of The Curiosity Zone in Ashburn, Va., told TDmonthly in spring 2009.
— In March 2009, eight of 64 retailers named instruments by Alex-Panline as their best-selling bath toys.
— Alex products are always top sellers for Melody’s Choices, Owner Steve Melody told TDmonthly in spring 2009. “Stock it well and it will sell well,” he said.

These trendy cowboys (and cowgirl) add a little twist to the classic rubber duck. Four designs are available.
— “We have Cowboy Rubber Ducks from Schylling. People like the cowboy theme in Wyoming,” Dalene Lockhart, owner of Toy Town in Casper, Wyo., told TDmonthly in March 2006. She said she sells about six per month of this particular line of rubber duckies.
— Four of 64 specialty retailers told TDmonthly in spring 2009 that rubber ducks are a best-selling bath toy in their stores.

Powered by baking soda, this classic 1950s toy submerges and resurfaces over and over again.
—  “I sell around 25 a month,” Molly McMullin, owner of Twirl in Taos, N.M., told TDmonthly in March 2009.
— Five of 64 retailers named products by Toysmith when asked about best-selling bath toys in spring 2009.

Suitable for ages 6 months and up, this set of colorful garden squirters for bathtime includes a flower, snail, ladybug, bee and butterfly. The products are phthalate free.
— “Most of my bath toys are Alex, and their bath squirters do really well,” Elizabeth Ryan, owner of Tales & Toys in Venice, Calif., told TDmonthly in March 2009, noting that she sells four to six of the squirter sets per month.
— Two of 64 retailers noted strong sales of Alex’s squirters in the bath category in spring 2009.
— “I can't miss on my bath toys for toddlers … the Alex line,” Linda Hanzelko of Timmy’s Toy Chest in Lake Mary, Fla., told TDmonthly in June 2010, citing sales of 30 a month.

This set of colorful, squeezable bathtime friends includes eight animals that each measure around 2" x 2" x 2". They come in a vinyl bag that zips closed.
— “The little Squirties come in and go right out,” Barbara Paeth-Haas, owner of The Durango Kid in Durango, Colo., told TDmonthly of this strong seller in spring 2009.
— Two of 64 retailers named Elegant Baby’s Bath Squirties as a best-selling bath toy in March 2009. Cheryl Richmond, owner of Punkin Doodles in Havre, Mont., cited sales of 12 per month.