July 2009 Notable Toys — Play Sets

So Small Pets moms and dads can take their tiny, posable progeny to the amusement park for fun. There's a ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and a train set for tiny tots. All of the So Small Pets are posable and can stand on their own. Launch date: February 2009.

These soft, posable plush pets can form a club in their treehouse, ride a monorail, play on the tire swing  and help the babies up into the tree with a dumb-water bucket.  They can even stand on their own! Launch date: February 2009.

This colorful tin box comes with three sheets of mermaid-themed magnets, including three dolls plus clothing and accessories, and two cards with background images on both sides. The product is printed with nontoxic ink, and the tin measures 7-7/8” x 6 3/10” x 1”.
— “Magnetic paper dolls from Mudpuppy,” are the best-selling travel toy at Twirl in Taos, N.M. “I sold 32 last month,” Owner Molly McMullin told TDmonthly in March 2009.
— Three of 64 retailers named Mudpuppy magnetic sets as top sellers for travel in spring 2009.

This small playset includes a backdrop and 11 dinosaur magnets.
— Two of 64 retailers cited Imaginetics as a best-selling travel toy in March 2009, reporting sales of 12 to 20 units monthly.

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.

Suitable for ages 6 months and up, this picnic set includes a soft, flip-top basket, plus colorful fabric and phthalate-free plastic accessories, including an ice cream treat, a bottled fruit drink, a watermelon wedge and a sandwich with removal ingredients.
— Linda Rocco of Gummy Lump Toys in Medford, N.Y., told TDmonthly in spring 2009 that her store sells about 20 units per month of items from the Fill & Spill series.
— Melissa & Doug was mentioned five times during a March 2009 survey of 64 specialty retailers about best-selling infant and toddler toys.

This set of 12 wooden, sliceable cookies offers creative play for young bakers. The realistic-looking cookies come in a durable dough tube.
— The set was listed as a best seller in spring 2009 at Green Frog Toys in Portland, Ore. “The set is good for fun, educational and creative play,” Owner Patricia Fiedler told TDmonthly.
— This cookie set has been on the top-10 best seller list at Pufferbellies in Staunton, Va., for at least a year, Co-owner Susan Blanton told TDmonthly in fall 2009.

Patch the Dog and Caty the Cat watched the kids on the farm play sports, and wished they could do it too. As soon as Haylee the Horse taught them how to walk on two legs, Patch and Caty reaced out to the field to play their favorite sport, soccer!

Haylee and Trot the Horses love spending time with their baby twins. After Haylee taught herself how to walk on two legs, she taught her whole family too! Now they all get to do the same sorts of things that humands do. One of their favorite family activities is "horsing around" on the playground. Their kids espeically enjoy palyin on the swings and slide. Now you can join the Horse family for some good, old-fashioned horseplay!

Peggy and Pinky the Pig watched the farmer's daughter dance ballet and really wanted to be ballerinas too! They set up a ballet studio, where they perform for all the animals!

Featuring our electronic auto-reversing E-Z Track®, the Village Street Car Set is the perfect solution for point-to-point passenger transit on your layout. A stop time of five to seven seconds allows plenty of time for O scale shoppers and Christmas villagers to board, and a variable speed controller lets you determine the rate of travel. Then, sit back and enjoy the ride while your town or city comes to life!

Features include: • street car with headlights and lighted interior • 4 pieces of 18" radius curved auto-reversing E-Z Track® • 3 pieces of 9" auto-reversing straight E-Z Track® • 1 piece of straight E-Z Track® with attached station house • 1 Hayes bumper • wall pack power supply • illustrated instruction manual

Packaging shown is for illustration purposes only. Actual product packaging may vary.

Suitable for ages 18 months and up, this wooden play set includes a skillet, spatula, breakfast foods, utensils and service for two. It is made with organic materials and finished with linseed oil. The toast has internal magnets that allow the two pieces of bread to be joined together.