July 2012 Notable Toys — Award Winners

A fun and easy activity parents and children can do together. Kids will be delighted with colorful cards that promote gross motor development and alphabet recognition. Each card has a lower case letter on one side and adorable animal and action on the other. Players can have fun as they "Crawl like an inchworm" or "Roar like a lion." Children will practice letter recognition while improving flexibility and strengthening muscles. Trace the letter on the back of the card for reinforcement and handwriting practice. Launch date: 2011.

A fun and easy activity parents and children can do together. Kids will love these colorful cards that promote gross motor development and alphabet recognition. Each card has an upper case letter on one side and adorable animal and action on the other. Parents and their kids can have fun as they "Run like a Fox" or "Roll like an Armadillo." They learn to recognize the alphabet, improve flexibility, and strengthen muscles. Trace the letter on the back of the card for reinforcement and handwriting practice. A sturdy ring means they’ll never lose a single card. Launch date: 2011.
Award: 2011 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval award

This all-in-one kit is full of creative and challenging activities that help kids develop the critical fine motor skills needed for writing and other everyday activities. Kids build self-esteem and express their artistic side while they improve visual motor control, build muscle strength, improve concentration, and enhance eye-hand coordination. The handy carrying case makes this kit perfect for use at home or on-the-go. Launch date: 2011.
Awards: 2011 National Parenting Publications Awards Honors in the toy/game category, 2012 Seal of Approval from the National Parenting Center

This kit has everything kids need to get started on the path to handwriting proficiency. Includes activities that help kids improve gross and fine motor skills. The I Can Write Lower Case! writing tablet will help teach kids proper lower case letter formation. Large muscle movements prepare childrens' bodies for writing. With magnastix, kids will have a great time and grow more confident as they learn to identify and form the letters of the alphabet. Gross motor cards are a fun and easy way to practice letter recognition while improving flexibility and strengthening muscles. The handy carrying case makes this kit perfect for use at home or on-the-go. Launch date: 2011.
Awards: 2012 Tillywig Brain Child Award; 2012 The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval

Our Activity Blankie is perfect for busy mothers as baby will stay active and engaged. It’s a blankie that’s snuggly, bubbly, squishy and squeaky all in one. The precious bear, star and moon will bring joy and delight to little ones. Launch date: March 2012.
Awards: 2012 Seal of Excellence - Creative Child Magazine

A toy chest that will be treasured as much as the treasures it holds. A big tow truck accents this toy chest, made of birch veneer and finished in blue, orange and red accent stains. Wave-shaped lid is made of solid hardwood finished in red stain. Sides have truck shaped cut-outs. Safety hinges and gap under the lid prevent little fingers from getting pinched. Larger than most toy boxes, this sturdy chest measures 32”L x 18”W x 17”H. Launch date: September 2003.
Awards: 2002 Pinnacle Award ASFD

This belt positioning booster is a top of the line car seat. The Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro protects a 4 to 12 year old child with maximum safety standards in mind. This seat grows with your child upward and outward and connects to any vehicle by use of seatbelt or equipped with LATCH. The seat has three layers of Side Impact Protection foam in the head area and incorporates deep walls all the way through the seat. It houses an integrated LATCH system that easily retracts into the seat when not in use and utilizes a proven 'crumple zone' technology from the automotive industry into the belt path of the car seat. Launch date: January 2012.
Awards: 2012 - Creative Child Magazine Product of the Year; 2012 - AGR Certified and Recommended - Association Forum Healthy Back - Better Living

The Kiddy World Plus is a German engineered and designed car seat that utilizes a Protection Shield in place of a traditional harness. The traditional harness holds the child in such a manner that the energy in a frontal crash is absorbed solely in the neck area.  With the Kiddy Protection Shield the energy is absorbed through the upper portion of the child's body reducing the impacts of whiplash. With a traditional harness the child can unbuckle and get out of their car seat by themselves. With the Protection Shield the location of the buckle is below the child's hip making it almost impossible for them to unbuckle the car seat on their own. Another great feature of the Protection Shield is the application for children with special needs. Austic children and those with Down Syndrome do not find this seat as confining as one with a traditional harness. It is very difficult for them to get out of as well. Launch date: April 2012.
Awards: 2012 - Creative Child Magazine Top Choice of the Year

Inference Jones provides short, fun, and easy-to-use activities that improve critical reading and higher order thinking by developing the student’s ability to draw inferences from written text. Research shows inferential reasoning is a prerequisite component to superior reading comprehension. Launch date: February 2012.
Awards: Creative Child Magazine

The Play Clay Gift Pack includes 6 wonderfully scented Play Clay rolls in Blueberry Blast, Cherryberry, Pineapple Punch, Orange Sherbet, Grape Bubblegum, & Sour Green Apple. Made from organic ingredients, Play Clay is the dough that moms love because there's no crumbly mess or staining. Approx. 2 lbs.
Award: 2012 Creative Child Preferred Choice Award

Say Hello to Twitch, the adorable curly horned Monster of Frustration.Twitch tries hard to do everything right, but when something doesn't go his way he stomps, yells and quickly gives up. If only Twitch could see that giving up is not the answer. Maybe kids can offer Twitch some positive ways to deal with his frustration. Launch date: October 2012.

Among the most difficult, as well as among the most beautiful Scramble Squares® puzzles, the Hummingbirds Scramble Squares® is a wonderful gift for bird enthusiasts, naturalists, gardeners and for anyone needing a little humility.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys

Both men and women are among the amazing athletes whose gravity defying feats, grace, speed and endurance are depicted on this modern basketball Scramble Squares® puzzle.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys

The renewed popularity of the subject of dinosaurs and recent sensational archaeological finds have led to this second coming of Scramble Squares® dinosaurs styles, Diggin' Dinos. These dinos are less dragon-like and scary than b. dazzle's original Dinosaurs puzzle and more suitable for the elementary school child.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys

This Bears Scramble Squares® puzzle is not only one of the most popular Scramble Squares® puzzles, it is among the most beautiful. Bears are cute and cuddly as stuffed cloth playmates, but in the wild, bears are extremely powerful and can be very dangerous animals, especially if they are startled by intruders. Bears have no remaining natural enemies, other than humans and one another. One swat from the powerful foreleg of a brown bear or black bear can break the neck of a deer! In spite of their large size and lumbering walk, bears can run very fast, up to 25 miles per hour, which is faster than the world record for humans in the 100 meter sprint.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys

Young chefs will enjoy this 9 piece play cookware set and find that it's just the right size for them to stir up some fun. Set contains oven mitt, pot holder, whisk, measuring spoon set, wooden spoon, saute pan, 4 1/2" pot with lid and sauce pan.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys

A beautifully crafted 'princess and the pea' set. A tall bed piled high with mattresses - alas, the poor princess cannot sleep, as beneath the mountain of soft fabric lies a little crocheted pea! A wonderful toy with a little story book to accompany it.
Awards: 2003 Scandinavian Design Prize

Each hat comes with 3 removable Patch Pals that stick to the Velcro circle on any Patch Hat. Just peel off one Patch Pal and press on another. Not only does a Patch Hat make a great gift, it is fun. Kids can swap patches on their hats and with their friends as they collect all the Patch Pal characters. Each Patch Pal has a Name, Hometown, Species, Age, Size and Pal - so kids can learn about animals while collecting all the patches.