August 2010 Notable Toys — All

This 98-piece innovative building set includes timbers, widgets, gable ends (triangles), wheels, and more. The set features timbers up to 24" in length, providing children the ability to create anything from a car to a house, a bridge or a plane. This set aims to provide the flexibility to engage true beginners as well as to challenge "future engineers."

Young readers are introduced to the alphabet and corresponding animals at the same time. Wild Animals literally jump, slither, and fly off the page in this illustrated pop-up featuring 26 creatures hidden within the pages of the book. Antelope bursts through the letter A; Leopard lurches from behind L; Giraffe reaches its long neck over G; Koala peeks from behind K; and Penguin waddles out from behind P. The book also includes accompanying playful first-person text designed for reading aloud with a young child and photographs of each animal.

Power Tunes is an album from speech-language pathologist and multi-award winning songwriter Joe Rothstein, MS, CCC-SLP. Favorites like “School Song,” “Food Song” and “Opposite Song” aim to pick kids up and get their bodies and brainwaves moving together while empowering them with important language tools. "Power Tunes uses principles of speech-language pathology to to help toddlers and young children learn vocabulary, speech sounds, and early academic concepts," Turning Points Media President Joe Rothstein told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2009 iParenting Media Award; 2009 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval
— “I have several students with speech issues in my room this year and was thrilled with the results of playing this CD for my class,” explained the reviewer from The Opinionated Parent. The critic added that “Whether your children have speech concerns or not, it’s a great CD … I give it a ten out of ten – even if I wouldn’t listen to it without my kids around.”
— Heather Sedlock, Special Needs Kids Examiner for Examiner.com, listened to the CD both on her own and with a group of children and toddlers with speech-language deficits. Heather and her co-reviewers enjoyed the “10 upbeat, get-you-out-of-your-seat songs,” which she found perfect for home, school, daycare and travel settings.

Scopey the Dog is a unique character whose adventures are designed to bring environmental awareness to readers. The product line includes a plush toy, microscope toy and multiple activity books. Scopey the Dog has "Scopey Sense" built-in to magnify micro-images in the books, or magnify any object to 50x the original size on a TV or computer screen.

Sea Squirts are lifejackets and swim assist vests designed to look like different fish. Designs include Killa Whale, Clown Fish, White Shark, Angel Fish, Blue Dolphin and Pink Dolphin. The jackets and vests actually have a flexible fin on the back. "Our mantra is, 'Fun follows function.' ... Our products have been designed in a way that kids want to wear them and aren't wearing them because they have to," Opa Cove President and CEO Richard Barbis told TDmonthly.

Monkey Monkey Music offers a deep commitment to putting the child back into children’s music with Meredith LeVande's second album, What Are the Odds? The album finds the middle road between baby songs and pop band songs where kids’ lyrics are simply added to music that would otherwise be played for adults. Meredith’s music is not only child-friendly, it’s truly child-appropriate, having been created with the healthy growth of the child in mind. "Her songs are joy-filled expressions of pure, childlike fun. One listen is all it takes to recognize that Meredith really loves being around children," Waldmania PR Publicist Elizabeth Waldman Frazier told TDmonthly.
— “As soon as I pushed play, my 19-month-old son started bopping to the music,” reported Shonda of The Knowlton Nest. Shonda was struck by Meredith’s “happy, upbeat and friendly child-like voice” throughout “music that was contemporary, yet simple” and “appealing to kids and adults.”
— Toni Morton of Toni’s Treehouse provides a track-by-track analysis of the CD, highlighting the knock-knock joke based song "Who's a Knockin'?" and “the surprising sounds of a banjo and dobro” in the food pyramid song "Frogs Eat Butterflies."

This sustainable, nitrosamine-free toy features wood rings that spin and rattle around a central ring to entertain baby. Sustainable rubber wood is a natural, germ-repellent surface. This product is biodegradable and recyclable.

This soft organic cotton terry mitt doubles as a bath mitt and entertainment puppet. It includes a hanging loop to dry.

This plush blankie doll is easy for little ones to hold. It is made of organic cotton/poly velour with cotton fill. "This unique toy combines the comfort of a blankie with the fun of a stuffed animal," Noelle Brown, i play Inc marketing associate, told TDmonthly.

The 9 Square Shooters dice are printed with a full deck of 52 cards plus 2 jokers – you can use them to play almost any card game!  The patent-pending dice are designed so you can roll hands for rummy, poker, twenty-one and many more games. Includes Dice, Playing cards, Game cards, Scorekeeping chips, Dice cup and Instructions.

Kids can explore one of the most destructive forces on earth with this kit. Children can paint and display seven different types of volcanoes and a geyse, and create eruptions up to 6' high. The kit also includes a 32-page fact booklet.

This bright blue candy powder has a sour fruit punch flavor. The bottle measures 5" x 3.75" x 2."

This magic set is full of professional-quality magic devices and gimmicks. It includes step-by-step instruction booklets with detailed illustrations for performing over 30 mystifying tricks. Additional sets include rope tricks, thumb tricks and coin tricks.

Thomas and Mavis pick up cargo, then and ascend and descend step climbs in this play set. The trains follow the rails through the gates, up over the bridge and to the tug boat that just came for a visit.
— In a February 2012 survey about bestselling wooden toys, Barbara Fineblum, owner of Barston's Child's Play in Baltimore, Md., told TDmonthly that Thomas the Tank Engine toys were among their bestsellers.
— In a May 2012 survey, two out of 12 retailers told TDmonthly that Thomas the Tank Engine was their best selling licensed brand.

This realistic interactive lawnmower features mower, gas and oil sounds, as well as voice prompts to check oil and gas. It includes rotating grass clippings and a fold-down handle for storage, and requires two AA batteries.
— As of August 25, 2010, this product had 3.5 out of 5 stars from 17 reviews on Amazon.com. PROS: Interactive and appeals to toddlers. CONS: Not very portable, and some parents complained the handle does not stay up.

This toy bar provides multiple activities for babies on the run. The frog toy features baby-activated lights and three melodies. The spinning paddle mirror and turtle rattle encourage reaching and hand- eye coordination. The straps attach easily to infant carriers for use on-the-go.
— As of 8.24.10, this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 30 reviews on Target.com and was listed in the top 30 best-selling toys and games. PROS: Entertaining and engaging. CONS: Some parents complained replacement batteries are difficult to find.

Stack and tumble, build and crumble with these soft fabric blocks. These four blocks each feature different patterns and characters, along with crinkles or chimes and a 3-D feature.
— As of 8.24.10, this product had 5 out of 5 stars from 1 review on Target.com and was listed in the top 30 best-selling toys and games. PROS: Easy to hold.

This detailed, movie-size figure measures 14" tall. Woody comes with an interactive cowboy hat — he knows if it’s on or off — and speaks over 25 phrases. He comes styled with a cowboy hat, boots, a vest with badge and a belt with buckle
— As of 8.24.10, this product had 4 out of 5 stars from 2 reviews on Target.com and was listed in the top 30 best-selling toys and games. PROS: Interactive.

These three jungle pals feature fun sounds and textures. The set includes a textured teether monkey with a rattling sound, a big crinkle-ear elephant with star clackers, and a jingling, textured lion with a peek-a-boo mirror
— As of 8.24.10, this product had 5 out of 5 stars from 11 reviews on Target.com and was listed in the top 30 best-selling toys and games. PROS: Soft, safe and well-sized.

This set of three soft, squishy blocks features textures, sounds and imagery to keep babies engaged and entertained with stacking and discovery. The small block features real-life imagery, an apple-shaped teether and number learning, the medium block features crinkle sides for sound effects, number learning and colorful imagery, and the large block features 3-D butterfly wings with crinkle, real-life imagery and number learning.
  — As of 8.24.10, this product had 5 out of 5 stars from 5 reviews on Target.com and was listed in the top 30 best-selling toys and games. PROS: Entertaining and well-priced.

These 10 water-squirting sea characters are designed for under-water bubbles and bath games. The squirters come in a clear canister that makes storage easy.
  — As of 8.24.10, this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 34 reviews on Target.com and was listed in the top 30 best-selling toys and games. PROS: Safe and entertaining. CONS: Some parents complained that the toys collect mold inside.

This gift set is full of toys designed to surprise and delight babies during their first days of play. The gift set includes an assortment of five rattles and teethers in a variety of shapes and vibrant colors to stimulate and help develop interaction, communication and motor skills. The rattles are aim to inspire movement while the teethers provide soothing relief.
— As of 8.24.10, this product had 5 out of 5 stars from 35 reviews on Target.com and was listed in the top 30 best-selling toys and games. PROS: Cute and engaging.

This Mini Firefly finger puppet features a leather-like head, stitched wings, and furry body, plus a bright green abdomen.

This detailed baby dragon features a pair of whelp wings, a long tail, and spiky scales running along its back. Movable mouth and front feet.