August 2010 Notable Toys — Christmas

This holiday card reads "Happy Holidays" on the front in artist Shelley Dieterichs' fun illustrated Holiday Alphabet letters. The message inside reads "Wishing you all the best."

This holiday card uses artist Shelley Dieterichs' fun illustrated Holiday Alphabet letters to spell out Merry Christmas. The inside message reads "wishing you a holiday that's perfect from A to Z!"

This plush dog handbag is designed to look like a real pug. Ant wears a holiday-themed outfit, with a Christmas tree sweater and silver lame reindeer antlers. His tweed-lined pouch fits a few essential items, and he comes with a detachable faux-leather strap. OUR SAMPLE, WHICH WE REVIEWED IS FOR SALE. please call 310-979-4330 to purchase it with a credit card for $45. Ask for the Publisher.

Every child can be Santa's Little Helper with this holiday cookie kit. Users can combine their favorite cookie recipes with the Curious Chef cookie cutters and utensils to create a unique holiday treat. "These are REAL cooking utensils designed to meet the unique needs of small hands, not toys. This means they actually work!" Shelly Schumacher, Curious Chef communications manager, told TDmonthly.

These winter toys come in three cheerful velour snowman styles: a puffy plush friend, an oversized crinkle book, and a cuddly blanket. Each toy features knots and stitched details designed for safe teething, tugging and hugging. The stuffing material is natural corn fiber filling, so these toys are machine washable. Prices range from $14.99 to $19.99.

The Nano Christmas Dome with real motion includes a miniature decorated Christmas tree illuminated with 20 LED lights and surrounded by meticulously hand-wrapped color foil packages. A tiny train moves on an elevated oval track around the holiday tree, and the high-quality, hand-blown glass dome rests securely in a recess on a resin base to provide dust protection.
Awards: 2009 USCA San Diego Award in the Professional Engineers Category

Based on the Gospel of Luke, this story brings the dramatic events of Jesus's birth to life. "With beautiful illustrations, this timeless story is told in a way that will easily introduce children to God's grace for a fallen world," Rosemary Parkinson, Corporate Communications, Concordia Publishing House, told TDmonthly.

Players assign a value to a ticket and collect the face value for each ticket sold. Holiday ticket themes include Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa and generic holiday/winter. The guest who has the winning ticket may be given a gift, while the money collected can go to a charity or to the host of the holiday party — or the guest who holds the winning ticket may be awarded the entire pot of money.

In this holiday party game, the first player to get five of the same yuletide images in a row wins. The game comes complete with 20 full-color cards, 390 snowflake markers, caller chips, a master call sheet and instructions.

In this party game, players scratch the gift tag to receive a holiday fortune or to see if they have the winning ticket which reads, "You will win a fabulous prize at your holiday party." The game includes 20 cards per pack, but multiple packs can be for larger parties.

Snifty Holiday pens are designed to be the perfect stocking stuffer. Available to retailers in a holiday display box of 50, these pens fill the air with the scents of candy cane, gingerbread, spiced apple and sugar cookie. "The scent is embedded in the tip and the grip to create a yummy aroma," International Arrivals Sales and Marketing Liason Kate Fuller told TDmonthly.

This plush Santa stands 10.5". Launch date: April 5, 2010.