October 2008 Notable Toys — Creative Activities

Step back into the alluring world of the dinosaurs. The colorful and dramatic illustrations make this felt play board a fun and educational activity that will captivate the attention of young children for hours. This product will encourage expression, exploration and creativity through play. Launch date: November 2008.

Bunkies is a collectible action plush toy. Unique patterns and expressions make each Bunkie a unique character. Handmade from cotton with all embroidered features, Bunkies are a safe, creative toy that can spark any kid's imagination. Launch date: October 2008.

Suede lace has many decorative uses, from American Heritage crafts to key chains, jewelry and more. This decorative leather lace is offered in an assortment of colors, available in spools as well as 6-yd. cards. "Tandy Leather Factory is a trusted brand name in the leather industry. Our products have a reputation for being the best quality products on the market. As well as superior quality, we can offer you our suede lace at a price that will beat any others on the market," Tony Hernandez, national crafts sales manager at Tandy Leather Factory, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2009.

This 32-page activity book is based on the Angels from the Attic toy line and is gentle and appealing with easy-to-color pages. It shows the six characters and their special characteristics. Each Angel has its own specialty, such as exercise, reading or eating well. The magical attic they live in is introduced and encourages children to create their own special worlds. "This activity/coloring book is not mass-produced. It welcomes children to send in their own works of art and encourages friendship. Placed next to the Angels from the Attic plush animals, it expands the concept of visiting the Attic for fun and freedom," Mark Marderosian, creative director at Big City Publishing, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 30, 2008.

Silver shimmery Snowflakes from FunToSee are the simplest way to create beautiful feature walls or simply add a tasteful touch of color and fun around a room or on furniture. Easy and fun, removable and re-usable, and splash-proof and washable, a package of 30 FunToSee Snowflakes provide hours of holiday decorating fun. The product is "re-usable and will not damage walls," Elizabeth Marquis, account director for Serendipity Communications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2008.

Each Snugaboo polyester fleece blanket is 30" x 30" and is trimmed in triple-stitched soft satin edging that will help it last through many adventures. The blankets even have two convenient silky satin pockets for little hands to snuggle in or to use to fly around. Six designs are available: Zeek, Daisy, Frankie, Boots, Noodles and Princess Aladreena. "Each Snugaboo hooded blanket matches a specific Snugaboo cartoon character and comes bundled with a package of temporary tattoo Freckle Rewards to promote good behavior in children," Sheila Oberaigner, CEO and Boo Master Select of Crushtown, told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 7, 2008.

Couplicoles are designed to entertain children while also serving as a learning tool. They help develop children’s imagination and three-dimensional thinking. While learning to follow simple instructions, children can simultaneously develop their dexterity and creativity. This product received a Dr. Toy 2008 Best Vacation Product Award, and won a grand prize in Quebec's 2006 Grafika contest. "Couplicoles ... are classified according to their degree of difficulty. Beginners start by relying on the help of an adult and progressively learn to be more independent. Couplicoles therefore encourage both cooperation and individual initiative, which makes them particularly suitable for art classes and kindergartens. Moreover, they require only basic tools such as a ruler, scissors and glue. Black and white models can be customized using crayons or highlighters," Maria Valkova, in operations at Hartiatoys, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2004.

Offer some extra color to projects with these waxed braided cords. In addition to stitching the 25 yard spools can be used for braiding friendship bracelets, jewelry, and various other crafts. Available in 17 different colors.

Tandy Leather Factory offers a full range of children’s leather craft kits designed for all ages. The kits can teach kids pride and accomplishment by letting them create their own leather items. Kits include basic leathercrafting such as stamping and painting kits.

Make your own chewing gum with chicle, the sap of the Sapodilla tree that grows in the rainforests of Central America. Everything you need is included in this kit and it's easy! You can make your own gum on the stove or with a microwave. Great for class room activities, scout troops, birthday parties, home school, or after school groups. Adult supervision is recommended. Makes a great gift for kids!

Make your own gummies out of seaweed! Everything you need is included in this kit and it's easy! You can make your own gummi bears, gummi worms, gummi fish or any other shape. Make gummies on the stove or with a microwave. Great for class room activities, scout troops, birthday parties, home school, or after school groups. Adult supervision is recommended. Makes a great gift for kids!

This origami kit comes with 16 sheets of metallic gold paper and 16 sheets of red- and gold-toned, multicolor paper. When completed, the star has 20 points and measures approximately 6" in diameter.

This kit comes with 12 tropical paper animals that can be assembled for play by cutting, folding and pasting. It includes an instruction guide and scoring tool.

This miniatures building, showing rubble and a demolished interior, measures 13.25" L x 7" W x 8" H. Launch date: October 13, 2008.

Designed to allow kids to express their feelings through art, this activity book explores a different feeling for every letter of the alphabet and encourages use of the imagination.

More than 50 pages of activities are included in this book by Margaret M. Connery-Boyd and Brendan F. Fitzgerald. It allows kids to color pictures of players Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter as well as Yankee Stadium, and includes crossword puzzles, word searches and games about the team.

Children can easily build this sturdy Pirate Fortress, decorate it, and play with it. This kit transforms from a crafting activity into a real toy, and, best of all, is recyclable. All pieces are made from pre-cut and pre-punched sturdy white cardboard and can be put together without glue and scissors. "It's a great choice for parents who want to promote their children's creativity, and it is a wonderful, unique present for a kid that wants a cool toy," Martina McConnon, owner of distributor Creative Toyshop, told TDmonthly. It received the Spiel gut 2008 award in Germany. Launch date: September 8, 2008.

This Calafant cardboard kit transforms into a sturdy castle that is fun to build and decorate. It comes with 12 washable, non-toxic markers and is easy to color. When the child has completed the castle, it is a great toy and ideal for play with 3" dolls. Best of all, it's recyclable. "It is made from very high-quality cardboard — unless you sit on it, it won't bend!" Martina McConnon, owner of distributor Creative Toyshop, told TDmonthly. The product received a TOY Innovation award in the creativity category in 2006 (in Germany). Launch date: April 1, 2008.

The Calafant Palace is easy to build and decorate with any craft materials, acrylic paint, watercolor, rhinestones, scrap paper, glitter and aluminum foil — anything that comes to the creative mind. The sturdy structure is the ideal size for play with 3" dolls. All pieces are made from pre-cut and pre-punched, high-quality white cardboard and can be put together without glue and scissors. "It is exactly what parents look for when they want to promote their child's creativity while making an eco-friendly purchase," Owner Martina McConnon of distributor Creative Toyshop told TDmonthly. The product/line received the following awards in Germany: TOY Innovation 2006 and "spiel gut" 2008. Launch date: April 1, 2008.

This kit allows kids of all ages to design their own works of art that can then be displayed in a fun-to-see light. Children can simply design and/or color their picture with any markers and then place it into the night light. Each kit comes with four blank coloring sheets plus a promotional, preprinted butterfly design coloring sheet. Replacement insert pages for the GLOWTASTIC! U-Draw Light Kit are also available.

With this construction toy, kids can make a Jurassic model. Interchangeable parts in the Tyrannosaurus Kit can be used to create a plesiosaurus or an ammonite. With the Triceratops Kit, one can create a mammoth or an allosaurus head. The pieces in both sets can be combined to form a Pteranodon or Stegosaurus. Launch date: June 1,2008.

This 175-piece kit can be used to snap and click pieces together to create eight different items: bunny, flower, pencil box, picture frame, coasters, eyeglasses, play house set, and ring and bracelet. Launch date: June 21, 2008.

This 6” mini doll kit comes with all the supplies — paint, brushes, doll kit, tutorials and more — a person needs to reborn their first doll. Reborning can require days of work, but the starter kit makes it possible to reborn a doll in less than three hours. The kit includes a CD with a full tutorial plus a PC video that gives instruction on painting the dolls. Launch date: 2008.

Decorate a shadow box picture frame to display treasured photos and small mementos of your favorite furry friend. Kit comes with a white wooden frame with glass window, magnetic closure, and easel back. Frame measures 5.5"x 7.5" x 1.75" deep. Personalizing materials also included: paint, brush, alphabet stickers, push pins, glue and wood heart and star shapes.