October 2012 Notable Toys — All

The quality and solid construction of a Zither Heaven ukulele puts this instrument in a class of its own. While reasonably priced to appeal to beginners and children, experienced musicians of all ages enjoy playing the Zither Heaven ukulele. The precise action and proper placement of the bridge enables chords to be played at the bottom of the neck as well as the top of the neck without losing its tune. The yellow ukulele features a 15-inch vibrating string length. The neck is made of solid hard maple with nylon frets and nylon strings. Zither pins are used for the tuning keys. The ukulele includes a tuning wrench and song booklet. Launch date: February 2012.

The quality and solid construction of a Zither Heaven ukulele puts this instrument in a class of its own. While reasonably priced to appeal to beginners and children, experienced musicians of all ages enjoy playing the Zither Heaven ukulele. The precise action and proper placement of the bridge enables chords to be played at the bottom of the neck as well as the top of the neck without losing its tune. The blue ukulele features a 15-inch vibrating string length. The neck is made of solid hard maple with nylon frets and nylon strings. Zither pins are used for the tuning keys. The ukulele includes a tuning wrench and song booklet. Launch date: February 2012.

Kids will be amazed as they watch their puzzle come alive with the Puzzle Double! Discover It! Floor Puzzle Bugs. Taking the concept of a traditional puzzle to a new level, this Discover It! puzzle includes five fun, 3-D lenticular stickers. When kids finish piecing together the beautiful 30-piece, talk about puzzles, they simply add the stickers to their matching place in the scene and watch the puzzle come to life and move and change. Additionally, after assembling the puzzle kids can turn it over for a fun coloring activity (crayons not included). Puzzle Doubles! Discover It! puzzles will provide children multi-dimensional ways to discover and learn! Puzzle measure 24" X 18". Ages 3+ years. Launch date: 2012.

All aboard the Animal Express Train to learn about animal shapes and colors. Animal Express Train has three play modes- Learn the Color and Animal Shapes, and Find It! that are played by simply inserting the plastic animal shapes into their proper slots. Mode three allows children to control the train by using the infrared remote control to move the train forward and backward. While the train chugs along it plays melodies, the wheels move and the nose blinks. The animal shape pieces can be stored in the handy storage compartment inside the train. Animal Express Train also has an automatic shut-off feature that preserves the battery life of the required three "AA" batteries for the main unit (included) and two "AA" batteries for the remote(not included). Launch date: 2012.

Our count and learn ATM machine will guide children through the grown up world of banking. With three play modes and five different coin values it encourages kids to go to the bank, count coins and determine values. Kids will have a great time inserting the ATM card and entering the PIN number to deposit and release their coins. Requires two "AA" batteries (included). Launch date: 2012.

Step Ups! 4-In-A-Box puzzles area great “starter” puzzles and will help little hands develop their fine motor skills. Step Ups! Puzzle sets contain four puzzles depicting fun characters that young ones will easily recognize. The puzzles progress from 2 pieces to 4 pieces to 6 pieces to 8 pieces, giving children the opportunity to grow with the set as they grow and develop. The 8 piece puzzle brings the characters from the other three puzzles together in one animated scene with lots to discuss and talk about. Step Ups! Are a great way to help toddlers begin building their tactile and problem solving skills. Each puzzle measures approximately 12.5” X 8.5”. Launch date: 2012.

Step Ups! 4-In-A-Box puzzles area great “starter” puzzles and will help little hands develop their fine motor skills. Step Ups! Puzzle sets contain four puzzles depicting fun characters that young ones will easily recognize. The puzzles progress from 2 pieces to 4 pieces to 6 pieces to 8 pieces, giving children the opportunity to grow with the set as they grow and develop. The 8 piece puzzle brings the characters from the other three puzzles together in one animated scene with lots to discuss and talk about. Step Ups! Are a great way to help toddlers begin building their tactile and problem solving skills. Each puzzle measures approximately 12.5” X 8.5”.

Step Ups! 4-In-A-Box puzzles area great “starter” puzzles and will help little hands develop their fine motor skills. Step Ups! Puzzle sets contain four puzzles depicting fun characters that young ones will easily recognize. The puzzles progress from 2 pieces to 4 pieces to 6 pieces to 8 pieces, giving children the opportunity to grow with the set as they grow and develop. The 8 piece puzzle brings the characters from the other three puzzles together in one animated scene with lots to discuss and talk about. Step Ups! Are a great way to help toddlers begin building their tactile and problem solving skills. Each puzzle measures approximately 12.5” X 8.5”. Launch date: 2012.

Step Ups! 4-In-A-Box puzzles area great “starter” puzzles and will help little hands develop their fine motor skills. Step Ups! Puzzle sets contain four puzzles depicting fun characters that young ones will easily recognize. The puzzles progress from 2 pieces to 4 pieces to 6 pieces to 8 pieces, giving children the opportunity to grow with the set as they grow and develop. The 8 piece puzzle brings the characters from the other three puzzles together in one animated scene with lots to discuss and talk about. Step Ups! Are a great way to help toddlers begin building their tactile and problem solving skills. Each puzzle measures approximately 12.5” X 8.5”. Launch date: 2012.

Click It! puzzles take a traditional puzzle and blend it with today's popular technology. After completing the beautifully illustrated 24-piece "talk-about" puzzle, children can use any smart phone or tablet with a QR label reader application to "Click" the barcode and watch their puzzle come to life. The QR barcode will link them to a fun video animation of the puzzle that was just assembled. Additionally if kids flip the puzzle over, it becomes a fun coloring activity (crayons not included). Click It puzzles offer the traditional ways of learning along with the high tech ways to discover. Each puzzle measures 24"X18". Launch date: 2012.

Click It! puzzles take a traditional puzzle and blend it with today's popular technology. After completing the beautifully illustrated 24-piece "talk-about" puzzle, children can use any smart phone or tablet with a QR label reader application to "Click" the barcode and watch their puzzle come to life. The QR barcode will link them to a fun video animation of the puzzle that was just assembled. Additionally if kids flip the puzzle over, it becomes a fun coloring activity (crayons not included). Click It puzzles offer the traditional ways of learning along with the high tech ways to discover. Each puzzle measures 24"X18". Launch date: 2012.
Awards: 2012 Dr.Toy Best 20 for $20

Click It! puzzles take a traditional puzzle and blend it with today's popular technology. After completing the beautifully illustrated 24-piece "talk-about" puzzle, children can use any smart phone or tablet with a QR label reader application to "Click" the barcode and watch their puzzle come to life. The QR barcode will link them to a fun video animation of the puzzle that was just assembled. Additionally if kids flip the puzzle over, it becomes a fun coloring activity (crayons not included). Click It puzzles offer the traditional ways of learning along with the high tech ways to discover. Each puzzle measures 24"X18". Launch date: 2012.

Click It! puzzles take a traditional puzzle and blend it with today's popular technology. After completing the beautifully illustrated 24-piece "talk-about" puzzle, children can use any smart phone or tablet with a QR label reader application to "Click" the barcode and watch their puzzle come to life. The QR barcode will link them to a fun video animation of the puzzle that was just assembled. Additionally if kids flip the puzzle over, it becomes a fun coloring activity (crayons not included). Click It! puzzles offer the traditional ways of learning along with the high tech ways to discover. Each puzzle measures 24'X18". Launch date: 2012.

Enjoy two fun-filled playtime activities in one. Each Find It! product combines a puzzle and game into one highly educational, interactive learning experience. First assemble the puzzle, then play the game using the enclosed game pieces. For an additional learning experience, flip the game pieces over to play a word recognition game. Each 50-piece puzzle measures a gian 3'X2'. Launch date: 2012.

Kids will be amazed as they watch their puzzle come alive with the Puzzle Double! Discover It! 3D Space floor puzzle. Taking the concept of a traditional puzzle to a new level, each Discover It! puzzle includes five fun, 3-D lenticular stickers. When kids finish piecing together the beautiful 30-piece, talk about puzzles, they simply add the stickers to their matching place in the scene and watch the puzzle come to life and move and change. Additionally, after assembling the puzzle you can turn it over for a fun coloring activity (crayons not included). Puzzle Doubles! Discover It! Space puzzle will provide children multi-dimensional ways to discover and learn. Launch date: 2012.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval

Kids will be amazed as they watch their puzzle come alive with the Puzzle Double! Discover It! 3D Safari floor puzzle. Taking the concept of a traditional puzzle to a new level, each Discover It! puzzle includes five fun, 3-D lenticular stickers. When kids finish piecing together the beautiful 30-piece, talk about puzzles, they simple add the stickers to their matching place in the scene and watch the puzzle come to life and move and change. Additionally, after assembling the puzzle you can turn it over for a fun coloring activity (crayons not included). Puzzle Doubles! Discover It! puzzles will provide children with multi-dimensional ways to discover and learn. Puzzle measures 24"X18". Launch date: 2012.

Kids wil be amazed as they come alive with the Puzzle Doubles! Discover It! Ocean puzzle. Taking the concept of a traditional puzzle to a new level, each Discover It! Puzzle includes five fun, 3-D lenticular stickers. When kids finish piecing together the beautiful 30-piece, talk about puzzles, they simply add the stickers to their matching place in the scene and watch the puzzle come to life and move and change. Additionally, after assembling the puzzle you can turn it over for a fun coloring activity (crayons not included). Puzzle Doubles! Discover It! Ocean floor puzzle will provide children with multi-dimensional ways to discover and learn. Puzzle measures 24"X 18". Launch date: 2012.

Snowflakes are combinations of frozen ice crystals that fall through the Earth's atmosphere. They form when microscopic super cooled cloud water droplets freeze that are only about the size of four ten thousandths (.00039) of an inch one hundredth of a millimeter (.01 millimeter) in diameter. Snowflakes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Complex shapes develop as the flakes fall through different temperatures and humidity. These droplets are able to remain liquid at temperatures lower than -0º Fahrenheit (-18º Celsius) because in order to freeze, a few molecules in the droplet need to come together by chance to form an arrangement similar to that in an ice lattice molecule; the droplet then freezes around this "nucleus." Experiments show that this chance accumulation of droplets around an ice lattice molecule to form a snowflake occurs at temperatures lower than -31° Fahrenheit (-35° Celsius). Once a droplet has frozen, it grows in the supersaturated cloud environment where air is below the freezing point. These large crystals fall through the atmosphere due to their mass, and may collide with others, sticking together in clusters. These clusters of ice crystals are snowflakes, and are usually the type of ice particles that fall to the ground.

Cuddle Covers are plush pillow covers in the shape of an animal. The covers come in eight different characters, are hypo-allergenic, and zip over a pillow (a Cuddle Cover pillow is also sold separately for $14.99).
— "Each Cuddle Cover is made with hypo-allergenic and ultra-soft polyester fabric, so once you've run your hands across them, it's hard to stop...I appreciated that they are plenty durable enough to be laundered and that the strong zipper makes it easy to position the pillow inside without a problem." - Review from XENIA SUNDELL at ThanksMailCarrier.com

When trouble strikes at the Blue Mountain Quarry, Thomas is sent to help his Narrow Gauge engine friends. While shunting and hauling, he catches a glimpse of a small engine trying to hide, yet no one will provide any clues to the engine's identity. Thomas is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery but discovering the truth is harder than he imagined. Will Thomas be able to save his new friend? Or will the mysterious engine be sent away from Sodor forever? Running time: 61 minutes. Launch date: September 18, 2012.
— As of 09/05/2012 this product had 5 out of 5 stars from 1 review on Amazon.com. Pros: Storyline more realistic that previous Thomas movies; old favorite characters make an appearance.

Scare up some fun this Halloween. Thomas and his friends enjoy some ghostly encounters, Fireman Sam keeps everyone safe from scares and Bob the Builder and the machine team go batty with some new nighttime pals. Get in the Halloween spirit with a few tricks, lots of treats and plenty of fun for all. Launch date: September 11, 2012.

HipZips Bracelets are available in a variety of colors. These bracelets actually zip and unzip. Wear alone, or combine colors for a fun look.
— In a late Summer 2012 survey, Charles from Miller's Toys in Mamoroneck, N.Y., told TDmonthly that HipZips bracelets are their bestselling novelty item. "We get them in a 72-pack, and they fly out of the store," he said.

The beloved ragdolls are backpack. Beautifully made with fine facial features in soft brown tones and yarn hair. Has the traditional embroidered "I Love You" heart on his chest and features plastic button eyes.

The original doll with a heart is back. Beautifully made with fine facial features in soft brown tones and yarn hair with the classic loop style. Has the traditional embroidered "I Love You" heart on her chest and features plastic button eyes.
Awards: 2014 TDmonthly Top Toy Debut Award