November 2010 Notable Toys — All

Zippy scooters are speeding round the corner. Who is as fast as the cars and can be the first to place their tiles of Domino Zippy Scooters? This fun car placing game for 2-4 children includes variation for a solo player. Includes 21 big wooden pieces that are perfect for small hands and the easy-to-learn rules are just right for beginners.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Zip-ity Princess is a soft new 14” Play & Learn doll complete with six learning activities: Zip, Button, Snap, Buckle, Tie, Fasten, and Reading. She helps to teach young ones basic dressing skills, letter and word recognition, and also helps develop fine and gross motor skills, as well as eye-hand coordination. She stimulates baby’s senses of sight, hearing, and touch, while nurturing their feeling of security.  She is dressed in assorted Princess outfits for imaginative fun. This is an excellent preschool doll to help with skill building.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

A creative project allows your child to make many reusable Fuzzoodle combinations. Choose a Fuzzoodle, then pick some parts, twist it, bend it and build it.  The Fluffy Friends Large Kit includes 6 long Fuzzoodles, 4 short Fuzzoodles, 10 Fuzzoodle parts, and 1 idea booklet. Provides for fun and dexterity activity at the same time.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

The Strong Arm Fire Engine is a new free-wheeling vehicle with a multi-action trigger-lever built right in. Pull and rev up the lever and watch the sparks fly in the arm’s window as the siren wails. Squeeze the lever’s trigger to raise the fire engine’s ladder. This sturdy vehicle is kid-powered with plenty of playtime action.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

How do you feel when you ride a rollercoaster, drop your ice cream cone, hear your parents argue, see a friend left out, get sprayed with water or say goodbye? Choose from 50 situations -- and have fun sharing your reaction and seeing how others react to the same situation. Players draw their feelings using markers on a dry erase mirror and/or magnetic facial components that show surprise, confusion, boredom, happiness, anger, frustration, and more. The 50 cards show vivid photographs of the different situations -- no reading skills are needed to play and all ages will find it of
value.  This fun and interactive game helps kids understand their feelings and reactions to different situations.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Going Blue vividly presents facts and statistics about Earth’s oceans and waterways and information about the issues surrounding our current water crisis. Readers will find a wealth of strategies and examples that help them see themselves as change agents and move forward to complete an effective service project. The book is divided into the five stages of service learning: investigate, prepare, act, reflect, and demonstrate. With the aid of lively photos and illustrations, along with practical suggestions and activities, teens plan and do meaningful service learning projects that benefit our planet’s water system.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

This 9-piece wooden stacking system is a construction toy that teaches numbers, size, sequence, colors and geometric shapes, while building eye-hand coordination and thinking skills. Learn about different farm animals: Identify animal heads; repeat sounds the animals make; and read animal stories. This toy is 7” high when fully assembled and includes extensive Activity Guide in English, French, and Spanish.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Call-it! is the new fast-paced and fun word-burst game. Gather your family and friends, and give your swift thinking a whirl with this new category card game. Flip a card, match a symbol with your opponent, and be the first to call out a word from their category to win their card.  Easy to learn and can be played anywhere. Contains 80 Symbol Cards, 20 Category Cards, 1 Mini Game Board, and a Set of Rules. Good for 2 or more players of all ages.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Dandelion’s Organic Doll is made of natural and organic materials that are safe and super soft next to a toddler’s tender skin. There are two choices of styles, blonde or brunette. Fabrics are made using certified organic cotton fibers, with a natural corn fiber filling. Dandelion’s Organic Doll is free of harmful toxins and completely machine washable and dryer safe. A portion of the proceeds from the Organic Doll support Childhood Cancer organizations.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Corolle’s Lou is a 14 inch Asian doll with a huggable soft body, dark brown eyes, and long silky black rooted hair that can be brushed and styled lots of different ways. Dressed in a bright pink polka dot dress with coordinating headband and shoes, Lou is ready for any play date or party. She can also wear any 14” fashion from the Miss Corolle line.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

The new Magic Window Talking Farm features a color LCD display that brings farm animals to life with smooth animation. Featuring three levels of play, eight nursery rhymes, and five songs, the Magic Window Farm engages children with its bilingual play option, teaching children numbers and letters in English and Spanish. Children learn by listening, watching, and interacting with the animals on the farm through naming, matching, answering, and sequencing games.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Ready2Learn™ Paint & Clay Texture Rollers is a roll with paint and clay craft activity that is as easy as using a rolling pin with a set of 4 designs. The clever styles include a dot pattern of various sizes in a random array, a wave pattern, zigzag squiggles, and parallel multi-width rollers are 7” long and made of very durable plastic and hard rubber. Soap and water are all that is needed for an easy clean-up.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

The Dragonflies Scramble Squares® puzzle features some of the most beautiful of the varied Dragonflies’ coloration. The object of the Scramble Squares® puzzle game is to arrange the nine colorfully illustrated 4” x 4” square pieces into a 3 x 3 pattern to form a 12” square so that the realistic graphics of the dragonflies match perfectly. Each puzzle package includes a panel of facts on dragonflies, as well as a trivia question and hidden answer to the trivia question.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

The play mat, Talk of the Farm, is designed for children to learn while they play, reinforcing the concepts of counting, learning colors, and animal sounds and helps children learn to follow directions.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

This adorable Alice in Wonderland Tutu features a fluffy royal and light blue tutu, embellished satin aporn with harlequin trim and glimmering red sequence heart. Also includes satin hairbow. S/M - Girl's 3-6, M/L - Girl's 6-12. Costume comes wrapped in package with hanger for display.

Lunch Punch transforms everyday sandwiches into dogs, puzzles, elephants, airplanes and more. The extra-thick plastic punches are BPA free and ideal for everyday lunches, special occasions and parties.
— As a mom of kids who hate crust, Jabbering Jessi loved that “With the help of Lunch Punch it is a snap to take off the dreaded crust.” Her daughter enjoyed the butterfly punch while her sons preferred the puzzle variety.
— After trying Lunch Punch, Crystal of Kid Buy Products bragged “about how much work she put into making sure her children had sandwiches cut into little dolphins for lunch while secretly knowing that it only took me about 10 extra seconds to make them thanks to the crazy-cool little sandwich cutters.” Crystal praised the cutters for their large size (minimizing wasted bread) and durability

Tie Buddies were created by a mom to help fellow parents teach their children how to tie their shoes. The bright plastic Tie Buddies feature princesses or race cars and attach to shoelaces to make tying a snap. The characters on Tie Buddies help build the motor skills and confidence kids need to tie their own shoes.
— Christin of the ABCD Diaries gave Tie Buddies an “A+” and her “Cool For School Seal of Approval.” Her daughter “loves the way they match her shoes and the pink fairy theme matches her personality perfectly.”
— After trying the product with her daughters, Deb from Just a Mom’s Take on Things declared that “the best gift any parent can give their child’s teacher is to put a pair of Tie Buddies on their child’s shoes.” According to Deb, “Tie Buddies are so quick and easy – and effective, they should be on every kid’s laces.”
— Angela, The Freebie Junkie, was amazed when her husband taught their five-year-old son to tie his shoes in minutes thanks to Tie Buddies.

This kit was developed by a pediatrician to assist parents in getting through their child's first year. The kit comes in a pastel colored gift box and contains a Fussy Baby Soother blanket, diaper rash ointment and skin protectant, a Gumdrop pacifier, a bottle for homemade saline solution, a digital thermometer and a nose suction bulb. Also included is a Baby Care guide, covering topics such as developmental milestones, health care, rashes and common questions new parents ask.

Charm Candy comes complete in individual bakery boxes that reveal an unexpected treat, real bakable (and reusable) cupcake liners and necklaces with retro-reminiscent bubble heart pendants. For a little icing on the cake, each bakery box features a Surprise Cupcake recipe on the back to inspire custom confections.
— In a September 2010 TDmonthly survey, two of 44 retailers named Charm It! charms a top-selling jewelry and accessory item.

MOGO charmbands let girls link together different magnetic charms for nearly endless possibilities. Each band is made of durable nylon and contains eight silvertone charm holders.
— In September 2010, three of 44 specialty retailers cited MOGO products as a best-selling jewelry and accessory item. The same month, Jenny Bramhall, owner of Dandelion Toys in Fort Collins, Colo., told TDmonthly, “people are really attracted to them - buying them, and then coming back and buying them as gifts.”
— Elmer Carranza. assistant manager of Doodlehopper 4 Kids in Falls Church, Va., told TDmonthly in an October 2011 survey that they sell "a good dozen or two" MOGO bracelets each month.
— Joe Berardoni, owner of Pun's Toys in Bryn Mawr, Pa., told TDmonthly in an October 2011 survey that MOGO Bracelets are one of their best selling tween items.

This set includes two hair accessories in pastel colors, each decorated with a heart-print bow. Pink, lavender and blue headbands are available.
— In early fall 2010, 11 percent of 44 retailers surveyed told TDmonthly Pink Poppy is a best-selling jewelry and accessory brand.

This 24-pack features Silly Bandz resembling the popular Hello Kitty character and her accessories, including a hair bow and an apple. These bands can be collected, worn or traded with friends.
— 14 percent of 44 specialty retailers named rubber band bracelets a top-selling accessory in a fall 2010 TDmonthly survey, with one retailer boasting sales of 4000 a month.

These children's watches have flexible plastic bands and measure 8" long. Each watch has a battery tab and is packaged in a peggable plastic box.
— In early fall 2010, seven of 44 retailers named children’s watches a jewelry and accessory best seller. Two cited Toysmith as a top brand.
— Mary Porter Green, owner of Curiosity Zone in Ashburn, Va., told TDmonthly in September 2010 that her store sells “at least a dozen” children’s plastic watches each month. “Parents want their kids to be able to tell time,” allows Gwen Bowden, manager of Doodlehopper for Kids in Springfield, Va.

Star Wars ARTFX+ Statues bring quality and detailing in a small scale suitable for collecting. An addition to the Saga Collection, the Storm Trooper Build Pack features a Storm Trooper wrapped up in shiny white armor and following the orders of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader to the letter. The Storm Troopers project the Empire’s might into every corner of the galaxy. Rarely found alone, the Troopers attack en masse to swarm their foes with superior numbers. Joining the ARTFX+ line, these two Storm Troopers are perfect miniature versions of the onscreen characters, with fully detailed armor and weapons. Both come with four different interchangeable kinds of arm parts and two different style of leg parts, making for eighteen different posing combinations. Like other ARTFX+ Statues the Troopers also have magnets in their feet for display on included bases. ARTFX+ Statues are fun-to-assemble pre-painted snap-fit kits that can be easily put together in seconds without glue or modeling skill. The Storm Troopers stand nearly 8 inches tall (1/10th scale).