November 2010 Notable Toys — Novelties

This jigsaw puzzle features the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Featuring depictions of various stages of his life and the Neverland Ranch, this puzzle measures approximately 19"x27".

Standing tall at 16.3”, this cool piece of retro decor emits colored mood lighting that shifts with the mesmerizing motion of the 'lava' inside. The heat of the bulb in the base of the lamp warms the secret goo formula, causing it to convect in unpredictable globs and bubbles.
— “Lava Lamps are the most popular, I have some from Schylling,” said Fred Rosenberg, owner of On The Park in Kingwood, Texas, of his best-selling tween items. “I sell as many as I can get.”

Containing the shapes of a dolphin, sea turtle, crawfish, and other creatures native to the habitat affected by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, this special pack of Silly Bandz is designed to raise awareness for creatures threatened in this environment. A portion of the sales from every pack will go to helping rescue affected wildlife. In addition, this pack features “thermo activated” technology, causing a change in temperature to change the Silly Bandz's color.
— Two of 44 retailers listed Silly Bandz as a best-seller for tweens, reporting sales of approximately 100 per month during a September 2010 survey.
— "We've sold 2,300 this year at all three stores,” Marc Holcomb, owner of of Toys & Co. in Greensboro, S.C., said in autumn 2010. ''Silly Bandz is trending down, and they are selling their excess to stores in California, Washington and Texas,'' he added.
--Christine Osborne, co-owner of Wonder Works in Charleston, S.C., sells about 3,000 to 4,000 per month.

Chatimals are the latest in hamster entertainment. Just speak to Chatimals for up to 60 seconds and they will repeat what you say back to you. Available in hamster and meerkat varieties.
— Jenny of Mummy Reviews brought Oscar the Chatimal home and shared that her son “just giggles at it over and over again and it giggles back.” She reported great success using Oscar “to repeat instructions for our Little Garden Helpers when I need them to do something for me.”
— In her video review of Chatimals Oscar, Bubbles from Sweet Craftiness told of her son playing with Oscar and his grandfather; the hamster’s mimicry “had everybody in stitches,” young and old alike.

Screen with words that have many different sayings. Over 20 different words, these are in tie dye or solid color colors and they glow in the dark.

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.

Loaded with 12 complete pranks, the Jokes On You! kit from Reeve & Jones contains supplies and instructions for classic gags to pull on friends and family. A hand buzzer, fake vomit, pet poop, squirt ring, money snatcher, and many more items will arm tricksters young and old.
— During a September 2010 survey, two of 49 retailers listed practical joke supplies as their top-selling novelty items.

From Toysmith comes this classic Silly Putty in a bright red egg. The reusable egg-shaped container snaps easily open and closed, a good place to keep the Silly Putty clean when it's not in use. Silly Putty's unique texture and properties of stretching, bouncing, and even lifting pencil and some ink marks from paper make it an enduring kids' favorite.
— “We do really well with Silly Putty,” said Bruce Weiner, owner of Toys!3 in West Bloomfield, Mich., during a September 2010 survey of 49 retailers concerning best-selling novelty items.

The Ooze Tube is a bright colored, slow-moving desk top toy. Part kinetic sculpture, part decoration, the Ooze Tube is filled with a clear, viscous liquid that flows from one half of the tube to the other through a small hole in the middle while bubbles form in the liquid above.  When all of the ooze has run out, simply flip it over and start again.
— “We do really well on ... things that flip over, like Ooze Tubes. With oozie things like that, that there's a degree of mesmerization,” said Anna Barr, owner of Anna's Toy Depot in Austin, Texas, when asked about her best-selling novelty items in September 2010.

Ready for the jump with his parachute folded safely to his back, this little plastic skydiver (or soldier, or rescue worker) comes in four neon colors that are easy to find in the grass. Simply unwind the lines and toss him into the air or from a high place. The plastic parachute opens and he floats safely to the ground.
— After naming Toysmith's Mini Parachuter as a top-selling novelty item in her Columbus, Ga., store, Gladys Griffin, owner of Main Street Toy Shop told TDmonthly,“The reaction to the impulse buy is 'Oh, wow, I haven't seen this in years.'”
— Three out of 49 retailers listed Toysmith products as their best-selling novelty items during a September 2010 survey.

“You can be a super star every day!” says the illustrated blister card from Schylling. In assorted shapes, sizes, and colors, Schylling's Self-Adhesive Mustaches are instant personality. Whether for a disguise, fancy occasion, costume, or day-to-day fun, each of the seven mustaches is great for a laugh.
— “We sell a ton of those. I'm always amazed at the number of those we sell!” said Greg Larson, owner of Larson's Toys and Games in Columbus, Ohio, of Schylling's Self-Adhesive Mustaches during a September 2010 survey of 49 retailers.
— Two of 49 retailers listed Self-Adhesive Mustaches by Schylling as a best-seller in September 2010.
— In a late Summer 2012 survey, two out of 12 retailers said that mustaches were their bestselling novelty item.

This monkey slingshot's strong elastic arms can propel him far distances. Users simply put two fingers in the hand pockets, pull back and let go. He comes complete with a cape and mask, and lets out a loud monkey call when released.
— In autumn 2010, Christine Osborne, co-owner of Wonder Works in Charleston, S.C., said she was still selling about 30 soaring simians per month.

Kids can grow up to 300 Orbeez at once, and 2,500 total, in this gizmo. While the Orbeez grow, children can shoot them through the hoops. Once grown, they cascade down the spiral ramp into the collection tray and can be used for play with ideas from the included activity booklet.

This classic disguise, with black furry eyebrows and mustache, will give users a whole new look, unless they already have a sizable nose, big eyebrows and thick black glasses. The plastic frames are designed to fit most adult heads, and come bagged with an illustrated header.

This bountiful beard extends a cascade of wispy whiskers 4' below the chin. It would take decades to grow a real beard that long. The adjustable strap is designed to fit all heads.

This Halloween-themed Silly Bandz 24-pack includes Jack-O-Lanterns, Bats, Frankensteins, Spiders, Witches and Ghosts. These bands can be collected, worn or traded with friends.
— In late summer 2010, 10 of 43 retailers surveyed named rubber band bracelets an overall top seller.
— Casey Sartain, buyer for Tutoring Toy in Salt Lake City, Utah, told TDmonthly in August 2010 that the store sells about 100 packs of Silly Bandz each month.

Christa is dressed to impress and sparkles everywhere she goes. She looks radiant in her green shoes with poofs on the toes, snowflake stockings, a shimmery off-the-shoulder red dress and a green scarf, topped off with a red bonnet.

Holiday Hannah is ready for any holiday party. Super fashionable, Hannah wears red pompoms in her highlighted golden hair, a cozy winter Santa sweater, a shiny gold light bulb-embroidered skirt, candy cane striped stockings and fuzzy white boots.

Girls can explore, play and help make the world a little better while looking just like their favorite Groovy Girl superhero! In Starletta fashion, the Starletta Dress Up comes with a matching cape and dress.

Red has an exuberant and athletic nature. She also tends to be highly cynical and sometimes teases her friends. Like Gobo, Red likes to take the lead and they sometimes butt heads. This life-size Red plush has a yellowish orange complexion, orange hair, and wears a red sweater.

Kids can discover some of the most celebrated, controversial and thought-provoking novelists of the 20th century while playing this simple, strategy-based card game.

These three retro Halloween-themed boxsets include a plastic mask, an exclusive 10" doll with a glow-in-the-dark mask, and a coordinating T-shirt (size XL only). The doll trio consists of Calavera The Skull, Pumpkin The Jack O¹ Lantern and Gabriella The Ghoul.

Press this pig for "eye-popping" entertainment. This silly pig measures 3" tall.

Press this cow for eye-popping entertainment. This silly cow measures 3" tall.