November 2011 Notable Toys — All

The Magic Coloring Book has become a favorite with children's magicians for good reason: it's quick, visual and completely deceptive. Ours is printed exclusively for Fantasma and is offered at a great price. First, the magician shows blank pages. Next, the pages show pictures of some of the things the magician likes most, "favorite things," cars, ice cream, popcorn. The pictures are in black and white. Somehow they don't seem real enough. A bit of magic and they are now the magician's favorite things in full color. Oh, and did we mention, we've also hidden card images in the book, so it can be used with card magic. Instructions for the book and for the card tricks are included.
— Joe Berardoni, owner of Pun's Toys in Brynn Mawr, Pa., told TDmonthly in a September 2011 survey that "the best-selling novelty item is the magic coloring book from Schylling, but only because I love to demo it. Very seldom does that not result in a sale. I can sell a couple of dozen in any particular month."

These micro-sized building blocks will enable kids to execute even the finest details like never before. With over 100 pieces, kids watch in amazement as this regal bird takes shape right beneath your fingertips. With a finished size of 1.5″w x 1.5″d x 2.36h, only this giant penguin is able to fit perfectly in the palm of a hand.  Includes detailed color instructions. 9 animal designs currently available.
— In a Summer 2012 survey, Shana Hack, owner of Moon Rabbit Toys in Santa Fe, N.M., told TDmonthly that nanoblocks were an overall best seller at their store.

There is a new ghoul at Monster High, Spectra Vondergeist who is making a scary good impression. Spectra Vondergeist is the daughter of Ghosts, and she can float through the walls with an uncanny ability to overhear school gossip. Spectra would be lost without best friend and sidekick, Rhuen, a Ghost Ferret that’s always getting to mischief. Spectra Vondergeist doll is fully articulated so she can be posed in many different ways and includes pet Ghost Ferret Rhuen, doll stand, brush, diary and accessory.
— As of 9/9/2011 this product was ranked number 8 on Amazon.com's list of Hot New Releases in Toys & Games, and had 4.3 out of 5 stars from 11 customer reviews. Pros: Translucent limbs are unique and ghostly; chain jewelery and accessories are neat. Cons: One reviewer wrote that the doll's leg broke hours after purchase; this doll is thinner than the other dolls in the Monster High line and might promote an unhealthy body image; the ferret figure cannot stand on its own.

The events of September 11, 2001 changed the world forever. In the fourth installment of the Actual Times series, Don Brown narrates the events of the day in a way that is both accessible and understandable for young readers. Straightforward and honest, this account moves chronologically through the morning, from the plane hijackings to the crashes at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Pennsylvania; from the rescue operations at the WTC site to the collapse of the buildings. Vivid watercolor illustrations capture the emotion and pathos of the tragedy making this an important book about an unforgettable day in American history. Launch date: August 26, 2011.
— As of 09/09/2011 this product had 4.25 out of 5 stars from 16 ratings on GoodReads.com.
— A School Library Journal Starred review.
— "While the book is written for a younger audience, you should still use your judgment on whether it’s appropriate for your own kids. The watercolor illustrations do show some of the destruction and explosions, as well as people being pulled out of rubble, but avoids showing graphic scenes of the dead and dying." Jonathan Liu, Geek Dad review

Packaged with a ribbon and greeting card, ready to give. 8 sturdy cardboard boxes, each with a hand drawn illustration, contained in an outer, brightly colored package. This beautiful package will decorate your home as one box is opened each night OR Remove them from the outer carton and give one box at a time with no wrapping required. Toys included are: Switch Pitch ball, Jacob's Ladder, Dreidel, milk chocolate gelt, Amazing Flying Monkey, Fortune Telling Fish, Punch Balloons, Disappearing coin trick, Paper Ballons, and Silly Bands. Also available without gifts for $19.95.

The Starry Night would have been just another landscape if it were not for van Gogh’s swirling layered brush strokes that make the painting come alive. The Starry Night Master Kitz includes all the tools your child needs to create their own Starry Night masterpiece and learning materials to deepen their understanding of the original painting. Each Starry Night Master Kitz includes:A sturdy, re-usable art tool box with magnetic closures, 3 Custom Acrylic Paints (child friendly), 5 Custom Oil Pastels (child friendly), 1 van Gogh Roller specially designed to , replicate van Gogh’s active stroke, 1 re-usable Starry Night Cyprus Stencil, 1 standard paint roller, 2 pieces deluxe art paper, 1 low tack “Mesmerizing Stars” sticker sheet, Fun, easy-to-understand van Gogh learning materials, Easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions. The Tree of Life by Gustav Klimt and Water Lilies by Claude Monet kits are also available. Fifteen percent of Kidzaw’s profits are donated to programs that fund art for disadvantaged public schools in urban areas.
Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy Award, January 2012
— Why it won: This fun kit introduces kids to one of the most famous pieces of art in the world. Including educational materials about van Gogh, the kit also provides paint, stickers, and the tools necessary for kids to recreate, or re-imagine, the Starry Night painting.

Toobalink is the only construction toy that uses paper towel tubes and toilet tissue tubes as a main building element.  A Toobalink set comes with all the pieces necessary to build a wide variety of connectors, which are then used to hold the tubes together to build large scale structures. Each Toobalink kit comes with 39 pieces, including brand new tubes so that kids can get building right away. Kids love it because they can collect more tubes to build bigger, better structures and parents love it because the extra building material is FREE. Made in the USA. Launch date: June 2012.

Based on the 1960's comic version of the Green Lantern, this all plastic assembly kit is packaged in retro style packaging reminiscent of the figure kits of the 60's. 18 molded styrene pieces in green, and transparent green, give the illusion that Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern is actually flying. Launch date: September 2011.

Paul Frank's iconic monkey, Julius, has become a collectible toy produced by Super Rad Toys. Julius comes in two versions, Do-It-Yourself and Original. Now kids can own their favorite character to play with or collect. "The quality of Julius is what sets him apart. WIth his articulating head, arms, and feet you can pose Julius any way you like," Sidney Richlin, owner of Super Rad Toys, told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2011.

This NY Times Bestselling Book and Multi-Award Winning Activity Kit is an educational tool with a thousand uses. These bright colorful scarves stimulate the senses, encourage movement and teach and reinforce color recognition. Parents can use this book to encourage imagination and solo and choral reading. Dance to the music or use for dress up. These scarves are an open-ended tool, limited only by the users imagination. Launch date: June 2011.
Awards: 2011 Winner of Creative Child's Book of the Year and Media of the Year Awards

Obstacles is a journey along a path of hazards and barriers which are overcome by the collective cleverness of its players. Armed with an unlikely set of tools, imagination, and some silliness, players "cooperate" creatively to innovate solutions that let them get home together. "Obstacles is eeBoo's first "cooperative" game. It teaches the useful skill of creative collaboration and makes for a play experience that is positive and constructive as it promotes good feelings amongst players. It is a perfect game for parents, children, and siblings to be silly and imaginative together," Regina Gelin, sales and marketing associate at eeBoo, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2011.
Awards: 2011 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award - Platinum

The Ultimate FX Lightsaber puts users in the action with battle sounds and glowing blade. Clash the blade or power up and down to hear power activation humming and other sounds. Includes 3 "AA" batteries. Launch date: October 2011.

3-D Laser Cut Models featuring detailed laser etching and laser cuts on a 4.5" square metal sheet.  Easily assembled by popping out the pieces and connecting them at the attachment points using the easy to follow instructions.  Eleven styles to choose from:  Golden Gate Bridge, Cable Car, P-51 Mustang, Fokker D-VII Bi-Plane, Boeing 747 Jet, Beach Buggy, Checker Cab, Huey Helicopter, Staten Island Ferry, Empire State Bldg, Chrysler Bldg. Launch date: September 2011.

Where to buy:
NORTH WEST

Adopt a Plant - Save a Species. Encourages the public, one at a time, to adopt and nurture an endangered plant until it is sturdy enough to release back to nature or be re-potted as a house plant.  Kit includes actual rooted baby plant, plastic terrarium with small loop for attaching, coconut substrate and assembly instructions.  "Adopt a plant, build it a home, then take it with you wherever you roam." Launch date: May 2011.

HEXACUS is an exploration in creativity and fun for the entire family. Just sort by size and color, then stack, nest, and balance to create a wide variety of patterns and shapes. Our Idea Booklet shows over 100 examples of easy to challenging patterns and shapes to build.  Ages: 2+  CONTENTS: 12 Hexagonal Pieces – 3 Red, 3 Orange, 2 Yellow, 2 Green, 1 Light Blue, 1 Dark Blue, Idea Booklet. "Due to it's unique and geometrically accurate shape, children are able to nest and stack HEXACUS pieces in a wide variety of ways using horizontal, vertical and diagonal planes," Jason Cheung, general manager of Huntar Company, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2012.

Founding Fathers is a game for 2-5 players competing to be the man remembered for the writing on the US Constitution.  Play revolves around delegate cards that can be used for several options. "The game also comes with a brief history of the constitutional convention as well as the delegates," Jim Dietz, president of Jolly Roger Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2011.

Junglemorphs, new for 2011, is part of the Zoomorphs pop-together building system.  The child can build animals that exist or have existed in nature; or easily pop the pieces apart to make all sorts of friendly, poseable fantasy creatures.  There are four characters in this set:  Tree Python, Bird of Paradise, Tiger and Tropical Beetle.  All sets are interchangeable.  Some animals have hinged jaws. Launch date: August 2011.
— Karin Evick, manager of Kids' Ketch in Lewes, Del., told TDmonthly in an April 2012 survey that Zoomorphs are one of their best selling construction toys.

A fun way to discover 100 everyday sounds. Children will be delighted to hear sounds that come to life when bar codes are scanned by using the Smart Pen.  Crystal clear technology teaches animals, musical instruments, vehicles, machinery and nature sounds. The sounds are recorded in high fidelity and are very realistic. 50 double sided learning cards are included for hours of learning fun. Launch date: July 2011.
Awards: 2011 Creative Child Toy of the Year

Zafari is a puzzle game that teaches the alphabet and animal names in English & Spanish. 27 Brightly colored puzzle cards have unique die-cut openings to help children complete the puzzle and identify beginning sounds in English & Spanish. On the other side of the card, it has a realistic photo of the animal and its name in English/Spanish.  Sturdy puzzle cards are self correcting and easy for a child to play with. Launch date: July 2011.
Awards: 2011 Creative Child Puzzle of the Year.

From Spanish designer Emilio Garcia's original creation, The Jumping Brain, Toy2R is pleased to offer the latest 5 inch incarnation in DIY form allowing the collector to customize it any way they see fit. Ideal for shops catering to the brainiac or geek shoppers. Launch date: October 2011.

This exciting new word game requires a quick hand and a keen eye. Players create words by combining letters from their own racks with letters from another player's rack. With double-sided letter cards, everything can change in a flash. When the timer goes off it becomes  a free-for-all FlashRound. Game includes 100 two-sided letter cards, 4 card racks, FlashWordz Timer, and FlashRound Token. Launch date: July 2011.
Awards: 2011 Creative Child Preferred Choice Award.

Thumbuddy To Love- the Binky Fairy helps children wean from pacifier sucking. It comes with a children's book, matching Binky Fairy puppet and success chart. Launch date: June 2011.

Lil' Iguana Feelings Calendar features master copies of a calendar in Spanish and English with 9 wooden and rubber stamps depicting different childhood feelings. The calendar "has been used by schools and child care facilites with tremendous results of understanding how children are actually feeling inside. Has been credited for saving young children from abuse," Jim Tomaszewski,  executive director of Lil' Iguana's Children's Safety Foundation, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2010.

Spanish & English educational album for children 3 years old and up. With themes like "ABC", "Months", My Name Is", "Ice Cream", "Goodbye Friends" and many more. Includes lyrics and sing along instrumentals. This is a great tool for schools and homeschooling. "All kindergarten teachers from Puerto Rico adopted this album," Blanca Castro, director of Little Xavier, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.