November 2011 Notable Toys — All

Cotton Candy Cutesies are truly sweet plush characters with wispy hair that looks just like cotton candy. Each scrumptious Cutesie has a distinct personality based on their flavor - from rainbow cookie and orange cream soda to bubblegum and hot cinnamon.

Zip-Itz are magical and mischievous plush creatures that came to life after a mysterious machinery malfunction at the Zany Zipper Factory. Instead of zippered rain boots, purses, wallets and more, the machines spewed out colorful Zip-Itz instead. While no one is quite sure how they came to be, one thing is for certain - they make the very best pals. Adorned with rainbow-teeth zippers that open to reveal secret pockets, Zip-Itz are perfect for hiding all kinds of treasures. Each creature has a unique personality. The line includes 12 Zip-Itz Miniz and 6 Zip-Itz. Launch date: 2012.

Zip-Itz are magical and mischievous plush creatures that came to life after a mysterious factory machinery malfunction at the Zany Zipper Factory. Instead of zippered rain boots, purses, wallets and more, the machines spewed out colorful Zip-Itz instead. While no one is quite sure how they came to be, one thing is for certain - they make the very best pals. Adorned with rainbow-teeth zippers that open to reveal secret pockets, Zip-Itz are perfect for hiding all kinds of treasures. Each creature has a unique personality, fabric pattern, design and story based on what they were intended to become at the factory. The line includes six Zip-Itz characters. Launch date: 2012.

The screams outside awaken you. Hurriedly, you hop from your bed and slink into your soothing, soft slippers. Racing for the door, they give a hard tug, as if caught on a splinter. You pull and they rip and snap, sending you plummeting to the ground. That's when you notice the squirming, squishing, suckling feeling at your heels. Frightened, you look down your trembling legs and you realize that you're slowly being digested by the beheaded undead! You're now wearing your new pair of ZOMBIES AFOOT SLIPPERS. Launch date: November 2011.

The Xiliens have pitted Godzilla, Rodan, Gigan and King Ghidorah against each other in a catastrophic battle and only one monster will emerge victorious. In Godzilla: Kaiju World Wars, players pick a monster and a scenario, stomping over terrain and destroying buildings on their warpath - all while fending off aggressive military attacks, bombs, traps and, of course, other KAIJU. Special abilities are used to eliminate the competition or to tuck their tail between their legs and run away before they are taken out.  The game is jam-packed with pieces sure to please any gamer. Along with the four fully painted 2 3/8 inch plastic Kaiju figurines, the game also includes 90 stackable plastic tiles for building skyscrapers, four individual monster playmats, 86 terrain and power tokens, and much more. Launch date: May 2011.

The Crayola Glow Book lets kids create glowing, moving, animated art. Six glow marker colors and four removable drawing surfaces allow kids to draw, layer, and arrange images, and then light them in sequence so that the images appear to move. And since glow marker drawing surfaces wipe clean with a damp cloth, kids can create new images as often as they like. Variable lighting effect options maximize the glowing contents.
— As of 11/16/2011 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 17 customer reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Helps develop fine motor skills; easy clean up; versatile. Cons: Only comes with one sample template to trace; hard to find refills for the markers; the plastic sheets can be difficult to put in place or remove.

Even infants can enjoy building and repairing with these soft tools. This nine—piece set contains a hammer, a drill, a screwdriver, saw, and more, all of which make a variety of delightful noises and are soft enough for the tiniest construction workers.
— As of 11/16/2011 this product had 4.4 out of 5 stars from 26 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Cute; the vibrating drill is fun; soft yet durable; Machine washable. Cons: Toolbox seems flimsy.

Crayola Model Magic Jewelry Studio lets kids fashion fun and fabulous handmade trinkets, bracelets, necklaces and much more. The bead spinner mashes small amounts of Model Magic into marbled beads and baubles. Kids can make handmade gifts for friends and family, host a jewelry—making party or create their own line of colorful accessories. Includes: Crayola Model Magic Jewelry Boutique workstation, 8 packs Model Magic, 5 bracelet charms, 18 sticky gems, 3 pendant charms, 5 toggle sets, 2 48—inch necklace cords, 2 shape cutters, 4 earring posts and ear wires, 1 36—inch elastic cord, Peacock dryer rack, bead bunch, bead glaze, and instructions.
— As of 11/16/2011 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 16 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Comes with lots of modeling dough; easy; nice gift idea. Cons: the dough can stain; only 4 storage compartments for 8 colors of dough.

Creating fun scenes with Disney characters is easy. Light Up surface makes tracing a snap. Comes with 20 tracing sheets, 10 scenes stickers and coloring pencils.

The Barbie Hairtastic Salon is all about the fun of coloring and washing. Add colored streaks in pink, purple or blue to Barbie's hair to get her ready for a night on the town. Swivel her over to the washing station to wash all the color out using real foaming shampoo and water. Repeat for tons of coloring fun. Also choose from 3 color pens to add streaks into Barbie's hair and then shampoo and wash her hair out with real bubbles and water by turning the knob and pushing down. It includes a doll, Hairtastic Color and Wash Salon station with mirror and swivel chair, towel, smock, brush, 3 color pens and Barbie hair ties. Shampoo is not included.
— As of 11/16/2011 this product had 2.6 out of 5 stars from 5 reviews on Amazon.com. Cons: The dolls doesn't bend into the sink easily; the tubes have kinks which prevents the water from coming through properly; the markers stain humans but don't show up on the dolls hair.

With Monopoly Electronic Banking, players wheel and deal their way to a fortune even faster using debit cards instead of cash. All it takes is a card swipe for money to change hands. Now players can collect rent, buy properties and pay fines - with the touch of a button. It's a new way to play the family classic that's been brought up-to-date with modernized tokens (including a Segway personal transporter, an Altoids tin, space shuttle, flat-screen TV, baseball cap and a dog in handbag), higher property values and locations based on their favorite landmarks.
— As of 11/14/2011 this product had 4.8 out of 5 stars from 58 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Updates make the game more realistic and relevant to younger players. Cons: Not as educational as players no longer have to count money.

Bullseye is ready for Woody's next rootin' tootin' western adventure. But he's so excited he's ready to bolt at any second. Load him up with all the gear the gang needs but do it gently. Players will never know when he's going to jump up and take off.
— As of 11/14/2011 this product had 2 out of 5 stars from 8 reviews on ToysRUs.com. Cons: The main piece of the game would not stay in place for many users; the game was not interesting.

The Olivia 2 in 1 Real World Playset Dollhouse magically transforms from Olivia's house to her pirate ship. Open the set and play with Olivia in her house - it's just like her real house on the show. 3 different play areas include her bedroom, kitchen and living room. When kids are ready to go on a pirate adventure, simply close the set and by opening it from the opposite side, they can transform her house into her pirate ship.
— As of 11/14/2011 this product had 3.9 out of 5 stars from 28 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Easy to assemble; smaller size is good for younger kids. Cons: not very durable;  the latch that keeps the house closed is flimsy.

The finish line of the city stage is fast approaching and the red team holds a slight lead. To take the lead, the green team Formula One racer fires its missiles, but can the driver avoid the red team's spikes and stay in the race long enough to win? Includes 4 minifigures: 2 Backyard Blasters: Bart Blaster and Billy Bob Blaster; 2 X-treme Daredevils: MAX-treme and REX-treme.

This download card provides an access code to download learning games, e-Books, videos and more to Leapster Explorer or LeapPad Explorer systems.
— As of 11/14/2011 this product had 4.2 out of 5 stars from 9 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Nice gift idea; Lots of games available. Cons: Lots of packaging, but all it is, is a card with an access code on it.

In this game, only one player will ultimately become the LEGO Champion and win the trophy. Find out who will win the many challenges, claim the trophy. A multi-challenge family game for 3–8 players. Contents: 1 buildable LEGO dice, 9 LEGO microfigures, 206 LEGO pieces, rules booklet, building instructions.

A great variation on the classic ring stacker. This one has 7 rings and the top one spins like a windmill. The round pieces have 2 holes so kids can learn about 3D. Height is 18cm. Launch date: September 2011.

A deliciously beautiful patisserie tea set with 15 pieces and made from 100% plantation wood and non-toxic paints. Launch date: September 2011.

Introduce young children to water-color painting with Palette Pages Painting Books. Each painting page comes complete with its own palette of watercolors, ready to use. Just dip the brush in water and apply. Books feature 12 pages of black and white line art for painting and early-learning themes. Each book includes a sturdy fold-under painting page protector sheet, as well as a few handy painting tips for young artists. Launch date: February 2012.

Phone Mat Fun is an interactive 3D Animated DVD and activity mat that prepares young children for school.  Phone Mat Fun teaches children basic concepts of letters, colors, and numbers in both English Spanish while moving around the Learnercise Phone Mat. Launch date: 2011.

TeeGee is a fully interactive, customizable stuffed animal capable of telling stories, singing songs, and playing games with children. TeeGee is able to interact with the world through smart accessories, speech recognition, and other modes of communication. Parents can customize TeeGee's behavior by downloading age-appropriate apps from our online app store or the iTunes app store. Launch date: August 2011.

This is a one of a kind educational sandbox fossil find, featuring a tasteful faux rock design.Comes with an on-line field manual that makes it educational and fun as it explains the dinosar bones that are uncovered. Kids can sit all the way around the sand box, and the bones are arranged in a 360 degree format so no one gets left out. Launch date: September 2011.

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime.  In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole? Launch date: November 8, 2011.
— As of 11/11/2011 this book had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 6 reviews on Amazon.com.
— As of 11/11/2011 this book had 4.22 out of 5 stars from 179 ratings on Goodreads.com.

This new adaptation of Dee Brown's multi-million copy bestseller, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, is filled with photographs and maps to bring alive the tragic saga of Native Americans for middle grade readers. Focusing on the Sioux nation as representative of the entire Native American story, this meticulously researched account allows the great chiefs and warriors to speak for themselves about what happened to the Sioux from 1860 to the Massacre of Wounded Knee in 1891. This dramatic story is essential reading for every student of U.S. history. Launch date: October 25, 2011.