November 2011 Notable Toys — General Toys

55 piece Jigsaw puzzle. Pieces shaped like the states. Complete children's geography lesson of the USA. Fun for the whole family.

This 500 Piece Puzzle of the USA is actually shaped like the United States of America. The groups of pieces are shaped like the individual States. Alaska and Hawaii are their own separate puzzles. Each state is overlaid with it's own flag. The entire familiy can be entertained while learning a complete geographic lesson of the USA.

Since the pieces are actually shaped like the Countries of the World, you can't complete this 600-piece puzzle without figuring out where every Country is located. No other puzzle comes with such a superb geography lesson! 600 pieces.

"Starry Night", the newest version of the best selling Find It game, has some real "star power." The first Find It® game to feature a custom star shaped container, adding a whole new dimension to game play. The "Starry Night" game features 40 items nestled among the brightly colored pellets, all packaged inside a three dimensional star shape. As an added bonus, many of the items inside glow in the dark which allows for a whole new way to play. Use the enclosed score pad to check off items as you find them in this "contained adventure". Launch date: September 2011.

Take the fun outdoors with eeBoo Sidewalk Games. Set includes a gold coin to toss, four vibrant chalk sticks and a booklet of instructions for sidewalk games such as Hopscotch, Skelly, London Calling and more. "A child, a coin, some colored chalk bring hours of fun to a plain sidewalk. Learn games that generations played when fun and toys were all homemade!" Regina Gelin, sales & marketing associate for eeBoo, told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 2011.

Standing over two feet tall, the Weird & Wacky Contraption Lab has 60 mix-and-match pieces to build an unlimited amount of contraptions.  Kids can dream up crazy courses, then build and test them using this easy-to-construct Velcro-like system.  Instructions offer tips and tricks on how to best manipulate the kit's components.  It guides kids through five sample contraption designs while they learn how to predict the outcome of each. "Contraption Lab offers full-circle skill building from prediction and planning to testing and experimentation," Nancy Storment, marketing & PR rep for SmartLab Toys, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2011.
Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy Award, January 2012.
— Why it won: A great product that encourages creativity.

An easy craft project that is sure to have kids entertained for hours on end, eeBoo Paper Chains spruce up a room, bring life to a party or just get crafty. Each pack features 120 colorful links with easy to assemble slide-in tabs (no glue needed) and stretches 24 feet. Three paper chain designs to choose from: Animal Chain, Ribbon Chain, and Chain Letter. "Each link has a simple slot and tab, allowing the chains to be recombined and used over and over again," Regina Gelin, sales & marketing associate at eeBoo, told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 2011.

Shoot potato pellets over 50 feet. Just combine one potato with this 6 inch potato gun for hours of fun. Each potato will yield about 300 pellets.
— John Blair, owner of Science Safari in Cary, N.C., told TDmonthly in a September 2011 survey that they sell about 15 of this item each month.

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.

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.

Extra large pegs to make it easy to handle for small hands. Match up the print of the animal skin underneath. Includes 5 precision cut pieces. 2 different puzzles in the assortment. Ideal brand solid wood puzzle. Detailed, European Hand-crafted designs. Heirloom quality. Launch date: 2010.

Three variations of the Matching Puzzle teach 3 different skills:  recognizing colors, matching shapes and learning to count to 10. Launch date: 2010.

Memory Animal Puzzle. Find the correct "coat" for each animal. Each includes 12 animals and 24 all -wood pieces. Heirloom quality, solid wood puzzles with detailed, European hand-crafted designs. Precision cut pieces make for a perfect fit. Launch date: 2010.

The new Flingsock Flying Monkey screams the jungle scream sound while flying up to 50 feet across the room.  Insert your thumb into the hand pockets, pull back and let it fly. Launch date: October 2011.

Infrared control flying spaceman with twin rotor propulsion, bright diode lights and ultralite micro components. "We haven't seen another item that is similar to this one," Ernie Wong, president of Master Toys & Novelties, Inc., told ITDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.

Happy Nappers reverses from a house-shaped pillow into a cuddly friend and back again. Ring the house's doorbell to hear the Happy Napper's Sleepy sounds. Simply unzip the door of the house, pop out the Happy Napper, and then tuck the house away behind them. Cuddly companions for long trips or vacations. 21" in Size. Styles include penguin, puppy, ladybug, dragon, and more.
– As of 09/01/2011 this product has 3.8 out of 5 stars from 8 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Cute. Cons: Several viewers said the items was not durable and began to fall apart the same day they received the item.

Playable Metal blocks are made in aluminum alloy. There are 10 different shapes each with threaded holes on many of its facets. Blocks can be interconnected using specially designed screws. This patented connecting mechanism makes building flexible structures possible for each two adjacent blocks can be secured in any easily adjusted angle. Playable Metal blocks are available in 7 metallic colors. This set includes, 22 playable metal blocks, 39 connecting screws, 6 aluminum rods, 2 special rods (sports pack), L-shaped wrench.

SmartMax allows children to explore magnetism safely. The oversized pieces are specifically designed for handling by young kids as they learn about the effects of magnetic attraction and repulsion. Older children will have fun using the pieces to construct towers and bridges. The magnets are strong enough to carry up to 60 times their weight. Basic 36 includes long bars, short bars, large 1.8" diameter metal balls and a guide to build models. 25-piece and 42-piece sets are also available.

This collector's item is an exact replica of the Gallifreyan multipurpose tool used by The Doctor himself. He's had many sonic screwdrivers throughout his life and they've all been a little different. This particular model is a bit larger than the old one and has a bright green light. Our replica has spring loaded extending action and two ways to make timey-wimey noises. While the screwdriver is closed, just press the button on the side to activate the LED and sound effects. Flip open the cap on the end to reveal an additional button that will activate the light and sound effects when the screwdriver is extended and open. We're not sure if you'll be able to save the world, but at least you'll look hip trying.
— David Stelzer, owner of Shananigans in Baltimore, Md., told TDmonthly in a May 2015 survey that this was one of their best-selling licensed toys.

Large 5" dinosaurs retail at $2.00 each; sold in bucket of 45 dinosaurs. Launch date: October 2011.

Shards of the Throne is an epic expansion for Twilight Imperium, adding new races, new units, and many new options to create a power struggle in the far reaches of the galaxy. Mercenaries, Mechanized Units, and all-new Flagship units give players more options for customizing their fleets and Ground Forces, while the Political Intrigue option will crank up the agendas and espionage of the political phase. Also adding Race-Specific Technologies, alternate Strategy Cards, new System Tiles, Space Domains, and an all-new scenario that puts one player in control of the legendary Lazax Empire, Shards of the Throne creates a completely new way to wage galactic conquests. "There are no other games like Twilight Imperium. It's a fascinating game of interstellar diplomacy and strategy that captures the imagination from the first turn," Molly Glover, sales associate at Fantasy Flight Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 2011.

Deadwood is a board game of cowboys and control for 2-5 players, and is playable in 1-2 hours. Players control a gang of cowboys and send them into the vulnerable town of Deadwood to control businesses and collect as much money as they can. The player with the most cash at the end of the game is the winner. The 26 possible buildings that can be constructed in Deadwood promise variety in each game. With three possible ways for the game to end, your every decision either to stay at a building, instigate a shootout, or build the railroad can change the course of the game. "This fast-paced, family-friendly game is a winner with anyone who appreciates the Wild West, dueling, and immersive gameplay," Molly Glover, sales associate at Fantasy Flight Games, told TDmonthly. September 2011.

A plush version of our smash hit Hide & Seek Safari that is especially geared for younger children.  Hidden animal calls out to the child with their own sound while the children race to find it.  New for 2011 are the Panda, Cat, Dog and Cow. It's a "Unique yet simple game that is both a plush friend and an interactive game playable right out of the box," Frank DiLorenzo, president of R&R Games, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2010.
Awards: 2010 Creative Child Top Toy of the Year; 2010 NAPPA Honors