Watch Toy Videos of the Day (8/9/10 - 8/13/10)

By TDmonthly Staff
August 2010

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We want you to see the toys we see, so you can determine if they're right for your store! Check this space every weekday to see brief video clips of new and specialty products. In the spotlight today? A soft, rubbery ball designed to exercise cognitive and motor skills in a developing child.

Oball by RHINO TOYS INC.

Oball by RHINO TOYS INC. This rubbery, tri-colored ball is a staple for any child learning cognitive and social skills and developing fine- and gross-motor skills. Ideal for children with a special need, the ball is durable and has a skeletal structure that allows for easy catching. "Kids and teachers agree that Oballs are the easiest balls to catch and hold. The cool design already has won five awards for excellence and innovation, including an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award and a Dr. Toy Best Vacation Products Award,” said Suzanne Silverglate, owner of Rhino Toys.
— “Everybody buys it,” Dalene Lockhart, owner of Toy Town in Casper, Wyo., told TDmonthly in 2007. “Right now it is head and shoulders above others [in the infant/toddler category]. It's probably been that way for two years.” Retailers reported average monthly sales of five to 25 a month.
— In summer 2008, four of 66 specialty retailers named the Oball as one of their top-selling gifts for babies. “We sell more of them because our store does gift wrapping and it makes a good topper,” said Jill Jernigan, owner of J. Christopher Toys in Jonesboro, Ark.
― Ask retailers about top-selling balls and the Oball is an answer that’s sure to come up, winning the graspable toy a TDmonthly Top Seller 2007 award. Six of 64 retailers named the Oball as a best-selling baby toy in March 2009, and two of 39 said the same a year later. “[It] is definitely the best-selling gift for babies,” stated John Naisbitt, owner of Thinker Things in Del Mar, Calif., in June 2009. ( Watch Video) 9/1/2004 (MSRP: $7.00; Age: 1 and Up)

IcoSoKu by RECENT TOYS USA

IcoSoKu by RECENT TOYS USA Icosoku is a puzzle designed to make simple addition a challenge. Users explore every angle of this puzzle as they make all of the dots touching a yellow peg add up to that number. The puzzle can be solved regardless of how the yellow pegs are arranged, so there are thousands of games to play. It offers "the ability to play a new puzzle every time the number pegs are rearranged," Brandi Field, general manager of Recent Toys, told TDmonthly.
— Two of 12 retailers named games from Recent Toys among their favorite products at ASTRA 2010, during a June 2010 TDmonthly survey. ( Watch Video) 7/9/2010 (MSRP: $19.99; Age: 7 and Up)

RamRocket Assortment by POOF-SLINKY INC.

RamRocket Assortment by POOF-SLINKY INC. This assortment includes the Rocket Glider, Steel Titan and Para Glider, all of which can be launched up to 50 feet in the air. All rockets are made from a soft, safe foam and come in “try me” packaging that emits real rocket sounds.
— These rockets were best sellers at Twirl Toystore & Playspace in Taos, N.M., in early 2009, according to Owner Molly McMullin. “These have been on our best-seller list for over a year,” she told TDmonthly. “We always suggest buying two, because they’re so fun to play ‘tag’ with.” ( Watch Video) 11/15/2007 (MSRP: $11.99; Age: 5 and Up)

My Pillow Pets Ladybug by CJ PRODUCTS

My Pillow Pets Ladybug by CJ PRODUCTS This 18" ladybug is made of soft red and black plush. Open the velcro closure to use the bug as a pillow, then close the velcro to create a soft pet.
— According to Cynthia Wyatt, president of Totally Thomas Toy Depot in San Diego, My Pillow Pets were on the store’s top-10 best-seller list in July 2010. “Soft and cuddly!” she told TDmonthly. “They are the perfect pal for naptime and nighttime. They sell well … when we can get them, that is!”
— As of 8.03.2010, this product had 3.5 out of 5 stars from 23 reviews on Amazon.com and was No. 11 in the top 100 best-selling toys and games. PROS: Soft, cuddly and kids respond well to it. CONS: Some parents questioned whether it is actually washable.
— Want this? As of 05/06/2011, this product was available for purchase at Toys & Co. ( Watch Video) 7/27/2010 (MSRP: $29.95)

Winkel by MANHATTAN TOY

Stunning colors give this perennial favorite a lively look. Babies will be engaged and amused by the responsive rattle, and caregivers can safely refrigerate this pliable plastic toy to produce a soothing teether. “We have so much of the Manhattan baby...we sell a lot,” Owner Amy Barrett of Lasso the Moon Wonderful Toys in Helena, Mont., told TDmonthly in early 2007. “People buy them for baby gifts...baby shower gifts. They like them because the colors are so bright.”
— “Winkels from Manhattan Toy — [we sell] about 30 per month,” Burdette told TDmonthly in March 2008. Five percent of the 40 retailers who spoke with TDmonthly in spring 2008 singled out this item as their stores’ best-selling infant and toddler toy.
— "I sell 18 or so a month," Mary Ellen Cerney, owner of Dear Friends & Children in Duncan, Okla., said in March 2009. In June 2009, four of 47 retailers listed Manhattan Toy as their best-selling baby line. In March 2010, two of 39 specialty retailers cited Winkel as a best-selling baby toy.
— In June 2010, five percent of 40 specialty retailers named Manhattan Toy’s Winkel as a top-selling baby product.
— As of 05/21/2012 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 299 reviews on Amazon.com. ( Watch Video) 12/7/2006 (MSRP: $12.00; Age: 0 and Up)