Toy Industry News for May 2013 — Kid Brands, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2013 Results ...read more toy news from May 2013

Tot Talk’s new “Sports” placemats introduce children to the sport before they set foot on the field. Kids learn about different positions and game rules, and can practice using tips provided.  Great for home use, preschools, elementary and home schools, and taking along to restaurants or on vacation for learning on the go.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Research shows that classical music profoundly stimulates a child's brain, even in the womb. Tot Talk's Globe-Toddlers French Classical Music for Children CD includes French masterpieces from the 17th to 20th centuries written by composers including Georges Bizet, Jacques Offenbach and Gabriel Faure. The CD includes several well-known French children songs. This is the CD soundtrack to Globe-Toddlers "Adventures in France" DVD. Launch date: November 25, 2008.

This placemat identifies the fifty states and capitals and includes 100+ icons representing America’s culture. It exposes children to geography, object recognition, language and reading development in an engaging, child-friendly format. The product can be used as a placemat, color pad or wall hanging. The back side includes the World map with the names of the seven continents and five oceans and many fun activities for children. One activity asks a child to draw a smiley face on the map where their grandparents were born. There are world wonders and exotic animals to explore and learn about. Two washable markers are included. Children can write or draw on the backside and wipe clean. Teach your children the love of geography early. Made in the USA. High-quality, durable, washable. Also available without the markers for $12.50.

Awarded “DVD of the Year 2008” by Creative Child Magazine, the DVD features Mexican folklore music and episodes full of playful puppets, costumed children and wild creatures. The language can be set English, Spanish, French or Chinese, allowing parents the option of exposing their children to other languages. Launch date: December 22, 2007.
— “This DVD covers a variety of entertaining and educational topics (e.g. pirates, butterfly metamorphosis, desert and cacti, ocean fish and exotic animals and plants, Mexican food, birthday celebration Mexican-style, soccer and much more,” Sara Danzelaud of Tot Talk Inc. told TDmonthly.

The USA-made mat presents over 60 colorful pictures with associated Spanish words and a map of Mexico. Additionally, the mat itself can be used as a huge coloring pad. This product is a 2007 Dr. Toy Ten Best Educational Products Award winner. Launch date: September 2007.
— “One can draw or practice writing [on the mat] with washable markers and wipe clean!” Sara Danzelaud of Tot Talk Inc. told TDmonthly.

Awarded “Preferred Choice” 2008 by Creative Child Magazine for DVDs for babies and toddlers category. The French love their food, and children will, too, in learning about France’s most-craved delights. Witness a goat being milked and the process of making goat cheese. Don’t be surprised if your child asks, “Cheese comes from animals?” See children in French berets toting baguettes on their bicycles, and others devouring croissants. There is so much to learn: Red and green grapes, when squished, make the best grape juice in the world! Stinky cheese is great! Puppets will cleverly demonstrate how eggs come from chickens. And a cow puppet will design a dress. Children walk the fashion runway in high French style (clothing courtesy of Jacadi). And young French chefs will allow a peek into their Vilac kitchen. Parents will be entertained when their children dance and clap to Offenbach’s “Can-Can” masterpiece in the grand, final scene of the DVD. Cow, mouse, frog, hedgehog and rooster puppets engage their audience from start to finish. This DVD features classical masterpieces by some of the most influential French composers of the 17th – 20th centuries, including Bizet, Couperin and Fauré. With 55+ words spoken and written, children will build their vocabulary in either English or French or both.