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July 2012 | Vol. XI - No. 7

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Holiday Preview: 20 Toys and Gifts for Specialty Stores

These 20 products could be holiday hits for your store

By: Justina Huddleston
7/1/2012

TDmonthly Magazine is dedicated to letting you know about products that could be holiday hits in your store. To find out which toys, games, and gifts could be best sellers for the specialty market this holiday season, we asked the people who know the products best — their manufacturers.

Construction Toys

Wooden blocks and classic building toys are always fun, but you can really wow little builders with these innovative new products.

Laser Pegs Stackables enhance the construction toy experience by connecting with other popular building blocks and lighting them. "With Laser Pegs, the possibilities are virtually endless – and we're the ONLY lighted construction kits that exist," Johanna Bogater, support and shipping manager for LASER PEGS LLC, told TDmonthly.

For a gift that's great for the playroom or the boardroom, look no further than the sleek Tegu Dart. This high-quality, buildable car model is made of magnetic wooden blocks and can be integrated with existing Tegu sets. "Plus, for every purchase of Dart, Tegu will plant one tree in Honduras," making it a great gift for eco-conscious families, Kelly Carling from TEGU explained.

Infant and Toddler Toys

Kids love engaging with music, and with this Wooden Bongo Drum Trio from BOIKIDO, kids can pound away while developing hand-eye coordination and rhythm. "This new Bongo Drum Trio is unique, attractive and affordable," David To, president of Boikido, told TDmonthly.

Parents that are willing to splurge on holiday gifts should look for items that can be used for more than one child, like the heirloom-quality, European-made Eco Rocking Horse from BECK TO NATURE. "The rocking horse is a safe, ergonomically shaped, useful, and enjoyable ride-on toy that can be used for generations," said Ildiko Beck, president of Beck to Nature.

A gift for parents as much as babies, Hearing Protection Earmuffs from BABY BANZ allow families to attend noisy events without having to worry about damaging little ears. "When attending sporting events, concerts or even cutting the grass at home – hearing protection is a must," Sara Burick, Sales Manager at Baby Banz, Inc., told TDmonthly Magazine.

You won't puzzle too long over what gifts to give toddlers this holiday season when you consider Shaped Jigsaw Puzzles from MAPLE LANDMARK WOODCRAFT. "The shaped puzzles are a great price ($14.00), made in the USA," and come in bulldozer, fire truck, school bus, and train engine shapes, Barbara Rainville, Marketing Manager for Maple Landmark, explained.

Science and Educational

This holiday season, show kids that science rocks with the Rocks kit from NORMAN & GLOBUS INC. It uses exciting "eruptive experiments," like creating a volcano and acid-testing different rocks, to foster comprehension of how rocks relate to the history of our planet.

Kids who love to tinker will be excited that ELENCO is expanding their popular Snap Circuits line with Snap Circuits LIGHT. This ASTRA Best Toys for Kids award winner lets kids explore circuitry with fun elements like strobe lights and glow-in-the dark fans, and can be connected to an MP3 player to play music.

Games

Games can be a gift for the entire family. Tsuro of the Seas, the follow-up to CALLIOPE GAMES' Tsuro, is a 2-8 player game suitable for ages 8 and up, making it the perfect activity for families who are gathered for the holidays.

For kids who love words, Wild Guess Chase could be the perfect present. Unlike most word games, "it's a word forming game and a word guessing game all in one," explained Kevin Greenberg, owner of ALL THE KING's GAMES.

Tweens

Texting tweens will love a gift that makes their iPhone obsession more personal, like the Shains iPhone Case from SHAINSWARE. These iPhone cases can be personalized using any Shains component, including letters, numbers, and symbols. "It is the first truly customizable iPhone case in the market," Endrea Kosven, Director of Public Relations for Shainsware, told TDmonthly.

For tweens on a tech bent, why not try the DJ Rock Dock? "DJ Rock Dock is a great gift item because it is priced under $20," and " teaches kids the difference between analog and digital, explains electricity and provides detailed instructions for building their own speaker system with the included parts," explained Nancy Storment, director of marketing & public relations for Smartlab Toys.

Stocking Stuffers

This year, JACK RABBIT CREATIONS, INC. is expanding their "Buckets o Fun" offerings. "We concentrated on lower price points this season with the expansion of our 'Buckets O Fun' line – great stocking stuffers or pick up items by the cash register," Erica Lancaster, owner of Jack Rabbit Creations, Inc., told TDmonthly. New styles include painted wooden Pull String Tops and Around the Town Cars.

Zowa, brightly colored, collectible puzzle erasers from VADAZO LLC, make a great stocking stuffer for boys and girls of all ages. They come in 5 different themes, like Fantasy and Sport, making it easy to select characters that suit different kids' tastes.

For a more involved stocking stuffer, consider toys that can be used again and again, like the Wet-Erase™ Eco Coloring Kit from HEALTH SCIENCE LABS. It "comes with 3 stone paper coloring scenes and our patented wet-erase crayons that wipe off with a damp cloth for multiple use," Laura Hite, president of Health Science Labs, told TDmonthly.

Just Plain Fun

Pretend play toys are fun, but they can also help kids learn new skills. "With our Girl's Chef Kit customers know that they are providing a gift that will teach many great life skills such as math, following directions, reading and, of course, cooking," Taylor Crenshaw from CURIOUS CHEF INC. told TDmonthly.

After a heavy holiday meal, you can get kids up and moving with the Children's Christmas/Nutcracker Scarf Activity Kit from ARTS EDUCATION IDEAS. "Our kits encourage movement, interaction and imagination that kids these days are lacking in due to isolating video games, iPods, TV and computers," Rosanne Jessen, in marketing/product development at arts education IDEAS, explained.

Kids love hearing classic fairy tales, and with the Princess and the Pea set from MAILEG NORTH AMERICA INC, they can bring one to life. This heirloom-quality set includes a knitted doll and pea, a storybook, and a 12" bed layered with colorful mattresses.

Of course, the holidays are about more than just presents, and a gift that supports a cause can help remind kids of the true messages behind the celebration. The handmade Hmong Doll makes for a thoughtful gift. "With the purchase of our Doll, not only do you buy a beautiful and unique gift, but you also support humanitarian projects to benefit people and kids in great need," Robert Bendik from THE SPIRAL FOUNDATION told TDmonthly Magazine.

Take a closer look at these products below, and don't forget to check back next month for another Holiday Preview!

Tegu Dart by TEGU INC.

Other products from TEGU INC.