This Lego building set portrays a Mars' mission vehicle that can be used to help mining specialists searching for energy crystals. Players have access to a connecting air pump that can be used to transport sleds and battle aliens. The aliens come in their own glow-in-the-dark attack ship.
— “LEGO and more LEGO,” Phil Wrzensinski, owner and manager of Toy House and Baby Too in Jackson, Miss., told TDmonthly in April 2008, when asked to name the best-selling construction toy in his store. “The Mars Mission is hot.”
— “I’ve been in business for 22 years, and a lot of stuff come[s] and go[es], but some things just stay around,” Barbara Fineblum, owner of Barston’s Child’s Play in Baltimore, Md., told TDmonthly in April 2008, when asked to name the best-selling construction toy in her store. LEGO was one of three manufacturers she mentioned.
— In April 2008, more than 31 percent of 50 retailers surveyed named LEGO products as the best-selling construction toys in their stores.

The building blocks are made of soft foam, but look like real wood. The pieces are durable, lightweight, quiet and water-resistant, making them playable anywhere, even in the pool or tub. The blocks promote creative, open-ended and imaginative play.

The Dual Color Kapla 40-piece Building Set comes with a special Artbook Instruction Book for extra Kapla building pleasure. This set is also a great gift with extra play value for building beautiful Kapla constructions. Kapla is guaranteed SAFE, NON-TOXIC and GREEN. Kapla planks are distinctive in shape and conception for extra special building fun.

The new Kapla 100 piece set carries creative building instructions right on the cover of the attractive new box. The Kapla 100 includes 100 pieces of precision cut marine pine planks. A perfect holiday gift for a broad age range of girls and boys. These unique planks offer stability and grace and hours play value and building fun. Kapla is a super construction toy for everyone.

Part of the K'NEX line of tub and case sets, the Fun Rides 10 Model Building Set is loaded with more than 170 original K'NEX parts, micro K'NEX parts and new K'NEX bricks. The set allows kids to build exciting thrill rides to create their own theme park. It includes instructions for 10 models.
— When asked to predict will sell for older boys during the holidays 2007, Mary Sisson, owner of Kazoodles in Vancouver, Wash., replied, "I'm guessing some of the more advanced construction kits. We just finally brought in K'NEX, and they've got some good ones."
— Four of 54 retailers TDmonthly spoke with said K'NEX would connect with older boys during peak selling seasons.
— "The Fun Rides 10 Model Building Set incorporates our new brick system. Even the very young can build fun amusement parks and playgrounds with it," said Barb Rentschler, vice president of global marketing for K'NEX Industries.

This set of interchangeable parts features the following eight animals plus extra pieces: black bear, dart frog, Madagascan moth, seal, swine, lobster, kangaroo and Komodo dragon. It comes with a 20-page educational booklet and a large playmat of the world. The pieces can be popped together to create all sorts of poseable animals. Launch date: October 2007.
— TDmonthly has been tracking Zoomorphs’ success from the beginning, and sales haven’t wavered yet. Kids have an unquenchable appetite for building new critters or, for the more fastidious, faithfully recreating the real things with these multicolored animal parts. The newest set adds an educational play mat and booklet. Altogether, Zoomorphs have earned a TDmonthly Top Seller 2007 award.

Where to Buy: Kazoo Toys; LB Toys

How-to-Build Pirate Ships comes with a deck of 64 beautifully illustrated laminated leaves that break into 226 separate cards, cleverly shaped and notched to fit securely with every other card. Builders follow the book’s guidelines using an innovative design to assemble the cards into a sturdy ship in full sail. There are literally billions of different combinations in every pack, so one can make anything from a dinky dinghy to a super sailing vessel. It's written by Doug Stillinger.
— Heather, manager at Toy Shop in Bethel, Maine, specifically predicted that the How-to-Build Pirate Ships Building Cards would do well with boys ages 4 to 8 during the upcoming 2007 holiday season.

This magnetic set includes colorful figurines that are ready to put on a show. Launch date: 2007.

This finely detailed replica of the famous Paris landmark is available in a variety of colors. The tower measures 7.1” x 7.1” x 14.2” when assembled.

The beautiful suspension bridge is a symbol of San Francisco. This model of the beloved bridge is easy to build and measures 46 inches long when assembled. Easy-to-follow instructions are provided in English, German and Latvian. The completed model measures 46.5” x 2.4” x 5.5”.

The Parthenon, which dates back to 431 to 404 B.C., is a Doric temple dedicated to the virginal goddess Athena. It is a brilliant landmark of the entire Greek culture. The very detailed model replicates both the inside and outside of the temple on a 1:250 scale. It measures 11.4” x 5.3” 3.5” when assembled.

Designed for ages 18 months and up, this sturdy 24-piece set features blocks that are made in the U.S.A. of at least 50-percent recycled, lightweight corrugated cardboard. The set includes four large red blocks, six medium yellow blocks and 14 small blue blocks, all of which are printed with non-toxic inks and have a water-resistant coating. Adult assembly is required.

This construction set contain of 60 wooden soldiers along with a castle fence. Can be used as a playset or set up the soldiers to be played as dominoes.

The ultimate in thrill ride fun, the K'NEX Double Ferris Wheel has more than 850 pieces and stands over 3’ tall. Kids can create an exciting, high-powered ride that features two star-shaped wheels that spin in opposite directions. The set features brighter colors, new micro-sized K'NEX parts and the new genuine K'NEX bricks, plus one of the company’s most powerful motors that spins the giant motorized wheels in opposite directions. The set requires two AA batteries (not included).
— The K’NEX Ferris Wheel is a best seller at Toys in the Attic in Manchester, Vt., Owner Lynn Robillard told TDmonthly in summer 2007. She said the line of battery-operated construction products is popular in her store.

Challenge construction creativity while encouraging gross motor coordination through movement. Motorized set plays music, dances and comes with 110 pieces, including a flashing fan light, disco ball, floppy hair, oversized glasses, action mouth, pointing hands, stickers and more. Color-coding makes it easy for students to follow building instructions for 3 different models, or build their own. Compatible with all other Gears! Gears! Gears!!® sets. Measures approximately 16"L x 10 1/2"W x 12"H when assembled. Requires 3 AA and 3 AAA batteries, not included.

This classic set includes eight SquashBlox construction cushions. Infants will love using the cushions as soft playmats, while toddlers and preschoolers will love playing in and knocking down the structures. Older children, on the other hand, will love using their imagination to construct a variety of structures of differing complexities. Launch date: February 2007.

This set includes foam pieces required to construct a western fort, which may be accessorized with grass, trees, animals and human figurines. White glue, scissors, water-based paint and a sanding block are required to complete the construction.

This set includes foam pieces required to construct a replica of the San Díego de Alcalá mission. Additional materials, including white glue, scissors and water-based paint, are necessary for completing construction. Kids may choose to bring their structure to life by adding accessories such as people, grass, bells, tress, animals and crosses.

The colorful Invent a Tent system is designed to help build children’s minds through creative play, allowing them to construct a unique play structure every time they pull it out. The kit includes set pole lengths and fabric dimensions and condenses easily into one storage bag. “Compared to similar products on the market, Invent A Tent builds a much sturdier play structure that is large enough for multiple children to play in at once. It also comes with an ample amount of fabric to cover the whole structure,” Cameron Scott of Invent A Tent told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2007.

Kids can build their own building with this kit that includes real pottery bricks, reusable bricks in 1:12 scale and everything else needed to construct the building at hand. Several designs are available.

This 90-piece construction kit can be used to make a movable crab, or combined with other construction toys for creative play.
— "The sheer size of the crab seemed to heighten the sense of accomplishment my son felt in building it," said Robbin Dawson, a member of TDmonthly's Homeschooling Roundtable, which evaluated the toy.

The Animal Kingdom set includes the ÜBERFROG™ (76-piece kit - MSRP: $9.99), the ÜBERCRAB™ (90-piece kit - MSRP: $11.99), the ÜBERBIRD™ (84-piece kit - MSRP $11.99) and the ÜBERBAT™ (60-piece kit - MSRP: $9.99). The pieces feature realistic movement and easily integrate with other construction systems and recyclable materials. The set comes with a 40-page Basics Book.

This building set includes more than 275 cards that allow users to construct their own version of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. Sturdy slot-to-slot construction means there is no need for glue or nails and the cards can be taken apart and reassembled over and over again. The instructions feature assembly hints, step-by-step illustrations and directions so simple even a Muggle could follow them. The set also comes with a custom-molded Harry Potter figurine. Launch date: May 2007.
— Licensed products may be frowned upon in specialty stores, but don’t tell that to the smiling retailers who are profiting from the super combo of best-selling Klutz books with super-hot Harry Potter. It’s a new item, but it’s already made the radar blink. That’s why it’s a winner of a TDmonthly Top Seller 2007 award.
— This set is a top seller Brain Station and Tree Town Toys in Ann Arbor, Mich., Owners Hans and Tricia Masing told TDmonthly in fall 2007.

Kids assemble the LEGO pieces to create a glow in the dark dinosaur that walks, moves his head and roars with the help of the new LEGO power system.  These versatile pieces can be torn down and built back up, bringing to life many creations, including a walking spider and a crawling crocodile.  Constructive play is a wonderful way for children to exercise their imagination, creativity, identification, and image mapping skills.  The set includes a battery box, two motors, a remote control and an additional sensor.  Launch date: August 2007.
— LEGO sells well “across the line” at Toys in the Attic in Manchester, Vt., Owner Lynn Robillard told TDmonthly in summer 2007 about the best-selling collection.

The Blues are the first addition to the award-winning Dado Cubes line. Dado Cubes combine art and science as players explore architectural principles — proportion, balance, structure and color. A new twist on classic building blocks, Dado Cubes engage the imagination as the slits on each cube are interlocked to create an unlimited number of three-dimensional structures. Each set features 10 cubes, scaled from 1” to 5”, capable of building structures over 32” high. They are made of durable, heavy-gauge plastic and were developed, manufactured and assembled in the U.S.A. Dado Cubes have been honored with numerous awards, including Dr. Toy's Spring 2007 Best Product Award and a Spring 2007 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval. Launch date: May 2007.