Kids can have a blast with the Gigglator — the electronic voice and sound toy. Roll, shake, twist and slide Gigglator up, down and all around to distort 12 pre-recorded crazy sounds. Pre-recorded sounds include funny phrases, laughs, belches and wacky sound effects. Kids can even record and distort their own voice, music, or any sound. They simply hold the top of the Gigglator about 6" from the source of the sound and press the record button. Then they can Gigglate the recording! Shake, rock and turn to make the sound high and low pitched, fast and slow, or short and long. More than a giggle, it’s hilarious and simple to use.

Mimobots are little friendly data fiends that hold essential data, such as tunes, pictures, or presentations. The 2" monsters transport files via flash memory drives that also come preloaded with bonus removable content such as animation, games and music. Mimobots are produced in limited editions and are available in capacities ranging from 256MB to 4GB. They are hi-speed USB 2.0 and compatible with both Mac and Windows. The 2006 mimobot Artist Series delivers crisp characters created by influential artists representing a cross-section of pop art genres. Pictured here is Betty-Lou, designed by Lili Chin, co-creator of the Warner Brothers hit show Mucha Lucha! Only 500 were produced and she runs from $49.95 to $144.95, depending on flash memory size. Launch date: Late 2005.

Experience all of the excitement and thrill of one of America's most popular television shows, "American Idol." The American Idol - All Star Challenge DVD Game will transform your living room into a TV talent showdown! With this game board and DVD packed with clips and songs from the show, players will journey to auditions, Hollywood and, if they have what it takes, the Finals round where they have a shot at being America's next hot superstar. In this game that features real television clips from the first five seasons of American Idol, and hosted by Ryan Seacrest, players will experience the unique personalities of Paula, Simon and Randy and see their favorite Idols. Players can also find out how much they know about the show with questions and performance challenges.

This is the latest from Blue Box Toys’ line of 21st century music makers for kids. It features two drumsticks that can be plugged into i-Pods and used to drum, making noises like Ginger Baker, John Bonham and Ringo Starr all rolled into one. Kids can either play along with their favorite songs or create their own.

This is the only digital camera officially licensed for the smash hit American Idol series. The mini camera measures a tiny 2.25" x 1.5" but comes equipped with enough memory (16 MB of SD RAM) to store up to 80 pictures, plus photo-editing software. Julie Gibbons, vice president of marketing at Digital Blue, said “the software is very inherently easy to use,” so that 6- to 11-year-olds get past the basic functions quickly and find new things to do. The company plans to release a refreshed version of the camera, with a more rounded shape and a different color by February 2007, she told TDmonthly.

This exclusive line includes the Disney Pix Micro Digital Camera, with 24-photo storage capacity; the Disney Pix Click Digital Camera, with 1” color LCD screen, 200-photo storage capacity, and two interchangeable face plates; the Disney Pix Max Digital Camera, with 3 mega pixel digital resolution and a 1.5” color LCD screen; and the Disney Princess Digital Movie Maker. These come with Disney Pix CD-ROM, a highly interactive editing software suite loaded with animation. Designs include Disney Chrome, High School Musical, Pirates of the Caribbean, Cars, Little Mermaid, Disney Princess and Tinker Bell. With the software, children are “creating something that’s truly their own,” said Julie Gibbons, vice president of marketing at Digital Blue. 5/19/2006

i-RIDE bicycle stereo allows bike riders to safely listen to their favorite tunes without tuning out the world and the traffic around them. They simply plug their iPOD, MP3 player or any portable audio device into the mini stereo speaker with the included audio cable and snap it into the universal mounting bracket. They are now ready take their favorite tunes on the road.

Due out in July: The Backyard Boogie Boom Box features 10 Backyardigans songs from five different genres of music. Kids simply press one of the five characters on the front of the unit to hear songs and watch a psychedelic light show from the center of the unit. For interactive play, a microphone is attached that allows kids to hear their voice through the speakers as they sing along with their Backyardigan friends.
— “We’re looking forward to the Backyardigans Sing Along when it comes out,” said Tommy Jacobs, owner of The Jolly Rodger Gift Emporium in Mountain Home, Idaho. “Kids around here are real fans of the show, so the toys should sell well.”
— “Backyardigans is THE thing for the little ones, so I’m making sure to have all the toys that come in, or else,” laughed Didi Cohen, play princess (and owner) of Laugh All Day in Bismark, N.D.
— Brown Johnson, executive creative director at Nickelodeon Preschool Television of Nickelodeon Jr., has been raving about the Backyardigans since its inception, and she should know: She was the driving force in bringing “Dora the Explorer” and all its merchandising to the world.

Kids learn how to tap their toes and tap their bows with the all new Bella Dancerella tap dancin' clip-on set. This tap-along set includes a 30-minute instruction video and a pair of adjustable tap shoes to fit children shoe sizes 8 to 12.
— “Kids who get the Bellas always get something else to sing with, so I’m putting it in the sing-along/dance-along category. All the Bellas sell great,” said Duncan Cooper, owner of Bright Lights in Salt Lake City.
— “Not quite sing-along,” explained Betty Roig, manager and co-owner of Good Stuff Toys in Newark, N.J., “but it does sell well, is musical, and is interactive.”
— Eva A. Webb, a mom from Brownsville Tenn., said, “My 4 year old loves Bella Dancerella and we thought that the tap dancing video would be a great idea for her to learn the basics. She loved the video and could follow it perfectly but the shoes kept coming off no matter what we did to them.”

Catchy sing-along songs teach toddlers all about shapes as they explore the many surprise features and textures of this giant block of fun. It’s plush with six different geometric-shaped flaps that hide secret pockets, surprise activities and various zippers, buttons and snaps. Each block includes six upbeat tunes and a peek-a-boo mirror. They teach shapes, colors and dress-me skills — it can even help babies age 6 months and up to stand.
— Breck Hewitt, co-owner of Dragon’s Toy Box in Seattle, finds that the “Neurosmith music blocks are always great.”
— Jana Rogers, a Syracuse, N.Y., mom, said, “My daughter started using it around 6 months. She used it to help her start pulling up and feeling all the different sides. By 9 months she was standing (with its help) and playing. She is almost 2 now and still loves it.”
— It was selected as one of the Top 10 Toys of the Year, as seen on The Today Show.

The all-in-one CD player and karaoke machine duo features twin microphones, headphone jacks, an LED track number display, forward and backward fast track search capability, repeat capability, a wide-band loudspeaker, a DC input jack and a mail-in coupon for a free sing-along "Toddler Twosome" two-CD set. The player measures 9-1/2" x 9-5/8" x 4-1/8" and operates on either six C-size batteries or a 9V AC adapter.
— Frank Meyer, manager of A Child’s Delight in Corte Madera, Calif., finds the BeBoP Kidz a top seller for his store.
— Emily, “She Who Has Been There the Longest,” at Ambassador Toys in San Francisco, finds that “kids like the cheap echo microphones to make up their own stuff.”
— Music for Little People, a Redway, Calif.-based award-winning producer of children’s music, led by Leib Ostrow, CEO and founder, recommends the BeBoP Sing-Along CD Player.

The best-selling Wee Sing line is now tailored for the most modern Wee Sing fans. These eight classic Wee Sing titles are now in one great new package — a book and CD in a reusable blister. Songs are by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp.
— Emily “She Who Has Been There the Longest” at Ambassador Toys in San Francisco, said, “The Wee Sings CDs are still around and selling.”
— Jordan Walden, a 31-year veteran of the toy industry and manager of Finnegan’s Toys and Gifts in Portland, Ore., explained that they sell many Wee Sing tapes: “It’s the only thing we have.”
— Maria Felix Ortiz, a mom from San Antonio, Texas, said, “It’s my 2 ½-year-old son's favorite, and one I enjoy a lot, too. … The collection encourages dance and fingerplays so it is good rainy-day fun.”

From England comes: GUPI. This super-cute interactive robotic squealer becomes happy if given attention (touch sensors) and nervous and shy if ignored. It reacts to sounds and will come to kids if happy or run away if scared. It also interacts with its environment; it will not bump into anything and can find its way out of a maze. As all good “pigs,” it will follow its robo-carrot’s "food" light beam when it gets “hungry” (needs to be recharged) and will “feed” on the carrot to recharge. It also interacts with other GUPIs and will learn to recognize as well as share food with them (that’s beyond sweet). GUPI makes more than 30 sounds, comes with rechargeable batteries (for GUPI) and three LR44 batteries (for carrot). An initial charge time of 12 hours is recommended.

Bratz Mobile Phones, complete with wallpapers, voice ring tones, screen savers and custom skins, allow young girls to stay in touch with parents and friends. The phone features voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling, text messaging, emergency 911 service and more. It is pre-loaded with 50 minutes of nationwide airtime. Additional minutes can be added. Matt Callahan of Ztar Mobile described the product as “a fully functional Sony-Ericsson T290 mobile phone, operating on a nationwide GSM network. Parents can protect their kids from unwanted text messages or calls by setting up control points. In all, the Bratz Mobile Phone is in a class of products all its own.”

For kids who have tired of swatting at gnats and mites, this new robotics construction set will give them something bigger to aim at. Kids can build a variety of critters, including a robotic bug. The bug will back off if it gets too close to an object or, if it feels threatened, it will reach out and “sting” the intruder.
This robotics toolset includes a “Quick Start” guide to build and program a robot in 30 minutes. Mindstorms uses “intelligent brick” and light, sound, motion and touch sensors. This product is blue-tooth wireless technology capable. LEGO Mindstorms NXT won first prize in the category “Technical Innovation” at the international Nürnberg toy fair in Münich. Launch date: 2006.
— "LEGO, if I can get them, but that's a whole other story," said David Campbell, owner of Amazing Toys in Great Falls, Mont., when discussing upcoming holiday 2007 hot sellers for young boys.
— "We're the best ones to sell it for LEGO,” Campbell added. “I can steer people toward Mindstorms in my store, and I can steer them away from Mindstorms [if they] shouldn't have it. Walmart.com doesn't talk to people."
— Seven of 54 retailers said that despite the availability of LEGO in the mass market, it will still sell in specialty stores during the holidays.

Tamagotchi Connection Version 3 includes three new games (for a total of five games), and 20 more characters (for a total of 52). Using the interactive, electronic egg-shaped Tamagotchi Connection, fans can go online and visit TamaTown.com. Here, they can shop in the TamaTown mall, eat in the international food court, watch a movie at the theater, visit with their virtual pet’s parents and grandparents, meet the King and even travel the world, just as long as they have their official Tamagotchi passport. And through the exchange of passwords, special items and treats can then be collected in the Tamagotchi egg as well. New colors and design styles include Tropical Green Flowers, Jungle Camouflage, Ice Cream, Oceanic Wave, Metallic Silver and Translucent Yellow.
— According to Cliff Jin, a public relations rep for Bandai America, Tamagotchi,is “…the world ’s first and most popular virtual pet.”

This unique kid's phone comes with a GPS Locator that parents can use to track their child's location by visiting the company's website. This small, lightweight phone is roughly the size of a business card. It features two-way voice calling over GSM cellular networks. It includes five programmable buttons that make it easier for kids to contact parents and loved ones while allowing parents to manage calling costs.

The pocket-sized Juice Box has a high-resolution full-color 3-inch LCD screen. One sample cartridge is included, with content from Cartoon Network and Vans Triple Crown. It also plays downloaded music from MP3 files and displays digital photos, with the help of an MP3 Starter Kit (sold separately). Juice Box also features a built-in speaker and a headphone jack. It's 4” x 5” x 1.5" and requires 3 “AA” alkaline batteries, not included.

This ultra-compact digital camera with belt/key chain hook and chain necklace can shoot up to 200 images and store up to 104.

This pocket-sized digital music recorder plugs into a standard headphone jack. It comes with a belt clip, earbuds, 6 games and 6 screen savers.

“Floating” outside the web browser, 3-D animated desktop toys can come as vehicles, figures or devices, and unlike other "flat" 2-D desktop characters, they can be interacted with, customized and accessorized. They also provide short bursts of entertainment while enabling businesses to wrap a core brand message into a fun and interactive format — all on a targeted user’s desktop. iRod is 3-D animated, customizable and sits outside your web browser. It requires the current version of DirectX.

This unique reading aid can be hooked up to the television so kids can play extra fun educational games. The kit features the Alphabet Adventure book, a 21-page book that guides kids on a wonderful adventure as they read. Taking up where the original Story Reader left off, Story Reader Video Plus takes reading and learning games to a new level, offering kids aged 3 to 8 all the features of the classic Story Reader combined with the appeal and entertainment value of video.

This walking, talking animal doesn’t make a mess or require food and is as fun as the real thing. He even has a wireless transmitter that allows kids to command him to do a variety of tricks. With animated eyes, a wagging tail and the cutest whimper, kids will fall in love with him at first bark.

This affordable digital music player for kids features a user customized voice to introduce each song, parental password protection for both content and volume levels, belt clip for carrying, an LCD screen for navigation and holds up to two hours of digital music. It comes with music manager software, USB cable and stereo earphones. The docking station for the player is sold separately. It's also available in Stylin’ silver, Outrageous Orange and Groovin’ Green.

From the new b2 division of Blue Box Toys, which focuses on the tween market, comes MI-JAM, a product line that brings the fun and excitement of making music to kids. MI-FLOWER starts to groove when plugged into an i-Pod as its nine petals reflect the mood of the music via flashing LED light patterns and animation. Its LCD display face smiles to the sounds and its leaves perk up to show that it’s digging the music.