TDmonthly is a division of ToyDirectory.com Inc.
TDMONTHLY MUST READS
Ten Years of ToyDirectory: The Inside Scoop
Learn everything you ever wanted to know about how ToyDirectory and TDmonthly Magazine work....READ MORE
Take a look at a few of this month's most important stories....
TDMONTHLY HOLIDAY PREVIEW - Part I
Novelty Toys Stuff Stockings
Novelty toys for the holiday season 2006 will be small, cheap and fit nicely in stockings....READ MORE
Former engineers and architects are trying their hand at building on a smaller scale....
How do educational product manufacturers keep kids interested?...
Wooden toy makers know they can’t just reproduce the same products year in and year out and still keep customers coming back for more....
How do manufacturers make a kids’ DVD that looks a cut above the competition despite a tight budget?...
With so many kids' music albums to choose from, what should retailers look for when stocking their shelves?...
As holiday season 2006 nears, book publishers attempt to bring new products to market that will catch young readers’ eyes....
What makes a product artsy? Craftsy? Tastes change, as do technologies....
TDMONTHLY NEW TOYS
Toy manufacturers pull out all the stops this month as they begin gearing up for holiday season 2006....
LICENSED PRODUCTS
I Know That Doll …
Grandparents and parents are usually cited as the impetus for classic toy buying, but now 2-year-olds are getting into the act....READ MORE
Life has become one big licensed product....
How do manufacturers and retailers predict hit licenses?...
Whether it’s the lure of something new and different or what’s popular on television at the moment, foreign licensed products are hot commodities in the toy industry....
CONSTRUCTION
Toy Vehicles Entice Young Mechanics
Toy vehicles — perennial favorites for kids — become even more desirable when youngsters can construct the cars, trucks or trains themselves....READ MORE
Although building blocks have been around for years, brands and sets that offer a different twist enjoy strong sales, particularly at Christmastime....
Watching children construct forts out of boxes and household wares has inspired a number of construction-toy manufacturers....
ACTIVITY KITS AND PLAYSETS
Children Don Clothes of the Future
Let’s face it: Kids are just a bunch of wanna-be grown-ups....READ MORE
When it comes to pizza, tiny tots prefer theirs wooden, retailers told TDmonthly Magazine....
The makers of non-licensed playsets have found that the way to sell without a big name character is by promoting recognizable scenes....
TDMONTHLY MOMīS PERSPECTIVE
June Toys in the Hand: TDmonthly’s Expert Mom
Here our resident child expert shares her impressions of new toys with TDmonthly Magazine....READ MORE
This month, the home-schooled tween girls got what they like best: plenty of building materials....
Kids and parents of all ages and genders loved the K’NEX and Uberstix building kits, but the little boys were the biggest fans of TriKing Games’ historical battle card game, Anachronisms....
RETAILING TIPS
Lend a Toy, Gain a Sale
Although selling toys is understandably the focus for retailers, lending them is a trend that may hook customers....READ MORE
RETAILER SPOTLIGHT
Ariel’s Child Turns 20
Toy store owner Ricki Block is expert at networking and developing solid relationships....READ MORE
TDMONTHLY COOL COMPANY
i-RIDE, You Ride, We All Rock Out (Safely)
Mick Kless had a dream: To rock out while safely pedaling through traffic....READ MORE
TDMONTHLY TOY BUZZ
Norooz Productions Celebrates Culture
Dustin Ellis, the son of an Iranian mother and an American father, distinctly remembers feeling different from other school kids growing up....READ MORE
The problem with kids today may be that they have forgotten to play with their bodies as well as their minds....
TDMONTHLY BRASS RING
Full Time Mom Takes Time Out for DVD
Ann Brazil, a working mother of three and president of Pausitive Programs, LLC., made the final round of auditions for the ABC television show, “American Inventor” with her children’s DVD, “TimeOut Tot.”...READ MORE
TDMONTHLY TOY VIDEOS
Toys on Tape: Video Demos
Why settle for a picture, or even a thousand words, when you can watch a toy move for itself?...READ MORE
TDMONTHLY TOP-10 MOST-WANTED LISTS
TDmonthly’s Top 10 Most Wanted Boy Toys for Ages 4 to 8
This month, familiar faces and a few surprises rear their heads in this wide-reaching top-10 grouping....READ MORE
TDmonthly Magazine editors and regional correspondents talked with over 30 retailers across the country to divine what the “young lions” were playing with and why....
Arts, crafts and collectibles are still going strong with little girls....
Tween girls are still heavily into crafts, agreed retailers....
TDMONTHLY UPCOMING ISSUES
Too sweet for your blood?...
Unlicensed figures prove big fish in the small pond of specialty toy stores....
