Featuring a board made from the renewable resource bamboo, this game, a version of the ancient Mancala, challenges players to collect the most pieces.

These flexible hand puppets will let dino-buffs take their play to a new level. Assortment of three, approximately 8” long.

Kids can whittle down their waists by keeping this hula hoop going. It comes in various colors and sizes to suit all shapes and sensibilities.
— Syd Clarke, owner of Ali-Cat in Carrboro, N.C., sells about 30 hula hoops per month. She attributes the fad's resurgence to increased interest in countering childhood obesity with exercise. She also noted that a woman in her neighborhood now offers a hula hoop class for adults.   

This soft foam pirate saber will make a little blackbeard feel like the king of the seas, without causing any harm.

The mirascope utilizes concave mirrors to project 3-D images of an item placed inside. Kids can stick their finger right through the illusional image that appears.
— The 3-D Mirascope “always attracts people’s attention,” Mike Lane, manager of Hobbytown in Cumming, Ga., said in late summer 2009.
— The Wooden Toy in Wethersfield, Conn., sells about 20 per month of this item, David Ekwall told TDmonthly in 2009.

This wooden storage box with a sliding lid holds 41 colorful wood pick-up sticks that each measure 9.75” long.
— Two of 38 specialty retailers said in late summer 2009 that this long-loved classic game is a best-selling novelty at their stores.

This classic noise-making prank measures 7.25” in diameter and becomes quite the shocker when sat on after inflated.
— Two of 38 retailers told TDmonthly in late summer 2009 that whoopee cushions are a favorite novelty item among their customers. “They’re always very popular,” commented Karen Leppmann, owner of Finnegan’s Toys & Gifts in Portland, Ore.

What kind of mermaid can’t swim? These mermaids are fully submersible for bathtub or swimming pool fun. They come with either magenta or purple hair that can be combed.

These colorful rubber bands function like traditional bands  but feature fun animal shapes when not holding something together.
— "We got 270 packages on Thursday and were sold out by Saturday morning. High school, middle school and elementary school kids are all buying them," Katie Rook, owner of Be Beep A Toy Shop in Columbia, S.C., told TDmonthly in fall 2009.
— Editors Note: This item is very similar to the Animal Rubber Bands by Eastern Accent Int'l, first reported by TDmonthly in 2005.

The Green Science - Soda Can Robug is an imaginative way for children to explore mechanics and electricity. The kit includes a plastic mechanic body, wire wings, wire legs, motor with wires, screws and detailed instructions.
— In a Fall 2013 survey, Gary Green, owner of Toy Box of Asheville Inc in Asheville, N.C., told TDmonthly that the Soda Can Robug from Toysmith was one of their best-selling science toys.

Available in a variety of shimmering shades, this 65mm glitter ball is fun to bounce and features colorful effects on the interior.

Available in various “flavors” of ice cream, this 7” cone has a button that, when pressed, pops out the soft, spongy ice cream ball that’s connected to the cone by a string.

Pop, pop, pop. This snap-together jewelry features fashionable colors and distinctive shapes for playtime and party fun. Launch date: 2010.

Toysmith’s Paint a pot craft garden comes with everything a kid needs to grow a mini flower garden. Children can paint their own design on the pot, plant the seeds, and watch them grow. The set includes marigold seed mix, organic soil, six acrylic paints, two paintbrushes, a terra cotta planter, planting instructions, and a booklet with ideas for decorating.
— At My Club Tabby in Lake Charles, La., Owner Natalie Comeaux reported in March 2010 that spring items such as the Paint a Pot Craft Garden had been selling well for over a month since everyone was anticipating warmer weather.

This kit comes in various colors and includes a pair of jersey knit garden gloves, a trowel, a rake, a shovel and a metal watering can.
— Spring items were very popular in March 2010 at My Club Tabby in Lake Charles, La. Owner Natalie Comeaux reported that the kids watering can kit had been selling well for over a month.

Young bird watchers can get in on the fun with this kit for building and painting a birdhouse. No hardware is required, and the kit includes everything needed to create and paint a 5.5” x 7” x 7” birdhouse.
— With the eagerly anticipated arrival of spring around the corner, birdhouse kids were popular items at My Club Tabby in Lake Charles, La., in March 2010. Owner Natalie Comeaux reported that they had been selling well for over a month.

Mesh walls allow for close-up viewing of butterflies and insects. A sliding plastic door makes catching and releasing easy while avoiding pinched fingers, and a carrying handle makes it portable.
— With warmer weather approaching, these backyard exploration critter cases were on the top-10 best-seller list at My Club Tabby in Lake Charles, La., in spring of 2010. Owner Natalie Comeaux reported in March that the kits had been selling well for more than a month.
— June Hargrove, co-owner of Black Forest Books & Toys in Charlotte, N.C., told TDmonthly that they sell 24-30 of Toysmith's Critter collection each month.

This root growing kit can be fun for the whole family. It allows growers to observe the process from planting to harvest. The kit includes a wooden stand, three plastic root toobers, a growing medium, and enough seeds for several plantings of radishes, carrots and green onions. Instructions are also included.
— These garden root viewers were listed as a top-10 best seller at My Club Tabby in Lake Charles, La., by owner Natalie Comeaux in spring 2010. They had been selling well for over a month in March.

These wooden party favors are 4.5” tall and come in a set of four in various colors. Kids can push on the base and watch the flower move.
— These little puppets were on the top-10 best-seller list at My Club Tabby in Lake Charles, La., in spring 2010, as reported by Owner Natalie Comeaux.

These 2” ceramic planters are filled with rye grass seeds and a growing medium. Kids can pose them on a stand, water them, and watch them grow. Their grass hair can then be trimmed into various styles. Choices include a duck, pig and frog.
— These little planter sets were popular in spring 2010 at My Club Tabby in Lake Charles, La., according to Owner Natalie Comeaux. Customers were looking forward to the arrival of spring, and the items had been selling well for over a month in March.

With no batteries or complex machinery to worry about, Toysmith's Wind Up Submarine automatically dives and resurfaces. The submarine is 7” in length, and its enclosed gears are designed to ensure a long life in and out of the water.
— “One thing we sell consistently is the Wind Up Submarine from Toysmith,” said Mary Sisson, owner of Kazoodles in Vancouver, Wash., of the most asked-for bath toy in her store in spring 2010.
— Out of 39 retailers who participated in a March 2010 survey of best selling bath toys, three told TDmonthly Toysmith supplies their top items.

This beach kit for children comes with essential items in a reusable zipper bag. The set includes a 5" watering can, a 9.5" shovel-sieve, a 9.5" spade, a 9.5" rake, two sand molds, a bucket with a handle and a 6.5" diameter sieve.
— As of 7.27.2010, this product had 4 out of 5 stars from 21 reviews on Amazon.com, and was listed No. 48 in the top 100 best-selling toys and games. PROS: Children found it engaging and entertaining. CONS: Not very durable.

These snap bracelets come in a wide variety of animal shapes.
— Animal snap bracelets were a top-10 best seller at Key West Toy Factory in Key West, Fla., in late spring 2010. “These cute and sparkly snap bracelets are a fun favorite accessory for kids!” Manager Katie Harris told TDmonthly.

This drum by Toysmith's B. brand is filled with 8 instruments that toddlers will enjoy playing. The drum has a big handle and strap and can be played with the silly centipede drumsticks. Jingle bell ants, busy bee maraca and clacker, cute caterpillar tambourine and two shaka-shaka eggs are also included in the set.

This kit includes a 7" pump and 20 balloons. Kids and teens can use the pump to fill the balloons, then let them go and watch them zoom high into the air.