Los Angeles, Calif. (December 1, 2009) – The recession has turned holiday shopping into a stressful mission. Research shows that most parents won’t forgo gifts for their children altogether, but what they buy this year is more important than ever. To help them find toys that are designed to last and support children’s educational and developmental needs, TDmonthly Magazine has assembled a collection of more than 125 award-winning toys that will guide them in the right direction. ^{(https://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3957)}

CREATIVE TOYS = CREATIVE PLAY

From the Artterro Creativity Kit that encourages free-form design with authentic materials, to a sturdy MOOV set that lets children build their own bike, TDmonthly’s award winners from the past three years invite exploration, imagination and both individual and group play — perfect for families! Plus, the guide gives recommendations for infants to teens, so nobody’s left out.

Does the guide feature Cepia’s sell-out Zhu Zhu Pets or Nintendo’s hottest Wii game? No. But it does have durable wooden toys, eco-friendly options, playthings made in America, and exciting new games. The items were evaluated by families and/or TDmonthly staff with regard to play value, safety, innovation, social or charitable awareness, and success or potential within the specialty market — a sector that inherently values education and focuses intensely on positive toys for children.

PROVEN PRODUCTS MAKE THE LIST

If you’re concerned a child might not like the gift you select, just reference TDmonthly’s list of Classics and Best Sellers to see toys that have already won the hearts of kids and parents! You’ll notice, for example, an affordable, live-frog aquarium from Wild Creations that lets families enjoy a low-maintenance pet, and a captivating R/C Inchworm from Innovation First.

For shoppers’ convenience, there are links to e-commerce sites that sell many of the featured items, along with numerous video demos, ratings and consumer reviews.

NOTE: No company paid a fee to be considered for a TDmonthly award.

See TDmonthly’s most recent award winners, from Fall 2009, or visit the full directory here: ^{(https://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3957)}

COMPANY	PRODUCT
ACTING OUT	Hokey Pokey/Can Can Musical Petticoat
ACTION PRODUCTS	I Dig Dinosaurs Dino Nest
ARTSEE FARTSEE	artsee smartsee
ARTTERRO	Artterro Creativity Kit
BINKLEY & HURST	MOOV Starter Kit
BLOCO TOYS	Marine Creatures
BLUE ORANGE	GOBBLET GOBBLERS
BLUE ORANGE	DOUBLE SHUTTER, Shut The Super Box
BLUE ORANGE	YAMSLAM, Roll To Win!
BOIKIDO	Boikido Wooden Shapes Train
CCA & B	The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition®
CITIBLOCS	CitiBlocs 200 Piece Wooden Building Set
GOLDBERGER DOLL MFG. CO. INC	Seedlings Baby Blossoms
HABA USA	Pulling Animal Cory Caterpillar
INNOVATION FIRST	HEXBUG Ant
INNOVATION FIRST	HEXBUG Inchworm
KIDS PREFERRED	Amazing Baby™ Pop-Up Activity Ball
MAKIT PRODUCTS	Make a Plate
MAYFAIR GAMES	Hey! That's My Fish! Deluxe!
MESKO ASSOCIATES	SandSac
MIDWEST MONKEYS	Safe Sizer Choking Prevention Plate
NEAT-OH INTERNATIONAL	ZipBin Airport
OUT OF THE BOX GAMES	Backseat Drawing Junior
OUT OF THE BOX GAMES	Letter Roll
PLASMART	Rubbabu - Blox
PLASMART	PlasmaCar
RASHTI & RASHTI	Taggies Appliqued Blanket
RICH FROG	Pull Toy - Dog Cat Mouse
RINGLEY	RiNGLEY Knotted
RINGLEY	RiNGLEY Straight
SANDMAN RECORDS	Meltdown
SHAINSWARE	Shains Bracelet with 60 Elements
TATUTINA	Tatutina Birthday Girl Medal
THE LITTLE EXPERIENCE	Stitch-it Dolly Kit
THE LITTLE EXPERIENCE	Stitch-it Owl Kit
THE SHRED SLED	The Shred Sled
WILD CREATIONS	EcoAquarium
YOSHIRITSU	LaQ Hobby Kit Flower

About TOYDIRECTORY.com® and TDmonthly® Magazine
^{For 13 years, TOYDIRECTORY.com has been connecting retailers and manufacturers within the specialty toy industry. As of Sept. 2008, Google™ has ranked TOYDIRECTORY.com the No. 1 site in the world for wholesale trade directories. Yahoo!® has been rating TOYDIRECTORY.com the most popular business-to-business directory for the toy industry since 1998. TOYDIRECTORY.com and its subsidiary, online trade publication TDmonthly Magazine, accelerate business among toy industry professionals by providing a central online meeting place where retailers can quickly locate new products and companies, and manufacturers can promote their product lines, awards and specials. TOYDIRECTORY.com and TDmonthly’s community of 1,200+ manufacturers and 27,800+ registered retailer subscribers can broadcast TDmonthly toy videos from their websites, find out what’s selling in specialty stores nationwide, read about breaking news and trends, and get advice from experts on how to develop and maintain profitable relationships. TDmonthly includes a searchable database of more than 23,000 products, 2,000 product demonstration videos and 3,000 pages of articles and tips.}