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TDMONTHLY NEW TOYS
Notable and New Toys by Category
Start your Christmas orders by browsing through the more than 650 toys TDmonthly Magazine uploaded since last month...READ MORE
TDmonthly Magazine uploaded more than 650 new toys and games last month! To make your job easier, we sifted through them and selected the ones we think might do well in specialty stores....
This month, TDmonthly Magazine’s Toy Sleuth got taken up with some odd juxtapositions...
TDMONTHLY MUST READS
This Issue's Highlights
Skim these TDmonthly Magazine stories to find out what you need to know for the ordering season...READ MORE
TDMONTHLY TOY VIDEOS
TDmonthly Toy Video Crew Finds New Toys at ASTRA
If you missed the ASTRA show in Las Vegas, don't despair! TDmonthly's ToyTV picked up some of the greatest new companies and toys for the specialty market...READ MORE
TDmonthly Magazine's own Julie L. Jones demonstrates our top picks from the newest companies at the ASTRA Marketplace...
TDmonthly Magazine asked specialty toy-store owners to pick their favorite toys at the ASTRA Marketplace in Las Vegas...
In addition to networking with peers and discovering new manufacturers, retailers at trade shows have a great opportunity to learn or review skills that increase the bottom line...
TDmonthly's Toy Videos give you instant access to toy demos so you can evaluate a product before you buy it...
TDMONTHLY - GET READY TO ORDER!
New Toys for New Folks (0 to 4 Years)
It's time for Christmas, so get your ordering muscles in shape by browsing through these specialty toys selected for you, for kids 0 and up...READ MORE
Take a peek on this page to see what specialty toys you might need to order for kids 5 to 7...
Ordering for tweens can be difficult. Take a look at these specialty toys...
PLUSH
This One Goes to the Dogs
Sixty-two specialty retailers recently gave TDmonthly Magazine the scoop on plush and puppets in their stores, where domesticated animals rule and where (sometimes) a plush sell is a hard sell...READ MORE
DOLLS
Dolls Won't Let Up
Though few of the 62 retailers surveyed by TDmonthly Magazine claimed dolls as a stellar seller, all but one carried them — a testament to this classic toy’s staying power....READ MORE
Anyone in need of fashion inspiration can cancel that trip to Paris and look instead to these dressed dolls...
Over the past three to four months, a number of retailers have told TDmonthly Magazine that baby doll sales are up, and it’s all thanks to little girls...
FURNITURE
Kitchens Heat Up Furniture Sales
Twenty-one of 62 retailers told TDmonthly Magazine they don’t sell children’s furniture or play houses due to competition from big-box stores, lack of space or little interest from customers...READ MORE
TDMONTHLY SHOP TALK
How to Thrive With Dolls
“Since 2000, the collectible market has gone soft,” North American Director Beau James of Corolle recently told TDmonthly Magazine....READ MORE
When Jude Larene and Jennifer Schneeweis decided to create a business where they could work together and include their son, Isaiah, they picked a toy store because it was difficult to find good toys in their neighborhood....
When Co-owners Jude Larene and Jennifer Schneeweis opened their Seattle toy store in 2003, they decided to bring in toys that were appealing to them and good for children....
Branding, whether it’s burning a ranch symbol into the hides of cattle or slapping a designer’s name on a pair of jeans, is nothing new...
TDMONTHLY TOY ROUNDTABLES
Homeschoolers: Hands-On Science
TDmonthly Magazine’s Homeschool Roundtable experimented with hands-on kits this month, growing a desert from the ground up...READ MORE
What makes a great toy? More than anything, it depends on whether the kids still play with it after the rush of the new is gone....
To determine which toys have lasting play value, our Roundtable moms and kids looked back at the products they evaluated from March to July 2007....
TDMONTHLY TOY REVIEWS
TDmonthly's Psychologist Mom
Dr. Wright doesn’t just look at toys; she analyzes them. This month, TDmonthly Magazine’s Psychologist Mom packs up a fuzzy backpack, puzzles out an alphabetical dragon and more...READ MORE
If you want to know which books to sell in your toy store, find out what the kids have to say. This month, children's book author Dorothea DePrisco Wang grooves to some jazz, embarks on a robot adventure, searches for Santa with animal friends, and much more....
This month's DVD selection is an odd assortment of high-budget and weirdness ... sometimes both...
TDMONTHLY BRASS RING
Blackall Associates Crafts a Masterpiece
The unique and lifelike Masterpiece Dolls by Blackall Associates were an instant success when Shirley Blackall introduced them in 1998...READ MORE
TDMONTHLY TOY BUZZ
H & T Imaginations Is More Than Plush
Kids are supposed to eat right, play well and grow up to have healthy bodies and curious minds. Yet, so many of today’s toys are about having fast fingers and eyes...READ MORE
The story behind Maine-based Kids Crooked House, winner of this year’s Yahoo! Ultimate Connection Contest, is part and parcel of the American dream....
TDMONTHLY COOL COMPANY
Writer Invests Self in All 4 Kidz
Most writers know that being published involves getting an agent and suffering rejection and disappointment. But Angela E. Davis-Lewis of All 4 Kidz Enterprises avoided these traditional obstacles by creating her own publishing company...READ MORE
TDMONTHLY POPULAR STORIES
Mattel Recalls 9.5 Million More Toys
August 14, 2007 – Washington, D.C. – In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Mattel Inc. announced today a voluntary recall of more than 9 million toys...READ MORE
Mattel’s recall of more than 10 million toys this month has made parents and retailers rethink buying and stocking decisions, sources told TDmonthly Magazine...
In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Toys “R” Us has announced a recall of 27,000 Imaginarium Wooden Coloring Cases made in China...
You dream of it and dread it: A specialty toy explodes into the mainstream consciousness. Your sales skyrocket, your foot traffic becomes a stampede, and then ... you run out of the toy...
In recognition of the importance Canada plays in the specialty toy market, TDmonthly Magazine spoke with retailers, manufacturers and experts north of the border to find out how much of their business is U.S.-driven, and what the pluses and minuses are....
Since the founding of b. dazzle, inc. in 1993, Marshall and Kathie Gavin have built their company into one defined by hard work, excellent customer service and uncompromising quality...
At this year’s California Gift Show, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center July 20-23, 1,200 exhibitors showcased their gift items...
TDMONTHLY TOP-10 MOST-WANTED LISTS
TDmonthly's Top-10 Most-Wanted Plush
It's a zoo in the plush and puppet category, and the Lil'Kinz Gorilla is leading a wild display of exotic animals...READ MORE
Baby dolls are cute and cuddly, of course, but realism and detail are in demand, too...
Dollhouses, tents, tables and stoves are selling in the play houses and furniture categories...
TDMONTHLY UPCOMING ISSUES
Making the Most of the Holidays
How do toy-store owners get ready for their biggest selling season?...READ MORE
Need some cheap stocking stuffers to round out your toy selection?...
If you’re full of ideas but don’t know what to do with them, find out how to focus and sell your invention to someone who can turn that dream into something playable...
