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The Few, The Proud...The Award-Winning Toys!
Who Made the Cut This Year?
By Alison Marek and Julie L. Jones
Thousands
of products are introduced to the toy industry every year, but only a
limited number are good enough, playable enough and innovative enough
to garner an award.
In addition to issuing
TDmonthly
Awards, TDmonthly
Magazine regularly asks manufacturers
to present their award winners to our readers so that retailers can quickly
identify products with great potential and manufacturers can learn and
be inspired by others' successes. Here are the most recent responses:
HABAland Train Building Blocks by HABA USA/HABERMAASS CORP.
 The attractive colors and grinning conductor on this train set are sure to impress. Train cars connect via magnets. Toot, toot, the locomotive arrives at the station with its three wagons transporting an interesting load: two small stacking games and a drum with a little bell. The conductor and load are removable. Material: PEFC certified beech wood. Non toxic, water based stain. Made in Germany.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Green Toys
— Wooden trains and block sets were mention by two retailers surveyed by TDmonthly in February 2013 as best selling wooden toys.
5/18/2012 (Price: $51.29; Age: 1 to 3) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
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Treasure Hunt - Objects & Shapes Game by BEGINAGAIN
 This 65-piece set features five game ideas that introduce and teach shapes and objects with unique tactile game play. Little pirates will be ready for games like "The Sneaky Seeker", "The Blindfold Grab", matching games, and more. For a traditional favorite, flip the game board over and play a classic game of Checkers. Clean up is easy as the 18"x18" game board has a Velcro pocket for storage and play. The gameboard is also a great map for role play adventures. BeginAgain uses plant-based and recycled materials whenever possible. The treasure map game board is made from natural (unbleached, unprocessed) cotton and the 20 game cards and 20 matching game pieces are made from recycled paperboard and colored with water-based inks. The 24 treasure coins are made from natural rubber (from rubber tree).
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Green Toys
5/18/2012 (Price: $25.00; Age: 3 to 6) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Salmon Scramble Squares® 9-Piece Puzzle by b. dazzle, inc.
 Salmon are anadromous, meaning that they migrate between freshwater and saltwater habitats, while their relative, trouts, remain in freshwater for their entire life cycle. Salmon is a popular food both because of its delicious taste and versatility and its high nutritional value. Consuming salmon is considered to be healthy because of the fish's high protein, high Omega-3 fatty acids, and high vitamin D content. Salmon flesh is generally orange to red in color, although there are some examples of white fleshed wild salmon. The orange color of salmon results from carotenoid pigments that wild salmon get from eating krill and other tiny shellfish. The Salmon Scramble Squares® 9-piece puzzle is likewise adaptable. It is a beautiful, enjoyable and healthy activity for children, adults and seniors. The object of the Scramble Squares® puzzle game is to arrange the nine colorfully illustrated 4” x 4” square pieces into a 12” x 12” square so that the realistic graphics on the pieces edges match perfectly to form completed pictures in every direction.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Green Toys
5/18/2012 (Price: $8.95; Age: 4 to 12) ENTER b. dazzle, inc. TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Bald Eagles Scramble Squares® 9-Piece Puzzle by b. dazzle, inc.
 This Bald Eagles Scramble Squares® puzzle, provides an appropriately awe inspiring depiction of this majestic symbol of the United States and America’s national bird. The Bald Eagle is unique to North America and is among the largest birds in North America, growing from 29” to 42” long, weighing 7 to 15 lbs., and possessing a dramatic wingspan of 6’ to 8’. Females are larger than the male Bald Eagles. The Bald Eagle is listed as a "threatened" species in the lower 48 states, its population having fallen from an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 in the early 1700s to levels of less than 500 pairs by the early 1960s. The object of the Scramble Squares® puzzle game is to arrange the nine colorfully illustrated 4” x 4” square pieces into a 12” x 12” square so that the realistic graphics on the pieces edges match perfectly to form completed pictures in every direction.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Green Toys, 2012 Dr.Toy Best 20 for $20
5/18/2012 (Price: $8.95; Age: 4 to 12) ENTER b. dazzle, inc. TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Eco-Crafts 2 Birdie Banks by ALEX BRANDS
 2 Birdie Banks™ is a new activity kit in the ALEX Eco Crafts series. Kids can save their money and at the same time help to save the planet! This all-in-one environmentally-friendly craft kit lets kids create 2 bird-shaped banks out of recycled paper molds. It comes with 2 makeshift banks (fashioned from recycled paper) that kids can outfit with coin slots and lids before decorating them with colorful squares. Using the included sponge brush, kids can easily affix the paper tape with glaze and wait a while for their creation to dry. Launch date: 2012.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Green Toys, 2012 Dr.Toy Best 20 for $20
5/18/2012 (Price: $13.95; Age: 6 to 9) ENTER ALEX BRANDS TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Scooter & Me Yoga Story DVD series by MOVE WITH ME ACTION ADVENTURES
 Follow-along yoga story classes on DVD for ages 3 - 7 that enhance fitness, focus and coordination while also teaching self-regulation techniques called Adventure Skills. Launch date: November 2010.
Awards: 2010 Telly Award; 2011 Creative Child Magazine Exercise DVD of the Year; 2011 NAPPA Gold; 2011 Parents Choice; 2011 Mom's Choice
5/11/2012 (Price: $129.95; Age: 3 to 7) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Fairy Town Train Set by BIGJIGS
 Fairy Town Train Set: The land of railways and trains just got even more exciting. Enter a magical world of colorful cottages, bridges and trees, designed in a gorgeous princess themed purple and pink. This bright and cheerful wooden train set contains 75 pieces. An ideal first train set, it contains a chunky engine and three detailed royal carriages, which attach using a magnetic system – perfect for little hands to use. Can be used with any wooden railway system. "Compatible with existing wooden rail systems. The Fairy Town Train Set is among the few available train sets specifically designed for girls," Liza Grando, President of The Moss Tucker Group, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2012.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval
5/11/2012 (Price: $89.95; Age: 3 to 8) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Yoga Motion Bundle by NAMASTE KID LLC
 The Yoga Motion Bundle contains a Yoga Motion DVD, a Shining Star stainless steel water bottle, and an apple green child-sized yoga mat. Yoga Motion engages children in active play, while they exercise their bodies and expand their imaginations. The DVD contains 10 chapters, each is a complete 3-4 minute yoga routine. Children can play Yoga Motion from beginning to end as a long yoga workout, or mix-and-match chapters for a unique yoga experience. Product designs are clean and modern. Launch date: October 2011.
Awards: 2012 Parents Choice Award
5/11/2012 (Price: $45.00; Age: 2 to 8) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Princess and the Pea by MAILEG NORTH AMERICA INC
 A beautifully crafted 'princess and the pea' set. A tall bed piled high with mattresses - alas, the poor princess cannot sleep, as beneath the mountain of soft fabric lies a little crocheted pea! A wonderful toy with a little story book to accompany it.
Awards: 2003 Scandinavian Design Prize
5/11/2012 (Price: $123.00; Age: 3 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
MOGO Shades by MOGO DESIGNS, INC.
 MOGO Shades are the perfect tween accessory featuring retro styling and hot neon colors. Each pair of Shades will hold 2 MOGO Charms - ready for instant personalization. "MOGO Shades let you show the world how you're feeling, what you love or maybe you just want to wear your initials," Katie Elliott, Operations Manager of MOGO Designs, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2009.
Awards: 2011 Dr. Toy's Best Picks New Products; 2011 Parents' Choice Fun Stuff Award; 2012 The Next Big ZING Award, Kid's Category; 2012 Mom's Choice Award, Arts, Crafts & Hobbies
5/11/2012 (Price: $10.00; Age: 8 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Related Video:
Following are some of the programs represented in TDmonthly.com's section of award winners: Dr.
Toy, iParenting
Media Awards, TIA
T.O.T.Y., Oppenheim
Toy Portfolio, The
National Parenting Center, and Parents'
Choice Awards.
You may also access TDmonthly's review
section to see which products earned 5 TD stars.
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