January 2009 New Specialty Toys — All

A first! Yamato presents fully functioning, fully customizable 1/9 scale bicycle models and accessory sets. Think you've seen scaled bicycle models before? Not like these! Check it out! With Yamato's PEDAL ID you can create the bicycle of your dreams. Take it apart, mix and match with a host of accessories and put it all back together to build your own, one-and-only custom bike.

Dare you gaze into the face of Medusa? Legend has it that even a fleeting glance will turn a man to stone. But perhaps the real question is: can you resist? Fear not! And feast your eyes upon the exquisite beauty of Yamato USA’s Fantasy Figure Gallery: Medusa's Gaze. Inspired by the art of Luis Royo, Medusa’s Gaze stands approximately 11.80” tall, features amazingly intricate paint details, and comes complete with display base.

Filled with tiny pellets that represent an outdoor sports field, this version of Find It contains more than 40 items that cover more than 35 sports. Things to find include a basketball hoop, football, boxing glove and jet ski. Launch date: Fall 2008.
— Mary Porter, owner of The Curiosity Zone in Ashburn, Va., sells “a dozen or so a month” of the Find It games, she told TDmonthly in spring 2009.
— Two of 64 retailers cited Find It Games when asked about best-selling travel toys in March 2009.

This 13" x 39" piece of art is by artist Aaron Christensen.

This light, fanciful dress can easily be applied with Velcro to any of the 7" Sticky Pixies fairies, which can be used in scrapbooks or on walls for decoration.

TONNER has given new life to the action-packed, modern-day love story between a teenage girl and a "good" vampire, with these authorized likenesses of "Twilight" stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Bella Swan is 15" tall; Edward Cullen is 17". Each is designed by renowned artist Robert Tonner and fully authorized by Summit Entertainment. They're available only from TonnerDirect. Launch date: Spring 2009.

Another loveable face for the Folkmanis line of pooches, the popular labrador is known as a loyal breed. This puppy has a movable mouth to give out big puppy kisses.
— “The workmanship and expression” of Folkmanis’ puppets makes the company a favorite of Fran Anaya, owner of Golden Aspen Toys in Flagstaff, Ariz., she told TDmonthly in fall 2008, when more than 11 percent of 52 retailers named the company as a preferred vendor.

The Folkmanis BLACK BEAR CUB is an unbearably cute 15-inch puppet. Just the right amount of stuffing makes this cub a snuggly teddy bear but with additional play value – it has a movable mouth and front paws. Made of silky soft fabric, Black Bear Cub has safe, soft, vinyl claws, a smooth, suede-like nose and paws and a contrasting brown snout. His facial features bring an innocence only found in little cubs.

Past Videos: Toy Fair 2009

This brain-building strategy game plays off the original Blokus but plays with entirely new configurations in four construction plans: steps, pyramid, tower and corner (shown). The player who ends up with the most squares showing from above wins the game. Launch date: 2008.

This soft plush fawn handpuppet will add to any puppet theater production.

After "Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich" (2006), he decides to get married and plan an elegant featuring his favorite monsters and best man Dracula. His bride, only recently dead and revived, must battle her parents' frustration with having to pay for her wedding just days after coughing up the cash for her funeral. In this lushly illustrated and imaginative picture book by Adam Rex, the monsters get to blog, rhyme, appear in classic cartoons, create mayhem and complain about the difficulties of life. And death. Launch date: 2008.

The Laurie Berkner Band present a series of 24 songs for kids that take them through adventures such as "Going on a Hunt," "Jump and Fly," and "Walk Along the River." Launch date: 2008.

This 14-track educational album helps kids remember facts and history by setting them to music. Songs include "Revolution, Revolution," "Grew to the West," "Pledge of Allegiance" and "Branches of Government.

Written by Laurie Krebs and illustrated by Aurelia Fronty, this picture book takes kids on an adventure across Lake Titicaca and through Machu Pichu to the city of cusco, where a wonderful festival is underway. The educational endnotes include facts about Peru's population and culture, the Andes Mountains and the Inty Raymi Festival. Launch: 2008.

A follow-up to R.D. Henham's "Red Dragon Codex," this novel explores ths story of Satia, a young thief, and the lies she tells to a young black dragon so he will spare her life. But the dragon's evil nature, and Satia's dishonesty, may be a bad combination. Will it lead to their doom? Launch date: 2008.

It's Saturday, and one small girl and her Dad do the shopping while Mom is working. When the little girl sneezes, it sets off a reaction that leads to her Dad being blamed for a supermarket calamity. After the daughter speaks up and takes responsibility, the mood changes. Written by Matt Harvey and illustrated by Miriam Latimer. Hardcover, color, 32 pages, 8.5" x 11". Launch date: September 2008.

Once called a "musical Dr. Seuss," Jim Copp recorded nine children's albums from 1958 to 1971. These critically acclaimed, clever rhyming stories told through song won Copp many passionate fans. Now his most popular characters — Kate Higgins, Miss Goggins and the gorilla, and Martha Matilda O'Toole — hop, stomp and skip to life on the pages of the "Jim Copp, Will You Tell Me a Story?" picture book illustrated by Lindsay DuPont.T he book comes with a CD featuring three of Jim Copp's original recordings. Hardcover, 56 pages, color. Launch date: September 2008.

This book written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen captures the story of a group of hippos at their peak of boredom, and follows them on a journey to happiness, which they find wallowing in the mud. It combines simple text with colorful, expressive artwork. Launch date: April 30, 2008.

This fitness DVD gives offers parents a way to work out with their children from birth to 6 years old, while having fun at the same time. It features real moms and kids alongside cartoon scenery background to catch children's attention. There are three workout options: cardio; toning and abs; and cardio, toning and abs. Launch date: 2008.

This high quality, 1:64-scale die-cast police car comes with a code that allows users to log onto the corresponding, interactive website. Once logged on, users get a garage and can fix up their cars and race them in the world of street racing, track racing and the dragstrip. The 06 Charger debuts in a limited edition. Launch date: February 2008.

KooKeys offers a line of plush animals with online, interactive digital counterparts known as the Virtual Koo. Each plush KooKey comes with a special key that unlocks the online world for children to explore, interact, play, and learn. Launch date: 2007.

This soft plush  kangaroo puppet keeps her joey snugly tucked in her pouch. Launch date: 2008.

This mega gift basket includes the following: a Kids Rule! ruler, Bumblebee Scissors, a Turtle Flashlight, an Easy Writer, a Dragonfly Whistle, Glow in the Dark Spiders, Waikiki Sunglasses, a wind-up caterpillar, wind-up bugs and a magnifying glass. Launch date: 2008.

This fun gift basket for boys includes the following: a velour, reversible dog-and-cat hat, baby keys, a blue picture block, a puppy crinkler and a mother-and-baby-lamb toy that plays "Imagine." This gift basket is only available to consumers via the Rich Frog website; individual items are available at wholesale prices. Launch date: 2008.