February 2009 New Specialty Toys — Eco-Friendly

This cuddly bear is made of eco-friendly materials, including hypoallergenic stuffing and sustainable toy bean fiber, and includes a heart-shaped vibration unit that offers gentle vibration at two modes: heartbeat, a soothing pulse; and continuous, a constant motion. It comes with the Polar Cuddle Cub Storybook that tells the bear's story while educating kids on endangered animals. This product received a 2009 iParenting Media Award.

A child can slip through the opening of this plane and run around holding the sides of it, pretending to fly. It can also be decorated and personalized with paints, markers and accessories. It measures 29" x 18" x 18".

Specializing in earth-friendly and organic goods for young children, Dandelion Earth Friendly Goods has created a line of whimsical rattles and teethers. This soft yellow duck has stitched features and is made with organic cotton velour. A fun first friend for teething, tugging, and snuggling. The interior stuffing is made from fluffy, natural corn fibers. Launch Date: April 2009

These eco-friendly construction toys were inspired by children's board books and come with landscape and character pieces. Each set includes flat panels printed with colorful, water-based ink and slotted building blocks made from earth-friendly Sprigwood. The Palace and Barnyard are large sets. There are also medium sets: Construction Site, Ladybug Adventure and Safari Adventure (MSRP: $19.99). Large sets are 90 pieces; the medium are 60. Launch date: Fall 2009.

Suitable for babies 6 months and up, this soft, developmental toy is made of organic cotton fabric and is machine washable. It is part of a collection that features minimal packaging made of recycled paper and printed with vegetable-based inks. Launch date: February 15, 2009.
— "[I] love the organics, as new mothers are asking for them," commented Patti Tepper-Rasmussen, owner of Learning Tree Toys, Books & Games in Oklahoma City, following the 2009 ASTRA exhibition.

Designed to help children connect children to nature and teach them about environmental concerns, this album features the Missoula Coyote Choir, made up of children ages 7 to 12 who are building eco-awareness. The project also promotes the process of biomimicry — learning from nature itself in order to develop solutions for a more sustainable world. The CD includes 18 tracks.  “A bunch of great songs for kids, their grownups and other animals.” —Bill Harley, Grammy® Award Winner.
Awards: 2009 Creative Child Preferred Choice Award, 2009 Parents' Choice Award, 2009 iParenting Media Best Choice Award.

The SandSac™ is and eco-friendly, foldable travel beach pail. Made from 100% cotton canvas with a bamboo shovel, it is an alternative to the traditional plastic shovel and pail. The SandSac™ is also customizable using fabric markers, paints, or applied accessories. Machine washable and can be folded and stored away until its next use. Comes in three sizes and is sold individually or as a set of two. Also included are four fabric markers.

The Robot Head Buzz Wire Game that tests a players' steady hand.  The aim is to take the wire loop from one side of the Robot’s head to the other, guiding it along his curly antenna as they go.  Touch the sides and the Robot will object, buzzing his disapproval with light up eyes.  What’s best is that it is all done by winding it up using a handle on the side without using any batteries! Mr. Robot Head is also now available with a built in AM/FM radio. Launch date: Feb. 2009.

Made from recycled plastic milk containers, this sturdy flying disc weighs approximately 130 grams. Launch date: February 15, 2009.

Decked out in green, this truck carries the message of recycling in its very construction, as it's made from 100-percent recycled milk jugs.  It is free of metal axles and measures 12" L x 6.25" W x 7" H. Launch date: February 15, 2009. “We're sticking to our strategy that served us well in 2008,” said Robert von Goeben, Co-founder and President of Green Toys Inc. “Our customers say they love who we are, and want more safe, earth-friendly, U.S.-made toys. We've responded by adding some cool new products, yet staying true to our core mission.”
— "[We're] doing extremely well with trucks, particularly the Recycling Truck from Green Toys," Rick Henry of Stellabella Toys in Cambridge, Mass., told TDmonthly when discussing best sellers in late October 2009.

Made from recycled plastic milk containers, this energy-efficient dump truck features a functional dumper and measures 10" L x 7 1/2" W x 7 1/8" H. Launch date: February 15, 2009.
— "The new trucks from Green Toys will be big hits with 2- to 4-year-olds," Patti Tepper-Rasmussen, owner of Learning Tree Toys, Books & Games in Oklahoma City, told TDmonthly following the 2009 ASTRA Marketplace.

This album is Abby's third rockin' release and winner of an iParenting Media Award. Featuring a wide array of genres and instrumentation, including pop, rock, funk, country, rockabilly and calypso, it offers 45 minutes of fun, danceable tunes that will have the whole family on their feet. Interactive songs spotlighting four-part harmonies engage kids and get them moving. As a bonus, the CD is made from eco-friendly packaging with recycled cardboard, veggie inks and recycled water bottles. The CD features "educational and encouraging themes written into catchy tunes that are great fun for kids and parents alike," Michele Senitzer, owner and creator of Pipsqueak Productions, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 11, 2009.

Children can make their own Inter Galactic Worlds and Biome Systems, as well as ant space food. They will see ant gardens, ant pools and ant baby hospitals. "All the ECO System range of kits are also designed to be interconnected. So Ants and Worms can go and explore the ECO Dome and Future Farms," Agatha Pan, international sales manager for Tree Toys Corp., told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2009.

This hydroponic farm features 'magic' capillary wick feeding of special liquid nutrients to big biodome gardens where kids can grow their own sandwich fillings — without soil. It offers "leading-edge science for feeding populations where soil is poisoned or non-existent. We supply lab equipment and chemicals for kids to make their own liquid nutrients [and] purify and balance pH. Twin tanks and twin drainage reservoirs means two separate farms can compare different nutrients at same time," Agatha Pan, international sales manager for Tree Toys Corp., told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 2009.

Kids can make their own eco science lab and be a planet-saving sleuth. The kit covers hygometers, humidity, air and CO2, pH monitoring, water pollutants and more through step-by-step beginner activities and later challenges that build knowledge and exercise problem-solving skills. It includes a workbench young scientists can use to organize their methods and equipment. The Eco Forensic Lab was "designed by a world-leading children's science and technology edutainer and learning specialist with many global awards and over 30 years in the field," Agatha Pan, international sales manager for Tree Toys Corp., told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2009.

This children's knock-down cardboard chair kit comes with six 12" x 12" decorative color sticker sheets. The chair seat and back are interchangeable and reversible. They are kraft on one side and white on the other so that kids can use crayons, paint, markers or other materials to decorate their chair. The product is made in the USA from up to 80-percent recycled fiber and is 100-percent recyclable. Launch date: December 4, 2008.

Gobblet Gobblers utilizes the awesome strategy of Gobblet and adds personality and character to the game. Players pick their Gobblers family and line up three in a row to win the game. The Gobblers have a strong appetite and can gobble up smaller Gobblers. These cute little characters will test strategy and stimulate memory. The all-wooden game has a bright, distinctive design and is earth friendly. "We plant two trees for every tree used in creating our games," Adeline Bertrix, sales manager for Blue Orange Games, told TDmonthly. Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy 2009. Launch date: February 15, 2009.

Where to Buy: Poopsie's

"Happy Accidents," the latest Billy Jonas recording, offers funky folk music for the whole family. It’s musical medicine for the mind, body and spirit — a splendiferous sonic sojourn into the near and far reaches of fun and fantasy, possibility and purpose, word-play, wonder, heart and hope. Jonas’ seventh recording and second “family” CD contains 19 songs (15 originals; four adaptations of traditional tunes) based on voice, percussion and strong, memorable melodies. "'Happy Accidents' includes Jonas’ trademark homemade 're-percussion’ drum set, as well as a glorious panoply of found sounds (rubber bands, body percussion, door squeaks, apple cider jugs), exotic kalimbas and marimbas, conventional instruments (guitars, bass, piano, banjo, accordion and tuba) and two-, three-, four-, and five-part vocal harmonies," Billy Jonas of Bang-a-Bucket Music told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 28, 2009.

This exclusive bonding adhesive will work great on most materials. Tanner's Bond Water-Based Contact Cements are non-flammable, non-toxic and low VOC. Available in a 4-oz. size, quarts and gallons, all are safe for retail consumer sales. "Due to regulation by the CPSC, TLF has developed a water-based cement line [that] is compliant in all 50 states, Canada and Europe, and ha[s] a low enough level of VOCs to be sold in CA. Our line is made exclusively for TLF and co-branded with Barge Cement," Tony Hernandez, national sales manager for Tandy Leather Factory, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2009.

This natural version of the Classic Skwish toy is made from rubberwood and has a water-based, nontoxic finish. It measures 5.5" high. Launch date: January 2009.

The Kidzsack is a high quality, multifunctional, and durable bag with a screenprint that kids can color in using the 8 provided color markers. The Sea Life Kidzsack design includes common sea creatures such as a dolphin, stingray, and octopus.

The Kidzsack is a high quality, multifunctional, and durable bag with a screenprint that kids can color in using the 8 provided color markers. The Castle Kidzsack has received the 2008 Preferred Choice Award in the Creative Activities category.

The Eco range is part of Wonderworld's collection of products designed to educate children on the importance of recycling, saving energy, and being friendly to the environment. The Eco House wooden doll house comes complete with room settings and a family. Themes include recycling, planting trees, using solar panels, bicycling and collecting rain water. All accessories are included. "Wonderworld uses only water-based paint for our wooden toys so [as] to minimize child exposure to chemicals," President Jason Cohen of Smart Gear told TDmonthly. "Wonderworld, as a strong advocate of protecting the environment, insists on using only rubber-wood that is of replenishable source and [is] widely accepted throughout the world as the environment-friendly material." Launch date: November 2008.