February 2010 New Specialty Toys — All

Bright and colourful building blocks made from lightweight bamboo. The blocks are printed with various abstract designs which encourage creativity and imaginative play. Particularly suited for child hands, they can be very easily built on top of each other.
— "Fresh off winning the Toy Innovation Award at the 2010 Nuremberg Toy Fair, Hape has introduced these really big colorful hollow, bamboo construction blocks. Painted with water based paint, the blocks are big and easy for little hands to manipulate," Joe Mitchell, owner of YoYo Joe's Toys & Fun, told TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.

Bubber feels light as air and fluffy as a cloud. It's so light that it actually floats on water. Discover the joy of carving in a soft compound that leaves clean, sharp lines and amazing imprints. Bubber is non-toxic, leaves no stain or residue and never dries out, so you can play with it over and over. Watch Bubber: Top-5 Video, Toy Fair 2010
— "We came upon it today for the first time and ordered it promptly. The basic bucket sells for about $12.99 and comes in several colors," Joe Mitchell, owner of YoYo Joe's Toys & Fun, told TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.

In this two-player game, each participant starts with 12 cubes and proceeds to make a crossword. The first to finish with no cubes remaining yells "Zip!" and, on the bag that holds the pieces, moves his zipper to indicate a point. Players exchange six cubes at the end of each round, to keep their letter hands unpredictable. It can be played in as little as 20 seconds and is designed for take-along play on a plane. The game comes with the Weords mini dictionary. Launch date: spring/summer 2010.

Box-O-Mania puts a modern twist on the traditional cardboard box - the inspiration behind imaginative play and creative learning without complicated instructions and power charges. Inspired by this timeless toy, Box-O-Mania play boxes and specially-designed reusable stickers provide kids with the creative space in which they can use their fantasy through a variety of themes: a fire station, a beauty salon, a home, a clubhouse and more. Made of lightweight, yet sturdy corrugated plastic, Box-O-Mania play boxes offer more than twelve square feet of interior space for up to three children; they are easy to assemble, convenient to transport and store away.
— "My daughter is going to love this one. Fun, interactive child sized houses made from correlated plastic panels that velcro easily together. Available in 4 colors and several different themes. Use dry erase markers or the included sticker collection to decorate and personalize. When your done, wipe it off and start anew. Great for imaginative play," Jennifer Shuman, of 1SmartNoodle, told TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.

Now whenever your Little Picasso has the urge to be brilliant, this 20 piece art organizer will keep their mess to a minimum. The Little Picasso Art Kit is a fun and easy way to keep pencils, markers and other art supplies neatly packed to take along to school, car rides, vacation or out for the day. With a place to embroider, this art set is one of kind and a zipper pouch keeps their little knickknacks handy too. Size: folded 4.75" h X 8" w X 1.5 d unfolded 8" h X 18.5" w. Includes 8 markers, 8 colored pencils, 1 pencils sharpener, 1 glitter glue pen, and 1 pair of safety scissors.
— "Little Picasso Art Kits and Chalk N Doodles...Beautiful fabric and clever design make these kits more special than ordinary art supplies. Perfect for home or on the go," Marlene England of Dancing Bear Toys & Gifts, told TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.

FISHER-PRICE follows up its remote controlled Imaginext Spike the Ultra Dinosaur with the elusive yet irresistible Imaginext Bigfoot the Monster. Kids command Bigfoot with a foot-shaped remote, making him walk, flip, and express emotions. With just the press of a button, Bigfoot roars, snores, talks, eats, works out, and throws his ball. Launch date: June 2010.
— As of 1.07.2011 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars on Target.com and was listed as one of the site's bestsellers. Pros: Durable; Interactive; Entertaining.

The classic Ant Farm gets an update from a galaxy far, far away. Kids can watch live ants dig and tunnel beneath two Star Wars planet landscapes from Season 2 of “The Clone Wars,” Geonosis and Felucia. The Ant Farms are connectable, break-resistant and escape-proof. Clean tunneling sand and clear connector tubing are included; just mail in the coupon for live harvester ants and let the digging begin.

“That’s no moon; it’s the Death Star Planetarium.” This tabletop Death Star opens up into a planetary projector to display the cosmos on a bedroom ceiling. Kids can choose to view a map of the worlds that make up the Star Wars galaxy, or view the Earth’s own night sky.

“The Clone Wars” characters come to life with the Holographic Animation Lab. Kids can learn about animation, persistence of vision, and the principles of a zoetrope, an invention that is nearly 2,000 years old. The Animation Lab comes with 10 animation disks — one side has characters from “The Clone Wars” and the other side is blank to create unique moving pictures.

The Clone Trooper Recon Kit helps kids find bugs and more, using the included tools — a soil sifter, a magnifier and a special reconnaissance tool. They can even explore in the dark with the built-in searchlight. Once an interesting life form has been found, the kit transforms to an insect viewer to examine the specimen.

Children discover the science of light and optics as they build their own miniature, 8.25”-long version of the lightsaber used by Anakin Skywalker. A choice of four different colored crystals customizes the lightsaber. There are two lenses (focusing and wide-angle) to demonstrate the principles of optics.

The final challenge in becoming a Jedi Knight is to build one’s own lightsaber. With the Remote Controlled Lightsaber Room Light, young Padawans can construct their own Jedi lightsaber and mount their creation as a room light on the wall. Eight color effects let kids personalize their lightsaber, and a wireless remote control turns the light on and off. During construction, kids learn about the electronics that make a lightsaber work.

R/C Snake is more than 20” long and slithers along any hard smooth surface. It has light-up eyes and a segmented body. Launch date: Summer 2010.

The skeleton of an extinct T-Rex has been discovered and kids can carefully remove each bone from the dig site while learning facts about dinosaurs. When users touch the sides of the pit, the T-Rex will roar, forcing the loss of a turn. The goal is to collect the most bones and win. Launch date: Summer 2010.

Star Theater 3 is an updated design of the No. 1 selling home planetarium in the world. Kids watch as hundreds of stars and constellations are projected onto the ceiling and walls. It features a CD with a guided audio tour of the night sky and Stellarium interactive astronomy software. It's designed to feel like being in a real planetarium. Launch date: Summer 2010.

This six-pack of 2-oz. paints includes creamy colors created with Mayan mineral earth pigments. The natural paints are free from chemical dyes and are washable with soap and water.

This pack includes eight vibrant shades of rock-shaped crayons designed for shading and blending.

This all-natural, crumble-free dough comes in a three-pack of 4-oz. containers holding strawberry-, lemon-, and lime-scented dough shaded with turmeric, carmine and spinach. It's designed to last for more than a year when sealed in the container.
— "Natural Modeling Dough and Natural Soy Crayons...Love the natural ingredients, clean eye-catching packaging, and price points," Marlene England of Dancing Bear Toys & Gifts, told TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.

Using the two captivating books included in CHESS: Once A Pawn A Time, this kit is designed to help children enjoy learning and playing chess. The endearing chess characters and story-book style are created to engage them in the game. "This imaginative approach to teaching chess was developed by author Patzi Stewart over her 20 years as a chess teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. The box opens so that customers can examine the books and understand the uniqueness of this chess product prior to purchase," Rachael Norman, Sales, Norman & Globus, Inc., told TDmonthly. Awards: 2010 Dr. Toy Best Toys Award. Launch date: February 15, 2010.

Russ Berrie's Luvvies plush collecton features nearly three dozen animal designs, including popular dog and cat breeds, as well as jungle and farm animals and a grouping of dinosaurs and mythical creatures. The 6" colorful plush characters are crafted of Luster Silk plush material and are surface washable. Launch date: 2010.

These bright, eye-catching flip cover designs are created to make revisiting the past more fun than ever before. "The lenticular flip front covers flip from one colorful image to another," Leslie Montalbano, Prepress Manager, ISCREAM, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 4, 2010.
THIS PRODUCT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE

With these cool stationery books, kids just write it, seal it and send it. It includes 40 full-color letters and matching stickers. "Our designs are hip and fun," Leslie Montalbano, Prepress Manager, ISCREAM, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 4, 2010.
THIS PRODUCT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE

The super-soft fleece is gentle for baby's sensitive skin and the colors are bright and stimulating. One can bring out a child's imagination with these semi-abstract characters. There are five characters in all, and they range from 4" to 9" tall, so they can be effortlessly packed into a diaper bag or purse. Their size also makes them easy for little ones to handle. "Muddy Cloud is a character-driven line featuring bright colors and abstract shapes. Most uniquely, the characters have no prescribed storylines, inviting children to become the storyteller with their ever-precious creative imagination," Matt Anaya, Owner Muddy Cloud, LLC, told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2008.

Kids can dress up lockers and other magnetic surfaces with these magnets available in attention-grabbing flip and motion designs. Launch date: January 4, 2010.
THIS PRODUCT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE