February 2010 New Specialty Toys — Musical Toys

Viewed as a good starting instrument for a future guitarist, the ukulele is a simple, small, lightweight, four-stringed instrument with a distinctively bright, Hawaiian sound. Woodstock's Ukulele is made of high-quality wood and strung with nylon. The instrument comes packaged with a pick, illustrated instructions and some first songs to play.
—  “I sold a slew of ukuleles last month,” said Dean Smith, co-owner of JaZams in Pennington, N.J., told TDmonthly in January 2010, citing sales of two dozen instruments per month.

Perhaps one of the most basic and easy instruments to play, the kazoo is played simply by humming one's favorite tune into the mouthpiece. A sheet of tissue inside the instrument buzzes against its sounding holes to create a distinctive, twangy buzz. This instrument from Trophy is made of sturdy metal and is ready to play instantly.
— Three of 48 retailers said during a January 2010 survey that kazoos are their top-selling musical item.

A 30” nylon string instrument, Hohner's Acoustic Guitar is a precisely tuned musical tool for children. The frets and tuning pegs are placed with enough care to allow for accurate intonation, and the action is low enough that a young musician just beginning to build the hand strength for complex hand positions will not be hindered by it. This starter guitar comes with one song book.
— “You can't go wrong with a guitar, it's a good staple item to have in your music section,” Genevieve Collogne, manager of The Wooden Horse in Los Gatos, Calif., told TDmonthly when asked about her best-selling musical items in January 2010.
— “Our Hohner guitar, which is a real guitar scaled for a kid's hands, is probably the best-selling one over there,” said Nishan Shepard, owner of Rockridge Kids in Oakland, Calif., in early 2010.

A 12 1/2” soprano recorder, this simple instrument from Schylling makes a good companion to school music classes teaching the recorder to children. In clear, durable plastic and an assortment of bright colors, the recorder comes with a cleaning rod as well as instructions printed on the box. 
— “We go through a lot,” remarked Priscilla Moore, owner of Mr. Fub’s Party in Yellow Springs, Ohio, of her recorders and other instruments from Schylling in early 2010.
— Four of 48 retailers told TDmonthly during a January 2010 survey that recorders are their most-wanted musical item.
— "We sell a lot of them in September or October. After that, it's hit or miss," said Lou Metri, owner of Joggen Your Noggin in Monroe, Conn. He sells about about 40 or 50 per year.

MusiColor turns color into music via an innovative music player and coloring discs. To produce a song, such as “Old McDonald,” children simply follow the coloring guide and color a disc with the included markers. When placed on the player, the fully colored picture of Old McDonald will produce a pitch-perfect rendition of the song. In addition to 14 template discs, MusiColor also includes five blank Create-a-Song discs for more open-ended play.
— Bridgette of The Experimental Mommy called MusiColor a reinvention of coloring; by providing a reason to color within the lines, it fosters patience and attention to detail. Though some reviewers felt the detailed template discs were too difficult for younger children, Rob of Look What Mom Found felt that MusiColor’s greatest strength is its adaptability to a wide age range thanks to the blank discs kids can use to create their own colorful compositions.

Little kids can Pollywolly doodle all day on this wooden banjo

WebRappers are the ambassadors of health, wellness and happiness for children of all ages, from diapers to Depends. WebRappers celebrates life's special moments from birthdays to retirement, plus encourages healthy eating habits and drinking responsibly. Not only do the plush toys rap and record, but they also wrap around wrists, gifts, cribs, vitamins, bottles, ankles, etc. The WebRappers website features hundreds of musical greetings and genres in multiple languages to choose from for friends and family. Launch date: February 14, 2010.

A smaller version of the Chimalong, the Mini Chimalong comes attached to an illustrated full-color spiral-bound songbook that can be propped up for both the player and the singers to read their parts simultaneously. It folds into a traveling toy.

Big empty spice nut shells sound like falling water. The Spice Nut Shaker measures 11" and is made in Indonesia.

Kids can feed Melody, listen to her heart, trim her nails, and give her lots of cuddles. The excitement begins when your child opens the pet carrier door and hears Melody's playful theme song. Plush puppy and all accessories store easily inside. "The Pet Care Center incorporates the Baby Genius principle of music as a core learning tool to engage and encourage children to communicate, connect, discover, and use their imaginations to express themselves," John Russel, of RUSSEL Public Relations, told TDmonthly. Awards: The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval 2009, The Toy Insider Best Toddler Toys for the 2009 Holiday Season 2009 and Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products 2009. Launch date: August 2009.

Chicco’s award-winning Music ‘N Play Table features a reversible table packed with engaging activities designed to help your baby learn through play. The electronic side includes a piano with large colorful keys, flashing lights, and fun melodies. There are 3 piano playing modes, 8 electronic tunes, and 4 different instrument sounds. The table also includes 8 ‘Bugs & Bees’ activities that target multiple skills that are important for your baby to develop. If you flip the table over, you’ll find a building block base to build on using the 10 included building blocks.

This MP3 player, available in several styles, lights up to beat of the music. Kids can download their favorite songs and auto-synch them with Mix Central software and online Mix Central download store, where they can also buy TV shows and music videos. The player has a 2GB memory to hold 1,000 songs, supports by MP3 and SD cards, and includes a rechargeable battery, software, a lanyard, ear buds, a USB cable and a guide. It comes with a one-year warranty. Launch date: Summer 2009.

Designed for wannabe DJs, this digital music system allows kids to record samples, demo mash-ups and mix and match loops. A online site allows kids to start a collection of tracks and special effects as they create their own beats.

This 37-key wind piano produces a professional, rich tone with a full three-octave range (37 piano keys) and a tonal range from F through F. Includes a specially designed mouthpiece and deluxe carrying case.The sweet-sounding Melodica is so easy to play that many educators use it for teaching the rudiments of harmony, chord formation, theory, and for choral work. You can play chords and single notes, sharps and flats just like a piano, but within a smaller range. It's portable, inexpensive and fun — perfect for camping or travel.