February 2011 New Specialty Toys — General Toys

Among the sand and glitter in the I Spy Wonder Tubes are I Spy pictures. Find the floating pictures in the tube to answer the I Spy riddle/rhymes. There are three different sets of riddles and five different colors to collect. "The I Spy Wonder Tubes are unique because they feature the I Spy images AND I Spy riddles," Carol Comes, senior product manager at Briarpatch Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2011.

In this simulation of a real paleontology fossil dig, children dig for a fossilized shark tooth, brachiopod shell, gastropod shell, and “squid” shell. These real, millions of years old fossils are enclosed in a “brick” and are revealed by using the supplied scraping and brush tools (similar to what real paleontologists use). Young paleontologists then take a closer look at these fossils with the enclosed magnifying glass and learn about each fossil using the provided fun fact cards. "This is a unique fossil dig in that there are 4 real fossils embedded in each brick," Esther Novis, president of The Young Scientists Club, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.

Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists on a wild ride with the Magic School Bus as they explore the world around them with a microscope. Young Scientists learn about the history of the microscope, explore the different parts of a microscope, and discover how to use a microscope. Young Scientists make slides of water droplets, plant parts, textile fibers, all kinds of paper, crystals, and more. This investigative bus-shaped kit comes with a microscope, blank slides, cover slips, tweezers, collecting vial, 20 colorful experiment cards, prepared slides of fungi and algae, and a data notebook to record observations. "The Magic School Bus is a very popular brand that is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. This microscope kit uses the characters from the popular books to get the kids excited about the microscopic world around them," Esther Novis, president of The Young Scientists Club, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2011.

Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists on a wild ride with the Magic School Bus as they explore the field of chemistry. Young Scientists make sticky ice, use litmus paper, measure pH, perform chromatography, make bubble sculptures, wake-up fungus, create slime, form a bouncy ball, learn about density, produce a milk rainbow, plate copper, explode a volcano, and more. This bus-shaped kit comes packed with science components, 51 colorful experiment cards and a data notebook to record observations. "The Magic School Bus is a very popular brand and is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. This bus-shaped kit is unique in that it is a lab in a bus! It comes with 51 instructions cards which provides hours of science fun," Esther Novis, president of The Young Scientists Club, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2011.

Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists on a wild ride by jumping into electricity. Young Scientists generate lightning bolts, use anti-static sheets, make cereal dance, bend a water stream, create static hair, construct an electric circuit, build a light switch, experiment with insulators and conductors, design electric games, and more. This kit comes with a colorful circuit board holder. "The Magic School Bus brand is a very popular brand and is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Our Magic School Bus line has great manuals that engage Young Scientists into the exciting science experiments that are explored in each kit," Esther Novis, president of The Young Scientists Club, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.

Creative Whack’s newest product is both a challenging puzzle and a creativity toy. Star-Balls's 32 magnetic pieces can be rearranged in countless different ways. Polarity dots help you reassemble the star shape by combining the 5-legged stars with the 3-legged "tri" pieces. Star-Ball pieces can also be combined with the award-winning Ball of Whacks for even more creative possibilities. "The geometry of Star-Ball embodies the golden ratio found in mathematics, art, and nature," Lynn Araujo, communications director of the Creative Whack Company, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2011.

DoodleMark™ allows children and parents to interact with books together. Whether practicing sight words, working on vocabulary, learning to write letters, bookmarking their progress or just doodling a funny picture, this product is designed to help build a child's confidence in their reading and writing. It can be used as a classroom tool, at home to reinforce what's being taught in school, and as an incentive for reluctant readers. "DoodleMark is the world's only bookmark and drawing pad that clips to a book," Jennifer Kendra, VP sales and marketing at ReMarkable Reading Concepts, told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2010.

Throw, glide, and catch. The red and yellow Hand-Launch Glider "Extreme Team" provides an opportunity to have fun while being active outdoors. Made with an ultra-light material, this stable glider can even be used to play catch. The Hand-Launch Glider also comes with a Playmobil pilot. Dimensions: 18.1 x 19.7 inches (L x Wingspan). Recommended for ages six to ten. Suggested Retail Price: $19.99. Warning. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.
— In a November 2013 survey, two out of 10 retailers told TDmonthly that Playmobil Gliders are a best-selling flying toy.

Travel to incredible places in this plush locomotive with three jungle friends. Don't forget to change their places from time to time so they can see all the views. Velcro allows child to switch the three animals between the locomotive's two windows and nose. Also included is a canvas carrying tote. Made of Polyester Fiber. Surface wash, air dry.

This playset features everything needed for a piggie fashion show. The stage has working lights and sounds, an extendable catwalk with a rotating platform, and an interactive piggy starlet with a collection of chic fashion accessories.

This Foxtail breaks the sound barrier every time you throw it. Whistles lodged in the leather-covered soft sponge ball shriek as it whizzes through the air.

Duncan Toys introduces the Metal Drifter yo-yo, featuring a ball bearing axle for long sleep times, and an aircraft aluminum body. Included is a collectible counterweight, to attach to the string for Duncan's patented Freehand style of play where the yo-yo isn't attached to the players hand. "Metal Drifter takes competition yo-yo tricks to a new level," Brandon Jackson, National Sales & Marketing Coordinator for Duncan Toys, told TDmonthly.

These sheds offer Thomas & Friends™ HO scale locomotives a place of their own after a full day’s work on the Island of Sodor. Five bays and a manually operated turntable keep engines ready for new adventures.