February 2011 New Specialty Toys — Outdoor Fun

Cycle Flyr is a home playground ride that combines the fun of riding a bicycle with the "flying sensation" of a carousel. Kids pedal on the bicycle-style seat and are lifted into the air, rotating for as long as they keep pedaling. "There are no similar products on the market and this is a first one-of-a-kind playground/backyard ride," Michael Bishop, partner at Cycle Flyr, told TDmonthly. (Prototype Only.)

To play the thumb piano (kalimba), the musician pushes down on a key with a thumb. When the key is released, the vibration resonates in the wooden body. A thumb piano is sturdy and easy to carry, making it an easy choice for children. The 12-note thumb piano forms a diatonic scale (middle C to G, no sharps or flats). Made in the U.S.A. from sustainable native North American solid cherry, maple, or black walnut.

Discover rare glowing fluorescent minerals. Shine a UV light on these fluorescent minerals and what looks like an ordinary rock suddenly becomes a brilliant display of fluorescent color. Only 15-percent of the world's minerals are fluorescent, making for a fun challenge to go hunting for more of these rare minerals. Kit includes a portable, battery powered UV lamp, 6 fluorescent minerals that glow in beautiful colors and an information packet filled with fun experiments. Requires 4 AA batteries.

Helmtops are soft helmet decorations to style bike, skate, ski and snowboard helmets. Helmtops come in playful designs that let children and adults personalize their helmet. "Helmtops encourage children to get active in a safe way," Gregg Mastoras, owner of Helmtops, told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 - Creative Child Magazine, Seal of Excellence. Launch Date: February 2011 at Toy Fair

Easy Fill & Tie features a way to fill and tie water balloons easily, quickly and finger friendly. This kid-friendly device can screws onto an outdoor tap to enable everyone to make water balloons. Using Easy Fill & Tie, one can tie water balloons with just two fingers.
Awards: 2010 INPEX Silver Medal awards in Toy/Games, Sports, Gadgets, and Lawn/Garden categories.

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.

Weighing less than three pounds and the size of a rolled towel, the Piggyback Rider bonds parent and child in active transport that is natural and instinctive.  Rather than a seat attached to a frame or wheels, the brothers Jonny and Wayne Lifshitz designed a backpack with a shoulder mounted foot bar for a child to stand on, four integrated grab handles for a child to hold, and a safety harness to secure the child. The foot bar rests just below adult waist level, allowing the child to stand perched on the adult’s back and be engaged in active transport, rather than sit (and fall asleep). The Piggyback Rider is built strong and sturdy, made with high quality climbing buckles, webbing and a tempered aluminum bar. The foot bar has textured grip tape to ensure  traction on the shoes; the child’s harness is clipped to the adult carrier at two points and the back has a neoprene panel for comfort. The entire carrier comes in a convertible multipurpose storage bag/mudflap.

The GoCrib is a standard-size portable crib that packs into an accompanying backpack. Its rigid-inflatable-airframe technology creates a light-weight, yet strong and safe environment for children.  The total weight of the crib and backpack is 10.5 pounds.  Its side door allows the crib to morph from a safe and secure place to a fun play area as your child grows. The GoCrib is designed to set up quickly, and the included dual-action pump inflates the crib in less than a minute.  The self-inflating, insulating mattress sets itself up and protects children from the ground.