March 2009 New Specialty Toys — Gifts

Made with high-quality blue board that gives the puzzle edges a finished look, this 399-piece family jigsaw puzzle completes to 17.25" X 26.5". It is made in the USA with 100-percent recycled fibers, soy-based inks, water-based coating and recyclable bagging material. With the family puzzles, children work from the side of the puzzle with the large pieces while adults work from the side with the small pieces. They meet in the middle when the puzzle is complete. Launch date: January 20, 2009.

Measuring just six centimeters long, each battery operated HEXBUG Crab is loaded with robotic intelligence. The six-legged creature feels its way around while sensing objects in its path and avoiding them. Users interact with the bug by tripping the sound sensor with a hand clap or loud noise, which sends it crawling off in a new direction. Launch date: September 29, 2008.

AmeriTales uses fantasy-adventure stories to introduce children to American history. In this tale, the legendary story of young Amelia Earhart building her own roller coaster is depicted. The spunky Amelia battles prairie winds and outdated traditions for girls to make her roller coaster dream come true. This childhood misadventure shows kids how Amelia grew up to become a famous aviator. Launch date: July 2008.

The tea set is decorated with a duck dressed with a bonnet and a drape and fits neatly inside a medium-sized hamper basket.

Packaged in a sturdy, pink round hat box, this tea set includes a teapot, 4 teacups and coasters, and cloth napkins.

This tea set for four comes neatly packaged inside a large hamper basket. The lid of the basket carries the plates, while the remainder of the set is nestled safely in a soft, black protective base.

This children's tea set comes with a teapot, cups, coasters, and plates decorated with images of fairies interacting with flowers.

Cart-Stopper offers a new level of safety in grocery-store parking lots by reducing the risk of child injury and vehicle damage related to "run-away" shopping carts. Cart-Stopper is extremely effective, is easy to use and is compact in design, storing easily in a purse, diaper bag or glove compartment.

Flying Wish Paper is a wishing kit for birthdays, holidays, weddings ... anything from a prayer meeting to a bachelorette party. Just write a wish on the special paper, shape it into a tube, and light the top. The wish burns down and, at the last second, dramatically rises into the sky. Write it, light it, watch it fly! It comes with 50 sheets of Flying Wish Paper, 25 platform cards, pencils, matches and instructions. Launch date: August 8, 2008.

Comet® The Fast Path to Learning - Family Edition is an exciting and stimulating game based on spelling. The Family Game offers the best knowledge in Science, Geography, History, Health and much more. Based on multiple choice answers, choose the correct word, spell the word, state the number of vowels…win a Bonus Card. Roll the dice, everyone has a chance to win! Launch date: August 8, 2008.

The Marine Life Grow-a-Head assortment includes goldfish, crab, penguin, leopard and tiger styles. Kids just add water and watch them grow "hair," or grass. It's a "great educational tool with info about plant biology, seed germination and more," Lori Wrubel, national sales manager for Sourcing International LLC, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2009.

These personalized, fun retro boxes come in 12 boy and 12 girl designs. Custom designs are available on request. The boxes measures approximately 8" x 7" x 4". Each has a waterproof vinyl label. Launch date: August 3, 2008.

The Wildlife Animals Grow-A-Head Collection includes five styles: parrot, elephant, panda, leopard and tiger. Kids can just add water and watch them grow. Launch date: 2009.

Picture Pockets are inexpensive hanging photo/artwork display galleries that have proved incredibly popular with children and adults alike, for many years, all over the world. Kids love seeing themselves in photos on the wall and seeing their artwork, placed by their teachers. Picture Pockets can be hung in nurseries, kitchens, bedrooms, offices and schools, and used to record happy events, such as births, weddings, holidays, anniversaries or retirements. "Picture Pocket photos are kept clean and undamaged, continually on display, and are easily interchangeable. As soon as you fancy a change, just turn the Picture Pocket over to reveal up to 80 more photos," Director Jon Goldsmith of Clever Little Ideas Ltd., told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2008.

This high-quality, framed nursery art makes for a personalized keepsake. Launch date: 2004.

This 15-piece set includes a serving tray, teapot, four plates, four saucers and four cups.
— "They offer good dating and reasonable amounts," Owner Katie Frederick of The Wooden Rainbow in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said of Schylling in fall 2008. Thirteen percent of 52 retailers named Schylling as a preferred supplier.
— The Schylling Children’s Tea Set was listed as a best seller by Candace Gooch, owner of At Once All Agog in Limerick, Maine, in spring 2009. “I love the fact that it looks like Fiesta Ware (for girls or boys),” she said. “It is a nice size, and easy to handle … even dads or grandfathers can pick up a tea cup with their big hands, but they need to learn to sip and not gulp.”

One of 10 new breeds of ultra soft, floppy pups with realistic features, more poseability, and fine detail.
— Kelly Ratoff, manager of Kennebunk Toy Co., in Kennebunk, Me., says the store sells approximately 36 to 40 Douglas stuffed dogs per month.

Quilti Dogs and Horses are a bouquet of fresh, new color to enhance a room, give as a gift, or carry in your backpack as a pal...Two sizes, Two styles.  Fanfare Horse comes in multiple prints and two sizes. Minty Mini Quilti Dog (Lil' Buds) comes in multiple prints and two sizes.

This kit comes complete with art pages and markers for designing and drawing a keepsake calendar featuring a child's favorite pet(s). Components of the 11" x 17" wall calendar can be submitted online or through the mail, and then it will be laser reproduced within two to three weeks.

CYCLE-OPOLY shows that a bicycle is more than just a pedal-and-chain-driven, human-powered vehicle with two wheels — it’s one of the greatest inventions of all time and it’s a whole lot of fun. Even on a rainy day, players can go exploring. "The board includes every style of bike imaginable along with some of the country’s greatest rides," Carla Miller of Late for the Sky told TDmonthly. "The six, 100-percent lead-free pewter custom tokens for CYCLE-OPOLY feature a sprocket, bike horn, water bottle, bike helmet, cycling shoe and, of course, a bicycle." Launch date: August 14, 2008.

This mega gift basket includes the following: a Kids Rule! ruler, Bumblebee Scissors, a Turtle Flashlight, an Easy Writer, a Dragonfly Whistle, Glow in the Dark Spiders, Waikiki Sunglasses, a wind-up caterpillar, wind-up bugs and a magnifying glass. Launch date: 2008.

This fun gift basket for boys includes the following: a velour, reversible dog-and-cat hat, baby keys, a blue picture block, a puppy crinkler and a mother-and-baby-lamb toy that plays "Imagine." This gift basket is only available to consumers via the Rich Frog website; individual items are available at wholesale prices. Launch date: 2008.

Mix and match your empty favorite beverage bottles to make this personalized lamp. Your glass recyclables will be glowing in no time. The lamp is packaged in a gift box.

A trash bin that is always happy to serve you. Includes a cleverly designed lid to hide away the rubbish. Size approx. 11"H x 8.5"W (at top)