May 2010 New Specialty Toys — School Supplies

The Little D backpack is made of 100-percent polyester, with mesh lining and a PU black accent piece on the front flap. It includes an iPod holder, bottle holder and cell phone holder, along with two zipper pockets and one Velcro pocket. The backpack can also be used as a tote. It is "light weight, but still stylish and functional," Diaper Dude Administrative Assistant Stephanie Moore told TDmonthly.

The Little D backpack is made of 100-percent polyester, with mesh lining and a PU black accent piece on the front flap. It includes an iPod holder, bottle holder and cell phone holder, along with two zipper pockets and one Velcro pocket. The backpack can also be used as a tote. It is "light weight, but still stylish and functional," Diaper Dude Administrative Assistant Stephanie Moore told TDmonthly.

The Hydroponics Lab gives a 360 degree view of growing plants, revealing the hidden magic of plant roots with no soil required. This set of three growing tubes is a mess-free way to explore hydroponics. Transparent seed baskets provide a few seedlings growing both up and down.

Developed by an occupational therapist, Pathquest aims to strengthen eye-hand coordination and visual perception through four different quests, with a total of 12 adventures.

Developed by an occupational therapist to improve hand strength and coordination, these stenciling activities are designed to teach the young learner to find the proper shape among similar shapes to develop visual discrimination and visual form constancy. Children will also learn to place the shapes in the correct orientation in order to strengthen visual spatial relationship and closure skills. Working with the stencil encourages good hand strength and bilateral coordination.

Snip It! is designed to help young children learn proper scissor skills. Snipping and cutting activities can help develop a child’s eye-hand coordination, adherence to visual boundaries and paper stabilization skills. Awards: 2010 NAPPA Gold.

The pencil grasp trainer is designed to target and activate the proper muscles for writing. It's created for both left- and right-handed writers to improve handwriting and decrease hand fatigue. The patented ergonomic grip was designed and tested by an occupational therapist with finger guard and unique angles to place and hold fingers in the proper position. It is non toxic and latex free.

Fun and practical, Tee Juice Broad Line markers let users make broad, bold strokes yet are soft to the touch. Kids can paint on fabric without the mess and hassle of paintbrushes and open bottles of paint.  Teens can use these markers to express themselves by writing messages or drawing images on t-shirts.  They are great for coloring in large blocks of color when using Fineliner or Medium Point Tee Juice Fabric Marking Pens. The markers come in eight colors, open stock and two boxed sets.

$3.99 (individual markers) and $14.99 (4 marker boxed set)

This children's lunchbox combines style and function for kids, parents and the environment. Each Deluxe lunchbox includes a custom-fit ice pack, two small round containers suitable for sides and snacks, and one large container big enough to pack a whole sandwich or leftovers. Lunchbox handles are made of a soft rubber material and can be repositioned anywhere along the outside of the lunchbox to carry it vertically or horizontally, or clip it to a backpack. Each Yubo lunchbox is dishwasher-safe and comes with a designer faceplate set of two prints that can be swapped out for personalization. Faceplate sets are durable, water-proof, and tear-proof. Additional food containers and designer faceplate sets are sold separately. Cyndi Pedrazzi, Founder of Kinsco LLC, told TDmonthly, "Yubo's unique changeable faceplates allows kids to update the look of their lunchbox as often as they'd like. Kids can personalize faceplates with their name, upload photos or even their own artwork!"

The adventure scenarios in this game are the actual journeys of such explorers as Marco Polo, Nansen, Scott, Drake and Cook. Players pick a journey, make preparations, assemble crews and venture forth together, each handling different aspects of the expedition. The package includes an 18" x 22" world map board, dice, a land and sea log of adventures, money, crew cards and assorted charts. Jim Deacove, president of Family Pastimes, told TDmonthly this product is "an educational eye-opener about the life of explorers — a good family and classroom game."

In this game, the seven pieces start as an ink blot to be carefully rearranged to make animals, faces, letters, numbers, birds, ships, and more. A booklet of 60 silhouetted shapes to try is included, as well as rules for a cooperative game. It can be played alone or in a group. President of Family Pastimes Jim Deacove told TDmonthly this product is "for the clever, the imaginative, the creative!"

Early Years are four cooperative card games for the younger ages. Each game is designed to nurture and encourage a blend of close observation, communication, imagination, and some academic, social and memory skills in a non-threatening, self-esteem-building atmosphere. The pack includes four sets of 35 cards each: a “domino” word game, an animal memory game, a number/math skills game, and a storytelling game. Jim Deacove, president of Family Pastimes, told TDmonthly Early Years is "a big bargain with lots of play value, and just plain fun to play! Special group game rules are included for accommodating as many as 36 players."

In this game, children work together to solve world and human problems presented in a simplified way. Players are divided into simulated social groups (tribes, nations, etc.). Each group gets World Problem Cards and a share of Solution Cards. Through discussion, trade agreements and world councils, the players try to solve all the problems facing them. The debriefing session at the end allows for everyone to learn from each other. Together includes two decks of cards, grouping tokens and rules for teacher preparation, interaction and final evaluation. Launch date: 1971.

In this game, six "Nations" must solve internal affairs without creating conflicts within their own borders. As the game progresses, hot spots can develop — and by game’s end several or all of the Nations may be at war. The game is then lost. Each Nation creates a balanced territory so that a balanced world results in which population does not exceed land and resources and work is available for everyone. On the religious, cultural and political side, all sectors are also in balance with no particular sector dominating another. The key to achieving this balance is Right Education, in which intelligence and compassion are nurtured. How well the players use Right Education and deploy the other factors within their borders while making trades to assist each other across borders will determine the degree of success in establishing firm and lasting peace in our time. The game includes six nation charts, two sets of cards (110 total) consisting of population, land/resources, work/technology, religion/culture, politics/military and right education, one die, and rules of play. Launch date: 2006.

These tie dye bags come in more than 12 assorted colors and many different appliques such as heart, peace signs, smiley face, etc. Each bag also comes with a free necklace. VP of TOP TRENZ Jamie Glassberg told TDmonthly, "Most backpacks are not fashionable as these!" Launch date: May 2010.

The ErgoSleek is the PenAgain with a polished aluminum and metal underbody that provides the perfect weight to a pen. The hand-painted body comes in four stylish high gloss colors. The pen features a subtle twist mechanism to open and close the cap, along with a laser engraved clip.

Along with enhancements like a pocket clip, retractable cap, easier refilling and more streamlined ergonomics, the Ergosof PenAgain is also finished with a soft rubber coating that adds extra comfort and style. All Ergosof pens come with two additional black refills. Available in red, silver, blue and black.

The original PenAgain includes features such as a pocket clip, retractable cap, easier refill replacement along with streamlined ergonomics. Comes with a translucent top and clear bottom. Available in purple, red, blue and green. ($4.99 for 3 pack).

This fully insulated preschool lunch box has an easy to wipe clean interior. Kids can enjoy wearing it as a backpack or it can be carried with the padded carrying handle. Launch date: 2010.

These animal erasers have removable puzzle parts so they can be taken off and reassembled. The animal collection includes elephants, panda bears, a giraffe, a cow and a pig.
— "Over the course of the last year, it was 500 to 1,000 units per week," Gage Brownell of Belmont Toys in Belmont, Mass., told TDmonthly in March 2010 about his store's sales of Iwako erasers.
— BC USA Erasers were on the top-10 best-seller list at Jillie Beans Toys & More in Westminster, Colo., in April 2010, reported Owner Valerie Elsea. “Tweeny girls and boys love them and they are easy to collect,” she told TDmonthly. “They’ve been selling well since the fall of [2009].”
— Gwen Bowden, manager of Doodlehopper 4 Kids in Springfield, Va., told TDmonthly in a Summer 2011 survey that her best-selling collectibles are "Japanese erasers. We sell some every day - about 100 per month."

With talkatoo™ parents can share a little love with their kids whenever they're apart and wherever they go. Talkatoo™ voice recordable pendants let kids and their parents record and share sweet notes, helpful reminders or encouraging words so they can feel more connected when they’re not together. They come with six different fun designs — some for boys, some for girls and even some for moms. They can be worn as a necklace or clipped to a backpack, lunchbox, belt loop, etc. Launch date: May 31, 2010.

Quadrilateral Pieces is a geometry puzzle. Kids of all ages can improve their spatial sense as they rotate, turn and flip the pieces to construct five different quadrilaterals. "Teachers and students will love it because students can use the puzzle to help them remember what they learn about different types of quadrilaterals," Mary Kay Bacallao, President, Learning by Design, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2010.

This 24-pack of collectible, glow-in-the-dark rubber bands features the following shapes in various colors: Captain Jack the Pirate, Petey the Parrot, Crossbones, Pirate Ship, Anchor and Sword. These bands are designed to be worn around the wrist and traded. When not in use, they bounce back to their original shape.

2pc novelty book mark set. Each set includes a 4.5" bookmark with matching 3.5" bookmark. Available in cute character designs.