May 2011 New Specialty Toys — Pretend Play

The Classic Princess Dress is made of velvet stretch material, has a lace up ribbon corset with flowers and comes with a matching head wrap. This dress is available in either Pink & Fuchsia (PA105F) or Pink & blue (PA105B) in sizes (S) small, (M) medium & (L) large. It's an "Affordable, High-Quality dress," Rachel Scharfman, brand marketing manager at Almar Sales, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.

Playspaces come in a decorative envelope but become a 3-D play scene. Two sturdy interlocking boards create four areas to populate with pop-out characters with stands. The reclosable envelope measures 9-3/4 x 15" and has a string closure. 100% recycled paper is used for the product greyboard. Playspaces are designed for children ages four and older. They have small parts, and are a choking hazard for children under 3 years of age.
Awards: A Dr. Toy Best Green Product for 2011

Vacations are fun and exciting, but when day turns to night, being in an unfamiliar, dark environment can be scary. Read Bedtime on Safari to learn about how relaxing lights and familiar sounds can comfort kids and show them that there’s nothing to fear in the dark. Set features a fully illustrated book that helps children overcome their fear of the dark. Includes two fun finger puppets (Twilight Turtle and Gentle Giraffe). Gift box transforms into an interactive puppet theater with fully illustrated Safari scene. Gift set lets children play while they learn. Launch date: 2011.

This size-flexible dress is made of heavy satin and embroidered brocade. Encourages creative play. Fully machine washable.
— In a December 2011 survey about best selling Halloween items, seven out of 12 retailers named Creative Education as their best selling brand of costumes.

This kit comes with four tiaras waiting to be decorated. Girls follow a simple numbered legend and stick over 900 sparkling tiles and jewel pieces to create a beautiful set of jeweled tiaras. Each of these tiara's come with its own special colored over-sized jewel. "Not just a craft, this kit results in four tiara's to be used for open-ended and imaginative play.  Every girl loves being a little princess, and with four different tiara's to choose from, this craft goes from art project to dress-up fun," Stephanie Carver, from The Orb Factory, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2011.

With Sticky Mosaics Crowns of Kings boys decorate 6 different kingly crowns, all based on actual historical crowns. By following a simple numbered legend, boys stick more than  1300 sparkling tiles and jewel pieces onto the different crowns to recreate monarchies past. This kit also comes with an educational booklet featuring historical information on each individual crown. "Looking for a craft for a boys birthday party?  Sticky Mosaics Crowns of Kings comes with 6 different crowns and is perfect for all your little royals!  This quality craft kit is sure to entertain a group of boys as they make the crowns and then play with the finished products," Stephanie Carver, from The Orb Factory, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2011.

A delightful combination of wooden and felt pieces that have been graphically-enhanced to help youngsters pull of a pretend healthy lunch. Educo does it again with silk-screen graphics on the veggie and fruit pieces that fit with lettuce and cheese in felt to tuck in a whole wheat pita pocket. Just what the new food pyramid suggests. Launch date: February 2011.