June 2009 New Specialty Toys — Furniture & Decor

The Wild West Bench Seat With Storage features a nostalgic western town seat back design that includes star finials, a "Good Guy" and a "Bad Guy" on horseback that spin, and a toy store with doors that open and close. Toys can be stored by lifting the bench seat or sliding the toy barn door open at the base, and driving or riding toys or animals in. The bench seat closes with a slow-closing metal safety hinge. Launch date: June 2009.

The Wild West Rocker features a "Good Guy" photo frame in the rocker seat back, where the consumer can place a 4" x 6" photo of any little dude. The top of the seat back has spinning beads, two cowboys on a horse, and a bag of money that spins. Underneath the seat is the company's signature understamp that can be used to personalize the rocker for the child. A photo greeting card is included so the child can say thank you. "Our rockers are designed as a rocker, and with fun things for children to play with and discover as they rock," Cheryl Batzing, PR director for Levels of Discovery, told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 2009.

This wrap-and-tie crib rail cover is designed to protect baby and protect cribs from teeth marks. It is lightly padded with a waterproof layer, and machine washable in soft Sherpa fleece. The product is available in solids of chocolate, natural, white, pink, blue and sage green, as well as the company's Max and Maya dot print. It may be purchased in one long piece for the front or back rails of the crib, or two short pieces for the side rails of the crib. "[It's] tie on, not Velcro, so can be knotted, which makes it difficult for a child to remove from crib," Marchelle Lyons, marketing coordinator for Trend Lab, told TDmonthly. "[The] waterproof layer prevents the chewing and drool from soaking the wood of the crib." Launch date: May 2009.

A fluffy seal lying on a fluffy cloud resting on a fluffy pillow: what could be more soothing? The backside is thick wooly fleece material and the front has a wonderful embroidered image of Mamegoma.

From the sustainably-minded Plan Toys company comes a dollhouse built with many of the latest advances in green engineering in mind. The house itself is made out of recycled rubberwood accented with safe vegetable dyes for color. It includes a retractable canopy wall made from organic cotton, a wind turbine, solar panels and recycling bins. The house is available furnished and unfurnished. Launch date: 2009.
— Plan products were named as best sellers at Green Frog Toys in Portland, Ore., in March 2009. “They’re eco-friendly and beautifully designed and made,” Owner Patricia Fiedler told TDmonthly.