June 2009 New Specialty Toys — Gifts

Part of the Wrapped Wishes series, these secret swivel boxes open to reveal a heartfelt sentiment inside, “Christmas brings out the child in all of us." The product is hand painted and includes a G.DeBrekht-branded, satin-lined presentation box. Launch date: 2006.

Santa is on his way by train to deliver gifts and merriment to the nearby village. The Christmas tree rotates while Santa’s train rocks up and down. This hand-painted piece displays the G.DeBrekht signature style. Owners can wind the key at the bottom and it plays the tune “Winter Wonderland." It is limited to 1,500 pieces worldwide. Launch date: 2008.

This Snowman’s face is designed to be filled with an unforgettable expression of love, happiness and celebration. He holds two birds as symbol of care and friendship. All artwork painting is done freehand in museum quality, and the decorative strokes may be noted under a magnifying glass. It includes a G.DeBrekht-branded, satin-lined presentation box and is limited to 900 pieces worldwide. Launch date: 2009.

This smiling Nutcracker sculpture is hand-painted and abundantly adorned with warm winter villages on his cap, sparkling snowflakes and twinkling stars. He cradles a bird friend in one hand and a bugle in the other. It includes a G.DeBrekht-branded, satin-lined presentation box and is limited to 900 pieces worldwide. Launch date: 2009.

This Santa in an airplane figurine is also a secret box. Owners just turn the propeller to unlock the box in the tail section of the plane. It features decorative hand-painting with detailed ornaments, a jovial expression on Santa’s face, and distinctive carving. The product is limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide. Launch date: 2008.

This Santa in a car figurine is also a distinctive secret box. Owners just lift the front hood of the car to unlock the secret box and hide their treasures. It features rich, decorative painting with detailed ornaments, a jovial expression on Santa’s face, and distinctive carving. The hand-painted product is limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide. Launch date: 2008.

This two-story house comes with attic windows that tilt, an extendable marquee, a garden and a grill, plus four figures. The house has a functioning door bell and two AAA batteries are required. Dimensions are 26" L x 16.9" W x 18.8" H inches (L x W x H). Recommended for ages 4 and up. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for children under 3 years. "Playmobil develops toys that help foster the child’s imagination," Michelle Winfrey, marketing and PR manager for Playmobil, told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 2009.

Each card is an opportunity to explore, explain and express oneself on subjects from serious to silly and everything in between — leisure suits to lava lamps and pet rocks to a favorite rock group on 8-track tape. Launch date: March 2009.

Friends and family can talk about the decade that changed the world, exploring topics from the heavy to the groovy, whether influenced by the Establishment or the anti-everything movement. Launch date: March 2009.

Valley girls and video games, Ronald Reagan and Rubik’s Cube, Flashdance and the fall of the Berlin Wall. TableTopics ‘80s edition has it all covered. The era of big business and even bigger hair can inspire fun conversation with friends and family. "The content and quality of our questions is unsurpassed by any competitive product, but if we had to pick on thing that is iconic about TableTopics, it is our beautiful cube. It's very upscale, permanent, timeless," Sheryl Brunell, vice president of TableTopics, told TDmonthly. "Our founder and owner, Cristy Clarke, wanted to create a product that people would use in their homes everyday and was beautiful enough to stay out on the dinner table, on the coffee table, on the dining room table all the time." Launch date: March 2009.

This behavorial modification device is designed to teach children acceptable sleep patterns by displaying a sun face for day and a moon face for night. It can be preset to any times, depending upon the schedule that parents set for their children. The sun caricature brightens the room in the morning, letting kids know it is time to get out of bed; the moon signifies that it is "time to rest." The programmable light measures 6" in diameter.

These colorful mugs are available in various names so that children can have their own special cup.
— “John Hinde name mugs and sippy cups are a consistent reorder,” said Steve Melody, owner of Melody’s Choices in Fayetteville, Ark., in spring 2009.

Aspiring rockers and stylists to the stars may use this sketch book to create styles for favorite groups or for their own soon-to-be-famous band. Girls can sketch their band’s fashion wardrobe, concert tickets, posters, T’s, album covers, drums, guitars and more. It includes 25 formatted sketch sheets, a design style guide, 10 markers, 12 mini colored pencils, a sharpener and an eraser. "It's different from our other design sketch book line since girls can design more than just the fashions and clothes. It gets them thinking about the designs of other objects, such as the instruments and album covers," Sarah Koth, PR manager for Fashion Angels Enterprises, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2009.

Players work together as a team to give the audience the best show possible. Animals are included in this game, but since it is the players' circus, they can put on a show with or without them. Each player spins to see what moves are to be made — such as an acrobat across the spotlight, or a performer on the trapeze — and tries the guide the performer from start to finish without taking a fall. The game includes four, 6" x 12" boards illustrating special circus performances; a set of cards depicting safety nets, clown acts, animal acts, and main performers; a ringmaster's spinner; and rules for regular and hard games. Launch date: April 22, 2009.

This 400-ml, 7" bottle is made from 100-percent recyclable, high-quality, food-grade stainless steel so it doesn’t need a synthetic lining like aluminum bottles. It’s BPA-free and designed so it won’t leach chemicals, toxins or funky flavors into beverages. The removable hinged dome lid (an aerated sport lid) is designed to ensure that the leak-resistant pull-up top stays clean. It can be scrubbed with soap and water to clean. Launch date: April 25, 2009.

This quality Dobsonian style telescope features a 76 mm aperture reflector optical tube. FirstScope is an ideal entry level astronomical telescope, as it is designed for easy observation. The user simply navigates the night sky by moving the tube in the direction of their desired object. The compact design makes it easily portable, and the FirstScope is also stylish enough to be a decorative fixture on a bookshelf or desk. The FirstScope is the Official Product Of the 2009 International Year of Astronomy. The FirstScope pays tribute to Galileo Galilei and many of history’s most notable astronomers and scientists by displaying their names around the optical tube. Launch date: April 2009.

Miss Rosa, as Vincent Beach called his mother, was known for her sayings, including the title of his heartwarming autobiography. Vincent left his native Jamaica in 1944 with little more than his parents’ wisdom, and this book tells the story of his life’s journey as a military bandsman, educator and family man. It received the 2008 Carter G. Woodson Award (secondary level) for “the most distinguished social science book appropriate for young readers that increases understanding of ethnicity in the United States." "An ordinary man by his own description, Vincent says he wrote [the book] because he believes life stories provide an opportunity to better understand the complexities of human beings and the realities of every day living," Sue Defabis, project manager at Five Star Publications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2007.

The book is an anthology of recipes that have been extensively field-tested at school, church and sporting potlucks. In addition to recipes, the book has a wealth of information about planning group events, decorating inexpensively for large gatherings, and specific information for feeding young athletes along with menu suggestions for games and practices. "It should appeal to anyone who has to feed kids, or crowds, or crowds of kids at church, school, athletic, scouting, tailgating or other social events. Perfect for novice cooks, but interesting enough for experienced cooks, 'Potluck Survival Guide' is a user-friendly cookbook that takes the fear out of taking a dish to your next potluck," Sue Defabis, project manager at Five Star Publications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2008.

"Jack & Walter" traces the legendary careers of Lemmon and Matthau. From their first screen-pairing in 1966, The Fortune Cookie, to their last comical romp, 1998’s The Odd Couple II, they put the “fun” in dysfunctional, cementing their positions in Hollywood history as the 20th Century’s last great comedy team. "With complete biographies of both Lemmon and Matthau, full credits and storylines for all 11 films, more than 100 publicity and behind-the-scenes photographs, and memories from co-workers and co-stars including some of Hollywood's biggest stars, Jack & Walter is the ultimate recognition of the pair's remarkable cinematic achievements," Sue Defabis, project manager for Five Star Publications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 15, 2009.

This cuddly Zoobie is designed to be ideal for road excursions or just cuddling in bed. In addition to a teddy bear, it also serves as a comfy pillow and soft blanket — all in one. "We are the only company that turns a plush animal into a pillow and a blanket," CEO JC Smoot of Zoobies told TDmonthly. Bubba received a 2009 Top Fun award from Tillywig and a 2009 Best Vacation Children's Products award from Dr. Toy. Launch date: February 15, 2009.

WordTeasers: Junior is designed to help children improve their vocabulary while providing laugh-out-loud fun. Players simply open the box, pull out a card, read the Challenge Question out loud, and then answer it. Answers may cause uncontrollable laughter or interesting debate. The game may also be used for writing prompts in the classroom. "It's both an education game and a party game. It's fun for kids and their families — a great dinner-time activity," Jack Roberts, senior vice president of Elm Education Marketing, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 15, 2009.

Despite his parent’s warnings, a princely cub befriends a human, the girl Su. But can Teddy prove the jungle is big enough for both man and beast? The fifth book in the "Tales of the Chinese Zodiac" series features all 12 animals of the new year. It's "the only English children's book series on each of the animals of the lunar new year," Amy Ma of Immedium told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2010.

These holiday readers can be used a gift for early readers, as they educate children about the story of Santa Claus, hanging stockings and cooking special meals with the family, plus other holiday traditions around the world.

The “Gift of Adventure” is a gift card which includes a one month subscription to the Jacabee Code and allows the child to create one Personalized Journal online. The gift card is packaged in a greeting card with step-by-step instructions for the child to login to the Jacabee Code website, play the quests and create their journal.