June 2013 New Specialty Toys — Gifts

What a sweetie, this cookie cutter perfect snowman smiles at us with a carrot nose and button eyes. He is wearing a knitted, red and green tassled hat and a sewn-in red scarf. There is candy cane cording around his body. He will melt your heart.

Jef the colorful little dog transforms into a brightly-colored football. The little bells jingle when you throw it!

This 2013 doll has blonde hair and an adorable floral outfit. She has blue eyes. The personality and charm of the Gotz dolls capture the heart of every child. Superior quality and design provide a lifetime of love.

Share the joy of friendship with an Adora Doll Friend, each with her own unique style just like you. Unlock the magic of a true-blue friend with your very own Adora friendship bracelet. They are fun to wear and have a special meaning…handmade by one friend and given to another as a gift. The color of the friendship bracelet also has a special meaning among friends. Launch date: Spring 2013.
— Phyllis Stroud, owner of Rocking Horse Toy Store in Natchitoches, La., told TDmonthly in a June 2013 survey that dolls from Adora are their best-sellers in the category, especially around the holidays.
— Teresa Ford, owner of Kids Ketch in Lewes, Del., told TDmonthly in a June 2014 survey that the Adora makes one of their best-selling doll lines.

What makes this a great gift item for the holidays?: The Sock Monkey Limo is perfect for any child. A new twist on a classic toy, this product is the latest addition to Brybelly’s line of Sock Monkey Family products. Featuring an adorable wedding theme, these stylish monkeys are dressed in their best as they take a ride in their pink limo to witness the marriage of Princess Penelope and Sammy Sarsaparilla. Housed in a creative limo-shaped box with cutouts for each monkey, children can enjoy hours of creative play as they use the actual packaging to play with the toys. The monkeys in the set are dressed in traditional wedding apparel, such as a bridal gown, tuxedos, etc. Each set comes with a total of six monkeys: Princess Penelope (Bride); Sammy Sarsaparilla (Groom); Minster Mook (Minister); Myles (Chauffer); Ava (Flower Girl) and Brayden (Ring Bearer).

GUND’s Boo, The World’s Cutest Dog is now the world’s cutest holiday plush. With over 6.8 million Facebook fans, Boo is recognized by fans worldwide. GUND’s version of Boo is the spitting image of the wildly popular Pomeranian. He is 9” and made of only the finest and softest fabrics. Boo with a Santa Hat is perfect for Boo fans of all ages. With over 6.8 million fans, he is the “must have” of the season. Launch date: March 1, 2013.

Aurora’s most popular plush animal line, YooHoo & Friends (23 million plus sold), sees an epic expansion for 2013 to include these everyday and holiday themed YooHoo & Friends. Meet Montee™ Moose, Wuskee™ Husky, Jolley™ Reindeer and Genee™ Penguin. Each YooHoo makes a secret sound when squeezed and new hangtags describe the character in detail. Launch date: April 2013.

This product is composed of a book telling a story of the appearance of a Kippah Kantor and an adorable Kippah Kantor doll. A Kippah Kantor magically visits during the Hanukkah season, appearing when kids and families do good deeds. In the story, children learn that they are rewarded with their own Kippah Kantor for being a good person and doing mitvahs. Kippah Kantors watch day and night to see all the things that children do right. Each night, the Kippah Kantor hides around the house for the children to find the next day.

Silver Dolphin’s Build It series combines visual and kinesthetic learning. Perfect for ages 6 and up, each fact-filled title includes a 32-page informative book and pieces to construct a two-and-a-half foot model of the given subject. No glue or scissors are required for assembly! At just $19.95, these unique interactive guides cover everything from the human body and dinosaurs to sharks and rockets.

Francois is one of 7 different Llamas to choose from! Douglas has a huge stable full of breed specific llamas and horses.  This silky llama is a combination of extremely soft materials and has the most irresistible face. 12" tall.

An armful of fluffy, soft fur, this raccoon is a wonderful toy or a premier gift! He is so cuddly with the sweetest face, yet is made so expertly that he looks very realistic!  He is one of the many unusual and usual breed specific animals that Douglas is famous for producing for their wildlife collection. 16" long.
— Fred Rosenberg, owner of On the Park Toys in Kingwood, Texas, told TDmonthly that plush from Douglas was a best-seller with tweens. "They have a lot of variety, so they even have 'oddball' animals like skunks, and they sell across age groups. Douglas is a great manufacturer," he told us.

Candies come in numerous colors and varieties and have a long history. The word candy began to be used in the late 13th Century, coming into English from the French "çucre candi." Candy is made by dissolving sugar in water or milk to form a  syrup, which is then boiled until it reaches the desired concentration or starts to caramelize. The resulting type of candy depends on the ingredients and how long the mixture is boiled. As the syrup is heated and boils, the water evaporates, the sugar concentration increases and the boiling point temperature rises. A given temperature corresponds to a particular sugar concentration. In general, higher temperatures and greater sugar concentrations result in hard, brittle candies, and lower temperatures result in softer candies. The candy business underwent drastic changes in the 1830s when technological advances and the greatly increased supply of sugar reduced its cost and opened up the market. Confectioners no longer supplied candy only to the wealthy, but to children, as well. The village candy store became a favorite of children of the American working class. Penny candies epitomized this transformation of candy, and candy became the first product on which children spent their own money. For this reason, candy store owners often relied almost entirely on the business of children to stay in business.  Today the global sales of candy are about $60 billion.

Ages 3 months to 24 months.The Octo-Brush from Baby Banana is a 100% silicone toothbrush and teether in one. The unique design of this product has nubs, bumps and suction cups on its unique tentacles, making teething and brushing 8 times more exciting for little ones. Specially engineered token bristles on the underside of the tentacles help children get used to manipulating a cleaning device in their mouths, while still having fun and being able to hold the Octo-Brush all on their own!