July 2009 New Specialty Toys — Cars

Baby can push back on this little car and let it go to see colorful beads pop, pop, pop inside the car’s clear top. The cheery little car has a bright green “chassis” and blue wheels with teal tire treads. A smiling face is embossed on the front of the car. "The movement of the little car encourages baby to crawl after it," Peggy Barrett, PR consultant at Barrett Marketing Communications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2009.

Created in France, these well-crafted wooden car kits, designed to introduce children to the world of woodworking, give children a chance to build something fun for themselves. The kit comes with pre-cut wood, a hammer, sandpaper and glue and dowels for old-world construction, as well as acrylic paints in durable pots, plus two paintbrushes to personalize the project — one for broad painting and one for details. The set features "beech wood components, which is more durable than pine, and everything the child needs is included," Meghan Ristau, sales and marketing manager for Woodland Magic Imports, told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2008.