July 2010 New Specialty Toys — All

This linen journal captures the classic "Goldilocks" fairy tale. The book is also available with Swarovski crystal accents.

This 9" x 9" photo album, adorned with a pink tassel, captures the magic of a child's day at the beach and is accented with sparkling Swarovski crystals. The book is also available in plain classic linen.

This sweet 9" x 9" linen photo album is adorned with a gold tassel and is designed to capture children's summer memories. This book is also available with Swarovski crystal accents.

This four-wheel drive, remote-controlled vehicle can be navigated over land and on water. It has working headlights and requires two AA batteries. The controller takes an additional two AAA batteries (not included).
— Grafton Stine from Toys on the Square in Hummelstown, Pa., told TDmonthly in a Summer 2011 survey that R/C vehicles from Kid Galaxy were their best-selling electronic toy.
— In a November 2011 survey, Elmer Carranza, assistant manager of Doodlehopper 4 Kids in Falls Church, Va., told TDmonthly that "The Morphibians are great. They can run through dirt, grass, puddle of water and look like sharks and frogs. We sell about 6-8 in a month."
—  As of August 2010, this product had 3.5 out of 5 stars from 40 reviews on Amazon.com. Parents liked that it is versatile and easy to use, but some complained that it required two types of batteries.

Snap Caps, the interchangeable, illustrated, magnetic bottle caps, also come on fashion accessories, such as huggers that can be used on hair, boots or ankles, plus hair clips. Snap Caps hair bows are available in red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise and hot pink.
— In a June 2010 survey, Linda Hanzelko of Timmy’s Toy Chest in Lake Mary, Fla., told TDmonthly her store sells 30 to 40 sets of Snap Caps each month.
— Three of 40 retailers names Snap Caps a top seller for girls in early summer 2010.
— Christine Osborne, co-owner of Wonder Works in Charleston, S.C., told TDmonthly in October 2011 that they sell 300-500 Snap Caps each month between their three stores.
AWARDS: 2010 TDmonthly Top Seller (entire Snap Caps line)

Cave Troll pits bands of heroes in a contest to recover the most gold and treasure from the dangerous lair of the cave trolls. Created by designer Tom Jolly, Cave Troll is a fast-paced game of heroes, monsters and treasure for two to four players that is playable in 20 to 60 minutes. It includes a game board, 104 game cards (one deck per player), six Artifact Cards, 64 plastic hero and monster figures (16 for each player), four plastic treasure chests and four Score Counters. Fantasy Flight Games Sales Associate Rick Nauertz told TDmonthly, "This is the second edition of Tom Jolly's classic board game. It features upgraded components, streamlined rules, and new variants."

Created by Nexus Games, known for War of the Ring, Moto GP, Wings of War and Age of Conan, Micro Mutants is a game of strategy and dexterity that’s fun for players of all ages and experience levels. Micro Mutants: Evolution is the first Micro Mutants game and includes everything up to four players need to do microscopic battle in 30 to 60 minutes, including the Usarthopod, Flyborg, Sovietopter and Chitinian armies. Fantasy Flight Games Sales Associate Rick Nauertz told TDmonthly, "Micro Mutants is surprisingly simple to pick up and learn."

Ingenious is the new abstract placement game from internationally-renowned game designer Reiner Knizia. Ingenious offers players a new way to train their brains by combining the simplicity of dominoes with the strategy Knizia is known for. Players place colored tiles on the hexagonal board, scoring points, blocking opponents’ tile placement, and trying to protect themselves from being blocked by their opponents. Ingenious is suitable for up to four players, as well as for solo play. Rick Nauertz, Sales Associate for Fantasy Flight Games, told TDmonthly, "Marvelously elegant and compulsively replayable, Ingenious is an excellent introduction to German-style abstract board games. It’s ingeniously simple, and simply ingenious!"

In Through the Desert, two to five players each control a tribe of nomads vying for control of the desert. By establishing caravans and taking over oases, the players gain points as their tribes increase in power. Game play is designed to be under an hour. Fantasy Flight Games Sales Associate Rick Nauertz told TDmonthly, "From the award-winning game designer Reiner Knizia comes a game of strategy, patience and cool plastic camels!"

Wings of War is a game series that merges card and board game mechanics to recreate aerial combat. The first series of Wings of War games focus on the "knights of the air" age, World War I, portraying the abilities of the fighting planes of this period. Wings of War: Famous Aces is the first set of the WWI collection. It includes five types of planes: the Spad XIII, Albatros D Va, Sopwith Camel, Fokker Dr1 and the Sopwith Triplane. Each plane was flown by an ace: Baracca, von Richtofen, Rickenbecker, Fonck, Olieslagers and Baker. Fantasy Flight Games Sales Associate Rick Nauertz told TDmonthly, "By selecting from his maneuver deck, each player can plot out the loops, rolls and twists that his dogfighting plane will undertake."

Talisman takes players on a journey through magical lands, as they endeavor to reclaim the Crown of Command. Each turn will see a hero advancing, battling, gaining knowledge and power necessary to defeat the guardians lurking between the Portal of Power and the Valley of Fire. The game is designed for two to six players and is playable in one to two hours. The game includes a revised rulebook, a six-fold game board, 14 character sheets with matching plastic character figures, more than 160 Cards, six, six-sided dice, more than 190 tokens, and 30 gold coins. Rick Nauertz, Sales Associate for Fantasy Flight Games, told TDmonthly, "For those unfamiliar with this classic world of fantasy adventures, Talisman is a game like no other — indeed, it is no ordinary game at all, but a fantastic quest in a world of magic and monsters."

Middle-Earth Quest is set in the 17-year period between Bilbo’s birthday party and the Ring’s departure from the Shire, as described in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel "The Lord of the Rings." One player takes the role of Sauron, who is attempting to dominate Middle-Earth with his nefarious plots and evil minions, while up to three other players take the roles of heroes who must hold the darkness at bay until Gandalf’s plans have matured. The game includes a rulebook, a 28.25" x 41" game board, five plastic hero figures, five plastic minion figures, 225+ tokens, more than 470 cards, five hero sheets, and eight plastic stands.

Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation is a two-player board game set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved setting of Middle-Earth, in which one player controls of the Fellowship of the Ring, and the other player controls the forces of Sauron. Fantasy Flight Games Sales Associate Rick Nauertz told TDmonthly, "At its heart, Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation is a game of out-bluffing and outmaneuvering your opponent."

World of Warcraft: the Adventure Game is an exciting and fast-paced journey through the world of Azeroth for two to four players. Players choose their favorite hero and embark on an epic journey from humble beginnings to immense power, battling vicious monsters, powerful overlords and treacherous fellow players in order to become the mightiest hero in all the land. The game includes a rulebook, a game board, four plastic figures, 100 Bridge-sized cards, 220 small cards, a blue movement die, two combat dice (one red, one black), four challenge deck organizers, and 100+ tokens. Fantasy Flight Sales Associate Rick Nauertz told TDmonthly, "With 11.5 million subscribers to World of Warcraft, this title should garner some name recognition on your shelves."

World of Warcraft: the Board Game is a fantasy adventure board game for two to six players, based on the popular Massively Multiplayer Online Game from Blizzard Entertainment. Players adventure across Lordaeron, vanquish monsters, gain experience and power, and earn honor for their faction — whether Horde or Alliance. Players select one of 16 heroes from nine classes and eight races, advance their character and gather treasure, battle 13 different types of monsters, and ultimately challenge one of three invincible Overlords to determine the fate of Azeroth. The games includes a rules booklet, a game board, 135+ plastic figures, seven double-sided character sheets, two single-sided character sheets, more than 460 tokens, 450+ cards, three overlord sheets, two creature reference sheets, and 21 eight-sided dice.

Tannhäuser puts players in the middle of a alternate timeline, where World War I never ended and the forces involved have chosen new ways to break the stalemate. Featuring the Pathfinding system, a revolutionary way to mark line of sight, Tannhäuser gets players in the thick of the battle quickly. Each side has unique characters and equipment, and must outfit figures to best advantage in order to win. Each force has a multitude of equipment and weapon options for customization. Tannhäuser is packaged with everything required for two to ten players to begin playing in the u-chronic Tannhäuser universe. The game includes a rulebook, a double-sided map board designed for use with the Pathfinding system, 10 finely detailed pre-painted miniatures, 10 illustrated character sheets, two 10-sided dice, and 162 game counters.

On this spoken-word album, the two-time Grammy award-winning humorist spins fantastical stories grounded in everyday life.

This internationally acclaimed jazz/world music artist teaches his Timbalooloo music classes to the children of Harvey Keitel, Naomi Watts, Edie Falco and Liev Schreiber. Wake Up, Clarinet! builds on Etkin’s Timbalooloo method of encouraging kids to internalize important musical concepts while exciting their creativity. The album, released on the Timbalooloo Records label and distributed by Motema, features performances by drummer Jason Marsalis and vocalist Charanee Wade. Awards: Parent's Choice Foundation Audio Award Fall 2010

This New York-based educator's  collection of catchy songs is designed to help kids build the vocabulary to express their feelings and needs. The lyrics were co-written with Lizzie Bicknell, an early childhood specialist. Madeleine Peyroux, Kirk Douglas (the Roots), and Leo Sidran also perform. A portion of proceeds benefits Kids Need a Melody, a nonprofit program that provides music lessons and concerts to kids in need. Awards: Parent's Choice Foundation Audio Award Fall 2010

In A Heart Pumping Adventure, Merrin wonders about her father's eating habits and the condition of his heart. Suddenly, Merrin and Pearl find themselves riding on a red, pillowy donut-shaped boat, floating through his bloodstream. This book includes 23 pages of educational activities, 44 color stickers and an audio story CD.
— “It is, to be honest, one of the most interesting and engaging human body learning tools I’ve come across in a very long time,” declared Robin Rivers of Our Good Earth.  Exploring the set with her daughter, Robin was surprised at “how much she took to the story, the lessons (eat healthy to have a healthy body) and the educational content that at times was a bit beyond her 5-year-old level.”
— The reviewer at One Zillion Books listened to the CD with her kids and noticed “that there were a couple of vocabulary- and concept-heavy moments, but overall the fun mood carried throughout the 15+ minute audio story.” She rated the set eight out of ten because “The story and characters were easy to relate to and led well into the activity book focusing of human anatomy and healthy living” while remaining “neither dull nor scary.”

In Battle with the Bugs, the girls find themselves in their cousin Max’s body, witnessing firsthand the immune system in action. This book includes 23 pages of educational activities, 44 color stickers and an audio story CD.

In The Lucky Escape, Merrin and Pearl are magically catapulted into their baby brother’s digestive system to help him extract a penny he swallowed. This book includes 23 pages of educational activities, 44 color stickers and an audio story CD.

Moby is a spout cover designed to brighten up a bath while protecting baby's head from bumps in the tub. Its sleek design includes an adjustable fin strap that fits snugly on most tub spouts, and a tail that's also a handy hook, so Moby can hang around when bath time's done.

Tours of the Eames House and Studio require a sizable donation to the Eames Foundation, but with this toy kids can bring the Case Study No. 8 house to the convenience of a coffee table or playroom. Each set of 36 replenishable Michigan-grown basswood blocks represents 29 separate hand-pulled screen passes. The set is made in the USA with non-toxic, lead-free, child-safe inks.