August 2009 New Specialty Toys — Preschool

Take a jazzy trip through an elementary school with The Playdate Kids as they share tissues with classmates and teachers, encouraging everyone to blow it out! Use that tissue and blow it out! Sheet music and CD included.

"Adventure In Numberland" is designed to introduce children to basic math concepts, such as identifying numbers and counting, in a fun, entertaining way that strengthens children’s cognitive and motor skills. Comfyland friends go on fascinating adventures of color, movement and sound with animated numbers, helping children learn addition, subtraction and problem solving. This Level 4 software features content developed exclusively for use with the Comfy Easy PC.

"Joy of Music" allows children to actively participate in concert rehearsals with Fifi Flute, Tempo Trumpet, Boom-Boom Drum and Mana Piano. These charming instruments interact with Comfyland characters to introduce a child to the wonderful world of music. Through fun activities with animated instruments, a child can become familiar with musical concepts, build awareness of harmony, and improve overall motor and auditory skills. Content for this Level 4 software program was developed exclusively for use with the Comfy Easy PC.

This award-winning preschool toy / electronic learning aid is designed as an interactive experience that grows with children as they develop at their own pace. It comes with an interactive keyboard, "First Steps" beginner software, a USB cable and a parents' guide. The multilingual toy switches among 20 different languages for games and activities. Additional software is sold separately; for 2009, there are 12 software titles available. The keyboard is specially designed for small children.

This set of four 8" melamine plates features a different robot on each against a bright, patterned background. The plates are dishwasher safe and coordinate with the company's robot juice cup and bowl set for kids.

Some days you wake up and you just gotta wokka. Wokka what? Wokka-wokka! It’s about movement. It’s about dance. It’s about shimmy-shakin’, be-boppin’, and more. It’s about gathering friends and joining the party. The creative team behind "My Father the Dog" returns with a call-and-response for preschoolers, an exuberant invitation to be part of the fun — and show your stuff. It features jazzy rhythms, silly rhymes and welcoming images that aim to entice little readers. Launch date: August 2009.

This fun-filled bilingual DVD is designed to help toddlers and preschoolers grasp the Spanish Language. Spanish and English words, both written and spoken for each video clip and an accompanying Spanish phrase, allow a preschooler to pick words with ease. The clips and music are designed to keep a child's interest while teaching common Spanish words and phrases. The DVD covers the fundamentals, including colors, numbers and words, using beautiful images and classical music. Launch date: October 2008.

Galloping Minds Numbers, Shapes and Colors Flash Cards offer a way to teach and reinforce numbers, counting, shapes and color recognition for preschoolers. The flash cards have photographs and illustrations that offer an exciting and interactive way to acquire preschool skills. Each Flash Card is post-card size, has excellent quality photography, and is laminated to prevent damage from little fingers. Launch date: June 2009.

Decked out in designer fabrics treated with quilt stitching, this little dog makes for a colorful playmate or nice room decoration. It has beans in its body and legs, allowing it to easily stand up. The product is machine washable.

This soft, plush puppy in bright pastels features embroidered eyes and comes with a secret code that opens up a virtual playground for young children. Launch date: 2009.

Ideal for a growing 2- to 7-year-old who may have a nap/rest time at preschool, kindergarten or day care, the Nap Pack is now available in Monkeys, Pink Dots and Daisy Allover prints. Durable, warm and cozy fleece is used for this blanket with attached pillow. It is designed to fit on a standard preschool cot, kindermat or carpet, and fits snuggly into a cubby or hangs on a hook. When rest time is over, the child simply rolls up his/her nap mat, Velcros the straps and grabs the handle to go. This product is made in the USA. It received a Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award and a Toy Man Award of Excellence in 2008. Launch date: December 2002.

These big, whimsical wall art prints (18" x 24") are both educational and eco-friendly, and depict the friends and adventures of Greenie, the eco-friendly elephant. The peel-and-stick wall art is designed to be removed and relocated hundreds of times without losing adhesive ability, marring walls or leaving residue. The inks, adhesive and coatings are all water based, so the wall art is safe for infants, toddlers and children of all ages.
— Michelle, A Happy Hippy Mom, highlighted the fabric texture of the print and its extremely easy application and reapplication process. The eco-friendly inks, laminates and adhesives used for the print allowed Michelle to safely hang the print low enough for her son to fully appreciate his new animal friends.
— 2 Wired 2 Tired’s Tésa used a Greenie2Steps lion print to help her daughter conquer her nightmares. The bright and colorful lion makes Tésa’s daughter smile as it keeps bad dreams away.

This bright, licensed plush toy unfastens to become a pillow and unzips to reveal a yellow blanket with a colorful butterfly design. It is fashioned after Eric Carle's classic character, the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

The unique 4-in-1 Smart Trike Recliner designed for babies from 6 months and up, provides the child with a safe and comfortable ride. The adjustable seat is equipped with a reclining position to allow baby to nap. The multi-position adjustable handle guarantees an easy solution for the parents to steer and, by releasing the clutch, the child takes control for fun, independent riding. The Smart Trike Recliner includes a washable, quality seat cover and is available in a range of colors together with a useful functional bag. It is available in green, pink and red. Smart Trike “Recliner” is the winner of the “Toy Innovation” Award in the Fun + Sport category and “Right Start Award” Overall Winner in the 0-3 category and “Gold award” in the Sit n Ride category.
— As of 05/13/2011 this product had 4 out of 5 stars from 20 reviews on Amazon.com. Cons: Doesn't easily stay in a straight line; sun shade doesn't align with the rest of the trike.

Past Videos:
Product Demonstration

Cheekeyes are a series of wooden play sets with distinctive pink cheeks and dreamy eyes. These toys are handmade from eco-friendly rubberwood and are partially painted. There are more than seven playsets: Arctic, Africa, Dino, Forest, Farm, Rainforest and Sea. The average size of an animals is between 6 and 14 cm wide and 8 and 12 cm high. "Brought to you from The Netherlands (Europe) by STUDIO SPOON ... there are no bells or whistles, no batteries or flashing lights. All you need is just a little imagination and magic begins to happen. The Cheekeyes will definitely spark your kid's imagination and will encourage open-ended, educational play," Rogier van Zijp, designer for STUDIO SPOON B.V., told TDmonthly. Cheekeyes received a 2009 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award. Launch date: 2009.

Written and illustrated by Sarah Dillard, this picture book welcomes readers to Arugula’s tea party. Everything’s going to be just perfect, because that’s exactly how Arugula likes things. The problem? Perfection is no fun for her guests — they’re too nervous to touch or eat anything. And when someone unexpected arrives, ready to get her party started, Arugula is horrified. Especially when everyone seems to like him better than her. The book features a hedgehog heroine, comic-book style panels, and witty thought balloons. "Arugula is an day-dreaming diva, part Martha Stewart, part Miss Piggy, and all fun," Dillard told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 3, 2009.

Featuring laminated canvas material, this sturdy, insulated lunch box is designed for easy cleaning and includes a name tag and zipped pocket on the back. It is free from PVC, phthalates and lead.

This 6" plush castle with a front door that opens from the top includes prince and princess finger puppets as well as a dragon and a white unicorn with sound effects.

Kids can find a place to park their cars by taking them up and down the ramp or using the the elevator provided to get a car serviced, washed or parked.  Wonderworld wooden toys are made of rubberwood, a replenishable resource, and utilize non-toxic color and lacquer. "Wonderworld uses only water-based paint for our wooden toys so to minimize: child exposure to chemicals ... CO2 emission ... and chemical waste release to the environment," Jason Cohen, president of Smart Gear, told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2009.

This set features a detailed Santa with his toy sack and best friend Rudolph the Reindeer for pretend play. The figures may be used with other WOW toys sets. Launch date: July 9, 2009.

This friction-powered cement truck has an automatic revolving mixer. Mike’s motor rotates his inner cement drum, tossing and turning all the mix of cement ingredients with real cement-making sounds. He is operated by a friendly removable construction driver figure who can either drive him to his next job or watch the mixing process from the top of his truck. A detachable bollard can be fixed to the back for easy storage. "Mix ‘n’ Fix Mike, as with all other vehicles from WOW’s toy range, has been designed to help children make sense of the world around them through imaginative play. Every WOW toy is compatible with others from the range, [and] they are extremely resilient, don’t require batteries, and exceed all toy safety regulations," Tanya Laperouse, PR manager for WOW Toys, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 9, 2009.

This game comes with 10 three-piece spelling puzzles using three letter animals illustrations — pig, fox, hen, etc. The eco-friendly product uses 90-percent recycled grey board and non-toxic inks. Its old-fashioned look is designed to be appealing to every generation of toy buyers. In this pre-reading game, the puzzle also spells its name. Launch date: June 30, 2009.