December 2009 New Specialty Toys — Tween

This coin is decorated with dandelions traditional to the "Loves Me, Loves Me Not" reference, with the exact phrase printed on the coin.

This Flipoutz™ Bracelet features a solid orange color and comes with a random Flipoutz™ coin. Flipoutz™ are bracelets you can wear and personalize with Flipoutz™ coins. Trade your coins with friends and other Flipouterz. Set up your profile online and tell everyone about yourself and your coins while also tracking traded coins as they are traded from one person to the next.

This Flipoutz™ Bracelet glows in the dark and comes with a random Flipoutz™ coin. Flipoutz™ are bracelets you can wear and personalize with Flipoutz™ coins. Trade your coins with friends and other Flipouterz. Set up your profile online and tell everyone about yourself and your coins while also tracking traded coins as they are traded from one person to the next.

Flipoutz™ are bracelets you can wear and personalize with Flipoutz™ coins. Trade your coins with friends and other Flipouterz. Set up your profile online and tell everyone about yourself and your coins while also tracking traded coins as they are traded from one person to the next. The Flipoutz™ Super Starter Kit includes a bracelet of your choice, a random coin, and two random 2-coin packs (making a total of 5 coins to fill up the bracelet).

The Shailie Prom includes 20 assorted jewels, as well as designer taffeta and satin fabrics, designed to give any girl the tools to create her dream prom dress. NO SEWING REQUIRED.

Using VELCRO brand closure, petals, flowers, jewels and skirt pieces simply attach to the base skirt and top. Girls can mix and match skirt tiers, layered petals, jewels and flowers to create and recreate their own good fairy. Fairy includes a total of 54 pieces. NO SEWING REQUIRED Awards: TDmonthly Innovations 2009

Girls can design their own gown for the ball, and then redesign a dress using the same pieces for their next night on the town. All Shailie dress kits can mix and match to create endless designs. NO SEWING REQUIRED. Pink Princess includes a total of nine pieces: two skirts, two sleeves, a bodice, two peplums, a collar and a pink jewel. Awards: 2009 TDmonthly Innovations.

This footbag features a patented design. Launch date: December 2009.

This entry level footbag and is one of the company's best sellers. It features four-piece, hand-sewn construction and a multi-color logo. Launch date: December 2009.

This hand-sewn footbag (aka Hacky Sack®) features two layers of cover material combining sand and plastic pellets on the inside, and it is slightly oversized for the beginner. Launch date: December 2009.

The World Cup Dirtbag® 32 is a hand-sewn, 32-piece footbag complete with the flags of 12 nations. Launch date: December 2009.

This Dirtbag offers glow-in-the-dark kicking fun. The Stellar Staller Dirtbag® is a handsewn footbag (aka Hacky Sack®) designed to be low tech and dependable. It uses glow-in-the-dark silkscreen ink and is washable.

The tallest style is excellent for tiny treasures. Earrings, bracelets, charms and sachets are all safe and comfortable inside. There are four drawers, one in front and one on each side. The Spring Burst box measures 6" x 4" x 6".

Shaped to look just like a Pug (with a bit of extra design detail), this purse is outfitted with a silk blend outer fabric with a floral pattern, a zippered pouch for keys, makeup and cell phone, and the signature silver leatherette paw bearing the company's bone cross logo. It comes in a gift box with a paw-shaped "breathing hole."
— "What's been a surprise to me is the Fuzzy Nation stuff. I honestly chided my wife for ordering them, and I can't keep them in stock," Jude Larene, co-owner of Izilla Toys in Seattle, told TDmonthly in late fall 2009. "Even the expensive $50 purses are just flying out."

This brainteaser puzzle includes 50 "mind-splashing" challenges set to the scene of a pool party. The goal is to move the puzzle pieces around in such a way that the boy on the red inner tube ends up next to the steps in the lower right corner of the pool. It comes with the swimming pool, 14 puzzle pieces, a storage bag and a challenge booklet with instructions and solutions.

Animal Rubber Bands were designed by Haneda & Ohashi of Passkey Design in Tokyo in 2002. They were awarded Best Design for 2003 at the Japanese National Competition; the Toyota Prius had won the previous year. "Ours are the original animal rubber bands and come in three styles: pet, zoo and dino," said Carol Shapanka of Eastern Accent International. " They're made of silicone and produced and packaged in Japan. Japanese products are produced under strict standards. Factory conditions and the welfare of the workers is just as important as the products coming out of the factory.” The boxed set comes with 24 pieces in a sturdy snap box. The cards have one of each of the pet, zoo or dino animals. Launch date for Animal Rubber Bands: 2002. Launch date for Dinos: 2007.
— TDmonthly Magazine first reported on Animal Rubber Bands by Eastern Accent on July 27, 2005; one store manager compared their popularity to that of Ty's Beanie Babies. They had also been featured in a 2002 New York Magazine "Best Bets" article.

Jam-packed with emotional conflict, trials and tribulations, romance, and humor, "The Attitude Girl" follows outspoken, materialistic 17-year-old Vicky on her rocky road to becoming an adult as she struggles with bullying, financial setbacks, idealism, loss and forgiveness. Her attitude is her rock! Author Ludmila “Mila” Bernadkin draws on her experience as a teacher, mother and advanced graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature to create this compelling, award-winning story, which unveils the tremulous world of confusing emotions and mixed messages of “maturity” today’s teens live in as they feel their way through the process of becoming young adults. Awards: 1st Place Winner in the Arizona Authors Association Literary Awards Contest.

"It’s Not Leap Year this Year" is a story about a boy named Miles who was born on Feb. 29. There is just one problem: Feb. 29 does not come this year. What would you do if you were told that you could pick any day you want to celebrate your birthday? That’s exactly what Miles’ mom told him he could do. What day does Miles pick? "It’s Not Leap Year this Year" is the second book in her leap year series and is arriving just in time for 2010, which is not a leap year. The first book, "It’s My Birthday Finally" is also available. "Although there are other books written about leap year, this is the second in the leap year year series I've written," author Michelle Winfrey told TDmonthly. "This one is about what 'leapers' may do when it is not a leap year." Launch date: November 16, 2009.

Designed to teach girls about cosmetic chemistry, this kit includes ingredients to make custom scents and indulge in a crystal mud treatment and a sea salt scrub. Girls can also buff and shine their nails for a finished look.
— Two of 40 retailers cited Scientific Explorer as a best-selling educational brand in fall 2009. The Curiosity Zone in Ashburn, Va., sells dozens of Scientific Explorer kits per month, Owner Mary Porter told TDmonthly.

Designed for wannabe DJs, this digital music system allows kids to record samples, demo mash-ups and mix and match loops. A online site allows kids to start a collection of tracks and special effects as they create their own beats.

Made in collaboration with ASUS, this Disney netbook computer for kids is designed to be Web-safe and easy to use. It has a sturdy design, various options for parental control, an 8.9” LCD screen, Wi-Fi capabilities, Windows XP Home, and child-friendly software that features Disney. It is available in Princess Pink and Magic Blue. Launch date: Summer 2009.

Each of the 52 cards in this set includes a funny drawing, a catchword and a phrase. They are designed to be drawn randomly to spark conversation between parent and child, to provide comfort or reward, or to function as an ice breaker at a kids' party.

These plush minky sports blankets and organic cotton burp cloths are sports accessories for babies and sports enthusiasts, designed with an irresistable plush touch. The top-selling football blanket comes in three sizes, Pee Wee (small), Junior Varsity (medium) and Varsity (large). There are also basketball, soccer ball and baseball blankets. "It is a wonderful gift for the father-to-be. Not all dads get 'showered' like mothers do. Dads will love to cuddle up with their little one in these plush sports-themed baby blankets," Jennifer Evans, president of TEAMEES, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2008.

The playful expression, “tag, you’re it” no longer applies to the boys on the playground who swoosh by as they poke a girl. This tag is designed as a hip fashion statement that schoolgirls wear around their necks. Mag-tagz are adorable magnetic “tagz” that can be changed regularly to reflect a girl’s ever-changing mood and style. Mag-tagz received two 2009 Seal of Excellence Awards in Creative Child Magazine's Kids Gear/Apparel category. Launch date: November 2009.
— A top pick, retailer Kate Tanner, owner of Kidstop Toys, informed TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.