December 2011 New Specialty Toys — All

Looking deceptively like a domestic cat, the bobcat remains wild at heart as it hunts through the night for prey. Bring the wonder of nature to kids' fingertips with this Bobcat Finger Puppet from Folkmanis. Launch date: July 2011.

There are as many ways to play with this house as there are families in the world.  Six rooms, movable stairs, and a reversible winter/summer-themed, solar-paneled roof inspire year-round activities.  Includes four room sets: Master Bedroom, Family Bathroom, Media Room and Kitchen.
— Isaac Judd from Magic Beans in Brookline, Mass., told TDmonthly in a June 2013 survey that they're best-selling furniture/play house item is the Hape All Seasons house.

The Hape e-copter is ready for take off. The e-copter takes to the skies in style with its bamboo body and vibrant graphics.

Gary Gouda is cheese hunting again and no piece is safe. But with every piece of cheese the risk of becoming stuck in the mouse holes increases. Only the one who can remember the sizes of the different holes and doesn't get caught by quick pet cat Kiki will reach the target. Who can help Gary memorize the best way and collect the most pieces of cheese? A light-fingered memory game for 2-4 players.

BunkiMunki™ Keys are collectible trend merchandise kids can wear in unique ways to express their own style. When kids see other kids wearing the iconic key, they will recognize fellow members of BunkiMunki, an innovative social network that provides tweens a unique online experience. Kids create their own alias in the likeness of BunkiMunki™, the brand character, their own home space with realistic decor, and choose activities like journal writing, music creation, earning badges, games and virtual shopping. Launch date: October 2011.

Cotton Candy Cutesies are truly sweet plush characters with wispy hair that looks just like cotton candy. Each scrumptious Cutesie has a distinct personality based on their flavor - from rainbow cookie and orange cream soda to bubblegum and hot cinnamon.

Zip-Itz are magical and mischievous plush creatures that came to life after a mysterious machinery malfunction at the Zany Zipper Factory. Instead of zippered rain boots, purses, wallets and more, the machines spewed out colorful Zip-Itz instead. While no one is quite sure how they came to be, one thing is for certain - they make the very best pals. Adorned with rainbow-teeth zippers that open to reveal secret pockets, Zip-Itz are perfect for hiding all kinds of treasures. Each creature has a unique personality. The line includes 12 Zip-Itz Miniz and 6 Zip-Itz. Launch date: 2012.

Zip-Itz are magical and mischievous plush creatures that came to life after a mysterious factory machinery malfunction at the Zany Zipper Factory. Instead of zippered rain boots, purses, wallets and more, the machines spewed out colorful Zip-Itz instead. While no one is quite sure how they came to be, one thing is for certain - they make the very best pals. Adorned with rainbow-teeth zippers that open to reveal secret pockets, Zip-Itz are perfect for hiding all kinds of treasures. Each creature has a unique personality, fabric pattern, design and story based on what they were intended to become at the factory. The line includes six Zip-Itz characters. Launch date: 2012.

The screams outside awaken you. Hurriedly, you hop from your bed and slink into your soothing, soft slippers. Racing for the door, they give a hard tug, as if caught on a splinter. You pull and they rip and snap, sending you plummeting to the ground. That's when you notice the squirming, squishing, suckling feeling at your heels. Frightened, you look down your trembling legs and you realize that you're slowly being digested by the beheaded undead! You're now wearing your new pair of ZOMBIES AFOOT SLIPPERS. Launch date: November 2011.

The Xiliens have pitted Godzilla, Rodan, Gigan and King Ghidorah against each other in a catastrophic battle and only one monster will emerge victorious. In Godzilla: Kaiju World Wars, players pick a monster and a scenario, stomping over terrain and destroying buildings on their warpath - all while fending off aggressive military attacks, bombs, traps and, of course, other KAIJU. Special abilities are used to eliminate the competition or to tuck their tail between their legs and run away before they are taken out.  The game is jam-packed with pieces sure to please any gamer. Along with the four fully painted 2 3/8 inch plastic Kaiju figurines, the game also includes 90 stackable plastic tiles for building skyscrapers, four individual monster playmats, 86 terrain and power tokens, and much more. Launch date: May 2011.

The Crayola Glow Book lets kids create glowing, moving, animated art. Six glow marker colors and four removable drawing surfaces allow kids to draw, layer, and arrange images, and then light them in sequence so that the images appear to move. And since glow marker drawing surfaces wipe clean with a damp cloth, kids can create new images as often as they like. Variable lighting effect options maximize the glowing contents.
— As of 11/16/2011 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 17 customer reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Helps develop fine motor skills; easy clean up; versatile. Cons: Only comes with one sample template to trace; hard to find refills for the markers; the plastic sheets can be difficult to put in place or remove.

Even infants can enjoy building and repairing with these soft tools. This nine—piece set contains a hammer, a drill, a screwdriver, saw, and more, all of which make a variety of delightful noises and are soft enough for the tiniest construction workers.
— As of 11/16/2011 this product had 4.4 out of 5 stars from 26 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Cute; the vibrating drill is fun; soft yet durable; Machine washable. Cons: Toolbox seems flimsy.

Crayola Model Magic Jewelry Studio lets kids fashion fun and fabulous handmade trinkets, bracelets, necklaces and much more. The bead spinner mashes small amounts of Model Magic into marbled beads and baubles. Kids can make handmade gifts for friends and family, host a jewelry—making party or create their own line of colorful accessories. Includes: Crayola Model Magic Jewelry Boutique workstation, 8 packs Model Magic, 5 bracelet charms, 18 sticky gems, 3 pendant charms, 5 toggle sets, 2 48—inch necklace cords, 2 shape cutters, 4 earring posts and ear wires, 1 36—inch elastic cord, Peacock dryer rack, bead bunch, bead glaze, and instructions.
— As of 11/16/2011 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 16 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Comes with lots of modeling dough; easy; nice gift idea. Cons: the dough can stain; only 4 storage compartments for 8 colors of dough.

Creating fun scenes with Disney characters is easy. Light Up surface makes tracing a snap. Comes with 20 tracing sheets, 10 scenes stickers and coloring pencils.

The finish line of the city stage is fast approaching and the red team holds a slight lead. To take the lead, the green team Formula One racer fires its missiles, but can the driver avoid the red team's spikes and stay in the race long enough to win? Includes 4 minifigures: 2 Backyard Blasters: Bart Blaster and Billy Bob Blaster; 2 X-treme Daredevils: MAX-treme and REX-treme.

In this game, only one player will ultimately become the LEGO Champion and win the trophy. Find out who will win the many challenges, claim the trophy. A multi-challenge family game for 3–8 players. Contents: 1 buildable LEGO dice, 9 LEGO microfigures, 206 LEGO pieces, rules booklet, building instructions.

A great variation on the classic ring stacker. This one has 7 rings and the top one spins like a windmill. The round pieces have 2 holes so kids can learn about 3D. Height is 18cm. Launch date: September 2011.

A deliciously beautiful patisserie tea set with 15 pieces and made from 100% plantation wood and non-toxic paints. Launch date: September 2011.

Introduce young children to water-color painting with Palette Pages Painting Books. Each painting page comes complete with its own palette of watercolors, ready to use. Just dip the brush in water and apply. Books feature 12 pages of black and white line art for painting and early-learning themes. Each book includes a sturdy fold-under painting page protector sheet, as well as a few handy painting tips for young artists. Launch date: February 2012.

Phone Mat Fun is an interactive 3D Animated DVD and activity mat that prepares young children for school.  Phone Mat Fun teaches children basic concepts of letters, colors, and numbers in both English Spanish while moving around the Learnercise Phone Mat. Launch date: 2011.

TeeGee is a fully interactive, customizable stuffed animal capable of telling stories, singing songs, and playing games with children. TeeGee is able to interact with the world through smart accessories, speech recognition, and other modes of communication. Parents can customize TeeGee's behavior by downloading age-appropriate apps from our online app store or the iTunes app store. Launch date: August 2011.

This is a one of a kind educational sandbox fossil find, featuring a tasteful faux rock design.Comes with an on-line field manual that makes it educational and fun as it explains the dinosar bones that are uncovered. Kids can sit all the way around the sand box, and the bones are arranged in a 360 degree format so no one gets left out. Launch date: September 2011.

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime.  In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole? Launch date: November 8, 2011.
— As of 11/11/2011 this book had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 6 reviews on Amazon.com.
— As of 11/11/2011 this book had 4.22 out of 5 stars from 179 ratings on Goodreads.com.

This new adaptation of Dee Brown's multi-million copy bestseller, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, is filled with photographs and maps to bring alive the tragic saga of Native Americans for middle grade readers. Focusing on the Sioux nation as representative of the entire Native American story, this meticulously researched account allows the great chiefs and warriors to speak for themselves about what happened to the Sioux from 1860 to the Massacre of Wounded Knee in 1891. This dramatic story is essential reading for every student of U.S. history. Launch date: October 25, 2011.