December 2012 New Specialty Toys — Construction

Bring the dead to life with ZOMBIE Mods. Mod are removable and repositionable stickers designed to fit plastic bricks like LEGO® and MEGA BLOKS®. They go on easy and can be removed just as quick. No sticky mess...Mods won't leave ick on your brick. Create a zombie apocalypse, WWII missions, a Medieval castle and more. Includes 44 removable/repositionable stickers. Made in the USA.
Awards: 2012 Creative Child Magazine Product of the Year Award

These magnetic flower pieces can be assembled into beautiful blooms. Compatible with other SmartMax building sets.

Kids of all ages can experience traditional holiday fun with the Fisher-Price GeoTrax Christmas Train. The train features working lights in each of the cars and automatically activates lights in the mini-sites as it passes. There are 2 moveable street lights, a bridge that plays holiday music, and a skating rink with spot lights. The Easy-Rail Station lighted features include: a 3-faced clock tower, 2 lamps, 2 street lights, and station windows. Pull into the station to unload passengers and listen as they are welcomed by a fun holiday tune. The station's lights and music can also be activated by pressing the button on the clock tower or either of 2 buttons on the track. This cool set includes 16 pieces of durable, Snap-Lock track, holiday decor that snaps onto the guard rails, street lamps, a bridge, a station, and signs that can be placed throughout the set. Compatible with other GeoTrax train sets.

This new set of Smarcks Smart Blocks has 70 standard building blocks and four new smarter talking blocks. Each new Smart Block uses a higher capacity microprocessor and is equivalent to three of the original; so four blocks in this new set is equivalent to having 12 of the original. The new blocks have been programmed with a new progressive learning function to enable children, as they get older, to play differently as the blocks are programmed to react differently. Very young children can press the buttons in the blocks or stack them one block at a time. This is a discovery stage as they sing, play nursery rhymes, play sound effects, laugh, and talk about color and good manners. As children develop fine motor skills they begin to stack two blocks at a time. Play moves to a higher level as they sing nursery rhymes, like Old MacDonald, with 7 different animals and learn spelling, counting, math, and puzzle solving providing years of entertainment and learning.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy 100 Best Toys

Gibout Blocks are each hand-made with the most luxurious minky fabric available, and all sides are textured to stimulate a child's senses. These plush toy blocks are great for building, stacking, making forts, climbing on, making furniture, and whatever else a young mind can imagine. Until baby is old enough to stack and play with them, these work as nursery decor. With their soft interior and exterior, these blocks are safe for any age and will grow with  children as he/she finds new ways to play with them.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy 100 Best Toys

The LaQ Dinosaur T-REX is a clever and creative 4-in-1 kit with 300 standard parts, and 4 specialized parts. Build a ferocious looking T-REX searching for its prey, or an Ankylosaurus, Deinonychus, or Pteranodon. Clear instructions to make each of the dinosaur models are offered in a colorful 24-page instruction guidebook. A Starter’s Model building instruction page is included for beginners. This is a very simple, yet highly creative construction toy block set, which offers an infinite possibility of creation from just 7 types of block parts, including 2 types of base parts and 5 types of joint parts.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy 100 Best Toys

This set comes with a large tray and footing in which kids build the structure. The tray measures approximately 10 inches by 16 inches by 3 inches deep. The tray and the footing are both white. The footing has a grid of 12 holes for columns (4 x 3 configuration). Build the structure using the footing in the tray for the base, place the submersible pump in the tray, add water until it completely covers the inlet on the pump, and then enjoy reconfiguring the pipes, opening and closing valves and watching the action. When one takes the set down, all the parts pack into the tray, the plastic lid snaps on and it can be safely stored away for future use.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy 100 Best Toys

Meet the OgoBILD BITs. Part of the OgoBILD construction line, the BITs are flexible, secure and safe to play with. With imagination, the BITs come alive and are seeking adventure. Launch date: 2012.

You don’t have to be an engineer to create with nanoblock. With these micro-sized building blocks, 3D structures are constructed like never before. Watch as the beautiful Lady Liberty takes shape with over 700 assorted size and colored pieces. Includes detailed color instructions. Launch date: September 2012.
— As of 10/01/2012 this product had 5 out of 5 stars from 1 review on Amazon.com.
— Joe Berardoni Jr., owner of Puns Toys in Bryn Mawr, Pa., told TDmonthly in a Fall 2012 survey that nanoblocks are one of their top selling hobby items.
— Rebecca Goblish, owner of Picayune Toys in Dunwoody, Ga., told TDmonthly in a May 2013 survey that for older kids, nanoblocks were her best-selling construction toy.
Awards: 2015 TDmonthly Magazine Top Toy Award