April 2011 Notable Toys — Licensed Products

With the help of WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face, kids twist the rings to learn how to use consonants and vowels to build new words. Line up a letter on the left, and twist the next ring to find letters that make words from two to six letters long. Rings can be removed and rearranged. In addition, letters have numerical values, so kids can work on their math skills as they find words with bigger scores.

This matching game features a 3-level spinner as well as a riddle challenge at the end of each round. I Spy Spectacular includes 36 double-sided cards featuring different levels of play for younger and older players. "Our 3-level spinner is truly a unique aspect in the world of matching games," Carol Comes, senior product manager at Briarpatch Inc., told TDmonthly.

With the help of Clifford and his Friends, kids can twist the rings and match everyday items with their proper category. For example, line up the word "winter," and twist the rings to line up earmuffs, warm hat, scarf, gloves and snow boots. Helps develop logical thinking as well as motor skills.

This plush Good Night Moon Bunny Storytime Pal features a stuffed animal with a child sized blanket folded inside. When the blanket is removed children can snuggle up and use the stuffed animal as a pillow. The blanket zips on and off and is machine washable; the Zoobie stuffed animal is held in shape by two velcro tabs.
— In late Spring 2011, Melodie Ingwersen, owner of Creative Kids in in Columbia Ill., said of the Storytime pals from Zoobies: "They did a real good job transporting the character to a Zoobie,” and they're only $1-2 more than the non-licensed characters. She told TDmonthly that these were among her best-selling licensed products.

Kids can talk to Dora and her friends when they use the colorful Dora the Explorer Talk And Explore Cell Phone. The phone contains pre-recorded, bi-lingual messages, and includes a blue butterfly phone charm. As of 1.06.2011 this product was listed as a bestseller in the Pretend Play & Dress Up category on Toysrus.com. Pros: Colorful; comes with phone charm; bilingual.

Based on the popular TV series, kids can play out battles between their Beyblade tops in this colorful arena. Set includes SUPER VORTEX Beystadium arena, 2 exclusive Beyblade Metal Fusion tops, 2 ripcord launchers, 24 tournament grids, official rule book and 2 collector cards. As of 1.06.2011 this product had 4 out of 5 stars from 58 reviews on Amazon.com and was No. 27 on the top 100 bestselling toys and games. Pros: Engaging; encourages critical/creative thinking. Cons: Plastic arena may not hold up to aggressive play.