January 2009 Notable Toys — Tween

This 36" x 18" image of a bucket of baseballs is destined to be a sports classic. At the end of the baseball season, the victories and defeats are recorded on the team's bucket of baseballs with their many scraps and scars. The photography is by Kim Riseley Delph. The exclusive Art4Kids print is available in the following ready to hang presentation styles: Contemporary Mount (with beveled edge), Creative Canvas Wrap, Framed Canvas, Gallery Framed, Heritage Framed and Art Block Mounted. "Glassless presentation formats [offer] safety in a child's environment," Joy Phillips, founder and owner of Creative Images, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 3, 2008.

Designed for kids heading off to camp or for family camping trips, this fun game was created for kids, by kids.  It’s also a good way for kids to get to know new friends at camp. The handy flashlight and compass allow you to navigate your way back to your campsites or cabin for some fun, late night conversations.  Great around the campfire too. It's "perfect for kids going away to summer camp. This product was requested by specialty retailers," Owner Beth Daniels of Around the Table told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 15, 2009.

Created by kids, for kids, Buddy Talk is a fun way to get friends talking. Children can find out a ton about their friends at the bus stop, during recess or at a sleepover. They just draw a card, read one of the 50 cool questions, and let the fun begin. Launch date: February 15, 2009.

This black-and-white Pinto is a horse at Pine Hollow Stables in "Horse Sense," a book in the Saddle Club series written by Bonnie Bryant.
— "Shipping has been really good" with Breyer, noted Mike DiAndrea, manager of Hardware Center in Paoli, Pa., in fall 2008. Two of 52 retailers told TDmonthly Breyer is one of their favorite vendors.

Pop Princess Sticker Nails are perfect first-time kits for the younger tween consumer. They are available in six fun nail designs and two toenail designs to fit smaller hands and feet. Glue is already on the nail, so girls simple press it on and go. The product is completely safe on natural nails and is very easy to remove by soaking in water. Expected length of wear is one day. "Testing has been done for sizes, designs and colors to make sure our nails are perfect for that younger consumer," Kristin Giarrusso, marketing assistant at Kiss Products, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2009.

Girls can easily start collecting and trading ChatterChix cards with this set that includes the following: a ChatterChix binder with five pages to store cards, flower stickers, a tracking map and three card packs.

Chrissie is a Broken Heart Doll. Broken Heart Dolls is a character-driven line of super-soft plush hearts for tweens, teens and collectors. There are five original BHDs, with more to be unveiled seasonally. The nurturing, sad-eyed, 7" hearts have humorous story-lines geared to help young people navigate the emotional landscape of middle school and beyond. Launch date: November 1, 2008.

Style Paige LLC introduces Shailie™: going beyond “dress-ups.” With Shailie™, girls design, create, and wear their own fashions. Shailie™ includes a life-size designer dress form and stand. Shailie™ dresses come in pieces. Sleeves, skirts, tops, and accessories come in various styles, colors, and lengths. All pieces easily attach and detach; girls can mix and match creating endless looks to wear. Launch date: February 13, 2009.

This 13" x 39" piece of art is by artist Aaron Christensen.

This light, fanciful dress can easily be applied with Velcro to any of the 7" Sticky Pixies fairies, which can be used in scrapbooks or on walls for decoration.

In the midst of Rani's cousin's wedding plans to marry a wealthy widower named Frank, Rani starts to feel like the ghost of his first wife is haunting the house. Will a mystery message help Rani get rid of her? Launch date: August 2008.

Complete with two power settings and four different frequencies for racing, this small car can move along walls and even upside down in suction mode. It's available in several colors.

This set includes fashion cards that can be layered to create different looks for Barbie, plus a CD-ROM so that girls can design on the computer as well.

This hip, 12"-square piece of artwork is one in a series that also includes drums, electric guitar, and microphone versions. The image is available in the following styles: contemporary mount (with beveled edge), creative canvas wrap, framed canvas, gallery framed and artblock framed.

This 9"-square artwork on canvas features a pretty, polka-dot dress on a neutral background.

This modern, linen-shade lamp is available in the following styles and sizes: Contemporary 24" H x 11" D, 20" H x 9" D and 20" H x 6" D; and Up Lite 20" H x 9" D and 14" H x 6" D. It has a metal base and is made in the USA.

My Smart Budget is a fun, parent-child interactive financial literacy program that trains kids as young as 8 to become Money Wise for Life™. Kids CREATE their budget; DECIDE to spend, save, share or invest; MANAGE their activity; and TRACK their results. Parents CREATE the budget; FUND the budget monthly; DELEGATE management and STAND BY to help. Professionally designed by Day Timer, the kits includes everything needed to get started. "Just like an adult, kids get to manage a real budget on expenses that are all about them while still under the tutelage of the parent. Well beyond an allowance program, the expenses the parent incurs for the child are delegated to the child to manage. No more kids asking for money everytime they want something. No more worried parents when they send their child off as a young adult," Creator Danielle Aguiar told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2008.

Shailie goes beyond “dress-ups,” allowing girls to design, create, and wear their own fashions. It includes a life-sized designer dress form and stand (girls' size medium). Shailie dresses come in pieces, and sleeves, skirts, tops and accessories come in various styles, colors and lengths. Using Velcro®, all pieces mix and match to create endless looks. The design easily comes off to wear and model with friends. "Shailie promotes interactive play among a variety of ages, and the possibilities for creativity and fashion fun are endless," President Kari Kawa of Style Paige LLC told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 15, 2009.

This 14"-long edgy canine features black and grey markings, a toothy grin and a half-winking eye. Sly 9 Junior (9" long) has an MSRP of $8.95. Launch date: Early 2009.

Each Charm It! box holds a surprise, oversized charm inside. There are seven different charms available, including Troy, Chad, Sharpay and Gabriella. Charm It! Secret Surprise Boxes are also available in Hello Kitty and Hannah Montana themes. Launch date: September 2008.

Complete with Harry Potter shoes, this whimsical footstool features Harry Potter-themed fabric and corresponding red tassels around the edge.

Girls can design a fashion line for each model in this kit with the fabric supplied and detail them with trims, sequins, beads and more. This kit includes four 12" models, fabric, trim, sequins, beads, gems, glitter paints, tickers, patches, buttons, instructions and more.  10.5" W x 11" H x 2D".  Launch date: 2008.
— Barbara Vininsky, owner of Blossom & Harry in Ontario, Canada told TDmonthly that Fashion Angels Project Runway was one of her two top toys for girls in the autumn of 2008.

Written by Stephenie Meyer, this "New York Times" best selling fantasy novel captures the story of star-crossed teenaged lovers Bella and Edward. Bella learns that Edward, along with several other students at her new school, are rescued vampires. True to his vampiric nature, Edward knows he could kill Bella should his passion for her become too great, and therein lies the central tension of the story. Launch date: October 5, 2005.

This shiny gloss available in strawberry, banana, mango and apple scents has just a hint of color and comes with a secret code that allows girls to choose furniture for their Webkinz pet from the salon collection online.