January 2010 Notable Toys — All

This interactive computer program features games and activities designed to help children practice articulation skills. It uses speech recognition technology that monitors children's speech into a headset; characters respond to their voice in various practice drills. It includes a Lesson Mode and Free Play Mode, and there are easy, medium and hard difficulty settings. The Home Version stores up to three player profiles, while the Professional Version accommodates up to 15.

This fragrance-free natural sculpting dough is certified organic and certified gluten free. Packaged in recyclable and reusable containers, the naturally anti-microbial dough is made in the USA. It comes in brown, white, yellow, red, orange, purple, blue and green.

Kuro, the adorable little devil from Camilla d’Errico’s book, Tanpopo is embroidered onto the front of this red all-season tuque. Tanpopo logo is emroidered on the back.

Kuro, the adorable little devil from Camilla d’Errico’s book, Tanpopo is embroidered onto the front of this black all-season tuque. Tanpopo logo is emroidered on the back.

Hand screened, extra large print of the iconic “Tanpopo Sitting” image from the pages of Camilla d’Errico’s series, Tanpopo. Edgy, with a distinctive sketchy style, the print is ‘inverted’ to give the classic image twist. The garment is 100% cotton, made in the USA by American Apparel and screen printed in Canada. Teal on black for a fun color variation. Available in men and women’s sizes from XS to XL.

Hand screened, extra large print of the iconic “Tanpopo Sitting” image from the pages of Camilla d’Errico’s series, Tanpopo. Edgy, with a distinctive sketchy style, the print is a classic and favorite image. The garment is 100% cotton, made in the USA by American Apparel and screen printed in Canada. Classic black on white. Available in men and women’s sizes from XS to XL.

Through trickery and transformations, Kuro attempts to teach Tanpopo a lesson in sadness and remorse when he changes into ‘Specter’ and kills the albatross. Will Tanpopo understand or feel anything for the killing of precious omen? The “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, by Samuel T. Coleridge inspires Volume 2, as Tanpopo’s journey into emotion continues in the unique style of blending the poem’s text with the characters’ ongoing story. 6.5" x 9.75". 52 pages.

Tanpopo is story about a beautiful girl, mysteriously attached to a machine that has been her only existence. Superhumanly intelligent and inhumanly emotionless, she sells her soul to the Devil, Kuro. In exchange he promises to she will feel emotion, love and happiness. Inspired by Goethe’s classic novel, “Faust”. The original literary text is woven into the illustrations, telling a new story in the most unique way. 6.5" x 9.75". 40 pages.

Cardamom is used in aromatherapy to awaken the senses and refresh the mind. 100% natural and gluten free. Comes in a re-usable recyclable PP tub with a hinged lid so the lid won't be lost. Warning: Choking hazard. For children ages 3 and up.

Sweet Orange is used in aromatherapy to treat depression and inspire focus. Beautiful orange colored clay. Comes in a re-usable recyclable PP tub with a hinged lid so the lid won't be lost. Warning: Choking hazard. For children ages 3 and up.

Bergamot is used in aromatherapy to ease anxiety. Beautiful yellow colored clay. Comes in a re-usable recyclable PP tub with a hinged lid so the lid won't be lost. Warning: Choking hazard. For children ages 3 and up.

Lavender is used in aromatherapy, and everyday life! to soothe and create a sense of calm. Beautiful lavender colored clay. Comes in a re-usable recyclable PP tub with a hinged lid so the lid won't be lost. Warning: Choking hazard. For children ages 3 and up.

Lemongrass is used in aromatherapy to inspire creativity. Beautiful greenish yellow clay. Comes in a re-usable recyclable PP tub with a hinged lid so the lid won't be lost. Warning: Choking hazard. For children ages 3 and up.

Chamomile is used in aromatherapy to calm, soothe, relax and help prepare for sleep. Beautiful night sky colored clay. Comes in a re-usable recyclable PP tub with a hinged lid so the lid won't be lost. Warning: Choking hazard. For children ages 3 and up.

Geranium scented play clay. Geranium is used in aromatherapy as a balancing oil. Beautiful rose colored clay. Comes in a re-usable recyclable PP tub with a hinged lid so the lid won't be lost. Warning: Choking hazard. For children ages 3 and up.

Viewed as a good starting instrument for a future guitarist, the ukulele is a simple, small, lightweight, four-stringed instrument with a distinctively bright, Hawaiian sound. Woodstock's Ukulele is made of high-quality wood and strung with nylon. The instrument comes packaged with a pick, illustrated instructions and some first songs to play.
—  “I sold a slew of ukuleles last month,” said Dean Smith, co-owner of JaZams in Pennington, N.J., told TDmonthly in January 2010, citing sales of two dozen instruments per month.

Perhaps one of the most basic and easy instruments to play, the kazoo is played simply by humming one's favorite tune into the mouthpiece. A sheet of tissue inside the instrument buzzes against its sounding holes to create a distinctive, twangy buzz. This instrument from Trophy is made of sturdy metal and is ready to play instantly.
— Three of 48 retailers said during a January 2010 survey that kazoos are their top-selling musical item.

A 30” nylon string instrument, Hohner's Acoustic Guitar is a precisely tuned musical tool for children. The frets and tuning pegs are placed with enough care to allow for accurate intonation, and the action is low enough that a young musician just beginning to build the hand strength for complex hand positions will not be hindered by it. This starter guitar comes with one song book.
— “You can't go wrong with a guitar, it's a good staple item to have in your music section,” Genevieve Collogne, manager of The Wooden Horse in Los Gatos, Calif., told TDmonthly when asked about her best-selling musical items in January 2010.
— “Our Hohner guitar, which is a real guitar scaled for a kid's hands, is probably the best-selling one over there,” said Nishan Shepard, owner of Rockridge Kids in Oakland, Calif., in early 2010.

A 12 1/2” soprano recorder, this simple instrument from Schylling makes a good companion to school music classes teaching the recorder to children. In clear, durable plastic and an assortment of bright colors, the recorder comes with a cleaning rod as well as instructions printed on the box. 
— “We go through a lot,” remarked Priscilla Moore, owner of Mr. Fub’s Party in Yellow Springs, Ohio, of her recorders and other instruments from Schylling in early 2010.
— Four of 48 retailers told TDmonthly during a January 2010 survey that recorders are their most-wanted musical item.
— "We sell a lot of them in September or October. After that, it's hit or miss," said Lou Metri, owner of Joggen Your Noggin in Monroe, Conn. He sells about about 40 or 50 per year.

MusiColor turns color into music via an innovative music player and coloring discs. To produce a song, such as “Old McDonald,” children simply follow the coloring guide and color a disc with the included markers. When placed on the player, the fully colored picture of Old McDonald will produce a pitch-perfect rendition of the song. In addition to 14 template discs, MusiColor also includes five blank Create-a-Song discs for more open-ended play.
— Bridgette of The Experimental Mommy called MusiColor a reinvention of coloring; by providing a reason to color within the lines, it fosters patience and attention to detail. Though some reviewers felt the detailed template discs were too difficult for younger children, Rob of Look What Mom Found felt that MusiColor’s greatest strength is its adaptability to a wide age range thanks to the blank discs kids can use to create their own colorful compositions.

This spiral-bound book with 60 pages of unlined sketch paper is the perfect place to create. The 7” by 9” notebook features a whimsical illustration on the front, and eeBoo offers other art items to match, such as colored pencil sets and journals.
— “Eeboo drawing pads have been a big hit. Every time we get them in, they are gone immediately; good quality and good price,” said Casey Sartain, buyer for Tutoring Toy in Salt Lake City, Utah, during a January 2010 survey of best-selling art items.

Do-A-Dot Art Markers combine the ease of a marker, the bright color of paints, and the fun of a stamp into a low-mess art supply that appeals to a wide range of ages.  A gentle squeeze moistens the circular sponge tip with paint.  Kids can create free-form works of impressionist art by stamping dots of paint on paper, or use this technique to fill in special coloring books designed for Do-A-Dot markers. This pack contains five colors — pink, yellow, orange, green and purple — in 2.5-oz. bottles.
— “Things like Do-A-Dot, which are reasonably inexpensive compared to a $20 to $30 craft kit,” said Chris Kusy, owner of Rhyme 'N Reason Toys in Pembroke, Mass., of top-selling arts and crafts items in early 2010.
— Out of 48 retailers who participated in a January 2010 survey of arts and crafts best sellers, five named Do-A-Dot Art Markers.

The Giant Weaving Loom kit from Alex comes with everything a girl needs to learn how to weave yarn into fabric.  Chunky, rainbow colored yarn is provided to make the process easy to handle and quick, even for a beginner, while the changing colors of the yarn allow a child to see each stitch individually and understand how woven fabric is made. The loom measures 10.25” x 11.5”, allowing room to make plenty of different projects like scarves, purses, belts and more.  The kit includes the loom, 100 yards of yarn, a weaving needle, stitching needle, loom comb, and accessories to embellish finished works.
— “Anything by Alex sells well for us,” said Sue Robb, owner of Oakridge Hobbies and Toys in Downer's Grove, Ill., in January 2010. “They have more general topics and all kids seem to like them.”
— “People are home right now doing indoor activities, so I've had a good surge in the Giant Weaving Loom from Alex. Kids make scarves and pocketbooks and things, and it's 7 and up so it's a nice handy-craft for older kids,” Charles Brauer, owner of Cloud 9 Toys in Sudbury, Mass., told TDmonthly in early 2010 of what makes Alex a top-selling line in his store.
— Eleven of 48 retailers surveyed in January 2010 listed Alex as a best-selling supplier of arts and crafts supplies.