January 2011 Notable Toys — Construction

A new series of Superstructs, plastic rod-and-connector-style construction toys, called Arc-A-Teks from WABA Fun will have kids as young as 3-years-old creating, building and imagining. Each of the three Arc-A-Teks sets comes with 40-42 pieces, enough to build two Arc-A-Tek characters simultaneously. Children can also build a third character from each set, and instructions can be found online using a special code included in each Arc-A-Teks set. It’s a thoroughly non-violent, character-building construction set made with bigger parts for littler hands.

The LaQ Zodiac Collection series are 53-piece kits to complete models representing the various signs of the Zodiac. By collecting all twelve of the Zodiac Collection kits, it is possible to make the model of the Greek Hero Perseus. Instructions to build the Perseus model is available at the LaQ website, Gallery Level 4.

Corner to Corner is a set of beautifully colored tiles with varied building possibilities. The set includes several designs, such as a sailboat and a house, for children to recreate. Though the set includes a small number of blocks for its price, it is high quality and can be used to create complicated three-dimension cubes and pyramids. The tiles can be arranged in a flat pattern or upright, thus generating new results each time.
Awards: Parents’ Choice Approved Award, Fall 2010 Games.

This toy gives kids the opportunity to stimulate their imagination and learning skills while encouraging discovery, fine motor skills and open-ended play.  The practical storage bag keeps all of the pieces securely in one place and comes with a hand-strap to make carrying the blocks a snap.  6.8 x 12 x 13.8 inches ; 3.6 pounds.
— As of 06/06/2011 this product had 4.7 out of 5 stars from 73 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Easy for kids to take apart; durable; easier for toddlers to use than LEGOs and other small building blocks; encourages creativity. Cons: Don't stick together as well as LEGOs; children can put the storage bag over their head and suffocate.

Product features 1 buildable LEGO Die, 9 LEGO microfigures which includes Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy and Albus Dumbledore, building instructions and 1 rule booklet, and 332 LEGO pieces.  For 2 to 4 players.  Be the first to successfully navigate the magical castle to collect all your homework from your classes and get back to your common room.
— In late Spring 2011, 5 of 12 retailers surveyed said that LEGO was their best-selling brand of licensed products. Joe Berardoni Jr., Owner of Pun's Toys in Bryn Mawr, Pa., said that "We try to avoid licensed products...that said, however, we still do carry LEGO, and their licensed kits sell well, such as Star Wars and Harry Potter."
—As of 10.25.2010, this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 30 reviews on Amazon.com and was No. 7 on the top 100 best-selling toys and games. PROS: Build your own gameboard. CONS: Not suitable for younger kids.

These mix-and-match dinos spawn buildable species.  15 multi-colored parts assemble to build three complete dinosaurs or endless custom creatures with a little imagination. Encourage your little archaeologists to hatch the traditional terrors (shown)--Apatosaurus, Stegosaurus and T-Rex--before giving rise to a mob of new critters. Made in the USA of non-toxic wood and water-based paint.

Made especially for Arab countries, Brickadoo has designed an extra large kit for this market segment, which is the Arab Mosque.  Brickadoo's water-soluble cement is an extremely safe and convenient adhesive. Safe because it is made from rice and contains no gluten. Convenient because the bricks stuck together with it quickly come apart when the structure is immersed in water.

The box contains two buildings: a farmhouse and a stable, but also includes the fencing and entrance gate.  Now that two horses have also been added to the set, this has become a great building and play set for kids. Using their imagination, girls and boys can expand their Brickadoo Cities with this set.

This is a set of building blocks that are made out of bamboo.  They are Lincoln Log inspired pieces - the set comes with 63 pieces.  There's enough pieces to make the house as shown on the packaging or to create your own structure. 
Awards:  Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, Platinum, 2010.

Players get a card with building plan and images of 8 pieces they need to collect to build their racer. Players take turns tossing the die and moving around the playing board and collecting the pieces of the vehicles pictured on the playing board. Winner is the first to collect and assemble their racing car.
Awards:  Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, Gold Seal, 2010.

Players have to collect the plastic brick pieces to build their winning animal by going around the playing board and finding a chip that matches your building card. This is a game of chance but it does require dexterity, counting and matching skills. The building pieces are good size for preschoolers. The first player to collect all five blocks and builds their animal is the winner of that round.
Awards:  Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, Gold Seal, 2010.

International photographer Achim Bednorz has released three dazzling high-end puzzles featuring some of Bednorz’ most famous images in the Purrfect Puzzles Architectural Collection. The new 1000-piece puzzles present stunning photos of La Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, the Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in San Francesco, and Lincoln Cathedral in England.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Staccabees is a fun, family friendly update to the ancient game of teetotum.  Unlike traditional teetotum, however, Staccabees involves both skill and strategy--and literally builds to an exciting climax as players add cubes to a towering stack.  Each game includes 54 hardwood game pieces, an engraved spinning top, illustrated rules, and a 100% cotton heavy duty canvas game bag with an embroidered logo.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Create your own personalized building set with this new Superstructs™ Custom Kit system. Once on the custom kit website, simply drag and drop the models you would like to include in your custom kit. Choose from 8 different models that include a Motorcycle, Race Car, Jet, Dune Buggy, Forklift, Dragster, Boom Truck with Crane, and Funny Car.  Each model comes with its own illustrated, step-by-step construction guide. There are 8 models and 12 templates that can create over 4,000 possible toy designs.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products -2010; Parents’ Choice Recommended Award, Fall 2010 Toys.

Introducing the motorized Light-Up Ferris Wheel building set. Inside the wheel, multi-colored lights spin freely to create a dazzling light show. This set includes 525+ colorful K'NEX pieces, including a motor and an exclusive LED light bar with 6
pre-programmed light routines. Light-Up Ferris Wheel is appropriate for builders and thrill ride enthusiasts. Requires 2 AA and 3 AAA batteries.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Designed for pre-schoolers, this clever and colorful stackable Block Crayon is perfect for little hands as it combinies two of a child’s favorite activities – building and coloring – into one. This product is safe and user friendly for all children. Children can draw, associate images, and improve dexterity, making it an excellent developmental choice for parents of preschoolers. With multiple playtime activities to offer, this is a perfect new choice to expand a child’s dexterity and creativity at a young age.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Moon Dough is hypoalergenic, soft, marshmallow-like, cleans up easily, and never dries out so you can use it again and again. Moon Dough is the latest and greatest new molding compound for kids to mold into fun creations they will love to create and play with.  Bale some hay, put it in the barn silo, and turn the crank to create fun 3D Moon Dough animals. Endless possibilities abound using your child’s imagination with this product.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

This excellent new product, Hexbug Nano Habitat Set, gives the Hexbug Nano owners a chance to put their industrious little micro-robotic critters to the test by creating a customizable playground for them. Since not all Hexbug Nanos are the same, the Habitat Set contains two extremely rare nano mutations, four easy connect curved pieces, three easy connect straight pieces, and three easy connect hexagon pieces, which offer users a multitude of potential configurations.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

This 9-piece wooden stacking system is a construction toy that teaches numbers, size, sequence, colors and geometric shapes, while building eye-hand coordination and thinking skills. Learn about different farm animals: Identify animal heads; repeat sounds the animals make; and read animal stories. This toy is 7” high when fully assembled and includes extensive Activity Guide in English, French, and Spanish.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010