February 2011 Notable Toys — All

"The Lively Game of What Matters Most." Opinions count as players try to guess how their friends really feel about what matters most. From the seemingly trivial to the highly debatable, "Oh, Really!" reveals players' true feelings about everything from "Emotions" to "Underwear." For 3-8 players (or teams). Contains 200 engaging word cards, game board, 40 ranking symbol cards, 5 blank cards to customize your game, Scorepad, 5 pencils, and rules for individual and team play.

This is a classic game rich in Celtic tradition. Whether solo or with a partner, this strategic game of matching, with a dash of chance thrown in, requires undivided attention. Celtic Challenge is based on an ancient game, crafted with a handsome hardwood board, 45 rustic tiles bearing traditional Celtic symbols, a Celtic staff to designate rounds, and embossed marker stone. The player to clear the most tiles in one game wins.

This game was designed with the Sportsman, Hunter or Fisherman in mind. Find It – “On A Hunt” is a mini-scavenger hunt. Be the first to find the 48 hidden treasures mixed in with the Camouflage colored pellets and win. Players must look for the Bulls Eye, Arrow, Rope, Fish Hook, Hiking Boot, Dog and, for the Ultimate Sportsman, the BIG GAME hiding in every “Find It – On A Hunt” game.  For 1+ player or teams.

Based on the classic “Find It” Game comes the latest entry into the world of VeggieTales: The new VeggieTales version of the Find It Game. Players join the VeggieTales characters on a hand-held scavenger hunt as they search for objects and characters straight from stories in the VeggieTales collection. The fun begins by finding popular icons like the Viking Helmet, rubber ducky, and slushy cup. Also look for authentic characters such as Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber, Junior Asparagus, Philippe Green Pea and Madame Blueberry. These characters, and more, are hidden amongst a sea of colorful pellets. For 1+ player or teams.
— Marc Holcomb, owner of Toys & Co. in Greensboro, N.C. told TDmonthly in late Spring 2011 that he sold 15 Find-It products a month.
— Want this? As of 05/06/2011, this product was available for purchase at Toys & Co.

This TankBot is a mini-robot that fits on your desk. Each TankBot features a dongle that plugs into the headphone jack of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Utilizing Apple’s accelerometer technology, Desk Pets developed a program that enables TankBot to be controlled by simply tilting your mobile device. Tilt the iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch forward and TankBot rolls forward, angle the phone right and TankBot instantly makes a right turn. Switch to autonomous mode and using built-in IR sensors, TankBot can navigate a maze, avoid obstacles and interact with the users hand motions, all on its own. "Just waving your hands in front of the robot almost becomes addictive as it moves and reacts to what you do. You wait for it to slip up and it doesn’t, it consistently acts with a military precision,” said Michael Trzecieski, managing director of Desk Pets International. The TankBot comes in four different colors, which can race against one another, and charges via USB.
– An ASTRA Top 30 Toy at Toy Fair 2010.

Laughter and fun is what Love It! Hate It! is all about. A person reads a scenario card out loud and waits for their friends to secretly reveal what they think that person would love and hate. The answers, like the questions, can be real-life, to silly, to down-right bizarre. For 3-6 Players.

Farkle Frenzy adds a modern twist to the classic Farkle dice game. In this version, everyone rolls at the same time and tries to score the most points. Play begins by pressing down on the Bubble Hub that vibrates and bounces a common die that features 5s, 1s, a 2x and a wild. Then players use the common die along with their own five dice and race to get the highest score as they quickly fill their own unique stepped Dice Riser.  For 2-4 Players.

This manga-influenced art book draws on a variety of media including toys and apparel, creating a Pop-Surrealist collection that will appeal to art fans. This 112 page book is the first full sized collection of Camilla d'Errico's work, and features an introduction by artist Ashely Wood.

Mary Meyer has brought the bold fashion and flare of its top selling Print Pizzazz products to their baby line by softening the bold and turning up the cute. Baby Pizzazz is the result. There are two collections for Boys – Squiggles Puppy and Dots Giraffe – and two collections for Girls – Birdy Boo Elephant and Petals Pony. Each of the collections include a rattle, soft toy, and floppy pillow. The Dots Giraffe Soft Toy is 12'' high. All of the Baby Pizzazz items exceed safety standards and are machine washable.

This album is full of elephants and tigers and rain and cuckoos and babies and flies and centipedes and googly eyes and acoustic guitars and pianos and clear, funny stories inside the super lovely songs. Launch Date: 2010
— “Caspar Babypants has been huge. I don't know where he's from, but his stuff is extremely popular and parents say that it doesn't drive them crazy to listen to it,” said Valla Wagner, co-owner of Teaching Toys & Books in Tacoma, Wash.
— Owner Joan Hewitt of Wind Up Here in Olympia, Wash., sells “probably 12+ a month… We got to have him live in the store!”

The Rattlesnake is very distinctive in its native environment, and now as a puppet. Designed with the signature diamond back in browns of the desert, this rattler stretches out to 36 inches, has a movable mouth and a rattle in its tail.

Holland Lop Rabbit is a 17-inch bundle of cuddly joy. Made with fabrics that are more than just soft, they are snuggable.

Folkmanis’ Cottontail Rabbit is 15 inches and super soft. It sits alert with ears perked; front paws and mouth are movable on this life-like rabbit.

Folkmanis’ Lion has been redesigned and is ready to roar. Always king of the jungle, this 16-inch beast has a soft-and-fluffy mane and stoic pose.

Eastern Chipmunk has cute chubby cheeks, a movable mouth and arms, and sits 7-inches high. Its recognizable racing stripe and long, fluffy tail add to its adorable character.

The Gray Wolf is 22-inches long and has feathery plush fabric in gray, brown and white. Big ears and pointy snout give the Wolf its character and charm while the movable mouth will give a voice – or howl – to it.

Each kit includes: a plush puppet body, felt to cut-out body parts, non-toxic glue, fabric puppet parts, instructions, animal facts, and puppet show ideas. The package converts to a puppet stage and the inside of the packaging is a ready-to-color stage scene, so there is no packaging waste. Children can “Simply Cut, Glue, Color, Play,” says Elaine Kollias, marketing director at Folkmanis. Consumer will need to provide their own scissors and crayons.  The Kits come in three varieties: Bunny, Cat and Frog.

Baby Michael Jackson includes smash hits such as Beat It, Billie Jean, Thriller and Man In The Mirror. Baby Blanket Music features familiar baby sounds like vibraphones and music boxes paired with a full medley of richer, more classical instruments including strings, woodwinds, pianos, harps and soft percussion.  Together, these instrumental arrangements create gentle textures that are calming and enjoyable to ears of any age.

Among the popular Madonna tunes that can be found on Baby Madonna are Holiday, Material Girl, Vogue and Like A Prayer. Baby Blanket Music features familiar baby sounds like vibraphones and music boxes paired with a full medley of richer, more classical instruments including strings, woodwinds, pianos, harps and soft percussion.  Together, these instrumental arrangements create gentle textures that are calming to ears of any age.

This colorful line of giftwrap from Disegno is made of eco-friendly Kraftpaper (sustainable PEFC/FSC cultivation) and is CO2 neutral. The creative design features children playing, a castle, a volcano, princesses and knights, and more. This design is available as counter-roll wrapping paper, paper shopping bags, gift bags,  and gift certificates. Once a child opens their gift, the wrap can be used as a border in their room, hung as a poster, or laminated onto cardboard and cut into puzzle pieces.

In its licensing deal with Wolverine World Wide, Inc., the company behind Hush Puppies and other innovative footwear, apparel and accessory brands, Aurora will launch and distribute worldwide the Hush Puppies plush animal line. featuring a small (5"), medium (10") and large (18") Hush Puppies basset hound. There are also portable 3.5” 'clip-ons'  for those who want to take their Hush Puppies pup on the go.

Making up Aurora's first series of exclusive soft figurines based on the Luche Libre phenomenon are the "top" six contenders wrestling to become champion. Kids will be entertained and inspired by the comic book "hangtag" attached to each plush toy. Each character is eight inches. Aurora expects to release "Series 2" featuring even more Luche Libre characters later in the year.

Aurora's 14 all-new 12.5-inch sassy Mood Monkeys allow tweens and teens to express who they really are. The 14 styles include Book Worm, Catty, Soo Silly, Bad Hair Day, Chatterbox, Boy Crazy, Sweet Tooth, Ray of Sunshine, Oops Clumsy, I Love Shopping, Giggly, Sleepyhead, Party Girl and Spa Girl.

From flower girl to firefighter, Aurora has released nine new "dress up" outfits that fit all of Aurora's five inch YooHoo & Friends. Each dress up set comes in clear packaging that includes two accessories. Retailers can combine the dress up packaging (fits slatwalls) with existing YooHoo & Friends displays. The "Blast to the Past" set includes three YooHoo & Friends "hippies.” Available separately are the "Go Green" set with two flower girls and a princess butterfly; and a third set that includes doctor, firefighter and police officer. Each 5-inch YooHoo & Friends animal (w/ sound) is available separately for $6.
— "They are all over the board, but I've sold about 100 of the various things," Barbara Fineblum, Owner of Barston's Child's Play in Baltimore, Md., said about YooHoos to TDmonthly when surveyed in late Spring 2011.