February 2011 Notable Toys — All

Mary Meyer adds new ring rattles and WubbaNub™ pacifiers to its popular Sweet Chocolate Collection in 2011. The baby pink and baby blue plush animals are designed with delicious chocolate accents. The 5inch Sweet Chocolate Puppy Ring Rattles are available in pink and chocolate and blue and chocolate colors. A Giraffe version is also availabe.

This 7" Ella Bella Bank has a firm plastic bank inside and is covered with fuzzy pink plush.  Embroidered features are baby safe.

This 10-inch pull-down toy is designed for car seats and strollers. Pull the sturdy feet down and a baby can watch Ella Bella wiggle and jiggle as her feet go back up. 

This sweet, 5-inch rattle features Ella Bella's signature modern patterns and pink plush.

Modern floral patterns, a soft color pallet, and fuzzy pink are the hallmarks of Ella Bella. Ell Bella, an adorable elephant, is the star of this new baby boutique collection especially designed for baby girls. The collection, designed by Mary Meyer toy designers in Townshend, Vermont, includes seven nursery items designed to decorate a nursery with a soft, nurturing color pallet. The 8-inch Ella Bella Wind-Up Musical plush toy plays “Brahams' Lullaby.”

Story Speller is a beginning storytelling game that everyone can play. Fill a storyboard with the favorite story element cards, choose a hero or heroine, and learn to tell and spell storybook tales. The story element card categories include: Friends and Foes, Locations, Treasures, Objects and Obstacles, Vehicles, and Actions. Will an asteroid hit Earth causing tarantulas to run wild? Will the Pirate go diving in the moonlight to find the hidden egg? Each story is different and encourages children to develop their imaginations and creativity as well as sequential thinking and language skills. Launch date: February 2011.

Milly is a pink kitten that can be dressed up in cute outfits and carried in a scented cat carrier.

This line of seven dolls is soft and huggable, with baby-safe embroidered features.

Years after a big old tree tumbles to the ground and is rotting, is it really dead? In a new picture book for children, author Anthony Fredericks invites children to take a closer look. Roly-polies and daddy longlegs and velvet mites prowl here and there, while salamanders and chipmunks dash everywhere. Old logs offer a wonderful opportunity for a low-cost field trip. There might be one in your own backyard. Tons of small creatures live there, so often overlooked. A letter from roly-poly to the reader introduces this “neighborhood,” saying, “I have lots of weird neighbors, and remember, weird is interesting.” With a blend of science and rhyming text, Fredericks and illustrator Jennifer DiRubbio have created a lighthearted yet educational picture book. To further whet the appetite of nature-loving kids, Fredericks provides “field notes” and “fantastic facts” about the animals at the back of the book. And as a courtesy to teachers and parents, he provides an extensive description of projects and activities to do based on the book, ranging from simple finger play to readers theater. This is the sixth book in a series by the same author/illustrator team. Previous titles include Under One Rock; In One Tidepool; Around One Cactus; Near One Cattail; and On One Flower. Also available in hardback ($16.95).

Travel to incredible places in this plush locomotive with three jungle friends. Don't forget to change their places from time to time so they can see all the views. Velcro allows child to switch the three animals between the locomotive's two windows and nose. Also included is a canvas carrying tote. Made of Polyester Fiber. Surface wash, air dry.

The Greatest Newspaper Dot-to-Dot Puzzles volume 8 is a new 5.5" by 5.5" pocket-sized collection of weekly dot-to-dots that have been published in various USA and international newspapers. Includes difficult dot-to-dot puzzles with no clues as to the final form. The images slowly emerge as the puzzler connects the dots. In addition to traditional connect-the-dots, it includes unique innovations such as connecting odd/even numbers and multiple line variations. 40 pages long with 36 puzzles.

The Greatest Newspaper Dot-to-Dot Puzzles volume 7 is a new 5.5" by 5.5" pocket-sized collection of weekly dot-to-dots that have been published in various USA and international newspapers. Includes difficult dot-to-dot puzzles with no clues as to the final form.  The images slowly emerge as the puzzler connects the dots. In addition to traditional connect-the-dots, it includes unique innovations such as connecting odd/even numbers and multiple line variations. 40 pages long with 36 puzzles.

The Greatest Newspaper Dot-to-Dot Puzzles volume 6 is a new 5.5" by 5.5" pocket-sized collection of weekly dot-to-dots that have been published in various USA and international newspapers. Includes difficult dot-to-dot puzzles with no clues as to the final form.  The images slowly emerge as the puzzler connects the dots. In addition to traditional connect-the-dots, it includes unique innovations such as connecting odd/even numbers and multiple line variations. 40 pages long with 36 puzzles.

The Greatest Newspaper Dot-to-Dot Puzzles volume 5 is a new 5.5" by 5.5" pocket-sized collection of weekly dot-to-dots that have been published in various USA and international newspapers. Includes difficult dot-to-dot puzzles with no clues as to the final form.  The images slowly emerge as the puzzler connects the dots. In addition to traditional connect-the-dots, it includes unique innovations such as connecting odd/even numbers and multiple line variations. 40 pages long with 36 puzzles.

This line of hand puppets features charactes from Puppet Heap's short films "Mother Hubbard" and "I Knew an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly." “We’re very excited about the launch of Puppet Heap Playthings™,” said Paul Andrejco, Puppet Heap’s founder and CEO, “Putting the magic of Puppet Heap’s creative team into the hands of a wider consumer audience is what this new branch of the company is all about.”

Fruitominoes, is a domino game for players aged 5 and up featuring fruit connections rather than dots. "With Fruitominoes, we put our fruity new spin on a classic!" said Rena Nathanson, CEO of Bananagrams. The game comes in a portable pouch so that it can be played at home or on the go.
 

ZIP-IT! includes 24 ivory-like letter cubes packaged in a cloth pouch with unique self-scoring zippers, so everything you need is in the bag.  No pencil, paper or board needed.  Each player takes 12 cubes and races to form their own crossword grid using any side of the cubes.  The first player to use all their own cubes calls "ZIP!" and scores a point by moving their own zip up the pouch. The first person to score 10 points shouts "ZIPIT!!!" and wins the game.  One hand can be played in as little as than 20 seconds.The game was designed to be easily portable.  Also includes complimentary WEORDS Dictionary, a list of weird words that can help win word games.

This new game board has a patent-pending design that allows players to play thousands of game variations on a single game board. For children it is an educational tool that challenges manual dexterity, math skills, and fosters good  sportsmanship. It can be played indoors or outdoors, with endless evolutionary potential. It measures 39"x39" round and 3.25" high, weighs 9 lbs.

The soft, no slip Tub-gLoves help moms hold onto babies during bath-time so they can clean everywhere from nose to toes with ease. Every mom is well aware that babies are slippery when wet. Tub-gLoves help reduce the 'slippage factor' when bathing a child. The soft polyester material provides a safer grip so baby won't slip, giving moms peace of mind while washing their little ones. The open weave fabric design used in Tub-gLoves allows water to easily drain through. One size fits all. Machine-washable.
— This product won a Mom's Best Award in January 2011. mom's Best Award winning product evaluators are moms, dads, grandparents, childcare givers and teachers who use these products in real life situations and then offer valuable feedback on how these products performed in everyday living for families.

Children can pretend to be Santa in his board game for 2 to 4 players. Players choose a sleigh and start at the North Pole. They race around Santa's Workshop trying to load their sleighs with 5 toys. Once a Santa has 5 toys, he flies off to the town to deliver the toys. Along the way, Santas encounter fun activities, such as belting out their best "HO HO HO" or Singing their favorite Christmas carols. The first Santa to deliver all of his toys wins the game. The game comes with board, four sleighs, four tokens, 20 toy cards, rule and die. Game play is approximately 30 minutes.
— This product won a Mom's Best Award in January 2011. mom's Best Award winning product evaluators are moms, dads, grandparents, childcare givers and teachers who use these products in real life situations and then offer valuable feedback on how these products performed in everyday living for families. 

Road Racers commemorates the non-sponsored, driver owned cars that are racing in professional and amateur events. The spirit that pushes these drivers and teams links back to the zenith of road racing found in pony-car showdowns, which are celebrated by the two cars in this diorama; Bill Maier #22 1968 Ford Mustang and Sam Posey #77 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A. The replica features an opening hood, detailed engine, real rubber tires, metal body and chassis, detailed graphics, and a custom license plate, and is officially licensed. Both vehicles are 1:64 scale.

Mustang AV’s displays two aviation inspired automobiles. The AV8R and AV-X10 were both one of kind offerings from Ford Motor Company to commemorate their support of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). Both rare machines feature a glass roof, special front and rear fascias, custom wheels and V8 engine. The AV8R debuted at the 2009 Oshkosh, Wisconsin Air Show and the AV-X10 was inspired from the P-51 Mustang Fighter planes from WWll. Both cars were sold at the EAA Gathering Eagles Charity Auction. Both Mustang AV's are 1:64 scale.

Apollo 13 tells the story of the lunar flight operation by the same name and the astronauts involved. There are two other stars in the film, a 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 350 and a 1970 Chevy Corvette Stingray. These two vehicles share the big screen for a racing scene. As the real Apollo 13 mission took place in 1970 both of these cars were designed to embody the feel of an era as well as the personality, status and adrenaline seeking manner of those individuals that explore the final frontier. This diorama comes with a 1:64 scale1965 Shelby GT-500 and 1970 Chevrolet Corvette 427. The replica features an opening hood, detailed engine, real rubber tires, metal body and chassis, detailed graphics, and a custom license plate, and is officially licensed.

Animal House was the first film produced by National Lampoon; a pop culture magazine in the 70’s. Many of the magazine’s writers were recent college graduates who combined their fraternity experiences into a cult classic movie of cliché college personalities and hilarious antics. This Diorama spotlights smooth talking Delta frat boy Otter’s sports car. The candy apple 1959 Chevrolet Corvette could be seen many nights parked at the Rainbow Motel on Old Mill Road. This diorama comes with a 1:64 scale 1959 Corvette and three characters from the movie. The replica features an opening hood, detailed engine, real rubber tires, metal body and chassis, detailed graphics, and a custom license plate, and is officially licensed. Launch date: February 2011