May 2010 Notable Toys — All

These larger-sized dice are designed to reinforce understanding of number concepts, counting, operations and probability.  The dice are red, yellow, green, light blue, orange and light purple, and come with a handy storage bucket.

The economical, easy-to-use Large Tie Dye Kit dyes up to 15 adult T-shirts; it comes with complete, easy-to-follow instructions and pattern tying guidelines. The kit also includes: red, blue and yellow pre-measured Procion MX dye powder in applicators; an extra applicator bottle for mixing secondary colors; soda ash dye fixer; rubber gloves and rubber bands.

Fun and practical, Tee Juice Broad Line markers let users make broad, bold strokes yet are soft to the touch. Kids can paint on fabric without the mess and hassle of paintbrushes and open bottles of paint.  Teens can use these markers to express themselves by writing messages or drawing images on t-shirts.  They are great for coloring in large blocks of color when using Fineliner or Medium Point Tee Juice Fabric Marking Pens. The markers come in eight colors, open stock and two boxed sets.

$3.99 (individual markers) and $14.99 (4 marker boxed set)

Swanson Christian Products offers more than 20 different design assortments of shaped rubber bands, with wholesale pricing as low as 60 cents per package depending on purchase quantities. The bands are formed in various shapes and colors including glow-in-dark and scented styles. They can be used as regular rubber bands, or collected and traded. They are designed to return to their original shape.

This fashionable doll has hair almost down to her ankles and comes with an assortment of styling accessories so girls can trim and style her hair.

Belle steps out of the fairytale and into girls' hearts in a sparkling pale yellow gown, with a beautiful hairstyle and "gemstone" tiara to match. Doll cannot stand alone.

Tim Burton brings his unique take on a favorite story to the Disney film "Alice in Wonderland." Here, the Mad Hatter doll wears a costume exactingly re-created from the movie and showing off the character played by Johnny Depp. The doll has a top hat that frames his cartoonish features, and curly red locks that contrast with his colorful costume.

Build your own electric vehicles and machines, and then power them up with a hand-crank generator. Assemble 11 models including a racecar, “flying” car, radar car, satellite car, propeller airplane, drilling car, bulldozer, space station, well-digging machine, and portable camping torch. Experiment with your electric generator and your models: Alter the crank-time and the crank-frequency and see how these variables affect the performance of your cars and machines. The 36-page color instruction book included in this kit illustrates the step-by-step assembly of each model and related principles so that children learn through playing. The 122 building pieces included in this set are compatible with those in all Thames & Kosmos Construction Series kits, Physics Series kits, Wind Power, and Hydropower kits.

Build wind-powered generators to energize your electric vehicles and charge your rechargeable batteries! The wind spins the turbine, which turns an electric generator, which in turn charges your rechargeable AA batteries (not included). You can then use those wind-charged batteries to power the model vehicles you build. The six models include a glider, sail car, jet car, tractor, racecar, and tricycle. This kit includes two styles of wind turbine blades and a gearbox with three different gear ratios for experimenting. You can adjust the angle and number of wind turbine blades to make best use of wind, to make the LED light up brightly, and to charge the rechargeable battery as fast as possible. Explore this amazing, free source of renewable energy and store the electricity you generate for use in practical applications. Included also is a 40-page color instruction book with illustrated step-by-step instructions for assembling two windmills and six model vehicles, and conducting various experiments. The 133 building pieces included in this set are compatible with those in all Thames & Kosmos Construction Series kits, Physics Series kits, Wind Power, and Hydropower kits.

Pneumatic-Hydraulic Engines. Build your own models powered by air and water pressure to learn about the laws of physics. This unique kit allows you to build two different air-and-water-powered systems: water-jet propelled cars and hydro-pneumo (which simply means air pressure and water pressure) powered engines. The hydro-pneumo system uses a self-contained air-and-water turbine system as a motor. Construct 15 models including a truck, excavator, radar car, tank, antique car, helicopter, motorbike, backhoe, rocket car, forklift, roadster, propeller plane, grinder, and cutting machine. The water-jet propelled cars are a fun outdoor activity, while the self-contained hydro-pneumo powered models are fun both indoors and out. The 48-page color instruction book included in this kit illustrates the step-by-step assembly of each model and related principles so that children learn through playing. The 165 building pieces included in this set are compatible with those in all Thames & Kosmos Construction Series kits, Physics Series kits, Wind Power, and Hydropower kits.

Containing 120 cards, this set is a foundation for anyone looking to play House Martell in the Living Card Game environment. Infamous Martell characters like Prince Doran and Princess Arianne Martell, Areo Hotah, Ser Arys Oakheart, Darkstar, the Daynes of Sunspear, and the Red Viper are featured, along with the staple building block cards necessary to make the Martells a competitive option. This is not a stand-alone game; an A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Core Set is required to play. Launch date: Dec. 14, 2009.

The Battle of Blackwater Bay is the sixth installment of 40 fixed cards for the King’s Landing expansion to the A Game of Thrones card game, based on George R.R. Martin’s best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire saga. It contains 20 never-before-seen cards designed to augment existing decks and add variety to the A Game of Thrones metagame. This is not a stand-alone deck. An A Game of Thrones: The Card Game core set is required to play. Launch date: Oct. 29, 2009.

In the Kings of the Sea expansion, House Greyjoy makes its true mark on the A Game of Thrones: The Card Game. This 60 card expansion provides the cards players need to make House Greyjoy decks a reaving force to be feared. Included, among others, are Euron Crows Eye, Aeron Damphair, Asha, Theon, and Balon Greyjoy, beloved characters from author George R.R. Martins’ A Song of Ice and Fire. With them comes a wealth of new strategies, tactics, and deck-building options. The Kings of the Sea expansion also features the beautifully sculpted “Arms of the Kraken” resin house card, as well as “The Kingsmoot,” a multiplayer variant in which players compete for the support of the Iron Isles’ chieftains. This is not a stand-alone game; an A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Core Set is required to play. Launch date: July 24, 2009.

Secrets and Spies is the fifth installment of 40 fixed cards for the King's Landing expansion to the A Game of Thrones card game, based on George R.R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire saga. It contains 20 different never-before-seen cards designed to augment existing decks and add variety to the A Games of Thrones metagame. This is a not a stand-alone deck. A A Game of Thrones: The Card Game core set is required to play. Launch date: Sept. 30, 2009.

The Tower of the Hand is the third installment of 40 fixed cards for the King’s Landing expansion to the A Game of Thrones card game, based on George R.R. Martin’s best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire saga. It contains 20 different never-before-seen cards designed to augment existing decks and add variety to the A Game of Thrones metagame. This is not a stand-alone deck. An A Game of Thrones: The Card Game core set is required to play. Launch date: July 22, 2009.

Tales from the Red Keep is the fourth installment of 40 fixed cards for the King's Landing expansion to the A Game of Thrones card game, based on George R.R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire saga. It contains 20 different never-before-seen cards designed to augment existing decks and add variety to the A Games of Thrones metagame. This is a not a stand-alone deck. An A Game of Thrones: The Card Game core set is required to play. Launch date: Sept. 2, 2009.

A Time of Trials is the second installment of 40 fixed cards for the King's Landing expansion to the A Game of Thrones card game, based on the George R.R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire saga. It contains 20 different never-before-seen cards designed to augment existing decks and add variety to the A Game of Thrones metagame. This is a not a stand-alone deck. An A Game of Thrones: The Card Game core set is required to play. Launch date: June 29, 2009.

Scattered Armies is the sixth installment of 40 fixed cards for the A Time of Ravens expansion to the A Game of Thrones card game, based on George R.R. Martin’s bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire saga. It contains 20 different never-before-seen cards designed to augment existing decks and add variety to the A Game of Thrones metagame. This is not a stand-alone deck; an A Game of Thrones: The Card Game core set is required to play. Launch date: March 16, 2009.

City of Secrets is the first installment of 40 fixed cards for the King’s Landing expansion to the A Game of Thrones card game, based on George R.R. Martin’s best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire saga. It features 20 different never-before seen cards designed to augment existing decks and add variety to the A Game of Thrones metagame. This is not a stand-alone deck. An A Game of Thrones: The Card Game core set is required to play. Launch date: May 28, 2009.

The Raven’s Song is the fourth installment of 40 fixed cards for the A Time of Ravens expansion to the A Game of Thrones card game, based on George R.R. Martin’s bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire saga. It contains 20 different never-before-seen cards designed to augment existing decks and add variety to the A Game of Thrones metagame. This is not a stand-alone deck; an A Game of Thrones: The Card Game core set is required to play. Launch date: Feb. 2, 2009.

The Winds of Winter is the second installment of 40 fixed cards for the A Time of Ravens expansion to the A Game of Thrones card game, based on George R.R. Martin’s bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire saga. It contains 20 different never-before-seen cards designed to augment existing decks and add variety to the A Game of Thrones metagame. This is not a stand-alone deck; an A Game of Thrones: The Card Game core set is required to play. Launch date: Nov. 24, 2008.

A Change of Seasons is the third installment of 40 fixed cards for the A Time of Ravens expansion to the A Game of Thrones card game, based on George R.R. Martin’s bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire saga. It contains 20 different never-before-seen cards designed to augment existing decks and add variety to the A Game of Thrones metagame. This is not a stand-alone deck; an A Game of Thrones: The Card Game core set is required to play. Launch date: Dec. 16, 2008.

A Song of Summer is the first monthly installment of 40 fixed cards for the A Time of Ravens expansion to the A Game of Thrones card game, based on George R.R. Martin’s bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire saga. It contains 20 different never-before-seen cards designed to augment existing decks and add variety to the A Game of Thrones metagame. This is not a stand-alone deck; an A Game of Thrones: The Card Game core set is required to play. Launch date: Nov. 24, 2008.

Calling the Banners is the sixth installment of 40 fixed cards for the A Clash of Arms expansion to A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, based on George R.R. Martin's bestselling Song of Ice and Fire saga. It contains 20 different never-before-seen cards designed to augment existing decks and add variety to the A Game of Thrones metagame. This is not a standalone deck; an A Game of Thrones LCG core set is required to play. Launch date: Sept. 2, 2009.