May 2012 Notable Toys — Preschool

Princess Revolution! is a rocking girl-power concept album by NYC’s multiple award-winning Mommy Rocker, Moey. The songs on this 15-track CD feature subjects like sharing, body image and standing up to bullies while encouraging girls to celebrate their intelligence, confidence and style. The CD also includes musical re-tellings of Sleeping Beauty, The Princess and the Pea, and The Little Mermaid with new endings that provide an empowering twist. The album inspires girls to be helpful heroes who can slay their own dragons or wake themselves up with their own magical kiss. "Princess Revolution is not only 'sparkle-tacular' girly fun, it instills girls with a positive social message that makes them see themselves as confident leaders and achievers," Melissa Levis, president of Lemonade Productions LLC, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 2012.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval, 2012 Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products; 2012 Dr. Toy 10 Best Audio/DVD; 2012 Parent's Choice Gold Award

This 85-piece set contains 72 easy-to-handle building blocks in a variety of brightly colored, interlocking geometric shapes, 8 wheels to construct buildings and vehicles with and 5 figurines. A convenient handled carrying case stores all the blocks neatly away when not in use.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval
— Mary Porter Green, owner of Curiostiy Zone in Ashburn, Va.,  told TDmonthly in a May 2015 survey that this was a best-selling construction toy at their store.

With sturdy metal construction and pivoting front wheels, this kid-size shopping cart is easy to maneuver, fun to fill and built to last. Dimensions: 23.25" x 15" x 11.75" Assembled.

Chunky tools made from durable, soft plastic are perfect for encouraging imaginative play. Includes stethoscope, syringe, bandage, ear scope and thermometer. All pieces store in a vinyl doctor’s bag measuring 6.75"W x 5"H.
Awards: 2012 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Gold Seal Award.

Two complete place settings for pretend meals. Includes 2 plates, 2 bowls, 2 cups, 2 sets of utensils. Made of sustainable PlanWood, a durable new material made from the sawdust leftover from rubberwood products.

A beautiful garden of flowers contains eight circles of the same size and shape for mix-and-match play. Each piece is a different color with a matching color as well. Made from 98% post consumer recycled materials and printed with eco-friendly inks.

Includes 44 magnetic pieces. Children can play and learn alphabet, spelling and reading words with pictures. Extra pieces included for free-writing.

Plan Toy Sort and Count stacking toy can move preschoolers to the next level of basic math skills through play. It is designed to challenge children's sorting and counting skills. The natural wood frame has collapsible rods for safety and the large bead-like rings fit nicely into small hands. Kids sort the beads by color, counting as they stack the beads. Children will make basic math discoveries as they experiment and see that two yellow beads and one blue bead goes as high as three green beads.

Colorful blocks with unconventional basic shapes. Learn matching shapes, sequencing and stacking. Develops hand-eye coordination, logical thinking, and trial & error skills. Made in Thailand from environmentally friendly rubberwood. Strictly using Non-Toxic Paint; Dyes and Lacquers. Formaldehyde Free Glue. Packaging is made from at least 70% recycled paper.

The little princess is not sure what to wear today. Who wants to help her choose a dress? Here creative children can let their imagination run wild and can design their own picture book over and over again as the stickers can be peeled off. Includes 6 sheets with stickers.

This set comprises of 19 wooden house parts and 1 board. Kids can stack the interchangeable pieces any way they like to create their dream home. Encourages creativity and helps kids develop their fine motor skills. The pegging board and colored stacking pieces are made from solid beech wood.

Baby's first book unfolds for a zoo full of surprises. Pull their tails and tug their ears—these animal friends don't mind. Unfold each zoo animal's page and find multiple tactile activities, with embroidered letters, textures, flaps, a mirror, teether and more.

This dual-sided sand shaker allows kids to sprinkle or pour sand. Works at the beach or in sandboxes.

Sand funnel for detailed sand decorating for sand castles and other creations. Separate compartments for sand and water. Easy to hold handle for small hands. 6 1/2 inches.

Made from the new collection of PlanWood materials, the classic Dancing Alligator has been remade using this new sustainable wood to delight children. When pulled along, the alligator moves his head and tail up and down making a click-clack sound. Created to maximize the usage of the reclaimed rubber trees, PlanWood uniquely provides an even safer, higher quality and more affordable product, while maintaining the eco-minded excellence and unforgettable design consumers have come to expect from the PlanToys brand. PlanWood is made from the sawdust and wood chips left over from regular PlanToys production. By adding some organic pigments for color, mixing it with less than 1% of their non-formaldehyde E-zero glue and pressure molding the mix, a new safe and non-toxic material was born. Launch date: 2012.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Green Toys

The attractive colors and grinning conductor on this train set are sure to impress. Train cars connect via magnets. Toot, toot, the locomotive arrives at the station with its three wagons transporting an interesting load: two small stacking games and a drum with a little bell. The conductor and load are removable. Material: PEFC certified beech wood. Non toxic, water based stain. Made in Germany.
Awards: 2012 Dr. Toy Best Green Toys
— Wooden trains and block sets were mention by two retailers surveyed by TDmonthly in February 2013 as best selling wooden toys.

He’s 12” tall and made with a fleecy material that’s super-soft to the touch. His simple floppy body makes it easy for little hands to carry him everywhere. With soft fabric eyes, he even makes the perfect bedtime companion.
— In a May 2012 survey, two out of 12 retailers told TDmonthly that Sesame Street plush from Gund was their best selling licensed product.

Follow-along yoga story classes on DVD for ages 3 - 7 that enhance fitness, focus and coordination while also teaching self-regulation techniques called Adventure Skills. Launch date: November 2010.
Awards: 2010 Telly Award; 2011 Creative Child Magazine Exercise DVD of the Year; 2011 NAPPA Gold; 2011 Parents Choice; 2011 Mom's Choice

The Yoga Motion Bundle contains a Yoga Motion DVD, a Shining Star stainless steel water bottle, and an apple green child-sized yoga mat. Yoga Motion engages children in active play, while they exercise their bodies and expand their imaginations. The DVD contains 10 chapters, each is a complete 3-4 minute yoga routine. Children can play Yoga Motion from beginning to end as a long yoga workout, or mix-and-match chapters for a unique yoga experience. Product designs are clean and modern. Launch date: October 2011.
Awards: 2012 Parents Choice Award

Bizzy Bear is helping out at the building site, so he puts on his hard hat and gets to work. Help him drive a digger, a bulldozer, and a truck. With chunky sliders to push and pull, this robust little board book is perfect for active toddlers. Launch date: February 2012.

Maisy has put her sun hat, pajamas, toothbrush, and camera into a bag, and she's off to the train station with Panda and Cyril. They're headed for the seashore, but getting there is only half the fun. Coloring and snacks help pass the time on the ride to the beach, where Maisy can't wait to swim, collect seashells, build sand castles, and lots more. At nighttime it feels special to go to bed in a hotel knowing that tomorrow another vacation day awaits. Launch date: April 2012.

Help Maisy and company collect shells, build a sand castle, and feast on tasty treats as they spend a day by the seaside. Launch date: April 2012.

Tuck this in an Easter basket. Maisy is making and hiding treats for a backyard hunt- and needs kids to lend a hand. Maisy's beloved sticker books - now with fresh new cover designs - are sure to keep fans busy through the holidays and highlights of the seasons. Launch date: February 2012.

Old twins, new twins, famous twins, not-at-all-alike twins, side-byside twins, let's play twins, not-yet twins, mirror twins - all kinds of twins! - come together in a collection of original poems by two of our most celebrated authors for young people: J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. From a wave and a wink to a twin switcheroo, from a rocket to the moon to the old woman who lived in a shoe, these poems and mini facts, whimsically illustrated by Sophie Blackall, will leave even singletons with a twinkle in their eyes. J. Patrick Lewis is the current Children's Poet Laureate. A twin himself, he has written more than seventy children's books. Jane Yolen, not a twin herself - but with multiple sets in her family - has written or edited more than three hundred books.