August 2009 Notable Toys — All

Secure plates, bowls and even cups to any table with the Lil' Diner! small compact design fits right into your diaper bag, purse or the Lil' Diner signature flannel bag below. Its Diswasher safe and guaranteed for 10 years!

Lil' Love Bug Hair Gel for kids is safe for children of all ages. It has no harmful chemicals and is fragrance and dye free. It calms frizzies and fly-a-ways while also adding body. Gives your little one's locks a finished style without sticky or crunchy feeling hair. Green Tea extract was added to help hair against everyday pollutions.

Lil' Love Bug Hairspray for kids has no harmful chemicals, fragrance or dyes. Safe for children of all ages. Adds extra hold to curls and hairstyles. Also calms frizzies and fly-a-ways. Green Tea extract is added to help protect your little ones hair from everyday pollutions. Lil' Love Bug Hairspray can be used with Lil' Love Bug Hair Gel for even more hold.

Lil' Love Bug Conditioner with detangler is gentle on the eyes and skin. Safe for newborns and children of all ages. There are no dyes or fragrances added. It was made with an extra detangling agent to make brushing and styling more enjoyable. Ingredients also include Green Tea and Chamomile extracts. Green Tea extract is to help your little one's hair against everyday pollutions. Chamomile extract is to calm and soothe after a busy day of play. Lil' Love Bug Conditioner with detangler will leave your child's hair soft and silky.

LiL' Love Bug shampoo for Kids is gentle on the eyes and skin. Safe for newborns and children of all ages. There are no dyes or fragrances added. Ingredients include Green Tea and Chamomile extract. The Green Tea extract was added to help your little one's hair against everyday air pollution. The Chamomile extract is used to calm and soothe after a busy day of play. Little Love Bug Shampoo will leave your kids hair clean and shiny.

This soft and whimsical designer plush friend has cuddly fur and wears a smile at all times. She measures 7" H x 7.4" W x 11.7" L.

This soft exploration cube for babies is made of organic cotton and filled with organic lambswool. It features a variety of textures along with some crackling foil. Each side measures 3.9".

Featuring laminated canvas material, this sturdy, insulated lunch box is designed for easy cleaning and includes a name tag and zipped pocket on the back. It is free from PVC, phthalates and lead.

Created and illustrated by Simon Basher, and written by Dan Green, this 128-page, full-color paperbook dedicates individual pages to profiles of stars and other objects in outer space. It comes with a solar system poster. Launch date: May 2009.

n the heat of the night, standing between the stars, the dream of all astronauts shine: the Moon . Stop dreaming, get in the action! Run around the spacecraft work-site and build the most amazing and colorful rocket . Be the first to make it take off! History will remember only one name. .. Is it yours?

Deep inside the Arctic Circle, brave sledders compete in a dangerous race to test their skill and endurance. But this snowy paradise conceals icy traps, and not all the teams will reach the finish line. The huskies must run quickly and their masters must display finesse and cool-headedness if they are to avoid the numerous pitfalls around the track. To help them on their way, the players have cards with different values that will make their dogs run at a more or less high speed. They have to manage their hand well in order to slide, increase speed, or slow down at just the right time. Only a keen tactical awareness will enable them to avoid the trees blocking the way or prevent them from skidding right off the track.

The Bakubowl Arena from Spin Master brings together kids and their Bakugan Battle Brawlers together for a fast-paced game. Stored in stations behind the Bakuramps around the edges of the circular arena, Bakugan wait to be launched into battle by the ramps where they will strive to win against their opponents' team. The arena accommodates up to four players.
— “Bakugan Battle Brawlers is flying off the shelves,” Katherine L. King, manager of Giggles Toys & More in Bozeman, Mont., told TDmonthly about her best-selling gifts for boys in June 2009.

Illuminated with detailed Egyptian images, the gate of this mysterious temple opens a whole world of creative play in ancient Egypt. The set comes with a rune-inscribed obelisk, ceremonial scepters and headdresses, a sedan chair, three figures and a stately panther.  It may be used as a stand-alone set or combined with other pieces from Playmobil's Egypt line for exploration of the ancient world.  Launch date: August 2009.
— “Playmobil. It blows me away how popular it is right now. We have a whole room of Playmobil and it's outstanding,” Fred Meyer, owner of Meyer's Toy World in Battle Creek, Mich., told TDmonthly in June 2009.
— “We brought it in new last year and it's always selling,” said Phillip Anderson, manager of The Down Town Toy Store in Kenosha, Wis., when asked about his top-selling gift for boys in summer 2009.

With sleek lines and aggressive styling, the Morphibians Rover is ready to take on any terrain — pond or bath, carpet or lawn — with its heavy duty tire tread and amphibious vehicle technology.  The vehicle takes three AA batteries, the controller takes two AAA batteries, and the Rover runs at a 27MHz frequency.  Other Morphibians are available at 49MHz in order to accommodate two vehicles being driven at the same time. 
— “Our best-selling gift for boys is probably the Morphibians from Kid Galaxy, especially if a dad is shopping,” said Janet Gregory, owner of Over the Rainbow Toy Store in Anchorage, Alaska, in June 2009. 
— “Kid Galaxy's Morphibians have sold well for almost two years straight,” Joe Berardoni, owner of Pun's Toy Shop in Bryn Mawr, Pa., told TDmonthly in summer 2009.
— Of 47 retailers, four listed Morphibians as the top-selling gift for boys in early summer 2009.

An 890-piece construction set based on the climactic battle between the Rebel Alliance and the evil Empire, the Battle of Endor set is designed to bring the action directly into a child's hands and imagination. Kids can build detailed models of an opening bunker with sliding blast doors, an AT-ST scout walker, a firing catapult, an Ewok glider and two speeder bikes. The set comes with 12 figures, including many favorite characters, such as Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and R2-D2.
— “Lego is outselling everything, as always. It's a classic item,” said Charles Bonner, owner of Heights Toy Center in Little Rock, Ark., in response to a June 2009 survey of best-selling gifts for boys.
— “Lego, they love Lego. We just had three little boys ‘pow wow’ in the Lego section,” Denise Van Patten, owner of Katherine's Cottage in Chico, Calif., told TDmonthly in summer 2009.
— As of 09/06/2011 the anniversary edition of this item was number two on ToysRus.com's top-selling toys list, and had 4.1 out of 5 stars from 21 reviews. Pros: Easy to assemble, fun. Cons: Difficult setup, falls apart too easily.

Inspired by the legendary genius Da Vinci, the product is a Code Machine that stretches players' imaginative and logical mind. It is a beautiful fusion of a Word game and a Logic game. Its interactive game-play makes it a great piece for friends and family pastimes. The difficulty levels are controlled by players so it is also a nice adult-child educational toy.

Manufactured with the specialized lenticular printing process, Visual Echo puzzles display the illusion of depth and movement when viewed from changing angles. Parallel rows of optical lenses display different facets of a complex, interlaced image underneath the top layer. The “You Are Here” puzzle, once the 500 interlocking pieces are assembled, features the planets of the solar system drifting on the star-filled background of space. 
― “Visual Echoes is a line of 3D puzzles that does pretty well. I'm looking at the line right now, and it's very good,” Robin Ellerman, owner of Trains-N-Toys in North Canton, Ohio, told TDmonthly in June 2009.

This play phone has soft touch keys, operator voice, and ringing tone. Includes 2 x AG13 (Button Cells) batteries.

The row of pencils represented on the photo that emerges when this 1,000-piece puzzle is fully assembled were taken from architect Frank Lloyd Wright's desk after his death in 1959. The image is an homage to Wright's renowned talent for drawing, as well as an intricate picture for puzzling.  Completed, the puzzle measures 20” x 29”. 
― “Presently, our best-selling puzzle is a Frank Lloyd Wright piece titled ‘Pencils.’ It also happens to be from one of our best-selling puzzle manufacturers, Pomegranate, which is dominating our puzzle sales this year,” Kevin Pohle, owner of The Wizard's Chest in Denver, Colo., told TDmonthly in June 2009.

With two interlocking puzzle pieces for each letter of the alphabet, this 52-piece puzzle completes to 11' long. Each letter can be put together separately for a variety of learning activities that will help stimulate children's motor and critical thinking skills.
― Darlene Lockhart, owner of Toy Town in Casper, Wyo., told TDmonthly her top seller in the puzzle category is “any floor puzzle.” Lockhart was among seven of 47 retailers who said in June 2009 that floor puzzles are top-selling puzzles in their stores.
― Two of 47 storeowners named Crocodile Creek as their best-selling puzzle brand in early summer 2009.

Packed in a bright red latching box emblazoned with a painted stegosaurus, four individually bagged jigsaw puzzles offer different skill levels for young children.  At four, six, nine and 12 pieces, each puzzle assembles into a picture of a different dinosaur (a pterodactyl, tyrannosaurus, triceratops and the pictured stegosaurus). 
— In an August 2011 survey, 2 out of 12 retailers said that Crocodile Creek's puzzles were best-sellers in the puzzle category. Jeanette Lauture of Aunt Jean's Toys & Treats in Montclair, N.J., said that she sells 3-6 Crocodile Creek puzzles each week.
― “We have Crocodile Creek and do well with those,” Jeri Dorsey, buyer for Kits and Kaboodle in Carmel, Ind., told TDmonthly in June 2009 when asked about top-selling puzzles.
— "All of the Crocodile Creek products" for school do well, said Rick Henry, owner of Stellabella Toys in Cambridge, Mass., in autumn 2010. He sells approximately 50 pieces of lunch boxes, thermoses and the like per month.

Individuals can build a smooth, solid, 6”-diameter sphere out of 240 curved pieces. The ball stays together with no glue required, displaying a detailed and colorful image of fire-breathing dragons all over its surface. The puzzle comes with a display base to impress friends and family by showing off the completed ball. 
― “Puzzle Balls from Ravensburger ... are really popular right now,” said Emily Bieritz, manager of My Favorite Toy Store in Downers Grove, Ill., in June 2009.
― Three of 47 retailers told TDmonthly in early summer 2009 that Puzzle Balls from Ravensburger are top sellers in their stores.

Starting with a sturdy wood tray painted with the arc, the sun and rain, and a bright colored rainbow, children have not only a puzzle to help them sharpen fine motor skills, shape recognition skills and hand-eye coordination, but also a set of 12 chunky figurines for pretend play. The large, easy-to-grasp pieces stand upright to bring this familiar story, or stories from a youngster's imagination, to life.
― “They have a lot of the stuff we need in one source,” Dennis Ronberg, owner of Linden Tree Children's Recordings and Books in Los Altos, Calif., said in early summer 2009 of what makes Melissa & Doug his best-selling puzzle line. 
― “Melissa & Doug does best for 3- to 5-year olds,” Joe Berardoni, owner of Pun's Toy Shop in Bryn Mawr, Pa., told TDmonthly of his best-selling puzzle brands in June 2009.

Populating the arctic landscape of this sturdy wooden puzzle's base, four smiling creatures fit neatly into shaped openings. A puffin, orca, mother polar bear and seal are painted on 5/8” thick pieces of wood with smooth edges that are easy for small fingers to grip. Early puzzles like these are designed to help build motor skills, hand-eye coordination, spatial reasoning and basic shape recognition skills that contribute to later ability in mathematics and reading.
― Three of 47 retailers told TDmonthly in June 2009 that puzzles geared for toddlers are their best-selling puzzles. One named Puzzibilities as their store’s top-selling puzzle brand.