August 2009 Notable Toys — All

This fun-filled bilingual DVD is designed to help toddlers and preschoolers grasp the Spanish Language. Spanish and English words, both written and spoken for each video clip and an accompanying Spanish phrase, allow a preschooler to pick words with ease. The clips and music are designed to keep a child's interest while teaching common Spanish words and phrases. The DVD covers the fundamentals, including colors, numbers and words, using beautiful images and classical music. Launch date: October 2008.

Galloping Minds Numbers, Shapes and Colors Flash Cards offer a way to teach and reinforce numbers, counting, shapes and color recognition for preschoolers. The flash cards have photographs and illustrations that offer an exciting and interactive way to acquire preschool skills. Each Flash Card is post-card size, has excellent quality photography, and is laminated to prevent damage from little fingers. Launch date: June 2009.

“The puffy shirt,” “Crab Bisque,” “Hello, Newman." Fans who recognize any of these phrases are ready for Pressman Toy’s latest trivia game based on the hit sitcom "Seinfeld." Players join the show’s quirky characters and their misadventures with more than 600 trivia questions and lots of surprises along the way. Players race around the board to visit Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer, and go to Monk's Diner to guess the quote. The first person to get soup from you-know-who wins. Launch date: August 2009.

This Rummikub set for preschoolers is designed with shapes that help children self-correct their moves. The game helps children develop number and color recognition skills, teaches players how to build sets of consecutive numbers, and fosters logical reasoning as they learn the basics of Rummikub. It features three levels of game play. Launch date: August 2009.

Printies™ Design Studio kits and refill packs are created as affordable at-home activity kits that allow children to take their online design creations offline like never before. Using their home PCs, inkjet printers and special patent-pending Printies™ fabric sheets, children can bring their online designs to life as soft, 3-D, collectible stuffed toys. It’s simple: they design online at MyPrinties.com, print on both sides of Printies fabric sheets with any inkjet printer, tear along the perforated shape and pop out the Printies design, stuff it, and put it on display. Launch date: Fall 2009.

Pack & Stack is designed to be a fast and funny, wild and crazy game about moving stuff on all sorts of odd trucks. Every interactive turn is a new adventure, where all the players discover new loads, grab new trucks, and then gamble on their planning and packing skills. Launch date: June 4, 2009.

This kit contains everything needle to make two cute stuffed owls, right down to the stuffing, scissors and needle. The owl pattern is printed onto unbleached cotton fabric, making it easy to cut out and simple to sew together the owls. The box is printed on the inside to cut it out and recycle it into glasses for your owl. Launch date: January 2, 2009.

Marko the Pencil and his friend Bailey take learners on a journey to Marko's Super Science Station where it's easy and fun to grasp science concepts and boost test scores. This DVD covers photosynthesis, plant parts, the butterfly lifecycle, plant and animal cells, food chains, food webs and more. It meets the National Science Education Standards. Launch date: June 2009.

The Black Heritage Gamebook is an educational gamebook with games that span subjects across curriculum — math, reading, history, writing and more. These games can be played for speed or at a child’s individual pace. Launch date: January 3, 2003.

Featuring D.J. Doc Roc, this DVD includes positive lyrics, rap music and high-energy action to generate excitement as students learn to solve division facts quickly and accurately. Kids can discover what division is all about, solve story problems, use remainders, and even work long-division problems. Launch date: June 2009.

Each of these question-and-answer games includes 60 question-and-answer cards. As each correct answer is given, players perform a fun task, such as giving the closest person a high-five or hitting an imaginary baseball and shouting, "Home Run!" There are 10 different games: America, American Revolution, Animals, Black History, Conservation, Solar System, U.S. Civil War, U.S. Constitution, U.S. Presidents and Weather. Launch date: January 2009.

Kids can learn state facts fast in this card game that's available for 11 states: California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Six fun ways to play include matching, trivia, and rummy-style games. The card facts and graphics include more than 40 state facts including state map, symbols, trivia, spelling and true-or-false. Launch date: January 2008.

The Trikke T67 Three-Wheeled Carving Scooter lets the rider "surf the street" and exercises the whole body as a side-to-side motion propels it forward. This model is adjustable for anyone 4'6" to 5'4" and up to 200 lbs. "There is a trick to making them go, which must be learned, but children seem to have an easier time than adults. Though it is not necessary, Trikke can provide an instructional DVD to loop in the store," a company representative told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 1, 2003.

"Global Wonders: Mexico" is an interactive DVD that's part of a series introducing children to vibrant and varied cultures around the world. Animation meets live-action footage as children learn about the Mexican culture while sharing and comparing their own cultures. It includes Language Jams, which are participation-based musical segments introducing a culturally rich vocabulary, and WonderVision, interactive adventure with secret content and surprises. Launch date: October 21, 2008.

The Amazing Mushroom is a three-stage activity toy that allows achild to progress through the phases of crawling, sitting and standing. The Mushroom is equipped with fun features and learning activities, including light effects, music, a color rainbow and a ball-drop surprise. Launch date: January 10, 2009.

This butterfly character design toy comes in a book style with each page of the butterfly wings featuring a different activity. Children can explore all the activities as the butterfly head lights up. Launch date: January 10, 2009.

Best friends can be celebrated with the "Best Friends Forever" Mini Brush, which is lighter and shorter than the original, making it ideal for smaller hands or on-the-go use. Launch date: April 2009.

The "Figure 8" brush features a girl gliding on the ice, with a little bunny friend in the background. Launch date: June 10, 2009.

Hair Noodles feature a spiral design in multiple colors that create many different looks. Launch date: July 2009.

These “stick-in-place” toilet seat covers protect children (and the whole family) from germs on public toilet seats. They are designed to stay on seats with adhesive strips, creating a reliable barrier between little bottoms and big germs. A soft and absorbent top exists for comfort, and a plastic liner underneath eliminates wet seats from soaking through. Resealable, zip-close travel packs with 10 covers fit conveniently in a diaper bag. Launch date: April 2009.

The Table Topper disposable “stick-in-place” placemats with adhesive strips are designed to protect baby from germs on restaurant tables. The designs aim to keep baby occupied so everyone else can eat, too. The product comes in resealable, zip-close travel packs with 18 mats that each fit conveniently into a diaper bag. Launch date: April 2009.

The Safe Sizer, a colorful child’s plate with a distinctive safety feature, is designed to help parents reduce the risk of their young child choking on food. It incorporates a half-inch diameter raised ring that reminds parents and caregivers of the recommended maximum bite size for kids under 4 who are eating solid foods, and helps them measure it properly. Launch date: 2009.

This kit challenges kids in a fun and colorful format by teaching them to identify shapes and colors by completing tasks, to recognize shapes and colors of objects in their environment, and to develop grouping and classifying skills through game play. It's all packaged in a storage box. Launch date: 2009.

Children can make moving figures of a dozen world-changing individuals from thousands of years ago. Cut-and-color or pre-colored action figures really move as they play out the lives of Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, King David, Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi (builder of the Great Wall of China), Hannibal (and his elephant!) and others. Their stories are right in the book — or kids can make up their own stories about these historic figures. Launch date: April 15, 2009.