August 2009 Notable Toys — Developmental Toys

To play, a child selects one of five colorful, two-sided match cards and place it in the tray. Then, he places the magic monkey in the center on the left side of the card and points his banana to the picture, letter, shape, or color he wants to try and match. Then, he selects the image on the right side of the card that best matches his selection. To see if he's correct, he'll place the monkey in the center on the right side of the card and let go. He will mysteriously spin and point to the correct match. "This little monkey's actions will even amaze adults and he does it all without batteries," Jason Cheung, general manager of Huntar Company, told TDmonthly. This product received a 2009 Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award. Launch date: 2009.

Four individual puzzles help children learn shapes by putting the puzzles together. The shapes are cleverly shown in the puzzle pictures. The sturdy puzzles come in a self-closing carrier box designed for years of puzzle fun. "The unique Briarpatch Carrier design makes it a one-of-a-kind item, perfect for holiday and birthday party gift-giving. The award-winning SAMi artwork is also made for the specialty store shopper," Carol Comes, product manager for Briarpatch, told TDmonthly. This product is an Oppenheim Gold Award winner. Launch date: March 31, 2009.

This 10x-300x digital microscope is compact and connects directly to a PC via the included USB 2.0 cable. There is no software installation required. Once connected, it's easy to magnify and view endless kinds of specimens and materials — from fabrics and coins to leaves and insects. Six LED lights illuminate the specimen and there are four brightness levels that are controlled by a button on the front of the microscope. Launch date: June 2009.

Crafted from sustainably harvested, local hardwood maple, this train includes 6"-long cars, fat wheels and an easy to connect "knuckle hitch." Each car is sanded super smooth to the touch and has engraved detailing. No finishes or chemical coatings are used. As an added bonus, the train comes with a "pull stick" to make the whole train a pull toy. "The train is designed for the 3 years and under. There are very few products on the market that for that age group," Barbara Rainville, marketing manager for Maple Landmark Woodcraft, told TDmonthly. This product received a 2009 Preferred Choice Award, Classic Wooden Toys Category, from Creative Child Magazine. Launch date: January 23, 2009.
— Maple Landmark wooden trains are a big hit at Moon Rabbit Toys in Santa Fe, N.M., Owner Shana Hack told TDmonthly in June 2009.

Pilloroo Pillows have a hidden pouch for hiding away a toy or gift item. The pillow is stuffed so the item cannot be felt from the outside. This product is made in the USA and received a 2008 Moms Best Award. Launch date: November 2008.

The objective of this product is to allow children as well as adults the opportunity to clearly allow others to see how they are feeling. Each wrist band has a character and a mood in writing that shows emotional states. These wristbands are designed as a fun way for kids to learn about emotions, colors and how to connect with themselves and others through feelings. "Moody Bands are an ideal tool to be incorporated in any school curriculum. This product is perfect for children, but what sets Moody Bands apart is that adults of all ages love them as well," Naif J. Faris, president of Moody Bands, told TDmonthly. Moody Bands received a 2009 Dr. Toy Best Children's Vacation Product Award, a 2009 Toy Man Award of Excellence, a 2009 Toy Man E-Choice Award, and a 2009 Toy Man Seal of Approval. Launch date: September 9, 2008.

Designed to help children stop sucking their thumbs, this puppet and storybook includes stickers and weekly calendar to chart successes. Ballerina Sue can be worn at bedtime and throughout the day. There's also a Fireman Fred version.

Parents can secure the Activity Attacher onto any handle to let baby happily play without dropping. The attacher is machine washable. The Dangle has rattle, squeaker and crinkle sounds, plus a variety of textures, including velour, waffle weave, terry and canvas. "The Attacher, like all of the Dandelion Earth Friendly Goods, is a developmental toy made entirely using eco-friendly materials and processes; from the organic cotton to the plant-based fibers used for stuffing," Anthony Pinkett, account executive for Productivity PR, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 15, 2009.

A mini Ferris wheel, the Sensation Station has four activities that spin and rotate on a center axis. The toy features the full spectrum of colors to appeal to the well-developed vision of a child 6 months or older. Lots of bold, bright patterns are designed to engage baby visually, too. A bright red bug with high-contrast eyes sends showers of beads in motion as it spins, making a pleasing sound. A cylinder is filled with colorful rattling beads and makes a cheery sound when baby bats at it. A textured disk is split in the middle, allowing the two parts to spin together or independently. Bumpy dots on the ridges invite exploration by finger and mouth. The toy is two-in-one: secured into the wide suction cup base, it is a high chair toy; when removed from the base, baby can grasp the black-and-white-striped, textured handle and play with the toy using both hands. "All the moving parts encourage baby to manipulate, explore and investigate this toy," Peggy Barrett, PR consultant for Barrett Marketing Communications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2009.

This clear, lightweight barrel is filled with an assortment of brightly colored soft plush monkeys, plastic barrels and bunches of bananas. The monkeys have symmetrical, smiling faces, designed to have a calming effect on babies and young children. The soft monkeys are easy to grasp, squeak when squeezed, and encourage baby to reach out and strengthen gripping muscles. The wide mouth jar encourages baby to fit the pieces back in. "The toy encourages baby to play using fill and spill activity, which helps develop motor-cognitive processing skills and is a precursor to shape-sorting," Peggy Barrett, PR consultant at Barrett Marketing Communications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2, 2009.

Parents can attach this little apple, banana, onion or eggplant to the handle or side of the shopping cart to entertain baby. The fruit and veggie characters have smiling, symmetrical faces with high-contrast eyes. Black and white striped leggings and tethers provide visual stimulation and focus for even the youngest babies. Each little character wears tennis shoes and has interesting textures to touch and teethe on. Smooth teethable rings circle one leg on each character for added tactile exploration. Each character makes a soft rattling sound and most have leaves, or petals, that crinkle to the touch. The toys come two to a pack and hook on to shopping carts, strollers, infant carrier handles, high chairs, and other surfaces with simple plastic clamps. Launch date: July 2009.

This fabric-covered toy has bold, bright geometric prints to help baby focus and lots of brilliant colors to stimulate visual development. The screen is a large, true-reflection mirror that reflects baby’s image. Colorful tabs on the top of the screen announce their colors in English and Spanish when baby pushes them. The keys can be pressed to hear colors in English and Spanish, musical notes, or silly rhymes and sounds. When it’s time for a break, baby can close the laptop and tote it around using the fabric handle. "This toy encourages language development by exposing baby to colors and rhymes and music, all activities that help baby's brain build connections," Peggy Barrett, PR consultant at Barrett Marketing Communications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2, 2009.

This mirror allows babies to gaze at their own faces and also encourages parental interaction with baby: “Who is that?” “Look at your happy smile!” “Your eyes are so blue!” The mirror straps on to the handles, placing it at the right height and angle for baby to see his reflection. Two spinning balls, one on each side of the mirror, feature reflective surfaces and bold geometric patterns in high-contrast black and white. A smiling caterpillar in bright colors sits on top of the large mirror. He has a symmetrical smiling face designed to engage and calm baby. "This mirror can be adjusted so that even very young babies can see the patterns, colors and mirror to help develop vision," Peggy Barrett, PR consultant at Barrett Marketing Communications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2, 2009.

This rattle is designed to catch the eye of even the youngest babies with high-contrast black and white geometric patterns and bold orange and red accents. Like a mini barbell, the rattle has a thin handle with a ball on either end. One side features a black ball with white polka-dots. The other is a clear ball with a rotating disk showing three eye-catching images. These bold visuals encourage baby to track the rattle as eye muscles develop. Three thin rings in tones from yellow to red rattle around the handle. Baby is encouraged to finger these rings and to touch and mouth the raised bumps on the handle to cultivate tactile sensitivity. The toy "provides auditory, visual and tactile stimulation," Peggy Barrett, PR consultant for Barrett Marketing Communications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2009.

These booties are designed with incredible detail and a playful rattle to help young ones discover their little feet. They come in a round keepsake hat box for an extra bit of French flair. The booties are machine washable and dryable, and safe for years of lasting comfort. The face is computer embroidered, and a all Kaloo products meet or exceed European and American safety standards. "The cute little rattle within the bunny's head lets parents know baby is ready for a little play time," Leif Quraeshi, president of Kaloo North America, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2007.

This set has two different balls for baby to grasp, roll and hold. One is a ball-within-a-ball that chimes with every move. The sturdy plastic outer ball has generous cutouts to make gripping easy for little hands. Rattling and rolling inside it is a smaller inner ball with a bold polka dot pattern on one side and mirror on the other. A larger squishy plush ball rounds out the pair. It has bold, solid colored stripes in a velvety fabric interspersed with cheery polka-dot stripes in silky fabric. All are in high-contrast, bright colors to stimulate baby’s vision. The ball has an inner layer of crinkle fabric to make crunchy sounds when baby grabs it. It chimes when rolled, thrown or shaken. Launch date: July 2009.

This petite piano is designed with many textures and moving parts to foster tactile sensitivity. Baby gets a lesson in cause and effect by pushing on the white keys and hearing one of three classical music selections from Beethoven and Mozart. The blue and purple keys light up as the music plays. The textured handle is shaped like a baby grand. Two large, colorful beads slide around on the handle for added play value. Like a player piano, this one has a moving cylinder on the top. Baby can spin it and watch beads rattle and pop inside, or hold the rattle by the handle and shake it to make a baby’s own music. "It fosters tactile sensitivity through multiple textures and moving parts," Peggy Barrett, PR consultant at Barrett Marketing Communications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2, 2009.

This smiling bug is designed to encourage development of communication with textural variety for mouthing. When refrigerated, the squishy, ridged, water-filled upper wings provide cool comfort for teething babies. The bottom wings are bumpy and chewy for added teething enjoyment. Other teethable textures include a smooth, shiny face and body; a round, white handle with raised black stripes; and a thin, chewy antennae. Beginning at birth, a high-contrast, smiling, symmetrical face is designed to engage and calms baby. Slightly different shades of blue on the wings encourage eye sight development at 6 months and up. "The toy's many textures encourage development of communication through mouthing of the toy," Peggy Barrett, PR consultant at Barrett Marketing Communications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2009.

This little photo album holds six 4" x 6" photos and a wallet-size photo of the people baby loves most. Each photo is framed by a bold color and has a geometric pattern where photos are to be placed, designed to cultivate baby’s visual acuity. A colorful tab at the bottom of each page helps baby learn to turn the book’s pages. "The photo book provides interaction opportunities between parent and baby and helps introduce baby to new names and people," Peggy Barrett, PR consultant at Barrett Marketing Communications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2009.

Bold black and white geometric patterns — stripes and polka-dots — are designed to attract baby’s attention and help her focus on this ring-shaped rattle. Chewy textures on the handle and three smooth, smaller blue, green and teal rings on the handle are designed to encourage baby to teethe and touch, developing baby’s tactile sense. The smaller rings make a soft click clack sound, and black and white beads in the clear portion of the handle make soft rattling sounds. The thin ring is sized for tiny hands to grasp.

Baby can push back on this little car and let it go to see colorful beads pop, pop, pop inside the car’s clear top. The cheery little car has a bright green “chassis” and blue wheels with teal tire treads. A smiling face is embossed on the front of the car. "The movement of the little car encourages baby to crawl after it," Peggy Barrett, PR consultant at Barrett Marketing Communications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2009.

Velcro fasteners attach this trio of smiling bugs to baby’s infant carrier handle. Rich primary colors and high-contrast black and white geometrics are designed to catch the eye of even the youngest baby. The bold patterns and symmetrical faces and bodies allow baby to focus, helping baby feel calm. The bee and dragonfly have shiny fabric wings with top stitching, and the ladybug has ridged corduroy wings. The wings crinkle to the touch, designed to to delight baby and encourage exploration. The dragonfly, bumble bee and lady bug can be moved to different spots on the carrier handle to give baby a different perspective. Each bug makes its own soft sound. When a toy is positioned to the side of baby’s head (and field of vision), it can be shaken to help baby seek the source of the sound. "This toy encourages visual development: it has high-contrast, geometric patterns, faces and bright colors and can be hung at a distance to fit baby's developing vision," Peggy Barrett, PR consultant for Barrett Marketing Communications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2009.

Baby can take the wheel with this key set. A black-and-white-striped “key chain” holds the three keys in tonal colors — colors close to each other on the color wheel — to help improve baby’s visual acuity. The keys offer raised ridges, bumpy dots and key-shaped indentations to encourage tactile exploration. A variety of dynamic car sounds can be heard when baby pushes the three colored buttons on the key chain. The keys also make clacking sounds when shaken. "This toy offers visual, auditory and tactile stimulation and encourages baby to engage in pretend play," Peggy Barrett, PR consultant at Barrett Marketing Communications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2009.

Bright, bold colors, high contrast, symmetrical animal faces, and real-life photographs of people baby loves make these photo blocks an ideal toy to stimulate baby’s visual development. The set has four blocks that stack to make a house. There are two cubes, a rectangle and a triangle for the roof. "Babies love to look at faces, even as newborns, so these lightweight photo blocks will capture even the youngest child’s gaze and imagination," Peggy Barrett, PR consultant at Barrett Marketing Communications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2009.