August 2009 Notable Toys — Preschool

Take a jazzy trip through an elementary school with The Playdate Kids as they share tissues with classmates and teachers, encouraging everyone to blow it out! Use that tissue and blow it out! Sheet music and CD included.

"Adventure In Numberland" is designed to introduce children to basic math concepts, such as identifying numbers and counting, in a fun, entertaining way that strengthens children’s cognitive and motor skills. Comfyland friends go on fascinating adventures of color, movement and sound with animated numbers, helping children learn addition, subtraction and problem solving. This Level 4 software features content developed exclusively for use with the Comfy Easy PC.

"Joy of Music" allows children to actively participate in concert rehearsals with Fifi Flute, Tempo Trumpet, Boom-Boom Drum and Mana Piano. These charming instruments interact with Comfyland characters to introduce a child to the wonderful world of music. Through fun activities with animated instruments, a child can become familiar with musical concepts, build awareness of harmony, and improve overall motor and auditory skills. Content for this Level 4 software program was developed exclusively for use with the Comfy Easy PC.

This award-winning preschool toy / electronic learning aid is designed as an interactive experience that grows with children as they develop at their own pace. It comes with an interactive keyboard, "First Steps" beginner software, a USB cable and a parents' guide. The multilingual toy switches among 20 different languages for games and activities. Additional software is sold separately; for 2009, there are 12 software titles available. The keyboard is specially designed for small children.

"World of Colors" introduces children to colors through fun, interactive stories and activities where Comfyland characters go on fascinating adventures. While helping Jumpy find his lost bone, children can learn how to name colors, compare objects, and match colors to specific objects. Children learn through fun, interactive stories and activities that make play an enriching and inspiring experience. The Level 4 software was designed to help kids learn color recognition, object identification, spatial orientation, problem solving and comparison skills. Content was developed exclusively for use with the Comfy Easy PC.

This preschool toy is a safe, programmable TV remote control that children can use to find their favorite TV shows and channels quickly and easily. The iMote is designed to provide independence for kids and peace of mind for parents. A parent selects five safe TV channels that have their child's favorite TV shows, and access to all other TV channels is blocked. The iMote comes with 100+ colorful stickers, including the logos of popular TV channels (i.e., Nickelodeon, Disney, PBS, Cartoon Network)  to make it easy to customize for each child. "The iMote is the only remote control on the market that has been tested to pass all toy safety tests, so that when young children put it into their mouths there is no danger of lead poisoning; and parents don’t have to worry about their children watching programming that they may not feel is suitable for their children," Ron Cantor, president of Comfy, Inc., told TDmonthly. "Children develop a great sense of pride, confidence and self esteem in knowing that they have their own personal TV remote control that allows them to operate their TVs, just like Mom and Dad can."

Peanut is part of a line of five AniMagic pets, which are soft, lap-size animals that move their heads, necks, ears and eyes, make whimpering sounds when petted, and each make their signature baby animal noise — bark or meow, for example. Peanut barks in appreciation when given his special bone, and even wags his tail. Launch date: July 2009.

This set of four 8" melamine plates features a different robot on each against a bright, patterned background. The plates are dishwasher safe and coordinate with the company's robot juice cup and bowl set for kids.

Some days you wake up and you just gotta wokka. Wokka what? Wokka-wokka! It’s about movement. It’s about dance. It’s about shimmy-shakin’, be-boppin’, and more. It’s about gathering friends and joining the party. The creative team behind "My Father the Dog" returns with a call-and-response for preschoolers, an exuberant invitation to be part of the fun — and show your stuff. It features jazzy rhythms, silly rhymes and welcoming images that aim to entice little readers. Launch date: August 2009.

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.

"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.

Barney is featured in this special collection of wintertime favorites on three DVDs. Launch date: October 13, 2009.

Kids can discover why the "fun is getting it done" in these holiday-themed, action-packed DVDs from favorite contractor Bob the Builder and his Can-Do Crew. Launch date: October 13, 2009.

Thomas and his Island Sodor engine friends are featured in this special holiday collection of three seasaonal DVDs. Launch date: October 13, 2009.

Decked out in designer fabrics treated with quilt stitching, this little dog makes for a colorful playmate or nice room decoration. It has beans in its body and legs, allowing it to easily stand up. The product is machine washable.

This soft, plush puppy in bright pastels features embroidered eyes and comes with a secret code that opens up a virtual playground for young children. Launch date: 2009.

Ideal for a growing 2- to 7-year-old who may have a nap/rest time at preschool, kindergarten or day care, the Nap Pack is now available in Monkeys, Pink Dots and Daisy Allover prints. Durable, warm and cozy fleece is used for this blanket with attached pillow. It is designed to fit on a standard preschool cot, kindermat or carpet, and fits snuggly into a cubby or hangs on a hook. When rest time is over, the child simply rolls up his/her nap mat, Velcros the straps and grabs the handle to go. This product is made in the USA. It received a Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award and a Toy Man Award of Excellence in 2008. Launch date: December 2002.

These big, whimsical wall art prints (18" x 24") are both educational and eco-friendly, and depict the friends and adventures of Greenie, the eco-friendly elephant. The peel-and-stick wall art is designed to be removed and relocated hundreds of times without losing adhesive ability, marring walls or leaving residue. The inks, adhesive and coatings are all water based, so the wall art is safe for infants, toddlers and children of all ages.
— Michelle, A Happy Hippy Mom, highlighted the fabric texture of the print and its extremely easy application and reapplication process. The eco-friendly inks, laminates and adhesives used for the print allowed Michelle to safely hang the print low enough for her son to fully appreciate his new animal friends.
— 2 Wired 2 Tired’s Tésa used a Greenie2Steps lion print to help her daughter conquer her nightmares. The bright and colorful lion makes Tésa’s daughter smile as it keeps bad dreams away.

This bright, licensed plush toy unfastens to become a pillow and unzips to reveal a yellow blanket with a colorful butterfly design. It is fashioned after Eric Carle's classic character, the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

The unique 4-in-1 Smart Trike Recliner designed for babies from 6 months and up, provides the child with a safe and comfortable ride. The adjustable seat is equipped with a reclining position to allow baby to nap. The multi-position adjustable handle guarantees an easy solution for the parents to steer and, by releasing the clutch, the child takes control for fun, independent riding. The Smart Trike Recliner includes a washable, quality seat cover and is available in a range of colors together with a useful functional bag. It is available in green, pink and red. Smart Trike “Recliner” is the winner of the “Toy Innovation” Award in the Fun + Sport category and “Right Start Award” Overall Winner in the 0-3 category and “Gold award” in the Sit n Ride category.
— As of 05/13/2011 this product had 4 out of 5 stars from 20 reviews on Amazon.com. Cons: Doesn't easily stay in a straight line; sun shade doesn't align with the rest of the trike.

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