October 2008 Notable Toys — General Toys

Inspired by her beloved King Charles, college student Elizabeth Rives created this fun-filled kit for kids and their pets while she was working part-time at Scientific Explorer. Pamper your Dog will have pets woofing with delight over yummy, nutritious dog cupcakes. Children can give their canine friend a healthy scrub with homemade shampoo, brush those long teeth with special doggie toothpaste, and learn the secrets of a great massage for their furry friend, as well as design a unique "dog tag" for an ID. Insights into canine thinking will turn kids into real dog psychologists. The kit "helps teach social responsibility in a fun way," Scientific Explorer's Vice President Susan Rives told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2008.

Little Reader Blocks are 3” cubes constructed of sturdy corrugated cardboard. The blocks are imprinted with over 100 preK-2 sight words that combine learning with play. Words are color-coded by type (adjective, noun, verb, etc.) to make sentence forming fun and easy. The set includes 18 pieces: 3 yellow adjective blocks, 3 green noun blocks, 5 blue verb blocks, 5 red pronon blocks, and 2 white preposition blocks. Kids can roll blocks like dice to form sentences, look for familiar letters or words, stack blocks to make sentences, and much more. Guided play activities are included. Adult assembly required.

This set consists of 16 large red blocks (12” x 6” x 3”). ImagiBRICKS™ Giant Building Blocks are an enduring classic that offers endless play possibilities because they are versatile and safe. The blocks are printed with non-toxic inks and with their water-resistant coating are strong and durable for years of creative play.
— ImagiBRICKS are a best seller at Kazoo & Company in Denver, Owner Diana Nelson told TDmonthly at the beginning of 2009.

This 40pc Basic Set includes 8 large red blocks (12” x 6” x 3”), 6 medium yellow blocks (6” x 6” x 3”), and 24 small blue blocks (6” x 3” x 3). ImagiBRICKS™ Giant Building Blocks are an enduring classic that offers endless play possibilities because they are versatile and safe. The blocks are printed with non-toxic inks and with their water-resistant coating are strong and durable for years of creative play.

Over 12" tall. Includes 6 packs of PEZ and plays the Star Wars theme.

Sugar-Free gum tape in 3 different flavors. Available in 6 different collectible versions.

Lick to reveal the hidden message.

Snoopy Gumball Dispensing Jack-In-The-Box. Plays music and dispenses edible gumballs.

The Red Maple is a showstopper through all four seasons and is one of the first trees to bloom, as they gracefully usher into spring. The Red Maple comes complete with everything needed, including seeds, germination mixture, a plant stake and a biodegradable coconut coir pot that the tree can be planted outside in. Five percent of the proceeds from this line will be donated to the Arbor Day Foundation. "It is 100-percent natural and easy to grow!" Alicia Borley, PR manager for DuneCraft, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2008.

Kids can construct their own mole skeleton with DuneCraft’s new Skeleton Pellets — each contains an entire skeleton. The product is 100-percent synthetic, making it completely safe and sanitary to dissect. Each Skeleton Pellet Bag of Knowledge contains a magnifying glass, a Skeleton Pellet, a bone-sorting chart and more. Launch date: October 2008.

Grand Corral allows players to learn about the wonderful world of horses, while answering challenging and interesting multiple choice or true/false trivia questions. Each time a player correctly answers a question, he claims one of 25 horse play figures from the beautifully-illustrated corral, and proudly display it in his own paddock. A player must collect the most horses to win. Kids and adults will enjoy learning about the various horse breeds, where they live, how they develop, how they’re cared for and how they are ridden. "Grand Corral is one of the only board games in existence that focuses entirely on horse lovers," Nicole Tiedemann, PR account executive for International Playthings, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2008.

Bob them as they pop! Using the space rocket boppers, two players try to capture the Crazy Mixed-up Manic Martians as they peep out from craters in the “planet” game base. "iPlay Crazy Mixed-Up Manic Martians is a fun, two-player, scaled-down alternative to the popular game Whack-A-Mole. Kids will love bopping the surprise pop-up martians!" Nicole Tiedemann, PR account executive for International Playthings, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2008.

Two to four players defend their goal area using fast-action flippers from one of four adorable Jungle Animals — all while a mixed-up monkey “referee” wobbles around and gets in the way. The five colorful balls bounce around the game and off of the monkey, adding to the challenge and wackiness of this fast-paced game. Each score is rewarded with a special scoring banana. "iPlay Jungle Animal Pinball resembles the age-old classic eat-up pinball games, but includes a new twist. Instead of gathering pinballs, players are required to keep the pinballs out!" Nicole Tiedemann, PR account executive for International Playthings, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2008.

Strategy skills get stepped up a notch when space runs out on the board. The game continues on top of the previously played pieces. Following specific layering laws, each player tries to cover up their opponent's pieces. In the end, the more exposed player comes out the winner. It's "a strategy game that's fun for the whole family," Jackie Aubut, director of sales for Family Games, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 20, 2008.

These retro classics will take you back to your childhood! There are four All American Boy Classics to choose from: Marbles, Knot Tying, Yo & Hardwood Throwing Top. And there are four All American Girl Pastimes to choose from: Jumbo Jacks, Skip Rope, Hopscotch and the Wonderball. Each comes with a 20-page handbook full of history, instructions and game techniques packaged in a recycled gift box. "All of our products are made in the USA," Jon Hogue, vice president of Channel Craft, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2008.

This holiday dress-up Sassy Pet Sak is a tote style and comes with a black lab puppy that is removeable. The bag measures 7" wide. "The design and unique choice of fashionable materials" set this item apart, Erika Radich, marketing manager for Douglas Company, told TDmonthly. "It is a toy and an accessory all in one!" Launch date: September 20, 2008.

Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists diving into slime, gel and goop with fabulous experiments. Young Scientists discover oobleck, produce glue from milk, grow jiggly marbles, make snow from super-absorbent crystals, form a bouncy ball, create slime, expand super-absorbent gel crystals, melt fake snow, learn about polymers, and much, much more. This polymeric kit includes extra super-absorbent crystals, gels and marbles to repeat the fun. "This series has won multiple awards, has been on TV shows, and has appeared in many articles. This great exposure makes this series a great addition to any specialty retail store," CEO Esther Novis of The Young Scientists Club told TDmonthly. February 2, 2009.

RockJamzz Guitar allows anyone, even someone without prior musical experience, to jam out with the touch of finger.  With its built in touch sensor, users can strum the plush instrument to output clear, rich sounds of preprogrammed musical riffs.  RockJamzz Guitar also comes complete with a crowd-cheering function and whammy-bar effect.

This classic Cow Rocker is crafted from durable hardwood and a beautiful fine silk screen finish. A comfy seat with a cloth safety strap and sturdy handlebar. 32" long x 13" wide x 20" high Assembly required Adult supervision advised

After years of research and worldly expeditions enough intangible facts have been constructed to prove the existence of the fictional species “weebeasts”. Captivating the imagination, this newly discovered specimen is a simple yet playful creature from the exciting book series Weebeasts by artist and author Micah Linton.

This 6" Dallas Cowboys Mr. Potato Head comes with 10 mix-and-match components, including a jersey, foam finger and several different "game faces." Launch date: September 2008.

Media Chest Bear has a soulful face and removable pillow head (approx. size 12" H X 9" L) with an enormous pocket inside. The soft foam body has three compartments to store CDs/DVDs, speakers/cables, and an MP3 player (approx. size 6" H x 11" L with legs 6" W). The shaggy, rust-colored fur also stores accessories (not included). "Our patented pets are all uniquely designed to organize accessories on the outside and store treasures in the secret compartments on the inside," Lisa Lloyd, president of Treasure Chest Pets, told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 15, 2008.

Accessory Chest Dog has five secret compartments. The soulful face and removable pillow also have secret pockets inside both ears (approx. size 12" H x 9" L). The soft foam body has a hidden drawer and two pockets on the body to store even more treasures (approx. size 6" H X 11" L with legs 6" W). Accessories not included. Launch date: November 15, 2008.

Treasure Chest Monkey features a soulful face and a removable pillow head with a pocket that spans the entire inside of the head. The head attaches magnetically like magic (approx. size 12" H x 9" L). The soft foam body opens like a treasure chest to hide treasures (approx. size 6" H x 11" L x 6" W), and the shaggy brown fur helps store hair accessories (not included). Launch date: November 15, 2008.