October 2009 Notable Toys — Educational

The Texan Bull is part of the Farm Life Series by Papo, featuring detailed artwork on hand-painted figurines. Launch date: April 2009.

This hand-painted Turtle Caouanne is a 2009 addition to the Papo Sea Animals Collection. "The realism, poses, movement, detail and quality that Papo offers," set these figurines apart, Brian Shackelton, operations manager for Hotaling Imports, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 2009.

This product features programming, saving, editing and downloading capabilities via desktop or laptop USB port. It is compatible for both the Robotic Arm Trainer (OWI-007) and the WAO Kranius (OWI-9762). Launch date: April 2008.

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.

Designed for learning and fun, this electronic preschool toy harnesses the power of a computer and utilizes Interactive Voice Recognition Technology so that the on-screen Comfy characters respond to a child's voice as he or she plays the 36 educational games and activities. The multilingual product easily switches among 20 different languages. "During the past 80+ years, different versions of toy telephones have traditionally been among the top-selling preschool toys on the market," Ron Cantor, president of Comfy, Inc., told TDmonthly. "The Plug ‘n Play Phone is a preschool child's phone for the 21st century!" Two AA batteries are required (not included). Launch date: 2009.

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.

Roar of the Jungle is a game designed for children to learn the concept of directions (clockwise and counter-clockwise) and decision making. Watch the excitement as the Gorillas, Hippos, Elephants, and Lions' expressions are constantly changing as you are battling to become the ruler of the jungle. Spin your way to a mighty roar while leaving the others roaring no more.

That Way is a game designed for children to learn the concept of North, South, East, and West.  The game features a colorful car that you move (by rolling the dice) through the wacky city where you encounter detours that tells you what direction you must travel. You may want to travel north to accomplish your goal of reaching downtown first, but the directional card says you must go in a different direction. This creates chaos and fun for the players as they are never sure where they’ll travel next.

The sleeves give kids a fun place to aim their coughs and sneezes at while learning the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics recommended habit of coughing and sneezing into your elbow or shirt sleeve and the sleeves protect their clothes or arm from getting "gunky". Package includes 25 disposable sleeves.

The sleeves give kids a fun place to aim their coughs and sneezes at while learning the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics recommended habit of coughing and sneezing into your elbow or shirt sleeve and the sleeves protect their clothes or arm from getting "gunky". Package includes 10 disposable sleeves.

"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."

It's never too early to start bringing up the smartest baby in the whole world. So thinks the expectant Mrs. Brains, who reads to the baby inside her tummy every night and plays music and language tapes to her baby during the day. Soon enough, Mr. and Mrs. Brains have their very own Baby Brains. He reads the paper, fixes the family car, and works as a doctor in the local hospital. Now even the space program is calling on him. Is there anything Baby Brains can't do? Candlewick Storybook Animation packages include a full-color hardcover picture book, a dual-disk DVD/CD with full animated story and two audio read-along versions of the text — one with page-turn prompts, and a full-color poster, plus a sheet of reusable stickers. Launch date: September 2008.

TDmonthly Review:

Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product.

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.

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.

"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.

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.