November 2010 Notable Toys — Puzzles & Skill

Featuring two playtime activities in one, each Find It! product combines a puzzle and game into one educational, interactive learning experience. Puzzle Doubles Find It! USA teaches children about the United States of America. First assemble the puzzle, then play the game using the enclosed game pieces. For an additional learning experience, flip the game pieces over to play a word recognition game. Each 50-piece puzzle measures 3’ x 2’.

Featuring two playtime activities in one, each Find It! product combines a puzzle and game into one educational, interactive learning experience. This Find It! version teaches children the ABCs. First assemble the puzzle, then play the game using the enclosed game pieces. For an additional learning experience, flip the game pieces over to play a word recognition game. Each 50-piece puzzle measures 3’ x 2’.

Featuring two playtime activities in one, each Find It! product combines a puzzle and game into one educational, interactive learning experience. Puzzle Doubles Find It! Friends teaches children about multicultural friends. First assemble the puzzle, then play the game using the enclosed game pieces. For an additional learning experience, flip the game pieces over to play a word recognition game. Each 50-piece puzzle measures 3’ x 2’.

Featuring two fun-filled playtime activities in one, each Find It! product combines a puzzle and game into one educational, interactive learning experience. The Find It! series teaches children about the USA, dinosaurs, ABCs, 123s, Canada, the solar system, and multicultural friends. First assemble the puzzle, then play the game using the enclosed game pieces. For an additional learning experience, flip the game pieces over to play a word recognition game. Each 50-piece puzzle measures 3’ x 2’.

Puzzle Doubles Create A Scene Dollhouse combines a puzzle with additional activities to create a fun and interactive learning experience for your child. After assembling the puzzle, children can create their own scenes and stories by placing the reuseable static stickers on the surface of completed puzzle. Then turn the puzzle over for a big coloring activity! The bright illustrations encourage parent-child conversation. Each 50-piece puzzle measures a giant 3' x 2'.

This jigsaw puzzle features the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Featuring depictions of various stages of his life and the Neverland Ranch, this puzzle measures approximately 19"x27".

This fun, sprawling floor puzzle (2 feet X 3 feet) has large, rugged pieces made from 98% recycled materials. Like all innovativeKids' Green Start series products, this puzzle is not only good for the earth, it also helps kids see their connection to
it, in this case with a wonderfully illustrated garden scene showing kids busily working and playing in and around the garden. Once assembled, the puzzle becomes a hunt-and-find adventure in which kids count objects hidden in the garden. Numerals and matching illustrated quantities (chicks, apples, bees, flowers, etc.) along the top and bottom borders of the puzzle show kids what, and how many of each, to look for. When finished, pack it back up into the very attractive carrying case package it came in, also made from recycled materials.
Awards:  Bright Eyes Autumn 2010 Tillywig Award

Playing the ENI Puzzle is very simple. Everyone who sees ENI for the first time can easily start playing without any instruction. The ENI PUZZLE is designed to enhance problem solving and dexterity. A workout for the mind while using hand and motor skills. The Eni Puzzle has 3 different sizes and 2 different color schemes. The larger size is equipt with braille. The medium size (called the "mini" is the hardest, ast it has the most pieces in each column. There is also a miniature keychain, dubbed the "keychain" , which dresses up iphones and other accessories.

Playing the ENI Puzzle is very simple. Everyone who sees ENI for the first time can easily start playing without any instruction. The ENI PUZZLE is designed to enhance problem solving and dexterity. A workout for the mind while using hand and motor skills. The Eni Puzzle has 3 different sizes and 2 different color schemes. The larger size is equipt with braille. The medium size (called the "mini" is the hardest, ast it has the most pieces in each column. There is also a miniature keychain, dubbed the "keychain" , which dresses up iphones and other accessories.

Playing the ENI Puzzle is very simple. Everyone who sees ENI for the first time can easily start playing without any instruction. The ENI PUZZLE is designed to enhance problem solving and dexterity. A workout for the mind while using hand and motor skills. The Eni Puzzle has 3 different sizes and 2 different color schemes. The larger size is equipt with braille. The medium size (called the "mini" is the hardest, ast it has the most pieces in each column. There is also a miniature keychain, dubbed the "keychain" , which dresses up iphones and other accessories.

The Giant Puzzle Pony Stud is a puzzle made of sturdy cardboard. Once the puzzle is built, children can use it as a scene for the two horse figures and one girl figure included with the set. It also comes with a "Look Closely" story that has the child look for certain items in the scene.
Awards: Parents’ Choice Silver Honor, Fall 2010 Puzzles.

Soaring in front of a beautiful fantasy castle, the majestic Pegasus takes flight as if it might launch right off the surface of this 1500 piece puzzle from Ravensburger. The finished puzzle measures 33” x 23.5”, and a full picture of its detailed image is on the front of the box. The many details in the high-quality graphic will keep puzzlers interested from start to finish.
— In an August 2011 survey, 5 out of 12 retailers told TDmonthly that Ravensburger jigsaw puzzles were their top-selling puzzles.
— As of 7/12/2011 this product had 4 out of 5 stars from 2 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Challenging but not frustrating; "gorgeous." Cons: One reviewer said the puzzle was too large when completed.
— Three of 44 retailers told TDmonthly that puzzles are a top-selling item in their stores in September 2010.

Based on art from the book, Gus & Button, this colorful floor puzzles will be 18" X 27" when it is complete. With 100 pieces this is not a snap to put together and kids will need strategies for fitting together the edges and main pictorial features. That said, once it is completed it will be satisfying and fun to explore.  Handsomely illustrated by Saxton Freymann.
Awards:  Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, Gold Seal, 2010.

Twenty two-piece puzzles of mother and baby animals that fit together side by side. This is a good toy for developing dexterity as well as language. Children often know the names of the adult animal, but learning the baby names for them is another level of knowing. There are color cues on the two pieces that help beginners get it together. These are sturdy puzzle pieces with charming art done by well known illustrator, Saxton Freymann.
Awards:  Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, Gold Seal, 2010.

A twelve piece puzzle board with bold realistic illustrations of familiar fruits and veggies. The name of the food is printed under the puzzle piece and the puzzle pieces have distinctive shapes. This is a good choice for developing dexterity and strategy for turning puzzle pieces to fit.It's also a terrific toy for developing language.
Awards:  Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, Gold Seal, 2010.

An alphabet puzzle with matching clues under each of the letter/picture pieces. The objects chosen are fairly familiar and good language expanders. The idea of making simple words from the letters takes the puzzle to another level that most threes are not really ready for. That said, it is still an attractive and inexpensive way to introduce the letter names and the illustrations to introduce the concept of the sounds the letters say.
Awards:  Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, Gold Seal, 2010.

Toddlers like toys with multiple pieces and these six colorful star shapes are challenging for little hands to put together and pull apart. There may be a short learning curve for the putting together action, but these big plastic pieces they have no right and wrong order. These not only help build motor skills, they can help knowing and naming color words and simple counting.
Awards:  Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Blue Chip Classic Award Winner, 2009.

International photographer Achim Bednorz has released three dazzling high-end puzzles featuring some of Bednorz’ most famous images in the Purrfect Puzzles Architectural Collection. The new 1000-piece puzzles present stunning photos of La Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, the Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in San Francesco, and Lincoln Cathedral in England.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Word Wheels are fun, educational, toys. They are intuitive, hand held, and promote learning through reading, manipulation, and understanding. To a child they are toys, but to a parent or teacher, they are learning tools. They engage the mind, are quiet, and enhance learning through stimulating comprehension. "Word Wheels play like a toy and teach like a book," Tim Irwin, president of Paradigm Devices, told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2011.
Awards: 2010 Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products

The JTB Mini Concept Boxes include a careful selection of diverse eco-friendly toys, books and games pre-packaged to teach specific concepts to young children through play, emphasizing health, the body, good eating habits, art and music, geography and travel, personal safety, and sustainable architecture. The MINI Moody Foodie Box includes the classic Eating the Alphabet book by Lois Elhert, a fruit and veggie set made of renewable rubberwood, a USA made utensil and pots puzzles, USA made sensory dough, a USA made waiter costume for role play fun, and USA
made lace and trace food stencils for developing fine motor skills.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

This environmentally friendly wooden Geometric Stacking Puzzle is made of wood from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) monitored sources, painted with water-based paints, packaged in a box made of recycled materials, and printed with
soy-bean ink. This puzzle with stacking and counting elements helps your kids think and learn. Each of the four puzzle pieces contains one, two, three, or four posts for children to stack a circle, rectangle, square, or triangle on.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

This is an active barnyard that will keep your youngster busily engaged and learning at the same time.  Every young farmer will enjoy opening the box and spilling out the 51 detailed figures smartly stored in 5 layers of tiers.  From the bright rooster on the roof to the red tractor and white fencing, nothing has been forgotten to recreate a down-on-the-farm experience. The red and white barn overlooks horses, sheep, pigs, and cows.  This activity will build eye-hand coordination and expand communication skills.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

The Dragonflies Scramble Squares® puzzle features some of the most beautiful of the varied Dragonflies’ coloration. The object of the Scramble Squares® puzzle game is to arrange the nine colorfully illustrated 4” x 4” square pieces into a 3 x 3 pattern to form a 12” square so that the realistic graphics of the dragonflies match perfectly. Each puzzle package includes a panel of facts on dragonflies, as well as a trivia question and hidden answer to the trivia question.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

This puzzle features art by American caricaturist and illustrator C.F. Payne, best known for his "Our America" series featured on back covers of "Reader's Digest." It includes 500 pieces and is the first in a series of four.