This Issue's Highlights

What to Read in September

By Alison Marek
September 2006

This month, TDmonthly Magazine asks specialty toy stores for tips on selling CDs, Back-to-School Supplies and other items that many mom-and-pop shops avoid. Find out why yellow baby blankets are oh-so-out and why Webkinz are the must-have toy for 2006. TDmonthly also welcomes aboard children’s book author and publishing pro, Dorothea DePrisco Wang, for an in-depth look at some of the newest titles out there.

Want to know more? Read these highlights:

Get the Tune in Their Heads
With so much competition from downloads and mega-stores, most toy shops have dropped CDs. But those who’ve kept them say that playing the music in the background and finding local musicians with disks can boost sales and make a walk through their store a memorable experience. (Click here to read the full story.)

Back-to-School Is Fun and Games
What’s going on at the local school? What types of materials will teachers need? Find out and you can help build a whole new clientele, retailers told TDmonthly. Ingenuity and a little reshuffling can transform a corner of the store into a back-to-school section that will have kids, parents and profs reaching for games and toys they might not otherwise have considered. (Click here to read the full story.)

Why Being Green Is Easy
Before 1920, pink was a boy color and, more recently, yellow was “the” neutral, but things ain’t what they used to be. Buyers waffling over gender-appropriate baby-gift colors have a new fave and it’s none of the above. Find out why traditional pastels are green with envy when it comes to baby gift and clothing colors. (Click here to read the full story.)

The Writer Reads
Dorothea DePrisco Wang has spent 14 years in the publishing industry, but this is her first month with TDmonthly. After penning 40 books for children, she’s more than qualified to turn a discriminating eye toward the latest offerings for tots who have a taste for stories. From a new “Casey at the Bat” to an innovative reading device, Wang lets retailers know What It Is, Why You Should Carry It and — most important — What Kids Think. (Click here to read the full story.)

Webkinz Can Do It
If you’ve been on Pluto and haven’t heard the news, Webkinz by Ganz have taken off like a rocket. In August, sales topped 1,000,000, and more than 10,000 new toys are leaving stores each week. These plush critters with online personalities were designed with kids’ needs and wants in mind, Ganz told TDmonthly, and it’s resulting in great sales for specialty stores across the country. (Click here to read the full story.)