TDmonthly's November Staff Picks

This ride-on toy is made of 100-percent PVC and measures 22” x 17.5”. The box measures 14.75” H x 8.5” W x 50.5” D. It is made in China. Launch date: Summer 2007.

“Deglingos (deh-GLING-goes): common noun. Animalos molto funnios and muy crazios. A distinctive species of contagiously quirky animals, the Deglingos speak their own language, which consists of finishing many words with "os.'" Found living at the best shops in town.” Designed in France, these machine-washable characters stand from 8.5” to 11” tall and meet  European (CE) safety standards. “The Deglingos are created from 48 different fabrics, which give them a stunning visual and tactile appeal. Specialty retailers will see repeat purchases on these items because of their collectibility, and they will be sold in no mass-market retailers,” Ryan Hamilton of distributor All New Materials told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2007.

Within a Medieval walled city, rivals strategically battle to place all of their buildings on the gaming field and lay claim to their territory. Skilled players position their structures to create inner territories and block their opponent from gaining ground. Surround your adversary’s building and reclaim that land. Victory is your goal.

Rocketbal, the toy, is a fun, 2-1/8-inch slingshot-action playball that combines a firm rubber ball with lively surgical tubing. It is a good size for all ages and activities. The ball launches up to 150 feet. Great for individual and team sports. Rocketbal is used in physical education classes in schools across the US and Canada.

Come out and play with Bur Bur. Whether at home or exploring the world, this super-soft doll is sure to become your child’s favorite.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood... a beautifully crafted replica of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Trolley. A full 11" long and 6-1/2" high, this finely detailed trolley comes with four wooden play pieces to help extend children's play. This collectible toy has our lifetime guarantee. The Classic Trolley brings memories to parents and grandparents, it makes a great desktop conversation piece about the Neighborhood and all the good things it stands for. Guess what? (...as children say) it can be personalized! Holgate has been the exclusive maker of the Neighborhood Trolley since 1990.

The Little Engine That Could™ Set: It’s the train that’s kept rolling since 1930. The train that made the phrase “I Think I Can, I Think I Can,” is a permanent part of our American lexicon and continues to teach us the power of positive thinking. This set consists of five cars: The Little Blue Engine, Yellow Gondola, Red Toy Car, White Milk Car, and Red Caboose.
Awards: A TDmonthly Classics Award for being an all-time favorite toy.
— As of 7/21/2011 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 2 reviews on Amazon.com.

Budclicks are the latest rage for tech-lovers. They are clickable decorations for your earbuds. They work on both old and new earbuds made for iPods.

At 27 inches high, this wooden, lightweight instrument is designed with curved sides with a spacious box, along with a range of 15 notes (from C to C), permitting a wide variety of music in melodic tones. Fully tunable by using the wrench to adjust zither pins.

Ideal for babies 0 to 9 months, Pacimals is a detachable silicone pacifier that connects to an adorable stuffed animal. It allows babies to hold onto and control their own pacifier. And keeping it clean is a snap — just pop the pacifier off the base and toss it in the dishwasher, and throw the stuffed animal in the washing machine. The line includes seven different Pacimals. “The detachability of the pacifier is unique. It makes cleaning easy and makes weaning more fun,” Founder Monica Smith of Love Kub told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 7, 2008.

The Dual Color Kapla 40-piece Building Set comes with a special Artbook Instruction Book for extra Kapla building pleasure. This set is also a great gift with extra play value for building beautiful Kapla constructions. Kapla is guaranteed SAFE, NON-TOXIC and GREEN. Kapla planks are distinctive in shape and conception for extra special building fun.

Shown here is one of our Artistic Borders/Murals titled “Fairy Wonderland.” Bring a little magic to your little girls room with her fairy friends all around. Sweet Dreams in Fairy Wonderland. This mural is 36" (3 ft) x 60" (5 ft) and manufactured on pre-pasted wallpaper or the border is 6” high by 15’ long. Also available in other designs.

Any child can become a pirate with this 10-piece Jack Sparrow outfit set. The set includes an adjustable headband with beads and dreadlocks, an extending telescope, a dagger, a tri-corner pirate hat, an ancient navigational chart, three adjustable rings and two temporary tattoos.

Each one-of-a-kind character in this collectible-art toy line is derived from handmade foam sculptures. Each piece stands between 1-3/4” to 2-1/4” tall and has its own special name and story. Launch date: August 2007.

The add-on decks are 80-card expansions that enhance, personalize and modify the original game. Available add-on decks include the Reader’s Digest Word Power Challenge Pack, the Gourmet/Cuisine Deck, the Pop Culture Deck, the Sci-fi/Fantasy Deck and the Sports Highlights Deck. Launch date: October 2007.

This cuddly, hairy friend is a pillow, blanket and stuffed animal all in one, designed to serve as the perfect travel companion. “We at Zoobies continue to be on the curve of innovation for plush and for children's products, and we have some great new products debuting at the Toy Fair [2008],” Owner J.C. Smoot of Zoobies told TDmonthly. Launch: March 1, 2008.

Rosa celebrates the beauty and richness of her Latina/Jewish background. She enjoys photography, literature and creative writing. Her friends describe her as brainy, fashionably, sarcastic and fun loving.

The newest edition to our Create Your Own Books series. Set includes two high-quality hardcover pop-up books 8.5" x 8.5" and 6.25" x 6.25", stickers, eight markers, and pop-up designs. Just add drawings, photographs and your own imagination. Illustrated instructions include story-starter ideas and step-by-step pop-up ideas.

PlajaPets are designed with children of all ages in mind. With their lighthearted look and undeniably delightful style, PlajaPets definitely stand out in a crowd. The ability to interchange, rearrange, mix, match and reattach the magnetically connectable heads and tails of each pet is what makes this sensational stuffed toy so special.

Both classical and pop culture are honored by the beautiful Guitars Scramble Squares® Nine-piece educational puzzle. Scramble Squares puzzles teach patience, perseverance, fine motor and critical thinking skills and help maintain mental agility while providing stimulating entertainment as either a solitaire game or a cooperative activity.

This rag doll in the Waldorf style with wool hair was hand-made in Germany of cotton and was filled with soft sheep’s wool, as was traditionally done. It is hand-washable. All clothes are made of cotton and are machine-washable up to 104°F. As with the other dolls of the Silke Collection, all materials used are of superior quality and have the Oeco-Tex certificate 100, which indicates tested safety of a skin-friendly product. This little dwarf is designed to stimulate a child’s imagination.

What fun to paint bracelets and match them with all your favorite dresses! This kit offers three wonderful Plexiglas bracelets with different fashionable designs. They are embossed to help the young creator paint with the desired colors. The paint becomes transparent when dry and gives a beautiful stained-glass effect.

Assembling size: 8.75"L x 2.5"W x 4.5"H

The plastic superhero GeekMan stands 6” tall and can be posed in lots of nerdy positions. He comes equipped with a Visual Input Device (removable glasses), a Cerebral I/O and Trusty Sidekick (laptop), a Geek Battery Charger (coffee mug) and more. GeekMan comes with a manual detailing his superpowers, vulnerabilities and catchphrases.

This replica of the Western Star Log Truck features opening doors, rolled-down windows, a full timber load, a pickaxe, a shovel and a stacking trailer with removable gun barrels. Launch date: August 2007.

Kyle happens to be deaf, but that doesn't stop him from going camping, playing baseball at the park and teaching his teammates sign language. His friend Wendy uses the Braille alphabet to read and has a spunky seeing-eye dog named Liam. “These plush dolls with their positive message have arrived to inspire action through play and thus to seek out the rising star within each child,” Kids With Possibilities Founder Laurie DesRosier told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2007.