April Peeks

In a race against time, players attempt to “one up” each other by pulling Kiwi Disks from a teetering wall and daring to stack them ever higher. The last player to successfully stack a disk before the timer marble drops out of sight wins Wallamoppi. The game includes 36 Kiwi Disks, a wooden storage box with a built-in marble timer, two timer marbles, a Kiwi Disk bag and quick-play rules. “Once this is set up on a table [for demonstration purposes] it draws immediate attention. [It’s] like no other game out there!” Out of the Box Publishing Director of Marketing Matt Mariani told TDmonthly. It was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy. Launch date: January 2006.

This super soft, super huggable plush figure is the newest addition to the Fortune Pork family. (Feeling lucky about getting to eat bacon strips for din din does sort of run in the family.) He is green and blushing and big. That is why his other family members somewhat adore him — as will you.

New for 2006, this 26-piece foam alphabet floor puzzle features bright pastel pop-out letters. It includes individual 12" by 12" sections.

The third CD in Just Me! Music’s popular product line includes 19 “wiggly” tracks. It features nine great Wiggles songs and 10 interactive story parts where The Wiggles, Captain Feathersword and Dorothy the Dinosaur talk directly to the child. In fact, the child’s name is heard about 40 times throughout the CD. This product is now available in retail stores through a touch-screen, listening and burning station.

Written by Ann Bausum, this gripping historical tale takes a look at women's struggle to gain voting rights in the United States. It received a starred review, Best Book of the Year, from the School Library Journal; a starred review from Kirkus Reviews; and was a winner of the Jane Addams Children's Book Award.

Exploring the everyday moments of life, author and poet Gary Soto uses words of wonder inspired by his youth in California's Central Valley to create rich poems. They move with direct and vivid prose that brims with emotions. This critically acclaimed collection revisits favorite poems and introduces new ones — some humorous, some heartfelt, all memorable.

Every summer, parking lots and pediatricians’ offices are filled with guilt-ridden mothers and their crying babies whose delicate skin has been burned by the hot buckles, harnesses or attachments from their car seats. For Shari Griffin, a Phoenix, Ariz., mother, this became an inspiration. She cleverly fabricated a freezable seat cover that holds ice packs tucked inside individual pockets and goes over the child’s car seat, once it is unoccupied, for full protection. Her innovative, award-winning product, appropriately named Cold Seat, is now being sold all over the U.S. and Canada. She has designed five styles that are trendy and child friendly. Cold Seat is made of a durable, double-sided quilted cotton fabric designed to keep the seat, the harnesses, buckles and attachments cold. Depending on the temperature, the ice packs stay frozen for up to nine hours, which is plenty of time for any daytime errands. Customers will find themselves wishing for an adult-size Cold Seat!

Folkmanis’ low-tech puppet innovation adds a new dimension to puppetry in 2006 with the introduction of the pull-ring animator, a patent-pending device inserted into puppets that gives them a more realistic appearance with a very simple finger movement. Measuring 20" long, the Elephant is a majestic pachyderm that incorporates the animator to lift and move the trunk to give this mini-version of the jungle's biggest beast very realistic motion. Designed with realistic touches, ultra-soft micro-fiber fabric, and a movable mouth this iParenting Media Award-winning elephant is super-soft and super-squeezable.

Three Little Duckies first splashed into kids’ tubs in March 2006. This soft bath book comes with three classic rubber duckies to help tiny tots count from 1 to 3. iBaby books are designed to let babies be babies and learn at their own natural pace. The book is written by Jan Jogran and illustrated by Jackie Parsons and Ana Larranaga. It measures 8.5” x 6” x 2.5”

Toilet Buddies Toilet Bowl Attachments help create early awareness of the toilet bowl, reduce fear and anxiety, and make toilet training a fun and positive experience. Designs include Gatago Giraffe, Poo P. Bunny, Puddles Puppy and Ca Ca Cow. Each character’s friendly head is displayed on the toilet’s tank. The animal’s feet and other features adorn the rest of the toilet. Ca Ca Cow gives going to the head a whole new meaning. She and her buds are great for those way past toilet-training, too.

Designed by Pete Von Sholly, this monster is his conception of John W. Campbell’s famous shape-changing alien from the legendary story called “Who Goes There?” He designed the creature during a fact-finding research junket to Alpha Centauri, and, thanks to his new 4-D camera, was able to incorporate details not found in our solar system. Pete’s talented wife, Andrea, sculpted and painted the model. The figure is conveniently small (approximately 4.5”), pre-painted, and easy to pop together with a great-looking display box inspired by the monster model–making company, Aurora, that was big in the ‘60s.

Wild and wonderful water fun for kids, this is a 50-piece connectable water sprinkler toy that includes pipes, fittings, valves and even a pressure gauge. With four cool interactive sprinkler heads featuring the Whirly Bird, Spitting Cobra, Spinning Spider and Splattering Spinosaurus, kids build their own connected system of pipes and sprinklers, attach a hose and let loose, running, jumping, dodging and getting soaked. Great alone, with a friend or the entire family. The connecting pieces can be put together, taken apart and put back together again in endless possibilities. As an added bonus, it helps teach children about water flow, water control and water pressure.

Her shimmering wings let her fly through the air with her princess unicorn friend, Mystique. The doll and outfit include a baby unicorn.
— Princess toys were a big seller among 4- to-8-year-old girls at Gepetto’s Toy Box in Oak Park, Ill, said owner Eric Masoncup.
— “Princess anything” does well, concurred Holly Owellette, owner of Learning Train Toys in Sun Prairie, Wis.
— The Only Hearts Club Princess line is brand new and features four characters, including a mermaid and a bride. Each Princess carries her own special pet. The Only Hearts Club is now available at Target.
—Joanne Callander, the designer for the Only Hearts Club dolls, has always created her own OOAK fairy dolls, treasured by collectors the world over. She told TDmonthly, “I believe in fairies and so do children. Children and adults who believe in fairies take better care of the earth.”

An infinite number of shapes and structures can be easily built with the 3 basic Goobi components: the Bar, the Ball and the Tripod. Goobi structures shape children's imaginations, induce their creativity and develop their sense of proportion. Parents love them because it teaches the children important lessons about problem solving, math and physics. The beginner pack comes 35 bars, 18 balls and 8 tripods for a total of 61 rainbow colored pieces. Marcia Pembroke, manager of Toadstool LLC in Hockessin, Del., said these sell well in her store, and two other retailers mentioned these as big sellers. See demo video from the WTHRA show

These medium-sized round magnets are strong enough to stick together through a table (one on top and one on bottom). They sell well for Matt Hannifin, manager at Science Toy Magic LLC in Santa Fe, N.M.