TDmonthly's June Staff Picks

Hello. My name is Coriander and I'm a fleabitten gray horse. As my name suggests, I am a little spicy. I love adventure and am full of life. I'm an eventer with tremendous stamina and have mastered the three disciplines of dressage, show jumping and cross country. There is no jump too high and I don't spook easily. I look forward to racing through the woods and the challenge of unforeseen obstacles. However, I am just as confident in the dressage arena — channeling my energy into beautiful movements. Coriander is a fully poseable horse with a brushable mane and tail, and comes with a halter, comb and carrot. This 1:9-scale horse's dimensions are 10" w x 10.5" h x 3" d.

These aromatherapy kits are simple to use and enjoy. Individuals just add water and place them near a sunny window to watch them bloom. Lavender, Rose and Peppermint are available, and all garden kits are guaranteed to bloom in all four seasons. They have a two-year shelf life. Launch date: May 1, 2007.

This set is designed to work with Puppet Partners' full-body puppets to portray children with various special needs. It is a great means of expression for the special child, or the teacher who works with these children. The set comes with a Pauline puppet, wheelchair, crutches, leg braces, hearing aids, glasses and a can for the blind. (Individual props can be sold separately. A CD with a recorded script teaching children to include and understand those with special needs is also available).

This wooden workshop consists of eight bewitching brainteasers and an everlasting magical maze. Wooden blocks, balls, ropes, cords, metal rings and a screwdriver are tucked inside the faux leather assembly book. The challenge of the game lies not only in putting together the eight wooden puzzles, but also in solving them once the puzzles are assembled. Creativity and constructiveness are essential to this game.

From babies to grown-ups, everyone can enjoy these adorable hot dogs. They are made of super-soft velour plush and come in four great color combinations. Each hot dog has a soothing chime inside and is easy for little hands to grasp. Launch date: March 2007.

This musical dress-up skirt plays the 1996 hit pop song "Macarena.” Kids press “on” for music and it continues with motion. It features a new adjustable waistband that allows for even greater size versatility. It includes three AAA batteries. The company’s website even has a “How to Dance the Macarena” video. Launch date: August 15, 2007.

The set consists of one ladder and 16 figures: two people, two kangaroos, two lions, two rhinoceroses, two giraffes, two elephants, two camels and two ostriches. The ship is made of pine wood and the figures are made of lime wood. Both types of wood are covered by vegetable linen oil. The ship is sold separately from the figurines.

The Mugwaz Bagz Flower Kit allows young girls to create their own bags.  Each kit comes with a fashionable pink or silver crescent-shaped bag, a coin purse, colorful beads, big and small flowers, elastic thread and pin backs.  Launch date: June 2007.

UglyDolls and Chronicle Books have teamed up to create UglyDoll airmail — just write, moisten, fold and stamp, and these little monsters will be on their way to friends and family. The 40-sheet stationery pack measures 7-1/8”W x 10”H and consists of five designs. Launch date: March 2007.

Claim the most precious gems and build your fortune. Roll the dice, move your pawns by following the patterns on the dice, and capture your gems. You finally land on a diamond, a ruby and two emeralds. But now you must keep them from being taken by another player. You must roll a “GEMLOK” to make them yours to keep (when rolling GEMLOK, flip your pawn over to display the “GEMLOK” symbol and lock your pawn - hopefully onto a high value gem). Each player attempts to capture the highest value gems with their eight pawns, and will compete with other player’s strategies before securing their fortune.  Players attempt to bump their opponent’s “unlocked” pawns, claim their gems, and send them up to three spaces away from the high value gems. Players may also bump themselves in a strategic move, up to three spaces onto a higher value gem. The player with the highest total value of gems wins.  Game play 25-35 minutes. Winner of Mensa Select, GAMES100, Creative Child Family Strategy Game of the Year, Canadian Toy Testing Council “Best Bet Award”, iParenting Outstanding Product Award and Major Fun Thinking Award. Gemlok “is easy to learn, yet contains some nice strategy. It appeals to all ages and reaches very wide market demographics. Pywacket Games are always very high quality and heavily play tested before entering the consumer market,” President Donald Meyer told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2007.

This cool and educational activity kit teaches kids all about what's inside the body and the body’s major systems: bones and muscles; the heart and circulatory system; the brain and the senses; and the respiratory, digestive and reproductive systems, including pregnancy and birth. The book features a 14-page board book (8½" x 11¼"), a nine-piece human anatomy block puzzle, anatomy trivia cards with 100 challenging questions, a 32-page activity book packed with information and a human skeleton poster. Shipping/Order info: 50 percent discount on 18 units or more. Launch date: March 2007.

Players are Parent Birds trying to save their Baby Birds from Predators such as Hawks and Cats. The cards provide six Places for Nests, six Birds, six Predators and six Kinds of Food. All the action takes place on the Neighborhood Chart. Predator Dangers are placed near the Neighborhood. Places to make Nests are played first, then Nests, then Food for each Nest, which attracts a Predator. Will we, the Parent Birds, be able to chase away the Predator? Clever play will make all the difference, as we talk over our plans and make careful choices, with each player making an important contribution. This game is exciting and educational: Memory, math and problem-solving skills are nurtured as well. It is suitable for two to six players.

Rub-n-Color allows children to use unique rub-it and color inks from Nocopi Technologies to create artwork without markers or a mess. With Rub-n-Color, kids can draw with a quarter, straw or just about anything. The kit includes 52 posters, 24 stationery sheets, 16 blank pages, one game book, two pages of stencils, one page of stickers, two texture plates and two rubbing tools.

Babal is a ball that is actually two balls together. Big and small, soft and colorful, they open up endless possibilities: play, touch, throw, catch, join, mix and match, build towers or balance them on your head. Babal appeals to many basic playing behaviors of children and stimulates their imagination. The large ball is 170 mm in diameter and the small ball is 62 mm. They are made of soft, high-quality, coated polyurethane foam.

This set of six paper dolls from the 1950s is packaged in an attractive portfolio with a clever interlocking heart closure. The dolls and their wardrobes capture the essence of that era, and today’s bride will be as charmed by them as her earlier counterpart. The paper dolls included are Bride, Groom, Maid of Honor, Best Man, Bridesmaid and Flower Girl. All have extensive wardrobes. The set will appeal to doll collectors because of its authenticity and high quality, and may also make a charming bridal shower gift.

Create-a-Critt'r comes with four Play Clay Rolls and a tube of Critt’r Parts (eyes, noses, teeth, horns and sunglasses). The Play Clay Rolls include Blueberry Blast, Cherryberry, Pineapple Punch and Sour Green Apple varieties. Made from all organic ingredients.

This "Best Pals" doll is dressed up in her holiday attire to match the "Best Pals Christmas" CD cover. The dress is an elegant velveteen traditional color with a drop waist and a bow in the back. This doll also carries a silk drawstring tote with a little white flannel nightie inside. Janet - in Christmas Red Dress - with Nightie.