Green Takes Over

The game is one of strategy, based on inner and social awareness. It celebrates Earth Day every day and invites everyone to think about their choices and actions and the larger community around them. By answering questions and engaging in discussion, players learn how their choices affect the earth and its inhabitants. "[This is] the only game on the market where a player wins by using a 'pay-it-forward' strategy," Elightened Play! Owner Eileen Thournir told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 17, 2008.

Young green thumbs can watch nature at work by growing an indoor garden in just days with this environmentally friendly Indoor Gardening Kit made of recycled plastic milk jugs. The planting kit comes with a peapod-shaped planter, three planting pots, a trowel, three packages of organic seeds (Teddy Bear Sunflower, Basil and Zinnia) and soil disks. It is made from environmentally friendly materials, helping to reduce fossil fuel use and CO2 emissions in the name of Good Green Fun™. Launch date: September 2007.
— Angel Stahl, owner of Angel's Toy Barn in Greensburg, Pa., thinks these eco-friendly toys will do well for her in 2008.

Yes, he’s a little out there. But that’s a good thing. It gives him a “big picture” view of what’s happening on Earth. (The reason he claims to be group leader – much to the chagrin of the others.) He’s loyal, honest and a good listener. But fair warning, he can get a little cranky on the subject of air pollution.
AREA OF EXPERTISE: The air we breathe
INTERESTING FACT: A bird watcher of great renown (he runs into them all day, every day)
Scout is a huggable, soft, plush toy handcrafted in Egypt with 100% organic Egyptian cotton. No two are alike - just like children!
— “Idbids are made of organic cotton and all kit components are made from Earth-friendly materials – and they’re incredibly adorable!” Idbids LLC representative Tracey Smith told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2008. The product line received a 2008 Preferred Choice Award from Creative Child Magazine.

Part of the company’s TableTalk series, this colorful 52-card deck is full of ideas for greener living. Each illustrated card presents a fascinating fact about the environment and a thought-provoking question about the choices we make every day. GreenTalk provides a fun way to get conversations rolling at home, in schools or while traveling. “From the delightful graphics to the engaging questions, GreenTalk was designed with kids in mind and makes it fun for young people to start thinking and talking about the active roles they can play in protecting our Earth,” Lynn Araujo of U.S. Games Systems told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 2008.

Eco Dolls are 11” fashion dolls constructed with 80-percent cotton and natural fibers and minimal plastic on the head and hands. The dolls inspire play and support the innovative and curious nature of girls. Tanya encourages young girls’ interest in science and environmental responsibility through a beautifully illustrated storybook, a learning adventure about how trees help make air quality better. “The ‘eco’ focus of the Eco Dolls truly sets this product apart — from the environmentally friendly construction to the dolls’ environmental learning adventures,” Kelli Matthews of E-Innovative Ideas told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2008.

Made of 100-percent maple, products in the Schoolhouse Naturals' line have either no finish or an earth-based finish, such as beeswax or whey. The smooth, wooden Push Pulls come in bunny, bus and elephant varieties and have holes in the front for a string so that a child can still utilize the toy when he or she starts walking.

Players build the tower, roll the dice to determine the destructive device and then knock down the tower with the Catapult, the Pendulum or the Ramp. The entire set is made from beautiful, sustainable rubber-tree wood. This game received a 2007-2008 Informal Education Products Award. Launch date: June 2008.

The set builds environmental awareness with statement charms such as Love Earth, Green is Good, Plant A Tree and Reduce-Reuse-Recycle. Each set comes with five eco-themed interchangeable charms and a charm bracelet. The packaging is made of 100 percent recycled cardboard, features an eco-art design and comes with a 100 organic cotton insert. Launch date: Spring 2008.

Based on children's drawings, these scribbly characters are made with organic cotton farmed through eco-friendly processes. The line consists of Momey, Eflong, Dady, Dinasor, Liun and Duggy. Launch date: February 2008.

This kit is designed to show girls how they can make fashionable jewelry and accessories in a way that's friendly to the environment — by reusing buttons, beads, candy wrappers, soda can tabs and more. It comes with U.S.-made, painted wooden beads and "cause" charms, enabling girls to make up to 10 bracelets for the green cause. The set is part of the "green"-themed Eco Angels line that also includes a "Make-Your-Own Natural Beauty Products" kit and a "Be an Environmentalist" kit.

Sprig Toys is a new, environmentally responsible toy company created by award-winning industry veterans (former Mattel and Radica designers). Its line of kid-powered, totally green adventure vehicles for preschoolers is made from Sprigwood™, a child-safe bio-composite material derived from 100-percent recycled wood and reclaimed plastic. The Sprig Adventure Series harnesses the natural energy of push- and pump-action play to power lights and other electronics — all without batteries. Adventure Guide characters wearing LED-lit hats plug into durable, attractively designed vehicles and engage preschoolers with audio that guides them through exciting adventures as they play. Launch date: Fall 2008.
— "The sets were attractive, nicely packaged in recycled/biodegradable material, and had a rugged, tactile quality," said TDmonthly reporter Marie Raven, also a buyer for Over the Rainbow in Anchorage, Alaska, at Toy Fair 2008. "It's a small line but felt to me like an appropriate number of items for a nice in-store presentation while appealing not only to the eco-sense of our customers, but also providing active and stimulating educational play."
— “I was really impressed by all the angles that it covered,” said Jennifer Klein, who in early 2008 ordered all three Sprig Toys vehicles for her store, Earth Child, in Sebastopol, Calif. Five of 24 retailers told TDmonthly this was one of their favorite lines at Toy Fair.

This toy rocket lights up for flight and makes realistic rocket sounds, but doesn’t require batteries. It simply needs to be wound. The product comes in biodegradable Gekopak™ packaging made completely from recycled paper.

— Caitlin from Toys on the Brain was immediately stricken by the refreshing package the Eco Rocket came in. Both environmentally friendly and attractive, the package allowed for quick removal of the rocket to move on to play. Her kids heartily approved of the rocket, with one even exclaiming, “I love the toy you got me!”
— Amanda Robinson of Natural Mommie was thrilled by the fact that the rocket’s noises were not too loud or annoying. The rocket’s large handle was perfect for her son to hold.