Action Figures & Playsets

This bright, poseable dragon measures 20” and is made of a soft, rubbery material.
— Although she carries a lot of animals by Safari Ltd., Owner Gillian Fetz of The Learning Tree in Missoula, Mont., plans to supplement her display with larger figurines — dragons, dinosaurs and elephants — in this line of “lightweight, kind of squishy animals.”

Papo is proud to introduce its new line of Weapon Master for 2007. The hand-painted King of Knights is just one of 10 in the series. For added play value, each of the Weapon Master Knights can ride a horse and stand on its own.
— Shirley Reilly, owner of Let's Play in Hillsboro, Ore., discussed with TDmonthly the upcoming 2007 Christmas season, noting that Papo Knights will be big with little boys.
— “Papo has truly outdone themselves creating one of the most detailed knights on the market,” said Brian Shackleton, operations manager for Hotaling Imports, the toy’s U.S. distributor.
— Ask retailers’ advice for how to sell to boys and Papo Knights ride to the rescue again and again, no matter what the season. They’ve been on three TDmonthly Top-10 Most-Wanted Toys lists over the last year, which is why they’ve been named a TDmonthly Top Seller 2007.

Where to Buy: Really Great Toys

The ZipBin® Airport looks like an airport hangar and when unzipped, reveals an operating airport with runway, control tower, heliport and hanger.  When play is done, capture all the toys inside. This play set includes a die cast, propellered plane.

The Bruder classic garbage truck on the 1:16 scale now comes with a licensed MACK truck cab that includes a timely Recycle insignia. Kids can unload the two included bins using the hinged carrier plate, then transport the trash into the storage section of the body by manually spinning the screw extruders. The cab has folding mirrors, opening doors and tilts forward to display the detailed engine, plus the lift gate opens and the body inclines to dump the contents. All of the MACK truck cabs are compatible with the implements designed for the front of the trucks, such as the mower and snow plow. Dimensions: 22.8"L x 7.3"W x 10.2"H. Case Pack Qty: 2 pcs. Award: TDmonthly Top Seller 2008.
— Two of 66 retailers told TDmonthly in July 2008 that Bruder is a best-selling gift for boys.

Where to Buy: Rocking Horse Toy Store; Really Great Toys

Engage your gladiators with competition in the arena. Features include audience seating with trap doors to the lions cages, wide gate and large battle area. Also comes with eight figures, two lions, a double-harness chariot and lots of accessories for hours of fun. "Playmobil toys allow the child's imagination to soar, while playing and learning!" Michelle Winfrey, advertising and marketing manager of Playmobil Inc., told TDmonthly. This product is a winner of the 2007 Oppenheim Gold Award. Launch date: August 2007.
— The Roman arena includes a lot of little pieces to assemble, but it’s also a lot of fun to play with, offering opportunities for creative play with characters and animals that come to life in a sizeable play space. It earned a TDmonthly Top Toy 2007 award for its detailed figurines and accessories, its playful recreation of an historic landmark, as well as Playmobil’s widespread, positive reputation with specialty stores.
— This Roman arena and accompanying accessories are best sellers for Brain Station and Tree Town Toys in Ann Arbor, Mich., Owners Hans and Tricia Masing told TDmonthly in fall 2007.
— “I’m a big fan of Playmobil,” Scott Loveless, owner of Toys That Teach in Bothell, Wash., told TDmonthly, “especially in today’s environment of toy recalls.”

Where to Buy: Really Great Toys

This soft-sided bin is not only decorated according to the theme, but is also shaped to resemble a train depot. It looks like an engine house when it’s carrying toys, but opens up into a train lover’s delight of a playscape. It also includes eight sections of wooden track and three train cars, all of which match other popular wooden trains. “Neat-Oh! products alone offer the patent-pending ability to convert back and forth from toy to storage,” said Gerry Linda, director of marketing for Neat-Oh! International. Launch date: August 2007. This product was previously catalogued under the name ZipBin® Softie™ Train Depot Playset™ Play, Zip, Go! (changed January 2009).
— The shape, artwork and usefulness of this ZipBin® set made it a recipient of a TDmonthly Innovations 2007 award. Not only does it zip-up into a storage space and zip-out into a play mat, but it also includes toys for play so that kids and parents have everything they need right at the time of purchase.

This set of interchangeable parts features the following eight animals plus extra pieces: black bear, dart frog, Madagascan moth, seal, swine, lobster, kangaroo and Komodo dragon. It comes with a 20-page educational booklet and a large playmat of the world. The pieces can be popped together to create all sorts of poseable animals. Launch date: October 2007.
— TDmonthly has been tracking Zoomorphs’ success from the beginning, and sales haven’t wavered yet. Kids have an unquenchable appetite for building new critters or, for the more fastidious, faithfully recreating the real things with these multicolored animal parts. The newest set adds an educational play mat and booklet. Altogether, Zoomorphs have earned a TDmonthly Top Seller 2007 award.

Where to Buy: Kazoo Toys; LB Toys

ZipBin Softie Wheelie looks like and is shaped like a mag wheel and opens to reveal a side-by-side race track. The set’s play surface includes a garage area, a winner’s circle and a 12-car built-in parking garage. The set also features two, sturdy die-cast sports cars and a wipe-clean surface. Launch date: January 2008. This product was previously catalogued under the name ZipBin® Softie™ Wheelie™ (changed January 2009).
— This is “from Neat-Oh! International LLC, whose innovative line of ZipBin products has won 11 awards for product excellence,” Neat-Oh! International LLC Director of Marketing Gerry Linda told TDmonthly.