Parents won't have to worry about losing their marbles with Boikido's Wooden Marble Game to keep kids occupied. See this and the other TDmonthly Magazine Staff Picks — new toys we're suggesting for specialty stores — below!
Challenge your kids to build a different Marble Game everyday! This set includes 30 colorful wooden blocks, allowing kids to create and build their own Marble Games. Use your imagination; the sky is the limit! Develops fine motor skills and promotes manual dexterity. Encourages problem solving and creativity. Tested to meet European and U.S. safety standards. Launch date: February 2012.
These little pups are "dressed to thrill!" Each is 10.5". sitting. There are six styles: Velvet Yorkie in a leopard coat, KiKi Maltese in a frilly purple dress, Brigette Shih-Tzu in a pink, glittery dress, Collette Golden Retriever in "zebra," Brie Chihuahua in a hot pint slicker, and Gia Miniature Pinscher in a sleeveless, ruffled tie dyed dress.
Kids activate traps and prepare the knights to guard the Playmobil Falcon Knights' Castle from intruders. The castle comes with a drawbridge, breakout wall, drop-down ladder, and a trap door. The set also includes four Falcon Knights, horse, functional cannon, and many other accessories. Dimensions: 23.6 x 22.8 x 13.8 inches (L x W x H). — In a May 2012 survey about best selling toys, Erin Blanton of Pufferbellies Toys & Books for Children in Staunton, Va., told TDmonthly that they sell 250 Playmobil sets each month, especially the knight sets.
This colorful pull toy always makes a happy face and will follow baby wherever s/he wanders. Caterpillar wiggles her whole body when pulled. Made from beech wood, the body of this toy measures 12 inches long.
Topsy Tower is game of strategy where players determine which size pieces will build the highest tower and match the role of the dice. The player who stacks their tower first without it toppling over wins the game. For two to four players. Launch date: 2012.
What’s a pouf? It’s a round, cuddly, over-stuffed plush. It can be used it as a pillow, for home decor or as a huggable friend for little ones. Comes in 3 sizes: 12 inch - $14.95, 10 inch - $10.95 and 7 inch - $8.95. Each size sold separately. Launch date: June 2011.
Drawing inspirations from cards illustrated with whimsical characters and situations, players weave fanciful stories ranging from the romantic to the preposterous. Whether making up their own fairy tale or creating a story together, Tell Tale Fairy Tales revs up kids' imaginations.
Kids can teach Baby Stella how to use the big potty with the Playtime Potty chair. This little toilet can encourage the development of your children while giving them a chance to nurture and care for their Baby Stella doll. Doll sold separately.
Featuring the same great play as The Original LCR Left Center Right Dice Game, players flip over three LCR cards that are labeled with L's, C's, R's and dots, which determine where the flipper's chips will go. The last player with chips, wins the game. It's that simple!.Fast-paced, exciting and fun, it's a great game for kids to play along with adults providing hours of entertainment for the whole family. LCR Left Center Right Card Game includes 110 Playing Cards, 24 playing chips and Instructions. For 3 or more players.
This enormous almost 5 foot tall by almost 4- foot square Tee Pee is large enough for the entire tribe. Made of durable 100% Cotton Canvas, the easy to set-up TeePee can be used indoors. The bright walls feature interesting designs and there is an easy access opening as well as a mesh window for ventilation purposes. The “Authentic TeePee” playhouse features a Cotton Canvas floor for extra comfort and wooden poles. The Tee Pee comes in its very own carry bag for easy storage.
12" PTERANODON. Pteranodon is a cool stuffed dinosaur. His head, body, legs and wings are combination of orange, brown, white and shade of yellow. Pteranodon wings have wires in them so they hold their shape and can be posed as you like. This is a perfect gift for a little dinosaur lover.
The Waboba Surf "Bounces On The Water". Softer and smaller, and easier to throw and catch than the original Waboba balls that bounce on the water, the Waboba Surf is an excellent item for the toy industry. Perfect for the beach, lake, or river. — Mike Castor, owner of Pentwater Toybox in Pentwater, Mich., told TDmonthly in a late Summer 2012 survey that they sold 200 Waboba Surf balls in three months this Summer.
A unique twist on the classic stacking toy. Stack the rings in different ways to make various patterns. Flip the rings upside down to add even more variety. Rod is bendable at base for added safety. Made from PlanWood and solid rubber wood. Launch date: March 2012.
Domo, the loveable strange creature who hatched from an egg, is now a bobble head. Fresh from his underground cave, Domo stands 6inches tall and features a sturdy spring that will provide years of bobbling fun. Launch date: June 2012.
Blast off on a mission to explore outer space and the objects in it with a wide array of cosmic experiments. Launch three types of rockets, using balloons and chemical reactions to learn about rocket propulsion. Build a telescope and star map to investigate the stars and constellations. Assemble a model of the solar system, and learn about the planets that share it. Find out how Earth's rotation creates day and night, how Earth's axis and revolution around the sun cause the seasons, and how the moon's rotation around Earth gives us the phases of the moon. Kis will see for themselves how meteorites formed the craters on the moon. Make a moon flip book and a moon calendar, and find the "man in the moon." Model lunar and solar eclipses. Build a sundial and a solar collector to experiment with the sun. Grasp a comet's tail, and learn how meteoroids become falling stars. See how the universe is expanding with a simple model. A full-color, 48-page experiment book guides the exploration. Launch date: Summer 2012.
Schoenhut's Thumb Pianos are sure to be a hit with the young set. These percussion instruments, also known as Marimbas, emit warm, resonant tones by striking the ends of the tines with your thumbs. Simple tunes are easily tapped out, with unlimited possibilities for creating complex melodies. The new design incorporates a durable molded composite back, resulting in enhanced sound and durability. Easily portable and fun to play, a Schoenhut Thumb Piano is the perfect choice for encouraging children to enjoy music. Available in several vibrant designs.
This long-necked plant-eating dinosaur lived during the Jurassic Period, in western North America. Authenticated by the paleontologists of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, this licensed scale model is designed to reflect the latest scientific research. Finely hand painted with up to 25 steps, this model is phthalate and lead free. The scale of the Brachiosaurus is 1:50 and measures 18.5”L x 7”H. Suggested ages 3+. Educational information in 5 languages is available. All products are 100% guaranteed and phthalate and lead free to ensure children’s safety. Launch date: April 2012.
The third Perplexus family member is a hot favorite with all ages, including teens and adults. Epic’s track is over 30 ft. long, and has 125 barriers. It is so challenging that it even has a mid-way restart point. Once kids pick it up, they won’t want to put Epic down. — As of 01/12/2012 this product had 4.2 out of 5 stars from 114 reviews on Amazon.com. — In an April 2012 survey about best selling travel toys, Kai Rady, owner of Shenanigans Inc in Charlottesville, Va., told TDmonthly that her best seller is "Perplexus, especially the Epic version." Awards: 2012 The National Parenting Centre - Seal of Approval, 2012 Learning Express Toys - Best Toy Award, Games Category, 2012 Canadian Toy Testing Council- Best Bet 2012, 2011 The National Parenting Centre - Gold Seal of Approval, 2011 Parent Tested Parent Approved - Seal of Approval, 2011 Neighbourhood Educational Toy Stores - Gold Star, 2011 Fat Brain Toy ‘Award - Brainteasers, 2011 Family Fun - Toy of the Year, 2011 Disney Top 10 Family Fun - Toy of the Year, 2011 Creative Child Magazine - Game of the Year
This game can be played with the whole family and lots of players, either with full trivia or just the colored dice and cup color for very young children. Watch the Tower grow and grow while answering questions correctly - but players will need a steady hand. Selecting the wrong cup when the tower is growing after answering the question could bring the Tower Tumbling down. All the trivia questions are built within the body of the game on round tower plates. Includes 300 question and answers.
100 piece NEON colors building block set- with 5 different vibrant colors to add a little pizzazz to building fun. Colors include: green, pink, blue, orange and natural-colored blocks (20 blocks of each color). Build way-cool towers, towns, castles and more. Each fun set comes in a sturdy, paint can-style container for storage with a handle.
Child-safe scissors allow 2 to 4 players to cut all the little bugs free before Willy the Spider falls from the top of the web. But watch out because the web is well, wiggly. To get started, kids pick a card, follow the instructions to cut the web and pass the scissors either left or right. Work cooperatively to free all the bugs and everyone wins. Preschoolers master recognizing left from right, cutting with scissors, taking turns, counting, hand-eye coordination and working cooperatively. Game includes stand-up web posts and platform, 50 paper webs, child-safe scissors, 10 bugs, 1 Willy spider, 30 cards, and instructions for 3 levels of game play. Level 1 introduces cutting with scissors with the players passing the scissors in one direction only. Level 2 adds Left and Right passing and Level 3 challenges the players to get up and switch seats, moving themselves left and right accordingly. Launch date: 2012.
Add a recycled magazine and two plastic bottles to this kit and blast a paper rocket up to 80 feet high. Exclusive to Toysmith in the U.S. — In a January 2015 survey, 2 out of 10 retailers told TDmonthly that 4M, distributed in the US by Toysmith, was their best-selling brand of STEM toys.
This adventure kit comes included with all the necessary tools to explore the amazing world of Bugs 3D. The kit contains a 3D book, 3D cards, magic costume card, software and Popar Reader. Kids will have an unforgettable experience as they grow wings and watch their favorite bugs leap from the pages or cards. "Popar® Toys use Augmented Reality (AR) technology to create an immersive reading experience that will allow the user to see incredible virtually “real” 3D objects and animations that will pop off the book or card," Scott Jochim, President of Popar Toys, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2011. Awards: 2012 Best of the Toy Fair - The View; 2012 National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval.
