Toy Fair: Specialty Stores Consider Stock Options

Written by Audrey Wood and Don Wood and illustrated by Don, this 32-page celebrated bedtime classic follows a zany pack of high-spirited piggies as they romp from fingers to toes and then off to bedtime. “This oversized, lap-sized edition board book is perfect for little hands,” Amanda Marples, associate director of marketing for Harcourt Children's Books, told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 2005.

When the pirate crew turns up at Jeremy Jacob’s house and accidentally wakes his baby sister, that wee scallywag howls louder than a storm on the high seas. Sure, there’s buried treasure to be found, but nobody’s digging up anything until Bonney Anne quits her caterwauling. So, quicker than you can say “scurvy dog,” Braid Beard and his swashbuckling pirates become . . . babysitters? Blimey!

This garbage truck features a trash compactor and a back end that tilts up to dump the truck contents. Each truck features tread tires and two small trash bins. “This toy is fully functional and designed to be used just like the truck in real life. This kind of classic play pattern allows for open-ended play that encourages children to think creatively and use their imagination. The basic controls and actions of the truck will need to be learned by younger children, giving them a chance to watch themselves succeed,” Noah McKiernan of Bruder Toys told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2003.
— Michelle Deutschmann, owner of Kaleidoscope Toys in Falmouth, Mass., told TDmonthly that Bruder has been a best seller ever since she opened her toy store.
— Lynn Robillard told TDmonthly in summer 2007 that the second best-selling line at her store, Toys in the Attic in Manchester, Vt., is Bruder trucks, which customers like because they are plastic and can be left outside.
— “Big, beautiful trucks from Bruder [are] going to make great Christmas gifts,” Rick Henry of Stellabella Toys in Cambridge, Mass. told TDmonthly.

Seventeen-inch Baby Lea is Corolle’s new, multi-lingual, interactive baby doll that can communicate both her delights and discomforts in French, English, Spanish or Italian. Through a simple, well-hidden and secure battery system, little girls ages 3+ can activate her language skills using one of three included Corolle charm bracelets. Lea’s Teddy Bear charm enables her to speak English; her Bunny charm, Spanish; her Kitty charm, Italian. Lea’s native tongue, of course, is French. Specific, gentle touches and tickles to Lea will result in endearing realistic responses to little Moms.
— Corolle dolls were great sellers when owner Michelle Deutschmann of Kaleidoscope Toys in Falmouth, Mass., brought them in for the holidays 2006, she told TDmonthly.

Young Learners Thumballs are great for little hands to catch and toss as they work on developing skills. Bright primary colors are easy to focus on, and the balls are available in the following designs: Animals, for vocabulary development; Numbers, for development of counting and math skills; and Shapes, to enhance visual perception skills. “Thumball has a unique multi-paneled design and safe composition which offer a ‘pleasingly squeezable’ play experience,” Gregg Pembleton of Answers in Motion told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2007.

Each Twilight Turtle and Friends character from the collection projects constellation nightlights that create a magical sleep-time environment. Each “shell” illuminates the night with three soothing color options to help ease fear of the dark. The Twilight Collection includes Twilight Turtle and Twilight Ladybug, each available in three colors and a Twilight Sea Turtle that also has five illuminated windows projecting images of sea life.
— Retailers surveyed by TDmonthly have been naming the Twilight Turtle as a best-seller since 2006.
— Six of 66 retailers mentioned one of the Twilight Turtles as a top-selling item for baby gifts in July 2008. Four of 47 retailers named Twilight Turtle as a top-selling baby gift in June 2009. Three of 64 retailers cited it as a top-selling infant and toddler toy in March 2009, and eight of 39 said the same in March 2010.
— In a 2012 survey, Erika Evers, owner of Dancing Bear Toys in Hendersonville, N.C., told TDmonthly that their best selling infant & toddler product is the "Twilight Turtle from Cloud B, and it's spin-offs, like the ladybug." They sell about 20 units each month.
— Want this? As of 05/06/2011, this product was available for purchase at Toys & Co.
AWARDS: 2010 TDmonthly Top Seller

Westminster brings to you not one, but three variations of the popular numbers and logic game. The wildly popular hand held electronic game has over 10,000 ready to play games, 4 Skill Levels, Timer, Hint, and an option to manually enter in a Sudoku game from your favorite magazine or newspaper. Prefer using pen (or pencil) and paper, the Sudoku Puzzle Book has 360 games compiled in a sturdy, hardbound book. All solutions are included. Up for an impossible challenge? The Sudoku on a Puzzle Cube is for you. Solve one side, or solve all size, this challenging game will boggle your mind. For more products please visit us online at www.westminsterinc.com

This cuddly soft plush penguin dances to three fun melodies: “Twinkle, Twinkle,” “London Bridge” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” and is activated by touch or touch and sound. Happy Penguin interjects "penguin talk" and sounds such as "Boing" and "Gibit Gibit.” It is 10 1/2" tall and 5" wide with a wing span of 13". Three AA batteries are included. “The penguin’s swaying and dancing coupled with the music and sound effects bring a smile to any face,” Brian Thille, sales and marketing manager for Westminster Inc., told TDmonthly.

The Phantom Ghost Ship from Le Toy Van looks like an authentic pirate ship, but also features a spooky skeleton and spider web design. With glow-in-the-dark skeleton fabric sails, it sets sail with two masts, rope ladders, two removable jail cages, a prison, a working anchor and an opening stern for greater play value. The wooden, durable Phantom Ghost Ship holds so many ghostly pretend-play details that kids will sail off into some spooky and great imaginative play. Launch date: May 1, 2006.

How do airplanes fly in the sky? With My First Airplane Kit, children can learn all about flight. They can build and paint easy-to-make airplanes with pens, and then watch their custom aircraft soar through the sky. Next, using their planes and other components, they can conduct experiments to learn about gravity, lift, drag and thrust, the forces involved in flight. This kit “tailors the fascinating world of flight to the young child. Not only can you build, paint and decorate planes — but you can also use these planes to conduct experiments,” Susan Rives at Scientific Explorer told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2007.
— Idanna Smith, owner of Juggles in Wakefield, R.I., cited My First Airplane as one of the best toys at Toy Fair 2007.
— Scientific Explorer experiments do well, Owner Fred Rosenberg of On the Park in Kingwood, Texas, told TDmonthly in spring 2007.
— Scientific Explorer is one of “the most accommodating companies that I have dealt with,” Joshua Grindstaff of Education Station in Coldwater, Mich., told TDmonthly in spring 2007. “They … allow for a very small minimum order, and the quantities that you have to buy of each item are reasonable.”
THIS PRODUCT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Created at 1:32 scale, this whale comes equipped with a booklet containing scientific data about it. Launch date: May 2007.