TDmonthly's March Staff Picks

The BuckleyBoo menagerie now comes in a 12" version for the baby and toddler on the go. With three unique buckles, these little guys offer challenges to keep children engaged. BuckleyBoos may be taken on an airplane to keep babies and toddlers busy for an extended period of time. Launch date: February 15, 2009.

WorkTown Mat™ presents children with images commonly found in industry, including: heavy equipment, workers, safety gear, buildings under construction, and construction materials. When WorkTown Mat™ is placed next to other PlayTown Mats™, roads wind seamlessly throughout. Like all PlayTown Mats™, WorkTown Mat™ has a rigid surface to support action figures and small toy vehicles; and, they are lightweight, readily expandable for play, and fold compactly for easy travel and storage. Launch date: February 15, 2009.

Designed for both kids and adults, Tail Wags helmet covers come in a variety of styles that not only provide fun expression, but also enhance visibility for safety purposes. MSRP for the styles in the line ranges from $30 to $45.

This educational board game jump-starts the road to reading by incorporating basic phonics and more than 300 sight words in an engaging activity. The cards comprise up to 90 percent of beginner-level reading material and more than 50 percent of all English text. The game takes new readers on an adventure through literacy land complete with common landmarks and street signs. They earn a bonus roll after correctly identifying a game card. The first player to reach the library is the winner. "Through repetitive interaction with basic phonic sounds, sight words, and their definitions, new readers enhance their reading skills while playing a fun game. Er-u-di-tion provides families and schools with a useful tool for preschool and elementary school students," Owner Denise Bossard of Acumen Associates told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 20, 2008.

Children can learn and play with Colin, who is made of 12 colorful, detachable counting blocks designed to help children develop basic numeracy skills. The blocks can not only help children classify objects by color and shape; they can also help them learn about depth, width, height and length. Launch date: January 5, 2009.

Decked out in green, this truck carries the message of recycling in its very construction, as it's made from 100-percent recycled milk jugs.  It is free of metal axles and measures 12" L x 6.25" W x 7" H. Launch date: February 15, 2009. “We're sticking to our strategy that served us well in 2008,” said Robert von Goeben, Co-founder and President of Green Toys Inc. “Our customers say they love who we are, and want more safe, earth-friendly, U.S.-made toys. We've responded by adding some cool new products, yet staying true to our core mission.”
— "[We're] doing extremely well with trucks, particularly the Recycling Truck from Green Toys," Rick Henry of Stellabella Toys in Cambridge, Mass., told TDmonthly when discussing best sellers in late October 2009.

Made with eco-friendly materials (ultra soft bamboo fabric and hypo-allergenic stuffing), the Dozy Dolphin™ was designed as a fun interactive plush toy that also helps soothe children to sleep.  It features four relaxing water base sounds.  Push four different buttons with the words to get distinctive sounds including PLAY (sounds of dolphins playing – actual dolphin noises), CALM (actual whale noises), RELAX (peaceful sounds / tranquil music) and SLEEP (actual ocean waves crashing on the shore).

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.

Get ready to Save the Earth with this exhilarating mini-kit! Young Scientists learn about acids and bases, use pH paper to test rain water, make Styrofoam magically disappear, create pulp from old newspapers, recycle paper, make new paper, recycle leaves in a peat pellet and learn about the three R’s! Go Green teaches Young Scientists all about recycling and how they can help Save the Earth! Launch date: February 2009.

Manufacturer's Description: Displayed like a box of fine chocolates, these delicious plush darlings are all of 4" tall and come wrapped in a velvety smooth drawstring bag. There is a palm sized soft character for every occasiob: teddy bears in caramel, chocolate, honey or pink, a monkey, a pink pig with wings, a panda bear, a pink kitten, a lion, a prayer bear, an elephant and a puppy. There are 14 specific words or phrases of inspiration to choose from, "Get Well Soon", "It's a Boy", "It's a Girl", "Happy Birthday" for boy or girl, "Happy Graduation", "Thank You", "Thinking of You", "Courage", "Faith", "Hope", "Best Friends", "Love" and "Prayer". Each colorful drawstring bag is intricately embroidered with the word or phrase as well as a coordinating logo or icon. For example the white bag scripted with "Hope", also has an embroidered pink daisy. Launch date: Spring 2009.

X-Ball®, the newest creativity toy from the makers of the award-winning Ball of Whacks®, presents a whole new playful way to stimulate creativity. The set of 30 X-shaped magnetic design pieces click together to form a geometric orb. The uniquely angled X-shaped pieces allow imaginative users to invent their own shapes and designs. The X-Ball comes with an illustrated, 96-page creativity guidebook that offers lots of ideas for other fun shapes and creative applications. "X-Ball was created as a companion toy to the award-winning Ball of Whacks, and its unique X-shaped pieces can be combined the magnetic pyramids for creative play," Lynn Araujo, communications director for Creative Whack Company, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 15, 2009.

Past Videos: ASTRA 2009

Get ready to touch, time, see, balance, bluff, listen, locate and laugh your way through this outrageous game! Teams race to perform all kinds of fun, easy to play challenges spread over ten sense-ational categories.

As a follow-up to the bestselling Power House kit comes Power House Green Essentials Edition, targeted towards a younger audience of ages 10 and up. This kit teaches children about the timely issues of alternative energy and sustainable living, by conducting 30 experiments and building ten energy-related models: the power house itself, a greenhouse, a solar cell array, a passive solar collector, a solar oven, an air conditioner, a refrigerator, a hydrometer, a lemon battery, and a wind power generator. They can even sow seeds in the greenhouse! The kit comes with a 64-page, full-color experiment manual and retails for $89.95. Available now.
— “Most anything from Thames & Kosmos, like the Power House, Wind Power [and] Creative Cosmetics,” sells well for education, according to Patti Tepper Rasmussen, owner of Learning Tree Toys, Games & Books in Oklahoma City, Okla.
— Three of 40 retailers mentioned science kits by Thames & Kosmos when discussing best-selling educational items in fall 2009.

Hobby-Bike, a learning bicycle for children with a removable drive system (crank, pedals,chain, etc.), allows for two modes of operation: learning and riding. The bicycle's primary purpose in the learning mode (without drive system) is to teach young children the basic skills (balancing, braking and control) needed to ride a bicycle without the use of training wheels.  Without the pedal system it is lighter and easier for a child to maintain balance and steer. Once these skills are mastered, the drive system is fastened and the bicycle is ready for use in the riding mode. The Hobby plush toy serves as the handlebars protective padding to protect the child from direct impact with the handlebar. Available in red, blue, yellow, and pink. Comes with a comfortable saddle and pneumatic rubber tires, making rough and bumpy paths comfortable for the rider.

P’kolino’s Puzzle Stacker increases the play value of the classic stacker by adding the benefits of puzzles. Stacking toys help develop a baby’s hand-eye coordination and recognition of sizes and colors. The puzzles fine-tune motor skills and teach spatial logic through joining the interconnecting pieces. This two-in-one toy does both, doubling the fun; and doubling the development. Also available in a 6 ring version. Launch date: June 2009.

This set of 12 blocks comes in a plastic tray and features various designs on each block side, so that kids can assemble them in different ways to form many distinct creations.

This adaptable ball features a shock-resistant openable ball on the inside and a soft rubber covering. The core of the ball can be popped out of any hole on the elastic exterior, and then can be filled with rice, coins or other objects to create distinct sounds. Kids can mix and match the balls and covers, and each comes with a secret code where they can play a game online for prizes. Launch date: 2009.

This line of spa wraps offers seven different designs. The wraps are outfitted with a Velcro closure and have a full elastic back. The bottom features a ruffled hem. Two sizes are available (xs/s - size
0-4) and m/l - size -12).

When thrown onto the ground, these squishy pigs splat into a flat, liquid-looking mess, then morph back into their original shape. The pigs come in four colors, and various designs are available. Launch date: February 2009.

As players take turns stacking their pieces on the seven wooden posts, the object is to get four in a row of their winning color or shape. Moves require extra strategy, though, as more than half of each player's pieces are the opponent's shape and can help their game. The game features wooden construction with a box to store all the pieces. It measures 12.25" L x 4.5" W x 4.5" H. Launch date: February 2009.

This large-sized kids backpack has pockets for a laptop, pens and pencils, cell phone, and more while featuring pirate-themed images on the front.  Machine washable and also available in different themes.

This three-wheeled cruiser boasts features that distinguish it from the rest of the Tri-ton line - namely, a reclining seat back and folding design for portability and storage. In addition, it has an adjustable front frame, caliper hand brakes and free wheel maneuverability. Launch date: February 2009.

Available in blue and purple, this play sand has a unique texture and almost lifelike quality. It is dustless, non-stain, eco-friendly, and safe for kids, and may even be used in reptile habitats. The product is made in the USA. Launch date: February 2009.

These small, sparkling fairies can be guided around via a magic wand and seem to magically flutter and float in the air. There are three characters: Daria, Eva and Alexa. A demo DVD is also available. Launch date: February 2009.