In This Issue

Toy Fair Picks and Top-10s Lend Ordering Advice

By Julie L. Jones
March 2009

You’ve nearly made it through the first quarter of a year burdened by recession and challenged by the implementation of new safety standards … so keep trekking! If you haven’t already, now’s the time to bring the best of the year’s new products into your store. TDmonthly Magazine’s standard New Toys articles (specialty and all products) are here to help, along with a healthy dose of recommended items from the American International Toy Fair.

TOY FAIR WRAP-UP

American-made and eco-friendly toys, enticing new games and innovative ideas to fill your shelves — all are a part of the 2009 Toy Fair in New York City ... and we’ve got them here! Look back on TDmonthly’s Toy Fair Highlights section for a recap of day-by-day coverage at the exhibition, and see our general trend report as well as several top-product lists based on retailer comments and booth-by-booth scrutiny at the show. You can even watch the show yourself with TDmonthly’s Toy Videos of manufacturers demonstrating their newest and best items at Toy Fair.

HOT PRODUCTS GET WRITTEN UP

Family game night is on the rise, and many parents concerned about the safety of their children’s products are seeking quality, wooden toys — especially when it comes to recession-friendly items that will last. So, what better time to find out which products in those categories have been flying off retailers shelves! See George & Co.’s LCR, Thinkfun’s Zingo and Blue Orange’s Double Shutter Jr. in the Top-10 Most-Wanted Games, then trek on over to the Top-10 Most-Wanted Wooden Toys for a look at blocks, puzzles and playsets from companies including Plan, Uncle Goose and, of course, Melissa & Doug.

INSIDE PICKS

See the three items below for a quick preview of the specialty toys highlighted in TDmonthly’s Staff Picks article for the month:

X-Ball by CREATIVE WHACK COMPANY

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 ( Watch Video) 1/23/2009 (MSRP: $29.95; Age: 12 and Up)

PlayTown Mats™ - Worktown Mat™ by MAIN STREET GARDENS INC.

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. ( Watch Video) 1/30/2009 (MSRP: $24.95; Age: 3 and Up)