October Staff Picks

By TDmonthly Staff
October 2013

The holidays are approaching, and colder weather is here. That's why this month's staff picks focuses on gift-worthy toys and products that make staying inside a joy, not a pain. Learn more about our Staff Picks below, then decide if any of these toys are right for your store.

Climb the Monkey Bars? That's Bananas! Book/Plush Combo by FOBIE FRIENDS

Climb the Monkey Bars? That’s Bananas! is our second book and is also available in hardback. Here, our young boy faces his fears on the playground. Excited to play on a new jungle gym, he tearfully changes directions when his Papa encourages him to climb a ladder so he may join friends on the monkey bars. When his imagination tosses him into a wild place, a gentle, furry friend coaches the new climber through his first success with high places. Includes plush Monkey.
TDmonthly Editor's Notes:
- A series of books that help kids with their phobias. My daughter loves the illustrations.
- A story line that kids can follow and relate to. A great gift for any child.
- Fun use of rhyme throughout the story.
- Fobie Friends encourages youngsters to confront their fears with courage and an open mind.
- Encourages inner strength 9/26/2013 (MSRP: $27.99)

Sound It! Found It! Junior™ by WOWOPOLIS LLC

Described as a combination of Where’s Waldo? and Charades with sounds, this patent-pending easy-to-learn and easy-to play game was created specifically for the preschool set. A player chooses a picture card and gets the others to guess what’s on the card by imitating the sound it makes. Choo-Choo! Beep Beep! Gobble Gobble! Those are just the easy ones … but guessing the sound is only half the fun. Once the sound is identified (e.g. Choo Choo for the train), players race to find the object that makes it amid one of six preschool-friendly illustrated scenes such including Around the Farm, Costume Party, A Day at the Zoo and Out on the Street, each filled with action and surprises.

Featuring 72 cards and six giant-scene boards, each drawn in a whimsical, original style, Sound It! Found It! Junior combines visual hilarity with the unique twist of guessing sounds, offering hours of laugh-out-loud fun. No reading required. 8/26/2013

Squashed by PLASMART INC.

Roll the die and strategically eliminate other players by Squashing them one pawn at a time. Or, flip the cube for a total wipeout. Be the last pawn on the Squashed™ cube to win. Invented by ChiTAG Young Inventor Challenge Winner, Nicholas Metzler, when he was just sixteen. 4/29/2013 (MSRP: $29.99)

The Award-Winning Inventors Lab by HANZ TOYS

Developed by world-famous Innovation Expert and Author Nicholas Webb, The Hänz Inventors Lab actually teaches children the same methods that are used by corporations to create world-class innovations. Children can also compete online with other innovators. Have fun and create hundreds of innovations. Made in the USA with fair trade and the environment in mind. 6/6/2013

Worm World by ELENCO

See inside the wonderful world of worms. Learn about their fascinating life style and their valuable contribution to the world we live in. Provides hours of fun and fascination. Features: Plastic worm housing, Tunneling material, Shade, Illustrated instruction manual, Worms not included. 9/26/2013 (MSRP: $22.99; Age: 5 and Up)

Bipedal Walking Robot Kit by ARTEC EDUCATIONAL

A motorized walking robot that travels by alternately moving its right and left legs. Runs like crazy! 9/20/2013 (MSRP: $12.99; Age: 8 and Up)

HEXBUG Nano V2 Hurricane Set by INNOVATION FIRST LABS, INC.

HEXBUG Nano V2 Hurricane Set by INNOVATION FIRST LABS, INC. Introducing an all new breed of gravity defying HEXBUG Nanos. These Nano V2 bugs can now climb up vertically, horizontally, around corners, through loops and tubes, to the tip top of any Nano V2 habitat set. The HEXBUG Nano V2 Hurricane set features an evolved Nano, sporting a new look, with three rubber spines on its back, as well as a new system of tubular tracks that highlight the Nano V2's unique multi-level climbing abilities. The HEXBUG Nano V2 is a tiny, micro robotic creature that uses the physics of vibration to scurry up through multiple levels of tubes, as high as the V2 set will take it, to explore its environment. The quick little critter possesses an uncanny sense of balance, capable of crawling through tubes on its feet or on its back and can pass another bug in a single tube to avoid a traffic jam. The Nano V2 will even flip to its feet when landing on its back on an open flat surface. 9/26/2013 (MSRP: $49.99; Age: 3 and Up)

Texo - 100 pc by GUIDECRAFT INC.

Texo is the award-winning 3 dimensional design and construction system by architect, author and designer Lester Walker. The beauty of Texo is the variety of building systems found within one toy: simple puzzles, shape sorting and color matching at its most basic level, the system allows for a gradual progression to stacking the interconnected shapes and on to advanced architectural models such as bridges, houses, skyscrapers and more! Solid wood rods and planks coupled with the geometric precision of molded plastic connectors enhance the design and construction potential. Also included is a deluxe Activity Guide with how-to’s, commentary and step-by-step instructions on maximizing the potential of Texo. 9/26/2013 (MSRP: $39.95; Age: 3 and Up)