Our Toy Fair Favorites
Cliff Annicelli and Karyn M. Peterson -- Playthings, 4/1/2009
There's a lot to see each year at the American International Toy Fair. This year there were more than 100,000 products on display from toymakers from all around the world, including thousands of brand new products for 2009. Remembering them all, frankly, is no easy feat. The products that do make an impression, though, have usually done so for a reason. These are some we found most memorable among the year's newest toys and games. [Listed alphabetically by company.]
 |
Harumika for ages 6 and up is an innovative new fashion design line from Bandai America that’s already big in Japan. Girls simply wrap the patentpending dress form in the exclusive Harumika fabrics, secure them using the stylus design tool, and add decorative fashion accessories. Girls can then take photos of their designs with the included camera and upload them to the Harumika.com site, where they can participate in online fashion shows or create their own “Look Book” collections. www.Bandai.com |
| The 11-inch-tall, life-size African Grey Parrot hand puppet for ages 3 and up from Folkmanis features lots of life-like details, like its signature red tail, black beak and wings covered in an innovative new plush fabric that realistically simulates a bird’s feathers. It also features a soft, sueded fabric on the underside of its wings. A 13-inch Cockatoo hand puppet, complete with head crest and simulated-feather wings, is also available. www.Folkmanis.com |
|
 |
Hasbro calls Monopoly City “one of the most radical game developments in Monopoly history,” and we’re inclined to agree. This iteration of the game swaps out its little houses and hotels for more than 80 three-dimensional structures, from industrial blocks and stadiums to skyscrapers and parkland, which players build in the middle of the board, creating a unique game experience every time. Players can also set the length of game play, boost rents through investment or sabotage other players by building hazards such as polluting power plants that sink opponents’ rental rates. For ages 8 and up. www.Hasbro.com |
|
The Green Magic Set for ages 8 and up, developed in partnership with green magician Steve Trash, is being launched as part of ImagiPlay’s new ecofriendly Games Division. The heirloom-quality set— which is handcrafted in a sustainably harvested wood box, with components of bamboo and rubberwood—is the first ever eco-friendly and eco-themed magic set. It includes three tricks: the Green Energy Cube, Pollution Paddle and Eco Wands. www.ImagiPlay.com |
|
 |
For people looking for their next sudoku-like fix, iToys has tied itself in as the primary toy licensee for the brain game genre’s next must-do puzzle: KenKen. Already granted Next Big Thing status by New York Times Crossword Puzzle editor Will Shortz, KenKen takes sudoku to an entirely new level by introducing arithmetic to the equation. iToys’ new electronic handheld version of KenKen, for players ages 8 and up, includes a touch screen, sound effects, a removable stylus, multiple help tools, backlighting and scoring functions. www.IrwinToy.com |
| Space Police Gold Heist for ages 6 and up, from Lego’s new Space Police line, puts an intriguing inter-galactic spin on classic cops-and-robbers play. The set includes the highly detailed Space Police XL Space Freighter and the Alien Space Speeder vehicles—which feature lots of exciting functionality—as well as the Space Police officer and Frenzy alien minifigures. The line offers a number of playsets, all with unique alien characters and vehicles. www.Lego.com |  |
 |
Fuzz that Wuzz plush, from Mary Meyer, stands out from the ever-growing herd of green stuffed animals by virtue of the easy-to-understand, cause-and-effect reasoning of why shoppers should buy them. The collection’s 11 cuddly companions are made entirely from polyester fiber sourced from 100 percent recycled plastic PET bottles, including both their outer fabric and their inner stuffing. The assortment includes dogs, bunnies (pictured), bears, cats and a moose in sizes up to 17-inches tall. www.MaryMeyer.com |
| These new Sprig Hollow playsets for ages 3 and up represent just the first of several toy lines debuting from Sprig this year that will greatly expand the company’s eco-friendly, paint-free offerings. Sprig Hollow playsets include chunky, quirky characters with changeable faces; vehicles that are designed to work equally well in water, sand and garden environments; and detachable sand/garden tools. The first wave includes Bee and Butterfly’s Farm and Honey Bee’s Garden Home (pictured), Dragonfly’s HeliScoopter and Dunebug’s Sand Truck. www.SprigToys.com |  |
 |
TechnoSource’s first electronic update of the venerable Rubik’s Cube was certainly cool—especially if you weren’t looking to replicatie the original’s play pattern. The company’s new Rubik’s TouchCube, though, is downright extraordinary. Thanks to its iPhone-style touch technology, puzzlers can now finger swipe to move the all-electronic cube’s colored squares. It also boasts a built-in solver so anyone can learn to complete the Cube step by step, has a memory that picks up where a player left off last time, and includes a rechargeable battery and charging display stand. For ages 8 and up. www.TechnoSourceUSA.com |
| Internet crazes come and go and Winning Moves looks to make the most of the recent Facebook phenomenon in which people list 25 little known facts about themselves. The Danvers, Mass.-based company’s 25 Random Things About Me—The Game, looks to tap into that same sense of sharing in a fast-moving party game for ages 13 and up in which players try to find facts that fit themselves and their opponents. www.Winning-Moves.com |  |
Talkback
Related Content
Related Content
