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Crazy for Cupcakes is a sweet pretend line for ages 3 and up. Two sets are currently available; each offers three, four-part scented cupcakes that can be mixed and matched. Batch One has Starbright Lemon Drop, Purple Berry Patch, and Sweet Chocolate Sundae, while Batch Two (pictured) has Berry Blue Sky, Pink Limeade, and Choco-Peanut Criss-Cross. Accessory sets, a Cupcake Carrier, a Party Play Set and a Tippy Toppers Play Set are also available.
Action Products, Orlando, Fla.
www.apii.com

 

 

Even more pretend play is in store with the ice-cream themed Pop-A-Cone ($11.99) for ages 18 months and up, one of nearly two dozen additions this year to the Little Hands line of toddler toys. The set includes five huge, chunky pop beads that are sized just right for small hands, and which are designed to improve motor skills and manual dexterity. Alex, Northvale, N.J.
www.alextoys.com

The Let’s Play Count & Cook Game ($13.99) for ages 3 and up invites kids to share in the fun of cooking while learning counting and matching skills. It’s just one of three items debuting in the Time to Cook series, part of the new Cranium Bloom preschool line, which is comprised of 14 learning games and activity sets. Other series in the line are Fun at Home and All About Town.
Cranium, Seattle
www.cranium.com

 

 

With Make a Pie! (A Simple Game of Fractions), kids ages 6 and up learn math skills and more using a spinner and pie-shaped cardboard pieces. The company also is debuting several preschool learning games, including: the Friendly Animals Matching Game, the Build a Robot Puzzle and Spinner game, the Pin the Parrot on the Pirate Party Game, the Numbers Memory Game, the Color Memory Game and the Lotto Game. All feature original illustrations.
eeboo, New York
www.eeboo.com

In celebration of the brand’s 45th anniversary, easy-bake fun is back this year with the Easy-Bake Oven & Snack Center ($24.99) for ages 8 and up. This latest version is styled like a microwave but features the classic side opening for easy treat loading and retrieval. Set includes three different mixes, two baking pans, two utensils, a pan pusher, two warming cups and recipes/instructions. A 100-watt bulb is required but not included.
Hasbro, Pawtucket, R.I.
www.hasbro.com

 

Grow & Gobble ($19.95) is an edible seed sprout kit that invites kids ages 4 and up to grow their own food in just a few days—without the use of soil or sunlight. Seeds are soaked overnight and rinsed twice each day until sprouts appear. Set includes sunflower and mung bean seeds (certified and safety-tested for consumption); multi-tiered sprouting trays, which can sprout two kinds of seeds at once; and a teacher-reproducible sheet for additional learning fun.
HSP Nature Toys, Brookline, Vt.
www.hspnaturetoys.com