When you wander down the aisles of Toy Fair, you tend to spot some wonderful and sometimes, different toys. I have a soft spot for "out of the box" toys. Don't get me wrong, I love mainstream toys as well, but I really enjoy writing about new and unique toys. To cut a long story short, here is a handful of toys - both unique and mainstream - that appealed to me right away at Toy Fair. Do I hear someone hum "These are a few of my favorite things..." from The Sound of Music?
Think-ets are a set of 15 assorted little trinkets that come in a portable pouch. They could be anything ranging from miniature animals to baskets to pretend play hammers and more. So, what do you actually do with Think-ets? The beauty of these little knick-knacks is that you can build all sorts of games revolving around them. One of the games that the makers, Think-a-lot Toys, suggest is making up a story about a trinket and then everyone chips turn by turn in until a pretty good yarn is spun. Another possibility is a memory game. Actually, the games are only limited by your imagination. Think-ets are great for travel, eating at a restaurant and much more. The trinkets themselves are totally charming. This is a wonderful concept indeed.
The Spy Video Car is stuff that little boys' dreams are made of! While visiting Wild Planet at Toy Fair, I checked out the Spy Video Car in action. It's a remote controlled car with a built-in video camera. The signal is transmitted to a wearable headset with a LCD screen embedded into it. You can wear the headset and watch the action as you navigate the car remotely. In essence, you can possibly sneak the car into the various rooms and spy on what's happening everywhere. It works upto 75 feet away. The Spy Video Car is ideal for spying on older siblings or conducting a stealth spy mission! I loved the concept and the product. Look out for this one - I think it's going to be a hot toy for this year.
It was hard to miss the Folkmanis Puppet booth right there in the midst of it all at Toy Fair. The beautiful puppets seemed to call out to you from all sides. It's no surprise that Folkmanis Puppets Inc. is a household name when it comes to puppets. Folkmanis has puppets in every shape, size and variety! There were parrots, dogs, lions, frogs, butterflies, dragons, teddies, you name it! I highly recommend these puppets for your children - it's a great way to encourage expression of feelings and inter-personal communication.
UglyDolls have a certain charm that is hard to resist. With names like Wedgehead, Bop 'n Beep, Abima, Cinco, Poe, the stuffed UglyDolls are capturing the hearts of many fans around the world. This year, they have a new line of UglyDoll books from Random House, UglyDoll tshirts and even an UglyDoll online game to offer. I absolutely loved the UglyDoll T-shirts, they are super cool! Oh, I forgot to mention, UglyDolls had a life sized doll walking around at Toy Fair.
Every year I just HAVE to visit the Corolle showroom and take a look at the wonderful selection of dolls they have on display. This year, there is a new Corolle doll called Marie with a feature that little girls are bound to love. You can actually record secrets and Marie will play back your recording by pressing a button. Marie is something of a child(or rather doll) prodigy - she can speak phrases in several languages. Aside from the talented Marie, I loved the accessories Corolle had on display. There was a pretty pink high chair, a working swing and a beautiful carry cot for a complete "mommy and dolly" experience.
I am a big fan of Playmobil building sets. I really enjoyed looking at all the new Playmobil sets including the circus which is one of the main themes for this year. I loved the big and small details like the colorful circus tent, the ring master, the little band which plays music, the various animals, the trapeze artists and much more. Kids and collectors alike are going to love the Playmobil circus sets.
The Schoenhut piano company has been in existence since 1892. This very well respected firm specializes in toy pianos. The toy pianos produce different notes because of the little hammers striking metal bars unlike the taut wires used in regular big pianos. The pianos are wonderful for children who are learning to play. They are less intimidating and also easier to learn. Schoenhut had beautiful pianos on display. I particularly like the baby grand pianos they have.
Bubbles always fascinate kids and keep them happily occupied. You've all probably come across the Little Kids Inc. products if you have small kids. They make the most amazing no-spill bubble blowers which are boons for busy moms. It was so much fun looking at and trying out all the bubble blowers that they had on display. It's pretty amazing how many varieties bubble blowers come in! I also liked the Dora the Explorer, Spongebob, Diego and the Backyardigans bubble blowers and sno-cone makers.
The Zoobies pets are cute and functional too. They are cuddly plush animals which double up as pillows... and wait, there's more! The plush pets open up even further to convert into soft blankets which kids are sure to love. Now sleepovers can be easier with the Zoobies all-in-one plush pet, pillow and blankie.
