The Few, The Proud…The Award-Winning Toys

Who Made the Cut This Year?

Thousands of products are introduced to the toy industry every year, but only a limited number are good enough, playable enough and innovative enough to garner an award.

In addition to issuing TDmonthly Awards, TDmonthly Magazine regularly asks manufacturers to present their award winners to our readers so that retailers can quickly identify products with great potential and manufacturers can learn and be inspired by others' successes. Here are the most recent responses:

Mag-tagz - Ashley's Peace & Happiness Starter Kit by MAG-TAGZ DESIGNS LLC

The playful expression, “tag, you’re it” no longer applies to the boys on the playground who swoosh by as they poke a girl. This tag is designed as a hip fashion statement that schoolgirls wear around their necks. Mag-tagz are adorable magnetic “tagz” that can be changed regularly to reflect a girl’s ever-changing mood and style. Mag-tagz received two 2009 Seal of Excellence Awards in Creative Child Magazine's Kids Gear/Apparel category. Launch date: November 2009.
— A top pick, retailer Kate Tanner, owner of Kidstop Toys, informed TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010. 11/5/2009 (Price: $16.99; Age: 5 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Mom's Deluxe 3 in 1 Plus Combo Carrier by SNAZZY BABY

This multi-purpose, light-weight hip carrier is designed to give parents choices — baby can face inward or outward and ride on either hip. It converts to a portable high chair restraint and can be used in shopping carts for additional safety. It includes color-coded clips and an instructional DVD to make securing baby a breeze, and free leg warmers are included. It was "developed for use when first front carrier or sling gets uncomfortable at 5-7 months of age. [It] can be used right up to 2+ years or 37lbs," Cyndy Mundy, CEO of Snazzy Baby, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2009.
Awards: iParenting Media Award for Outstanding Product for Gear and Equipment 2009; Creative Child Magazine Top Choice of the Year Award 11/5/2009 (Price: $79.99; Age: 0 to 2) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Adorable Kinders Rag Dolls by GRANZA INC.

These 18" soft-cloth rag dolls are American made and come with admission to an Internet cartoon eSchool where kids learn as they play fun educational games (grades Pre-K through 6th). The dolls and their clothes are washable, and there are 26 different characters and multiple outfits. The dolls are "made in [the] USA and not sold in mass-market retail stores," Greg Goodenbury, VP of GRANZA, Inc., told TDmonthly. Adorable Kinders have received the following awards: NAPPA 2009 Children’s Products Gold Award; Dr. Toy's 2009 100 Best Children’s Products Award; Dr. Toy's 2009 10 Best Toys Award; Toy Man Seal of Approval; Toy Man Award of Excellence; Toy Man Eco-Recognition Award; and Toy Man eChoice Award. Launch date: 2009. 11/5/2009 (Price: $59.99; Age: 2 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

CitiBlocs 300-Piece Wooden Building Set by CITIBLOCS LLC

The 300-piece Citiblocs set is a hefty way to get the enthusiastic builder started building simple, medium-sized and complex structures. The Citiblocs 300-piece set is designed to keep the enthusiastic builder flexing his or her imagination while developing fine motor skills. Expansion is possible via the other available Citiblocs sets. All Citiblocs Wooden Building Sets are compatible and interchangeable with each other. Citiblocs has received multiple awards, including Dr. Toy's 100 Best Products for Children, a NAPPA award, and the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal award. 11/3/2009 (Price: $80.00; Age: 3 to 101) ENTER CITIBLOCS LLC TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Secret Message Bead Kit by BEAD THE MESSAGE

This patent-pending kit of nearly 1,000 beads features various colors that each represent a letter, number and space, so that kids can create bracelets and other accessories with their own secret messages to be decoded. The kit includes 20 decoder cards, 15 feet of lacing with closures, labels, and instructions.
Awards: 2010 WTS "What The Stuff" Five Star

Past videos: Product Demonstration 10/30/2009 (Price: $19.99; Age: 4 to 14) ENTER BEAD THE MESSAGE TOYSHOW [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Risas y Sonrisas Spanish Program - Student Book with CD-ROM & Skits DVD by Risas y Sonrisas

Risas y Sonrisas (which is Spanish for "Laughter and Smiles") is a Spanish Program for kids that makes teaching and learning Spanish enjoyable. The Student Book includes an interactive CD-ROM and a Skits DVD. The interactive CD-ROM is the voice of the book. It is divided into five areas: Pronunciation, Songs, Vocabulary, Q&A, and Verb Conjugations. The Skits DVD incorporates vocabulary and Q&A learned in each chapter with subtitles to read and repeat whenever necessary. Vocabulary Units are illustrated in the same order as the Songs. They have Q&A of high frequency to use in conversations, a skit and a cultural point at the end of each chapter. This audiovisual presentation helps young and older students learn at their own pace. Everything learned with the classroom program is included in the student book to practice at home. This product was named one of Dr. Toy's 100 Best Children's Products 2009. 10/30/2009 (Price: $45.00; Age: 5 to 12) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

P'kolino Silly Soft by P'KOLINO

These smart characters are comprised of three soft pieces that when “puzzled” together make a playful friend. Sturdy enough for a wobbly toddler to balance on and lightweight enough to move around, these silly seats are a fabulously fun gross motor tool. Kids can climb on it, sit on it or drool on it; the snugly, durable fabric is removable and washable, and there are four playful characters. Silly Soft was a 2010 Gold Award Winner for Netherlands' Best Baby and Infant Product. Launch date: September 25, 2007. 10/29/2009 (Price: $39.99; Age: 1 to 3) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Thumball: Who Are You? by TALICOR / ARISTOPLAY

Kids toss it, catch it and then react to the concept under their thumb. This ball offers a fun way for children to get to know one another. The utilization of a ball during play allows participants to ask each other questions about personal preferences and life experiences. Launch date: March 3, 2009. Awards: Creative Child Preferred Choice Award 2007 10/29/2009 (Price: $10.99; Age: 3 and up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Organic Cotton Diaper Kit by BUMMIS

Designed as an economical, easy and environmentally friendly starter kit that removes the guesswork from choosing a cloth diaper system, this box of cloth diapering essentials features organic cotton diapers and accessories. It includes flushable liners and a step-by-step guide to no-fuss diapering. It does not involve rinsing, pins, or stuffing. This product is a 2009 winner of both the iParenting Media Award and the PTPA Media Green Award. Launch date: June 16, 2009. 10/29/2009 (Price: $169.00; Age: 0 to 3) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Flip & Grip Rattle by SASSY

These lightweight oval rattles are made for little hands to grasp and little mouths and fingers to explore. The set comes with a yellow rattle with raised, textured, orange stripes and a red handled rattle with raised, purple stripes. A smooth, clear plastic ball perches at one end of the rattle, spinning and sending colorful beads popping along. Inside is a spinning disk with a mirror on one side and a symmetrical, smiling face on the other. It comes in a two-pack and received a 2009 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. Launch date: October 2009. 10/29/2009 (Price: $4.99; Age: 0 to 1) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Following are some of the programs represented in TDmonthly.com's section of award winners: Dr. Toy, iParenting Media Awards, TIA T.O.T.Y., Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, The National Parenting Center, and Parents' Choice Awards.

You may also access TDmonthly's review section to see which products earned 5 TD stars.

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