Toy Fair 2010: Best of the Rest
I’ve talked about some of the big trends and big players at Toy Fair this year, but I thought I’d round it out with some of my favorites from the show, particularly the booths I didn’t want to leave.
It was interesting to be pregnant at Toy Fair. It was quite a bit like shopping for the new little guy, down to picking out my future diaper bag at the Skip Hop booth. On the baby gift front, there was nothing as cute as the animals and blankets from Apple Park. And, with the adorable hat box packaging, these goodies are perfect for showers.
Speaking of pregnant, how about this awesome puzzle from Beleduc & Hape Toys? Z Recommends turned me on to the multi-layer Beleduc girl and boy puzzles, and these Mother Layer Puzzles are a great addition to the line.
Elsewhere in the marvelous Hape Toys booth were these gorgeous Organeco blocks. Forget about the kids – I want to play with these.
Similar wooden goodies were at the Kid O booth, including that Things That Go wooden book I recently discovered, and this Deep Into the Forest play theater.
Some things stop you cold in your tracks, like when you see unbelievably cool Wild Things figurines from Medicom Toy.
Other things you need to interact with to love. In the Eco-kids booth, I started playing with their Eco-Dough and never wanted to give it up. And I left the booth smelling of rosemary. I love Play-Doh, but this was a hugely appealing substitute in gorgeous vegetable-dyed colors.
I saw this beautiful stack of cards from Rubbing Hands, and stopped to learn more. The game is called Get the Gem, and you hide the gem then leave a trail of arrows to point the way, a great activity to get kids moving.
Rubbing Hands has another hide and seek game called Capture the Gag. You hide this little critter, making sure to leave his little eye visible. The suction cups and clips allow for endless hiding possibilities.
Lots more toys after the jump… including the ability to make snow anywhere, anytime.
As for licensing, Toy Story 3 was everywhere you looked. By the time I walked the floor I felt like I had already seen the movie. The big licensing news for our house, though, is that Learning Curve is coming out with a line of Dinosaur Train toys including, yes, a dinosaur train.
Speaking of dinosaurs, one unusual building toy I found was Bloco, with foamy pieces and connectors to make all different kinds of animals (and dinosaurs).
Zoomorphs are one of my go-to birthday present for preschoolers, and now they’ve come out with DogPack, interconnecting dogs that looks like lots of fun and that remind me of our favorite Wood Stacking Robots
More go-to gifts for me are the cool, well-designed games from Gamewright. One of their new releases for this year is Rory’s Story Cubes, a set of dice designed to let your imagination roll. Players of any age can become a storyteller using the images rolled on the dice.
Plan Toys, makers of Olive’s fabulous new dollhouse, have come out with a cool line of educational toys that include lessons plans to include them in classroom play. Here you can grow a little hydroponic garden.
On the cute and cuddly front are Kimochis, toys with feelings inside. Each plush comes with tiny plush feelings like happy, silly, brave and frustrated, to help get kids talking about their feelings. The little cloud is the best, with a happy face on one side and a sad stormy face on the other.
Do you prefer your super-cute things with a goth vibe? Look no further than Vamplets, and their teeny-tiny blood-filled baby bottles.
Last but certainly not least is from Be Amazing Toys. No, I’m not talking about the Mentos Geyser Tube, but that’s cool, too. What has to be seen to be believed is Insta-Snow. You take a tiny scoop and add water and watch snow grow in your hands. First it feels warm and then it switches to cold when it’s done growing. So cool!
OK, that should do it. See you next year, Toy Fair!
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:21 pm
wow! You came across some really great stuff! Loved everything..including the vamplets! Thanks for sharing!