Best 25 Toys for Ten Bucks - 2008:
Get Gifts and Great Fun for $10.00 or Less©
In these tough economic times, it’s great to be assured that you can still find great gifts with plenty of play value for a decent price. You can find well-made, safe, and fun gifts among the suggested products offered in Dr Toy’s special thrifty gift guide.
It’s also a good time to remember that fun is not based on what you spend, but on how much you play. Find fun times with creative activities like a cardboard box. (How many different things can you create from a box, a puppet theatre, a fort, or a turn it into a table for a tea party) You and your child can have plenty of physical activity with a ball, Frisbee, hula-hoop, jump rope, or a yo-yo. Have open ended creative times together with crayons, paint and playdoh. Make up silly games or read aloud stories in books borrowed from the library. Produce your own family puppet show using the puppet theatre you made from the cardboard box.
Don’t forget to recycle your child’s toys and check any that may be broken or unsafe. Consider starting a lending toy library in your child’s school or in the neighborhood library.
If all else fails, find one of the latest new classic toys inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame.
The toys included here are all priced at under ten dollars making them great object stocking stuffers and great gifts any time of the year.
Alex Toys - Learn to Write!
$6.99, 3-5 yrs., www.alextoys.com
A portable and excellent double-sided erasable board to take on a trip or use at home. Turn a wheel, select an A to Z picture, and trace the letter. Good way to introduce your child to writing letters. Safe, washable, water-based blue ink marker included. Wipes clean with a damp cloth. An easy introduction to write the ABCs. Printed on recycled paperboard with soy ink and water-based varnish. Check out many other excellent creative products from this company like Draw Like A Pro.
b. dazzle - American Desert Southwest Wildlife Scramble Squares®
$8.95, 4-12 yrs., www.b-dazzle.com
Scramble Squares® tessellation (mosaic) brain teaser puzzles are Easy To Play, But Hard To Solve!® for all ages. Although each Scramble Squares® puzzle has only nine 4” x 4” pieces, Scramble Squares® puzzles are Perhaps the World’s Most Challenging Puzzle®! At under $10.00 retail, Scramble Squares® puzzles make inexpensive, but highly entertaining and valued gifts. These puzzles teach patience, perseverance, fine motor skills, critical thinking skills, and helps maintain mental agility in older persons, while providing stimulating entertainment as either a solitaire game or a cooperative activity. Scramble Squares® puzzles are highly rated by Ableplay.org web site of Lekotek National Center which recognizes products beneficial to the learning disabled. Each puzzle package includes a panel of fascinating facts on the subject of the puzzle, as well as a trivia question and hidden trivia question answer, all packaged in a handy resealable heavy duty deep clear vinyl travel pouch. Over 130 styles of original art are available on nature, sports, history, geography, culture, occupations, fantasy, science, technology, and hobbies
b. dazzle - Color ’n Seek Hidden Pictures Coloring
$6.95, 6-12 yrs., www.b-dazzle.com
New, colorful, wonderful creative and learning projects with Color ’n Seek, the only poster art available with hidden pictures and educational word association. Sixteen made-in-America styles of 11” x 17” 70 lb. paper stock hidden pictures posters. For easy transport they are available in 2-poster flatpack sets with a wide range of colors in 10 marker pens.
Bright Spots Games - Colorful Garden-A Feelings Coloring Book
$6.99, 5-8 yrs., www.brightspotsgames.com
Colorful Garden-A Feelings Coloring Book takes the reader through several garden scenes with bugs and flowers displaying a variety of different emotions to which children can relate. The rhyming verse and fun illustrations make the coloring book an entertaining product, but it also has therapeutic value in its ability to increase emotional intelligence and enhance a child’s ability to express feelings. It is ideal for developing communication skills, emotional vocabulary, creative expression, self-esteem, and social skills in a fun and child-friendly manner.
ChatterChix - ChatterChix Trading Cards
$2.99, 5-12 yrs., www.chatterchix.com
ChatterChix trading cards come in packs of 6 mystery cards with rare cards like Emily from Florida, found in one of every 8 packs. So far the company has produced 25 ChatterChix state cards and 10 ChatterPet cards. Every ChatterChix represents a different U.S. state and comes to life through bio, appearance, personality and lifestyle. With distinct rhyming bios, the ChatterPet cards are fun. These are contemporary role models who represent the values of respect, responsibility, and friendship. Each friend card includes state fun facts and a Chix bio. Beyond the 50 ChatterChix trading cards—depicting one girl from each state—are ChatterPet cards and a highly interactive web site that offers diary entries, weekly chatter topics, and educational activities.
Educational Publishing - My First Flip-Flap Book of Fruit
$7.99, 18-36 mos., www.earlystartchild.com
My First Flip-Flap Book of Fruit is a well illustrated art book to the farm where their favorite fruits grow. The book features ten common fruits, apples, watermelons, oranges, strawberries, peaches, honeydews, grapes, pumpkins, bananas, and pineapples. Innovative and durable flip-flaps help keep the child actively involved in the discovery of where the fruits actually grow. My First Flip-Flap Book of Fruit is part of Early Start’s Active Reading™ series.Helps parents and caregivers engage the child in conversation during reading to develop language and cognitive skills.
Educational Publishing - My First Slide-Out Book of Opposites
$7.99, 18-36 mos., www.earlystartchild.com
My First Slide-Out Book of Opposites is a well illustrated and creatively engineered, that teaches ten different oppossites. Pull the tab and the picture magically changes to the exact opposite of what you see! My First Slide-Out of Opposites is part of Early Start’s Active Reading™ series with prompts to help parents and caregivers engage the child in conversation during reading. Early Start books are made from top quality durable materials.
Flying Pig Games - Quick Count Football
$7.99, 7-12 yrs., www.quickcountfootball.com
Quick Count is a fast-paced football card game that allows players to complete passes, run the ball, kick field goals, and stop your opponent’s big play—all with a 54-card deck that fits in your pocket, purse, briefcase, or backpack. The game lasts four quarters. Each quarter is one time through the deck. Players score a touchdown by advancing exactly 100 yards through a combination of run, pass, and catch cards, or three points by playing a field goal card. The rules are simple. In fact, they fit onto two cards, allowing players to learn the game in just a few minutes. Quick Count is an inclusive game, for 2 to 4 players that appeals across genders, generations, and all levels of football knowledge.
Free Spirit Publications - Diapers Are Not Forever
$7.95, 2-5 yrs., www.freespirit.com
Giving up diapers—going potty like the big kids—can be exciting. But even for children who are ready to leave the diaper behind, it can also be an anxious and stressful time. Learning to use the potty takes patience and practice. Fortunately, there is much a loving parent or caregiver can do to help ease the transition to becoming diaper-free. “Diapers Are Not Forever” offers reassuring words and fun illustrations to help make reaching this milestone as easy as possible. This straightforward book helps children feel confident about giving up diapers, learning to recognize the need to “go,” and taking pride in their accomplishment when they are successful. It also includes basic hygiene in kid-friendly terms, part and parcel of successful potty training. “Tips for Parents and Caregivers” at the back of the book provides practical advice from children’s health specialists on not rushing a child who isn’t ready for the potty, finding motivators, watching for signs of readiness, and creating concrete strategies for easing the transition. Diapers Are Not Forever is a tool that helps young children prepare for this milestone and empowers them to give the potty a try
Fundex Games - Magic in a Minute
$4.99 and up, 6-12 yrs., 800-486-9787, www.fundexgames.com .com
The line is based on the animated comic strip series starring Mac King, the magician, and his monkey assistant, Lewis. Twelve different easy-to-learn and perform tricks are included in this exciting and mysterious new line-up. Product tricks in the Magic in a Minute line include Mummified Monkey Finger, in which the finger suddenly comes to life and Mental Floss, where Mac’s cranium is penetrated, not once, but twice! Another magic item is Crate-O-Mystery where magicians can perform a complete magic show. Magic in a Minute line of products are blister-packed, offering a close-up view of all the magical contents.
Goldberger - Toy Water Wonder
$9.99, 3-7 yrs., www.goldbergertoy.com
These are delightful water creatures with lights in different places that begin flashing instantly when submerged in water. Each character is individually named and comes with its own unique story. The mechanism is waterproof and water-activated. It features a self-shut-off to preserve battery life. Albert the Alligator is ambitious. He wants to be president of his own handbag company. In the meantime, he uses the water as his fitness spa. He can exercise with you! Shelley the Turtle is pretty, smart, talented, and shy. Be careful how you treat her, you don’t want her to go back in her shell! Felicia the Fish wants to play! Sinbad the Shark is dashing and dangerous. and can be a real challenge to catch! Fernando the Frog counts everything—How many times can you toss Fernando into the water? Otto the Octopus wants one more of everything. One more toy, one more treat, one more game in the water, and one more hug. Maybe that’s how he got so many arms!
Hartia Toys - Couplicoles Tropic
$10, 6-12 yrs., www.hartiatoys.com
Couplicoles are paper toys—from the French verbs “couper” (cut), “plier” (fold), and “coller” (paste), referring to the creation process of these three-dimensional toys. Although they resemble th Japanese origami and scale models, they are in fact stylized creations of Jouets Hartia Toys’ line of products, which includes more than a hundred different models of birds, animals, vegetables, and fun characters. Their main goal is to entertain children, while also serving as a learning tool. These toys represent an alternative to those forms of entertainment where the mind remains essentially passive, such as video games. Couplicoles help develop children’s imagination and three-dimensional thinking. The building of Couplicoles is an educational activity that can be carried out at school and at home, as a group or on one’s own. While learning to follow simple instructions, children can simultaneously develop their dexterity and creativity. They are classified according to their degree of difficulty. Beginners start by relying on the help of an adult and progressively learn to be more independent. Couplicoles therefore encourage cooperation and individual initiative, which makes them particularly suitable for art classes and kindergartens. Moreover, they require only basic tools such as a ruler, scissors and glue. Black and white models can be customized using crayons or highlighters.
Hidden City Games - Bella Sara Trading Cards
$1.99, 7-11 yrs., www.bellasara.com
Bella Sara is a unique combination of collectable horse-themed trading cards and a magical online world for kids at BellaSara.com. Each Bella Sara trading card features a fairytale-like illustration of a horse along with a positive and empowering message, such as “Beauty comes from within.” or “Be the hero in your own story.” Each card is designed to stimulate pro-social dialogue among kids, and between kids, their parents, and educators. Each card contains a unique activation code that unlocks a virtual version of that horse at www.bellasara.com, where kids can play games and engage in other activities such as puzzles, coloring books, interactive storybooks, customizable cottages, and more.
Idea Storm Products - Yamodo! Good To Go! ™
$9.95, 8-12 yrs., www.yamodo.com
Summertime is the best time to be Good To Go. Yamodo! Good To Go! is the new take-along item for good timesanywhere and any time as participants think, draw, and write out their own interpretations of inspired, made-up Yamodo! words. All ages can enjoy playing while inspiring creativity and collaboration in a win-win context. This game is convenient, and inspires creative distraction that is ideal for families taking long car trips, while waiting for a flight, or for a little fun anytime. . The imaginative premise eliminates age and creativity barriers, giving everyone the chance to create together. To play Yamodo, each person selects a card and then uses their imagination to draw and define the made-up word written at the top of each card. To help spark the creative process and take intimidation out of drawing, each card has the start of an existing doodle. Players add to it. The card is then passed to the next player to add to the drawing and definition. The cards become increasingly outrageous as players pass the card around for others to build on. As a result, Yamodo’s creative collaborations have people uploading their creations on www.yamodo.com for all to see. Upload your best and view the rest.
ISEO Chemdis Rubbabu - Ball Assortment
$4.95, 2-12 yrs., www.rubbabu.com
This is an outstanding selection of six designer balls for the young discerning playful child. These balls can be called collectibles, so unique and unusual are they. A must for every child who likes to play with balls, and what child does not? Take your pick from Submarine, Dune, Crater, Naval Mine, Torpedo, and Crazy. And why have balls till now been so boring? Rubbabu Balls are soft yet bouncy. Their different shapes and surfaces are easy for little fingers to hold and perfect for both indoor and outdoor play. In fact, you won’t want to put them down! Throwing, catching, batting, or tossing balls into a basket all help children develop their muscles and improve their eye-hand coordination. Interactive ball play also teaches them to take turns, share, and, depending on the game, how to work together as a team. As are all Rubbabu products, the balls are made in India from 100% natural rubber foam and covered with brightly colored non-toxic flocking. Should they need cleaning, wipe with a damp cloth and play again.
Mudpuppy Press - Get Crafty Journal
$10, 5-8 yrs., www.mudpuppy.com
Get Crafty! Art and Activities for Everyday Fun is 128 pages of carefully illustrated planned activities that are sure to please children and help expand their deftness and creativity. There are directions for making a snowblobe, a rainstick, an x guitar, an octopus piñata, and many more objects they can use or give as gifts. Get your scissors, glue, and this journal with the flexible cover printed with nontoxic inks. Creative crafts are a great way to spend time after school and on weekends for relaxation and learning. Children benefit from activities like this anytime.
Out of the Box - Rock!
$9.99, 7-12 yrs., www.otb-games.com
The Game That’s Faster Than It Sounds! Sharpen your skills with Rock! A fast and furious version of an old favorite. Using the traditional rules of Rock, Paper, Scissors, players flip over cards and race to name the winning card. Each card is different so it takes a sharp eye and quick wit. Great for eye-hand coordination and communication skills. A fun game to take along for a road trip.
Pal Toys - Bright and Beyond
$4.99, 1 mo.-5 yrs., www.paltoys.com
Back-to-basics meets back-to-the-future when Bright and Beyond Playtime Activities cards arrive on Apple’s iPhone App store. Bright and Beyond cards have already won the Dr. Toy 100 Best Children’s Product award, but Pal Toys has updated the concept in a new e-technologically cutting-edge format that is also green. Now you can use your fingertip to flick through and flip the cards. Have a playdate coming up? Save a few choice ideas in a “Playdate” folder for easy reference. More and more parents are “going mobile” and this is a great way to “go green,” too. Eliminating printing is not only eco-friendly, but it saves money, too, which is why this new format is less expensive than the actual card decks. Now parents and other caregivers can actually use technology to “slow down” and spend some interactive time with their children. There are four, age-specific “decks” for babies through preschool. All four are available in English and Spanish.
Playroom Entertainment - Sherlock
$10, 5-8 yrs., www.playrooment.com
Not a mystery anymore, Sherlock is a top discovery card game in Playroom’s Bright Idea Games line, which now totals 12 affordable skill games. Sherlock is a fun, addictive game that sharpens memory skills for players of all ages... As part of the Bright Ideas Games that are specifically designed to engage and entertain, while educating, Sherlock is a super sleuth dog character that goes around and searches for clues. Every player tries to remember each of the objects hidden in a facedown circle of cards. As Sherlock travels from one card to another, stopping at a facedown card, players have to try to remember. Sherlock continues to move as long as the player guesses correctly. When Sherlock travels to a face-up card, the player gets to keep that card. The first player to collect six cards wins, in this multiple award-winning memory game.
Spin Master - Bakugan Battle Brawlers!
$2.99, 6-11 yrs., www.spinmaster.com
Bakugan Battle Brawlers is an action game! With over 100 collectible Bakugan warriors featuring a vast array of powers and personalities, kids can play out the action combat of the popular Bakugan animated series. Combining the skill and strategy of Yu-Gi-Oh with the action and play of Beyblade, the well designed, colored spheres spring into powerful Bakugan warrior action figures when rolled onto Bakugan gamecards. Kids battle it out using points, special abilities, the strategic selection of Bakugan to send into battle, and even a shooting trick or two! The Bakugan Battle Brawlers product line includes booster, starter and battle packs of more than 100 Bakugan warriors. The animated series is debuting on Cartoon Network.
Spin Master - Kid Kleen
$6.99, 3-8 yrs., www.spinmaster.com
Kid Kleen™ is an exciting new line of premium children’s bath activity toys that are all about getting children clean in the bath, at the sink, and everywhere in between! Kid Kleen products are safe, non-toxic, wheat-free, tears-free, and hypo-allergenic. Moms trust the quality of the new Kid Kleen brand because it is ophthalmologist- and pediatrician-approved. Mold ’N Play Soap™—mold it, shape it, and get ready to lather up. This soft and squishy soap allows your child to bathe and clean with any shape they can imagine. Your child will be excited to clean with their very own soap creations. When finished, he can put the moldable soap back into its container for easy storage. Release a waterfall of soapy bubbles at the turn of a knob using the included Bath Blizzard bubble solution. The tank can be securely hung on a tile wall or positioned on the flat side of the tub using the included suction cups. Filling the tub with bubbles has never been this easy! Kid Kleen soap products are reusable, water soluble, and won’t clog drains. Batteries (4-C size, sold separately) required.
Think It Ink It - Creative Writing Story Kit
$9.95, 4-12 yrs., www.thinkitinkitpublishing.com
This is a great new product to help children to think and write. It is a write-your-own story creative writing kit for kids that can be completed in soft cover, and online, that is transformed via the Internet into a young author’s very own hard cover, professionally illustrated book. There are five blank wordless creative writing story kits. Selections are appealing and come with creative writing tips and vocabulary help. Young writers fill the creative writing story kits in with their story using a pencil and post-its (supplied for drafting) or they can work online, using their own imagination. Adults can prompt by asking questions like who are the characters in the pictures, what are their names, where does the story take place, and what happens at the beginning, middle, and end of the story. After the workbook is completed, parents can go online to order the “real thing,” a full-color jacket featuring the book’s title, chosen by the child, his or her name as author, and, on the back cover, the child’s photo with an “about the author” blurb. The pages in between are filled with the child’s story, written to match the illustrations provided. The publisher collaborated with the Louisiana Children’s Museum to produce an interactive book commemorating the third anniversary of the devastating hurricane Katrina. The professionally illustrated, wordless picture book will be officially launched at Louisiana Childrens’ Museum’s Days of Hope, The open-ended story was designed to promote the positive characteristics that emerge during disasters—of people’s perseverance, participation, resilience, and foster the belief that each person can make a difference.
US Playing Card Co - XLR8™
$4.99, 7-12 yrs., www.usplayingcard.com
XLR8™ is an exciting, math-based card game where the first player to reach 200 miles per hour wins! It is easy to learn and fun for the whole family! Each player is dealt 5 cards and the remaining cards are placed face down in the center of the table to be used as the draw pile. Players should maintain 5 cards in their hand at all times until they hit “Top Speed.” Players do this by drawing after each turn. At the end of their turn, players must call out their current speed. To start the game, players place a card from their hand on the playing surface in front of them, face up. This is the “Speed Pile.” Players have their own active speed piles, which they are trying to increase to 200MPH. Players track their speed using their “Speed-O-Meter” by adjusting the wheel at the end of each turn. This process is repeated until someone reaches “Top Speed,” but players must try to avoid the Blow Out, Caution, and Pit Stop cards along the way! Start your engines, you are ready to play! A feature Dr. Toy has noticed is they offer a good way to store game pieces. Also, mothers enjoyed the educational aspect of the game. A great value for the whole family.
Wham-O - Re-Flyer™ Recycled Frisbee Disc
$8.99, 5-12 yrs., www.wham-o.com
Whether you’re in the backyard or schoolyard, or at the beach, lake, or park, keep the action alive with the Frisbee® disc! New from Wham-O is the Re-Flyer™ Recycled Frisbee® Disc, made from 60% post-consumer recycled plastic and packaged using recycled cardboard. Available are the legendary 110g disc and the Ultimate Players Association approved 175g Ultimate Frisbee® disc. Both offer hours of endless fun and healthy activity are green friendly and socially responsible.
Wild Republic - Stuffed Animals
$8.00, 3-10 yrs., www.wildrepublic.com
Wild Republic’s new stuffed animals are stuffed in more ways than one, as the packaging becomes part of the fun, too. The ultra-squishy, water-resistant, and extra durable new funny designs are not only stuffed for hug-ability and play fun, they are stuffed into asmall cylinder package.. The cute and cuddly new collectibles have over-exaggerated features and cheerful grins.They are stuffed inside for softness, and then stuffed inside a cool, clear ball just for the fun of it. The result is a funny creature that combines fun, tactile stimulation and softtextures.
