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Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award Winners 2009:
Toys: Preschool Years
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Acting Out Musical Waltz Dress
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(
Acting Out
$$40$
)
Like so many of their wonderful musical costumes, this charming tutu is done in layers of pink and blue tulle with shimmering sequins on the top of the stretchy top and edges of the gossamer skirt. Best of all it is motion activated. It will play the Beautiful Blue Danube waltz when your young ballerina begins to twirl.
This company makes simpler tutus--just the skirt loaded with music from the Nutcracker or Swan Lake.
They come in many sizes and colors. A dreamy gift for the sugar plum fairy in your life! 3 & up. Age:
Preschool,
Early School Years.
Phone: (877) 727 0222.
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award
2009
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American Girl Bitty Twins Multicultural Collection
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(
American Girl
$$95$for set
)
One of best collections of multicultural dolls we have seen in a very long time. We are also thrilled that there are boy dolls (often very hard to find) included in this updated collection of twin dolls that include Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, Asian sets of twins. The attention to detail for these contemporary twins is nothing less than you would expect from American Girl. You can select your own twins on line- also very clever. The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab. Age:
Preschool,
Early School Years.
Phone: .
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award
2009
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Big Ben Bear
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(
Mary Meyer
$$9$- $22
)
Big Ben is part of the new Bennett Bear family from Mary Meyer. Big Ben is available in a 12" and 15" size. There's also a Baby version (9"). The Bennett family is alone as our Bears of the Year. Most of the other entries weren't huggable enough for our testers. Still a huge hit with every child that visits our office- the over-sized, extremely cuddly Creamy Bear from Mary Meyer. The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab. Age:
Preschool,
Early School Years.
Phone: 800-451-4387.
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award
2009
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Cheekeyes Wooden Dinosaur Animal Set
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(
Cheekeyes
$$29.99$
)
You know that we're big on wooden blocks as basic gear for the preschool set. Adding props to blocks can spark new directions for dramatic play. We love this new line of handsomely crafted wooden dinosaurs. The company also offers a set of farm animals, trees, a cave and a mountain. The dinos and the animals are outstanding in this category. They are very smooth (as all wooden toys should be) and they have paint only on the sides. Available only on line at oompa.com. The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab. Age:
Preschool,
Early School Years.
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award
2009
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Corolle Naima Calin
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(
Corolle
$$29.99$
)
We're always on the look out for dolls that reflect our diversity. Among the most adorable African American dolls this season is a huggable, soft-bodied 12-inch baby doll named Naima from their Calin collection. Her beanbag body makes her easy to pose. Dressed in a red and white cotton knit outfit with red headband, she is a bald headed baby with big brown eyes that open and close. She does not come with the usual extras such as a pacifier or bottle or toy that would be risky with toddlers who tend to mouth their toys. This one is an adorable armful for beginning pretend play. The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab. Age:
Toddler,
Preschool.
Phone: 800-628-3655.
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award
2009
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Disney Pix Jr Digital Camera
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(
Disney
$$59.99$
)
Testers loved being able to add Disney characters to the photos they can take with this easy to use digital camera with all sorts of special effects. A great way to give you beginners hands on without getting their hands on your camera! This 1.3 Megapixel kid-friendly camera has easy-to-grab rubber grips, icon-labeled function buttons (no reading required), and a large display screen for easy viewing! Thanks to the memory (32MB), the kids can click rapidly. They only need two seconds between pictures! It has 1.3 Megapixel Resolution, holds up to 150 photos, USB enabled, built-in Auto Flash, 1.5" Color LCD Screen, long battery life - up to 15 hours of continuous use (requires 4 AA batteries - not included.) WARNING: Not compatible with a MAC. They say 3 & up—we'd say 4-7's would be more like it.
The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab. Age:
Preschool,
Early School Years.
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award
2009
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Eric Carle Brown Bear Floor Puzzle
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(
Mudpuppy Press
$$16$
)
A really over-sized (2' x 3') floor puzzle that features the animals in Eric Carle's classic book. The 24 jumbo pieces are pleasingly large and will be enjoyed by preschoolers after they have read the book. As your working on the puzzle with your preschooler, you can enjoy making the sounds each animal makes.The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab. Age:
Preschool.
Phone: 212 354-8840.
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award
2009
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Gotz Aquini Drink and Wet Dolls
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(
International Playthings
$$30$each
)
Finding an anatomically correct doll is not easy; finding one that can go in the tub is even harder. Select either the boy or girl 13” versions with painted features. Each comes with potty seat and bottle along with snap off and on romper and towel for drying off. New outfits are slightly different than photo. A perfect choice for the potty training set. The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab. Age:
Preschool.
Phone: 800-445-8347.
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award
2009
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Happy Moments Busybuds Monkey
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(
Gund
$$23$
)
Toddlers will have no trouble bonding with this long legged red and tan monkey. Busybuds Monkey is 19” long with slender easy to grab arms, legs and tail. Fabric is bright red fleece with knit legs and hands. In the same Happy Moments line consider two other good choices. There is an adorable Busybuds Frog, a long legged green and yellow frog as well as a cute Busybuds Chick in yellow and melon with striped leg and floppy wings. These whimsical dolls have full bottoms so they can sit, but they are each a perfect armful for toddlers who love dolls that are extra big without being too heavy to tote about. 1 & up.
The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.
Age:
Toddler,
Preschool.
Phone: 732 248 1500.
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award
2009
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Imaginext Spike the Ultra Dinosaur
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(
Fisher-Price
$$230.95$
)
This is the clearly the year of the dinosaur! Spike, a green remote control dino that really roars, lights up and moves (his neck also moves independently) is a leading part of this trend. Spike's controls are easy to learn. He's marked for kids 4-7. It really depends on your child- we had mixed reactions. He's not nearly as scary as Wowwee's dinos of the past, but not as warm and fuzzy as the larger Kota from Playskool. If you have a five or six year old in the "dino-zone" and you have the budget, Spike will most likely be a huge hit. He is extremely pricey though. We hope the price will come down before the holidays roll in.
The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab. Age:
Preschool,
Early School Years.
Phone: 800-432-5437.
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award
2009
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