The 25 Best Kids Toys For 2008

Toy store owners who are toy and play experts have selected the 2008 Best Toys for Kids (listed below). The list includes toys for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and older children, and guides parents to toy selections according to different types of play. Details about each toy can be found at www.astratoy.org.

INFANT (Ages Birth-12 Months)

1. Busy Bee Discovery Flower (ALEX) Ages 6 months+

2. Together Tunes Too Block (Neurosmith, manufacturer & Small World Toys, vendor) Ages 6 months+

TODDLER (Ages 1-3 Years)

3. Wheely Bug (Prince Lionheart) Ages 1.5+ (small size), and 3+ (large size)

4. Dexter the Digger (WOW Toys, manufacturer & Ravensburger, vendor) Ages 1.5+

PRESCHOOL LEARNING (Ages 3-6 Years)

5. Magna-Tiles: 3-D Magnetic Building Tiles (Valtech Co.) Ages 3+

6. Magnetic Mosaics - Kids (The Orb Factory) • Ages 4+

Preschool Pretend & Play (Ages 3-6 Years)

7. Road & Rail Play Set - Railway Station (Plan Toys, Inc.) Ages 3+

8. Stablemates(TM) Red Stable Set with Two Horses (Breyer Animal Creations, Div. of Reeves International, Inc.) Ages 4+

CONSTRUCTION

9. Circus Ring (Playmobil) Ages 5+

10. Excalibur Castle (Le Toy Van, manufacturer & Hotaling Imports Inc., vendor) Ages 3+

11. 24-foot BluTrack Challenge Pack (MJ Sports dba BluTrack(R)) Ages 3+

ARTS & CRAFTS

12. Sticky Mosaics Jewelry Box (The Orb Factory) Ages 6+

13. Wikki Stix Tons of Fun (Omnicor Inc. / The Wikki Stix Co.) Ages 3 - 11

MUSIC

14. Schoenhut 44-Key Baby Grand Piano (Schoenhut Piano Company, Inc.) Ages 5+

15. Learn to Play Piano (Melissa & Doug) Ages 3+

GAMES FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN (Ages 3-7 Years)

16. Zingo! (ThinkFun, Inc.) Ages 4 - 8

17. Qwirkle (MindWare) Ages 6+

Games FOR OLDER KIDS (Ages 8 Years+)

18. SET Cubed, a Curious Game of Clever Connections (Set Enterprises, Inc.) Ages 8+

19. Bananagrams (Bananagrams) Ages 7+

SCIENCE

20. Wind Power — Renewable Energy Science Kit (Thames & Kosmos) Ages 8+

21. Geyser Tube (Be Amazing! Toys) Ages 8+

ACTIVE

22. The Original Flying Turtle (Mason Corporation) Ages 3 - 12

23. Mini Super Sports Disk (OgoSport, LLC) Ages 4+

TOYS TO WOW KIDS!

24. Multi-colored Ball of Whacks (Creative Whack Company/US Games Systems, Inc.) Ages 8+

25. Karito Kids World Collection (Karito Kids by KidsGive) Ages 3+

The 2008 Best Toys for Kids list, along with an easy-to-use Toy Store Finder for locating independently-owned toy stores, can be found at www.astratoy.org. (source: http://www.toptoysforchristmas.com)

Star Wars Action Figure Collectibles

These days, Star Wars action figures are everywhere... With the release of the Special Edition movies in the 1990s came the biggest production of Star Wars merchandise the world had ever seen. Action figures were, and still are, there in 'force'. One of the most popular current figure lines is Hasbro's large 'Deluxe' action figure assortment, with well over 100 different character variants made so far, and collector demand still high. But where did it all begin? Let's hop into the Toyzine time machine and take the trip back...
When you're onto something really big... make it bigger. Or so the toy designers at Kenner thought in early 1978. Consumer demand for their 3 inch Star Wars action figure line was phenomenal, and the management was itching for newer and better ideas for figure related product. It was only a matter of time before the memory of great profits past (Kenner's mid 1970s 12 inch Six Million Dollar Man) steered the Star Wars merchandise bandwagon toward... "Large Size Action Figures". Although they are often referred to as the "12 inch Star Wars figures", they actually ranged from 8 inches high (little guys like R2D2 and the Jawa), up to a towering 15 inches for the likes of Chewbacca and IG-88, the bounty hunter droid. The only definitive "12" about this group is the number of different figures that Kenner produced from late 1978 until their untimely demise in 1980. (source: excerpt of article by John Graham at http://www.toyszine.com)