Chicco makes toys geared to toddlers and has done well with some basic, durable remote control cars. The Turbo Touch is a truck that holds a set of cars and folds open to make a roadway. Children can make the cars zip through through the truck. The Turbo Touch is set to launch this Spring.
Protos sells these novelty dancing bots in bulk to companies that want to stick their logos on them. "They make great giveaways," the company's marketing people told us.
After an appearance this fall on the Letterman Show, the $25 Zyclone became a hot Christmas toy. The soft ring shoots across the room (or up in the air) with remarkable accuracy and is easily catchable.
David Piltz, the managing director of Desk Pets, shows how his company's remote-controlled little critters do their thing. Key feature: the remote can be recharged via the USB port on a computer.
Fresh off an appearance on Good Morning America, Gelli Baff, which is already out in the U.K., is exactly what it sounds like: a jelly-like concoction that children can play in--whether it's in an actual bathtub or a kiddie pool. Comes in a few different colors and allegedly moisturizes your skin.
Dune Craft introduces youngsters to hydroponics at an early age with its Hydro-Dome. You get to grow lettuce without any soil, only water and mineral nutrients. In case you're wondering, you can't smoke the finished product, but you can eat it.
This plant is apparently older than dinosaurs. It comes packaged dry (and looks dead), but add water, and within a day it's green and very much alive. Leave it out of the water and it goes back to its dry state.
Fisher Price takes on Leapfrog with a learning-style junior iPhone/Kindle/iPad. OK, it's not that great, but it may give the Leapster 2 a run for its money. It's due out this summer.
The Glide comes with different colored stones (yes, the pucks are made out of stone) so up to four people can play. Barnes and Noble will carry a deluxe version this spring that costs less than $30. It folds up for portability.
You can fire this at someone at close range and it doesn't hurt--as long as the ammo's fresh. You can also stick it on a stick and stick in the fire after you fire it. Now say that fast five times.
The good folks at Squire Boone Village bring us feathery lollipops. Tasteful? We're not so sure, but lots of people wanted their picture taken with this guy.
Squeeze these guys' bellies and they do some singing. They can also be made to sing together in perfect harmony just like the Beegees (OK, maybe not perfect, but they sing together).
A geek (and child) favorite, Aaron's Think Putty comes in many different forms, including glow-in-the-dark versions and a new magnetic version that's shown here with Crazy Aaron himself.
There's nothing like a good marble drop to keep the children entertained for hours--or until your two-year-old comes along and knocks the whole thing over.
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