Folkmanis® Puppets believes imagination is the key to a healthy childhood, encouraging play and discovery to develop the skills necessary in life. The company has been making the most innovative and engaging specialty puppets in the world since 1976, delighting imaginations and winning nearly every industry, child development, and kid-tested award, many repeatedly.

35 Years and Growing!

Conceived as a “cottage industry” business in Watertown, MA., in the late 1960’s and nurtured among the street vendors lining Berkeley’s famed Telegraph Avenue, Folkmanis® Puppets are the expression of Judy Folkmanis’ active imagination, sewing wizardry, and love of nature.

Creating her first animal puppets to entertain her own children, Judy was astounded when her unsung, but cuddly, creations began attracting a growing group of paying customers. Most often these were other parents who sought high play value from their toy purchases and an appreciation of the natural world for their children.

Joined in the burgeoning endeavor in 1976 by her Ph.D. husband Atis—who happily abandoned a career in biochemistry for pattern-cutting—the couple realized that launching a menagerie of carefully detailed and realistic animal puppets was their “right livelihood.” They hired several seamstresses and never looked back. The rest, as they say, is toy industry history – as Folkmanis’ line and renown grew by leaps and bounds.

Still headquartered in Emeryville, California, today Folkmanis, Inc. has grown to become the premier manufacturer of plush puppets worldwide. Folkmanis® Puppets offers over 200 of the most heartwarming and realistically designed creatures—both exotic and familiar—on the market today. And, after more than 35 years, Folkmanis, Inc. is still a family business. Judy and Atis oversee both the creative and operations sides to ensure that the quality and love of the natural world they wish to convey through their toys remains true to their original vision.

“The success that Folkmanis Puppets has enjoyed for more than 35 years simply reinforces the fact that when it comes to children, old-fashioned, open-ended play patterns are the best, and the simplest toys are really the healthiest gifts one can buy for a child,” says Elaine Kollias, marketing director. “That is why puppets are so firmly in the ‘good toy’ category – not just that they encourage and inspire imaginative play, but that they represent a thoughtful and fun gift that is more than ‘just’ a toy.”

Widely regarded as the most innovative puppet-maker in the world, Folkmanis® Puppets consistently designs beautifully crafted toys that inspire creativity, promote hands-on discovery, encourage interaction, teach fine and gross motor skills, help develop early language, and become a child’s lovable companion to be treasured for years. The company’s line includes a virtual menagerie of plush pets and friendly wildlife friends with new designs constantly on the drawing board.

Folkmanis Puppets is a proud Dr. Toy Alumni member.

The daughter of a product designer and artist inspired the founding of Metamorphic Toys with her creative imagination. As Dave Berglund observed how his daughter and her friends played with the toys he made it was clear that kids are hungry for these kinds of creative simple toys that put them and their incredible imaginations in charge.

Instead of imposing the designers’ imagination on the child, the idea is to let children imprint their imaginations on the toy. By doing this, children create a toy that is personal and important to them. Play that centers on such a toy springs completely from the child’s own imagination.

The Mailbox and Silly Signs are an art project and pretend play toy in one.
Creative expression and imaginative pretend play directed by the child is critical to healthy child development, but it also happens to be incredibly FUN! It is naturally instinctive behavior for children to learn and process the world through creativity and their imaginations. Our toys give kids this opportunity by engaging them with elegant geometric designs that also serve to add structural integrity to the toys.

There is something about three-dimensional objects that kids love to explore. Providing such an object that kids are allowed to experiment with by coloring, gluing, carrying around and playing with is very exciting for them. The Everythingland™ Mailbox, Silly Signs and Eco-Art U-Stick’ems are these kinds of toys.

Metamorphic Toys believes in doing what’s right for children, for our community and the environment. That’s why we are committed to making open-ended toys right here in America using materials and processes that are kind to the environment.

She Hearts It ~ August 2, 2012

I love how my kids were able to exercise their minds by discussing how we were going to decorate and personalize the mailbox, before ever opening a jar of paint or holding a marker in their hands. They talked about their favorite colors and shapes, and what was going to go where on the mailbox. They even spent a lot of time picking which of the Eco-Art U-Stick’ems they were going to use. My 3 and 5 year old didn’t come up with a very cohesive theme, but they did work together and the end product was a creation of their own imaginative minds.
Read the original review.

Inspired by Savannah ~ June 5, 2012 ~ June 11, 2012

I can’t believe that out of all her toys, she keeps going back to this toy, which doesn’t have bells or whistles, like other toys she is usually drawn to. Savannah is at a stage, where she loves playing with stickers and placing them on everything. There is where the sturdy and fun mailbox comes into play. Since receiving, Savannah has dressed up her mailbox with her favorite stickers inside and out. She is using her creative skills to add color to the otherwise plain mailbox. As soon as Savannah wakes in the morning, the first thing she does is run to her mailbox to see if she has mail.
Read the original 2 reviews: first review and second review.

Green and Clean Mom ~ July 24, 2012

With a background in early childhood education I know the importance of creative play. My daughter has a very active imagination and to help foster this type of play I like to purchase toys for her that are open ended. Toys that are 100% recyclable and made in the USA are huge perk, which is why I’m over the moon for Metamorphic Toys. My son and daughter both love their cardboard mailbox for both decorating and playing with. They write letters to friends and family out of town, each other and to their stuffed animals and dolls. Beyond just creative play we have used this cardboard mailbox to learn letter-writing skills, more about the Post Office and mail carriers job and how to share because they each want their own mailbox.
Read the original review.

Remember when your mom asked you to clean your room before company came over? This usually meant shoving your unsightly toys into the closet and hoping no one would open the door. That’s about to change…

We’re excited to introduce a toy that inspires creativity, exercises the imagination and best of all adds room aesthetic instead of clutter. Our deluxe version of a classic stacking toy features some of finest and softest, minky fabric you can find. At 11.5″ each, they stack up as one of the largest plush blocks your children will get their little hands on. Moms love them because they save wear and tear on the couch cushions and provide a safe outlet for pent up energy. Not to mention they stack easily and quickly in the corner of a room avoiding any threat of a toy avalanche in the closet.

Whether you are looking for a unique addition to your nursery decor, or something your child will love to play with for years to come, these blocks have it all.

- Safe for all ages.
- Creativity enhancing.
- Easy to store by stacking nicely in a corner.
- Flexibility to build houses, play games, gets out nervous energy.
- Quiet and doesn’t require batteries or instruction.
- Instant exercise — you can always find something to do with them, whether it’s stacking, building forts, hiding, climbing, throwing, or knocking them down.
- A style mom will love and kids will play with.
- Good for siblings to have constructive, competitive play without fighting or hurting each other.
- A toy that will grow with your child as they find new ways to play with them.

When we created Gibout Big Blocks, we thought bigger was better. Life-sized building blocks seemed like a no-brainer in a world of small, plastic, disposable toys. Why not have something fun to play with that adds to the décor of the room? We believe simple is best. We are proud to say that all of our plush blocks are hand-made in the United States.

Mix, match and make!

Gibout Toys is a proud Dr. Toy Alumni member.

Dr. Toy, Stevanne Auerbach, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on play, toys, and children’s products. With 30 years of experience, her annual awards recognize the best in educational, developmental and skill building products on offer from large and small companies alike; now they’re available for you to take on the go.

Browse by award, skill, type, age or price, to find the ideal toy you’re looking for. Every product featured in this app has attained an award of excellence, making shopping for the right toy or gift a breeze!

View on iTunes

Whoever said the journey is half the fun, must have shopped at TravelKiddy!

Traveling with kids is always an adventure but keeping them busy on the journey is a challenge no parent should face alone. That’s where TravelKiddy can help! TravelKiddy has scoured the toy and game universe to bring you only the best games, brain-teasers, exclusive activity kits, and travel toys that are ready to go on adventures around the world or around the block.

What makes TravelKiddy different?

They’ve been there, done that! All products are selected and tested by an experienced panel of experts – including kids, parents and educators – that have thousands of family travel miles under their belts. From road trips to long hauls, they have been in the trenches and survived to tell the tale and share the products that made the journey fun!

Travel time is the ideal time to unplug and reconnect as a family. TravelKiddy gives you the tools needed to balance electronics, solo play and interactive activities while traveling.

TravelKiddy recognizes that kids are entertained for longer when you give them games and toys that are challenging and fun. That’s why they look for products and design activity kits that :

• Encourage creativity
• Develop fine motor skills
• Challenge curious minds
• Spark the imagination, and
• Foster learning.

Toddlers developing skills such as grasping and stacking will love our mini puzzles and stacking cups. Older kids are entertained a unique selection of games, puzzles, brain-teasers and educational.

No time to plan? Let TravelKiddy take the hassle out of activity planning with high quality, travel-tested kids travel activity kits that are perfect for keeping kids busy in the car, on family road trips, when flying with kids, at a restaurant or anytime quiet play is needed.

TravelKiddy – on a mission to amuse kids, here there and everywhere!

TravelKiddy is a proud Dr. Toy Alumni member.

Dr Toy visited KRON Ch 4 on 12 17 11 to talk with co-hosts Marty Gonzalez and Ysabel Doron about Best Bay Area’s Toy Companies. Dr Stevanne Auerbach (Dr. Toy) author of Smart Play/ Smart Toys hared highlights of varied products suitable for all ages.

12 Bay Area Toy and Game Companies and Products include:

1. Blue Orange Games – Spot It!  www.blueorangegames.com
2. Green Toys – Green Toys School Bus  www.greentoys.com
3. Folkmanis – White Mouse Puppet  www.folkmanis.com
4. ImagAbility – WEDGiTS™ Starter Set  www.wedgits.com
5. Infinitoy – Zoob  www.infinitoy.com
6. LeapFrog –Tag Solar System Adventure Pack  www.leapfrog.com
7. Peaceable Kingdom — Hoot Owl Hoot! Cooperative Board Game  www.peaceablekingdom.com
8. Plushy Feely Corp –KimochisToys With Feelings Inside  www.kimochis.com
9. Tangle Creations – Hairy Tangle Jr  www.tanglecreations.com
10. Timeless Toys – Sootheze Waddles Duck  www.timelesstoys.com
11. Tot Talk – Sports Placemats  www.tottalk.com
12. University Games/Colorforms- Magic Fashion Show  http://www.ugames.com/ and  www.colorforms.com

Can you answer these 10 key questions about your hot new product concept?

An amazing number—85%—of all new products fail in the marketplace. How
can you maximize your chances beating the odds? A good place to start is by
developing an understanding of the 10 key factors that contribute to product
success.

Bringing a new product to market requires a significant investment of
both time and financial resources, and shortcuts almost always compromise
the likelihood of doing so successfully. Spending the time and resources “up
front” to develop the answers to the following questions is best thought of
as cheap insurance that will minimize the chances of being included in the
statistic noted above.

Before bringing your product to market, can you answer the following questions with confidence?

1. How is your product concept unique? Does it:
   • offer a new or better form of entertainment?
   • present a better price/value equation?
   • leverage a unique design?
   • build upon a hot new trend?
   • utilize a unique technology or popular license?
   • educate in a engaging way?
2. Who are the primary target users and purchasers of your product
   concept?
3. Is the product designed to be appropriate for the age and ability of
   the user?
4. How does the product concept measure up to competitors in the
   marketplace?
5. Does the design of the product and packaging appeal to the target?
6. Can your product be designed and manufactured at a competitive
   retail price point?
7. Through what channel(s) will you distribute your product and how
   will it be merchandised at point of sales?
8. Is your sales goal realistic and will yield profits?
9. How will you gain attention for your product and communicate its
   uniqueness?
10. How will you launch your product, through what communications, and
    how will you sustain awareness and interest with your target audience?

From selecting or developing a unique new product concept to designing, refining, manufacturing, distributing and marketing it, it is a real challenge to maintain objectivity and consistently listen to what the market tells you.

Common mistakes along the product development timeline include falling in love with a product and not investing the time and effort to evaluate the item carefully, taking shortcuts in determining its appeal to the target buyer and user, and being unrealistic about how well it measures up to the competition.

The challenges of successfully launching a new product are such that the investment of time and resources should be taken to assure that the product is unique in the marketplace, has consumer interest-value, can be developed and manufactured at a cost that will meet a competitive price point and has a marketing roadmap that leads to awareness, preference and purchase. As should be clear by now, having an “idea” is just the first step in creating
a product that will lead to success in the marketplace.
___________

Deb de Sherbinin is the founder and president of Kidsmart. Founded in 1993, KidSmart is a product and marketing consultancy that provides services that help companies successfully identify, develop and market products that entertain kids of all ages.

Hanlip Toys has partnered with renowned international toy expert and child development specialist Dr. Stevanne Auerbach, better known as ‘Dr. Toy,’ to publish the newly revised and updated book title Dr. Toy’s Smart Play Smart Toys: How to Raise a Child with a High PQ.

This comprehensive guide helps parents and teachers select the best toys and games for developing “Play Quotient” (PQ), the extent to which a child plays.

“Many people think play is trivial, but it isn’t,” said Dr. Toy. “Play is vital for the developing mind because it allows children to extend their imagination, resourcefulness, social interaction, problem-solving skills and resilience.”

The book helps parents navigate the thousands of toy and play options available, offers tips on how to evaluate toy safety, and provides 160 activities that enhance PQ. In addition, it identifies gender-specific and age-appropriate toys, important craft supplies for playtime and hundreds of ways to make play a life-long and nurturing experience.

According to President of Hanlip Toys “Effective play produces a well-rounded child, ready to take on further learning challenges. We are very pleased to be involved in spreading the very popular and practical advice for which Dr. Toy is so well known.”

About Dr. Toy

Trained in education, psychology, and special education, Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D. has spent more than 30 years working in toys and children’s services. She writes a syndicated column, ‘Dr. Toy.’ Her “Best Products” awards for the best educational, developmentally appropriate toys and children’s products and other features are online at drtoy.com.

About Hanlip Toys

Hanlip Toys is a company dedicated to creating a wide range of products for children in classrooms and homes. Educational toys and games, teaching aids, exploration materials, and digital devices provide educators and parents with affordable learning tools for children. Hanlip Toys products are widely available everywhere. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.hanliptoy.co.kr.

Trains have always fascinated children. Playing with trains offers a lot of learning. Children like to read about and play with small trains. The real ones are exciting to watch. Take a trip on a train so that your child can expand their experiences of travel and appreciation of the train.

This hobby can last a lifetime. Train collecting is one of the biggest hobbies. There are some train museums and many train clubs put on exhibits of miniature trains and layouts. Go to a miniature train store to see the variety and find out additional information. You and your child will be fascinated.

Trains have found their way into children’s literature and toys. There are good videos about trains that provide lots of information Thomas the Tank Engine is a big favorite for TV, videos, books and miniature sets. Find some books in the library on trains so your child can learn more. Read a train story to your child.

Combine arts and crafts with your child’s train hobby. They can draw and paint scenery for their train layouts. Older children can use paper maché. They can also create play buildings from paper and cardboard to go with other small structures on their play train layouts.

Two great train sets to appeal to your train enthusiast were selected from among Dr. Toy’s Best Children’s Products:

LGB of America
Fantasy Train

7-12 yrs.
$199.95
1-800-669-0607
Enter the world of trains with this high quality G scale toy train set that can be set up to cover 4 1/2 feet of track. This starter set includes everything the young train collector will want and there is plenty to learn as the child’s fantasy play continues.

Strombecker/Tootsietoy
Sesame Street Wooden Railway

3-6 yrs.
$49.99
1-800-944-TOYS / 1-800-944-8697
This is a great product and one that Cookie Monster would love to show off. Included is a suspension bridge, train and tracks, signs plus your child’s favorite Sesame Street characters. Compatible with Brio train tracks and other playsets, the child can build a whole town around the tracks. The train cars hold together with magnets.

Dr. Toy responds to grandparent who is visiting grandchild for the first time and wants to bring practical gift. Dr. Toy suggests you find out what is on the new baby’s wish list by asking parents. If they do not have a musical mobile for the crib you might start with that, or a tape recorder and a selection of baby song tapes. Another great choice is the first teddy bear, washable, soft, a perfect touch. Just being loving grandparents is the baby’s greatest gift.

Let’s Play!

Like most parents, you want your children to play with products that provide the best value for your investment. Toys, games, software and tapes can provide children with diverse play and learning experiences. You must select items carefully. I use Play Quotient (PQ) to describe the extent to which your child plays. The more they play the higher the PQ will be. You want to rate the value a toy provides to your child.

You can evaluate a product’s effectiveness for your child by asking the right questions.

Is the product appropriate? You want the right fit for
your child.

Will the product hold your child's interest?

Does the product match the child's age, skills and abilities?

Does your child match the age grading on the package? If the age range doesn't
match your child's, he will likely be frustrated if he uses it.

Is the product well designed? Design is key to quality.

Is it appealing?

Does the product match the packaging?

Will the product be fun to play with? Children are attracted to a product based on how it plays.

Are there any potential hazards? Safety is critically important. Small parts can be choking hazards for any child under three. Products must be unbreakable and non-toxic.

Is there a guarantee? Save your receipts. The store where you make purchases should ensure product safety, but ultimately you are responsible for what your child plays with and how she plays with it.

Will the product last a long time? Consider a products durability and versatility. Children return frequently to a product that has high play value and the more they play their own development will be improved. Blocks and LEGOS are good examples of products that offer versatility, long lasting appeal, learning and fun.

Does the product develop creativity, learning or physical skills? Children need a balance between active, educational and creative products. Find products to enhance each area.

The right product, for the right reason, at the right price, will help your child to develop a high PQ and provide the best value.

Lets Play!