In order of appearance:

Tyrannosaurus Rex Puppet

from Puppetoys
Ages 3 to Extinct
$59.99
available now
This is not your typical cuddly puppet. Well, it can be, if you want. Created by a Hollywood Special Effects artist, these puppets inspire all kinds of creative play for kids.

Rockboard Scooter

from M.Y. Products
10 and up
$199.99
available now
The Rockboard Scooter incorporates new propulsion technology, allowing it to be ridden for hours without putting a foot on the ground. It can be used as a classic kick scooter or, when in Rockboard Mode, requires no kicking, batteries, charging or gasoline. While standing on the Rockboard deck, the rider rocks their weight back and forth in order to power the chain that drives the scooter. Propulsion is achieved with each rock, wasting zero energy and allowing the scooter to reach speeds up to 10mph.

Barbie Basic

from Mattel
3 and up
$19.99
available now
Most Barbie dolls are geared toward little girls, but everyone knows that no Barbie fan ever really outgrows her. Barbie collectors are looking for unique Barbie dolls that offer more than just fun fashion play. The Barbie Basics Doll Assortment celebrates the quintessential fashion staple-The Little Black Dress or LBD. With 12 unique dolls each wearing a different LBD, it’s easy to accessorize and customize the dolls to suit a collector’s signature style. 12 different Barbies in little black dresses–for the 18+ Barbie girl.

Superstar Barbie

from Mattel
3 and up
$3.00, for a limited time only.
First introduced in 1977, Superstar Barbie had the look of the times. When every girl wanted to look like Farah Fawcett Majors, Barbie was way ahead of them. This recreation of the doll that introduced a new style and a new look is a must-have for every Barbie fan. Her look has been updated a bit, but it’s still that classic Superstar look that every girl in the 70s loved. And, for a limited time, it’s available for just $3.00. A reproduction of the original, complete with her two full length dresses and feather boa is available at Barbiecolector.com

Gazillion Bubbles Incredibubble Wand

from Funrise
3 and up
$9.99
available now
The Gazillion Incredibubble Wand lets you make bubbles as big as you! Simply pour the solution into the tray, dip the wand into the solution, and wave the wand to create enormous bubbles. The wand includes a 16-ounce bottle of the Special Super Strength Blue Gazillion Bubbles solution.

Velcro Kids

from The Velcro Companies
3 and up
$49.99
available March 2010
Have a ball with the VELCRO KIDS a beautifully designed portable playset made of durable, rigid foam and fabric. Features innovative hook edges that easily touch-fasten walls to floors. Introducing HOOX decorative pieces – new, soft-touch VELCRO brand micro-hooks on the back of tear resistant pieces. Each piece is designed to easily attach and detach from the playspace and characters. Kids can do it all on their own.

Skunk & Pig Whoopee Cushions

from Play Visions
5 and up
$14.99
available now
What can you say about a Whoopee cushion? Oops comes to mind. But this classically hilarious item will delight kids with its perfectly tasteless sounds and cute look. It’s self-inflating so kids can play again and again.

Real Construction

from Jakks Pacific
4 and up
$24.99
available Fall
Real Construction reinvents construction play by using Kid Wood, a durable foam material that looks, saws, nails and builds just like real wood. Kid Wood allows kids to build whatever they can imagine, but is very safe and easy-to-use with very little clean-up required. Real Construction playsets come with cool, safe, easy-to-use tools that work just like real tools to help kids develop and learn practical construction skill sets, craftsmanship, creativity and pride of accomplishment.

AirHogs-Titan

from Spin Master
5 and up
$9.99
available now
This oversized glider flies like a dream up to 45 feet. It’s easy to assemble and easy to fly, and the tough foam construction stands up to a lot of play. Small chips and cracks are fixed easily with cellophane tape or glue. This is a lot of fun for not much money.

Sharp Shooter

from Spin Master
8 and up
$34.99
available Spring 2010
New from Air Hogs it’s the Sharpshooter, a revolutionary new indoor missile firing helicopter. Using patented “tail lock” stabilizing technology, you can pinpoint your target and fire at will! Carrying a payload of two onboard missiles which launch remotely, you will never miss an opportunity to take down the opposition. With two frequencies to choose from, the Sharpshooter allows you to simultaneously battle with friends, fly tandem missions, or battle your own chosen targets.

Puzzle Furniture: Princess Castle Table & Chair Set

from Jakks Pacific
3 and up
$69.99
available Fall
Princess Puzzle! The Princess Castle Table & Chair Set majestically doubles the fun as girls can easily transform their dazzling designed Disney Princess puzzle furniture from an exquisite castle into a noble table and 4 chairs, perfectly suited for royalty! Parents will be pleased that their princesses can be entertained for hours by building their enchanting castle, and then turn around and have a tea party with their friends or do homework all in the same day! The Princess Castle Table & Chair Set is made with safe and durable plastic construction and manufactured in the U.S.A.

Flickin' Chicken

from The Haywire Group, Inc.
6 and up
$19.99
available Spring
Get your family moving and laughing together with nine rounds of chicken-throwing insanity! Players try to hit the target with their rubber chickens, but it’s not so easy when the chickens bounce and roll in all sorts of crazy ways! Scored like mini-golf, the player who reaches the target in the least amount of chicken flicks wins. Perfect for the park, the beach or your own backyard!

Real Talking Stinky the Garbage Truck

from Mattel/Matchbox
3 and up
$59.99
Last year Rocky the Robot Truck was one hot truck! Boys loved the hauling and dumping action of this real-working truck, plus all of Rocky’s jokes and dancing, not to mention his hip attitude. Building on the popularity of the innovative and interactive Rocky, Mattel is introducing a whole slew of pals for Rocky under the Real Talking Rigs brand. Real Talking Stinky is a robotic garbage truck with an attitude and some very wonderful sounds.

Flitter Fairies

William Mark Corporation
8 and up
$19.95
available now
Flitter Fairies magically flit and fly all around you with enchanted flapping wings! It’s easy to guide your fairy with your magic wand! Fairy characters who seem to fly on their own using “invisible Pixie Silk!”

Mashoonga Sabers

from Revel King
7 and up
$24.95
available now
Mashoonga! is a new competitive and high energy contact game played with Mashoonga! Sabers and Mashoonga! Bo-Staffs. The game, name and equipment were invented by a group of six teenage friends. They’re great for active play, competitive play.

The following toys were pulled from the show at the last minute because we ran out of time. However, we like them so much that we decided to share them with you as an online exclusive.

Dr. Seuss The Cat in the Hat--What's in the Cat’s Hat?

from I Can Do That Games
3 and up
$19.99
available Fall
Multisensory game of exploration and fun for kids 3 & up that encourages little ones to use their senses to discover what household object is hidden inside the Cat’s giant red hat.

Lego Toy Story3

from LEGO
6 and up
$20.99
Relive the magic of the Toy Story films by building favorite scenes and characters! Kids can reenact adventures from the movies or create new ones for Woody, Buzz and the gang. First look at Toy Story 3 characters coming later this year.

Thomas the Tank Engine Busy Day at the Quarry

from MEGA
3 and up
$19.99
available now
It’s Thomas’s 65th Anniversary, and Mega has an incredible collection of sets that kids can build and play with. Each of the sets has about 50 pieces for versatile building excitement, and the molded plastic packages become part of the structure. All of the sets fit together to create a complete Thomas world.

Play Categories: On TV

Time To Play’s Chris Byrne, a.k.a. The Toy Guy, will be on LIVE! With Regis & Kelly tomorrow. Chris will have with him some of his favorite finds from Toy Fair and beyond!

Tune into LIVE! tomorrow morning at 9am (EST) and then check back here afterward to see the list of toys from the show.

For more information about LIVE! With Regis & Kelly, visit the show’s official website by clicking here.

Play Categories: On TV

By Andrea Millay, Manager, Mommy PR
You can also follow her on Twitter

I never put much stock into “gender toys” until I had my first son.  I was over-diligent exposing him to “girl toys”- babies, dolls, tea parties, etc.  All he wanted was balls, cars and anything else that had wheels or moved.  So when my second son was born I naively thought he would be the same.  To my dismay, I was horrified when, shortly before Christmas this year, I found out that my 20-month-old had a deep abiding love for babies and dolls and I simply had no clue!

We visited family, who had a new baby, and my little guy sat for hours watching this baby. He talked to her, patted her and even got to hold her with Mommy’s help.  Did that clue me in to his fascination with babies?  Sadly, no. It took him tossing all his Christmas toys aside and playing with my niece’s crawling baby doll to make me realize my mistake.   Since then I have made an effort to expose both of my boys to the so called “girl toys.” Now, my sister is even getting my youngest son baby doll gear (playpen, high chair and car seat) at my request for his birthday.  I know he will love it since I watch him putting his babies in makeshift beds and pushing them around in a baby stroller on a daily basis.

Does this make my son less boy?  Of course not!  We still have daily fights over Thomas trains, cars and balls – all “boy toys.”  The boys still wrestle and hit way too much as boys will do.  But, when I see my youngest patting his babies or bringing them a blanket to cover up with, I am proud:  proud he is learning to nurture, proud he is learning that it is OK to play with “girl toys.”

Does this mean I will force “girl toys” on my oldest? Nope.  But will I expose my niece to “boy toys?”  You bet I will.  She already has an interest in Thomas engines and Disney Pixar cars thanks to my sons and I hope that they will all continue to share their toys with each other so there will no longer be “gender toys” and all toys will just be toys.

Play Categories: Time to Play Guest Blogger

Gimme Back That Filet-O-Fish

If you tuned into our MomTV show today, you probably noticed Jim and Chris having fun with Frankie the Fish. Frankie is the mechanical singing fish from the McDonald’s filet-o-fish sandwich commercial that became an Internet hit last year. The singing fish with the quirky song, “Gimme Back That Filet-O-Fish”, has generated millions of online views, hundreds of user-generated videos, fan parodies and a boat-load (pun intended) of filet-o-fish sandwich sales for McDonalds.

Now everyone can bring Frankie home thanks to Gemmy Industries and their replica of Frankie The Fish. You can find Frankie in retail stores nationwide including Bed Bath & Beyond, KMart, CVS, Rite Aid, and BJ’s for $20. Be warned, however, his song will be stuck in your head for days! Don’t believe us? Watch the commercial below and find out for yourself.

Play Categories: Internet, products

Every Friday at 1 p.m. Eastern, Jim and Chris go live in this fully interactive, fast-paced hour that will show you the latest toys kids want, tackle the issues that face today’s busy families and bring you insightful guests that will take you behind the scenes of toys and much more. The show is completely interactive. We take your questions, and give away lots of cool stuff. Tune in and come play.

To join the show, head over to MomTV.com/TimeToPlay.

Play Categories: Around the Web

This summer, Rock Band video game stars across North America will have a chance to take their digital band skills to the real world stage with the “Rock Band, Live” tour. This is a real traveling summer concert series sponsored by MTV Games that will visit Cedar Fair amusement parks in the US and Canada, including the company’s flagship park, Cedar Point in Sandusky.

At each amusement park gig, the top Rock Band game players will join the tour’s singers on stage and play Rock Band instruments along with the singers. To get on stage, players will first compete against other Rock Band Live hopefuls as they play the guitar, bass and drum game accessories. The rockers with the top score will be invited on stage during the live show that will feature songs from the Rock Band video games.

The “Rock Band Live” tour will kick off Memorial Day weekend at Dorney Park in Allentown, PA and will travel to the Company’s other parks throughout the summer. We will let you know as soon as we receive more info and specifics about auditioning for each show.

Play Categories: Industry News, Video Games

Book Of The Week is a new feature section on TimetoPlayMag.com. Every Tuesday, we will share our favorite book of the week and tell you why we selected it.

This week’s book is My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits with illustrations by Gabi Swiatkowska.

From TimetoPlayMag.com:
“Helen Recorvits’ first illustrated children’s book about a young girl from Korea adapting to life in the U.S., has deservedly won numerous awards. Yoon, who does not speak English, starts school in the U.S. is understandably very resistant to her new surroundings. At first, she does not like her new school, but each day she gains a bit more confidence and begins to make friends, bond with her teacher and enjoy her new language.”

You can read our full review and find out why we selected this book by clicking here.

Play Categories: books

One of our favorite Sesame Street characters shows us what he’s got on the Wendy Williams Show.

Play Categories: Around the Web

By Beth Grund, Founder, The Fabulous Won
You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook

Today we’re talking kids and fashion, and sharing fashion trends from the past (vintage) into the present (modern). My idea of fun is taking what kids (and this means you little misters too) love to use – their imagination – and letting it go wild with fun, versatile clothing.  You can go from playing “Tea with the Misses” to “Keeper of the Gate at the Royal Castle,” then turn around, jump in the car and go off to the park.  No need to shed those favorite styles that are setting off your fantastic adventure!  Letting a child’s imagination and creativity flow with play is fascinating to watch and build strong memories with.

Recently I reviewed a dress for my one year old, Alivia, from Right Bank Babies.  The fact is their clothing is a little pricey for us ($100 for the dress) but the styles and rich, hand-embroidered fabrics are well worth it.  Right Bank Babies’ clothing was created by a mother of two who decided it was time for fun clothing like what she wore when she was a child.  I have a dress my mother made me when I was little, a blue and white checkered dress with a collar and a white apron bib that tied in the back.  I, like the owner of Right Bank Babies, truly appreciate the fun designs from yesteryear.  I watch Bewitched everyday with my kids after school and I’m usually screaming at the screen when I see what little Tabitha is wearing.  Right Bank Babies’ philosophy is simple: stick with styles that surpass trends by creating pieces that can be worn alone as a classical look, or layered for a funkier feel.  Kids can wear the fancy styles anytime by adding a pair of jeans or layering on a tee-shirt under or sweater over.  Their quote: “Children live life with wild abandonment and we feel their fashion should reflect that.”  Throw on a pair of striped tights with a shiny bubble skirt and your favorite rain boots – kids’ style/fashion doesn’t have to be matchy or even something you would wear.  Let kids be kids…it only happens once a lifetime, make it fun! Even with fashion, it’s time to play!

I also enjoy the fashions and toys at The Pajama Squid for boys & girls ages infant to 6 years.  The owner of The Pajama Squid focuses on children’s imaginations and making those dreams come true with children’s books and fun clothing.

Currently, I am focusing on bringing the Alice in Wonderland creativity and fun alive in our home.  We have scheduled an important tea party that everyone must attend when the movie debuts in April.  The Pajama Squid is offering Alice shirts that are, in short, fabulous!  We are also looking at some costumes for the occasion from the Buy Alice in Wonderland Costumes website.  There are character costumes from $19.99 that will have your daughters and sons acting out the movie and celebrating imaginative play.

Bottom Line: All boys and girls can enjoy fashions that are not only parent-approved but child-accepted!

Play Categories: Time to Play Guest Blogger