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San Francisco, CA - (November 30, 2017) – As a natural, ongoing part of our role as parents, teachers, early childhood specialists, and others involved with children, we observe children at play. With our eyes we confirm what works…and what doesn’t hold up under tough testing – the normal barrage of active, inquisitive, and resourceful babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and older children. This guide is offered to complement your observations, to offer new information, and to assist you in selecting the right products to enhance your child’s play and learning experiences.
We make buying decisions based on lasting play value and product applicability to find a good balance of children’s active, creative, and educational participation. We can depend on the durability and versatility of such items as blocks, construction toys, dolls, games, puppets, puzzles, and transportation toys. They stimulate the imagination, engage the player, have greater play value, and hold up over time. We want to apply these standards to all the play product choices we make.
We often hear consumers describe their experience of making a purchase, but shortly after giving little Alice or Bobby, the product quickly falls apart – a frustrating, and often expensive experience. Products that do not meet safety standards can be dangerous, and cause anxiety and harm to children. We want to avoid these problems, and always strive for excellence for playthings.
Dr. Toy spends a great deal of time reviewing a large quantity of varied products created by manufacturers, new inventors, and designers the world over. We make sure the final selections match the extensive criteria for excellence. Certainly, age grading, name recognition, company dependability, versatility of design, and place of purchase are each factors to consider the right product. Another aspect you can depend on is a warranty. Rising costs for products require everyone to be wise consumers to gain lasting value. Durable products, properly designed and developmentally correct, are worth the money. Children’s positive reactions are worth our careful selection.
Dr. Toy utilizes a comprehensive set of objective criteria to evaluate toys and children’s products.
Dr. Toy is pleased to again have the opportunity to share over 56 years of play, toy and educational experiences with parents, teachers, and other consumers to assist them in their own selection process to match the child’s age and interests.
Since 1992 Dr. Toy’s valued annual report has featured information about l00 fun, wonderful, new, educational, and developmentally appropriate toys, games, and children’s products from large and small companies. The toys and products selected meet our high standards for design, durability, price, quality, safety, and value.
Dr. Toy wants to remind parents and teachers, “Let’s not forget that ‘play is children’s work’ (essential for well-being at any age) and should be practiced, respected and better understood by all adults. We should be thinking: What products or ‘tools for play’ can we obtain to provide wholesome experiences for our children (and ourselves) and provide plenty of positive and meaningful playful learning interactions.”
For more guidance, obtain a copy of Dr. Toy’s Smart Play/Smart Toys: How to Select and Use the Best Toys and Games, expanded 4th Edition, written for parents, teachers, and others who care about children, available in toy and book stores, and online. This book is published in 12 countries, recently in Arabic, and soon in Japanese, and is searching for publishers in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and Hindi.
Following for your consideration are the selected Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Award-Winning Toys, Games, and Children’s Products and their Companies for 2017 grouped in categories to enhance and expand “Smart Play.” You can find out more about each product by referring to the codes that designate the types of products, then visiting websites, and stores. We are confident the Dr. Toy’s Guide for 2017 will provide lots of fun for the whole family, and be of benefit to children who are learning, gaining and practicing skills, being creative, and actively playing. Let’s Play!!!
Dr. Toy’s Guide 2017:
Best Active Products – Ezyroller (Dexster Scooter), Kid O (Activity Board), MGA/Little Tikes (3-in-1 Sports Zone), Toysmith (Get Outside, GO! Bashminton), Tucker Toys (Kite-A-Pult), Tucker Toys (Slam N' Bounce), VTech (Pop-a-Ball™ Push & Pop Bulldozer™), Wai Lana (Stretch 'n Play Eco Ball Kit), Yvolution (Strolly Bike), Yvolution (Y Glider XL Deluxe).
Best Building Products – Art's Ideas (Jenga XXL® Gigantic Cardboard Ed. Game), Build & Imagine (Creativity Castle), Magnetykes (Magnetykes), MGA/Little Tikes (Waffle Blocks Steam Train), MindWare (Q-BA-MAZE 2.0: Extreme Rails), OWI (Rookie Solar Racer v2), Spin Master (Meccano M.A.X.), Strictly Briks (Brik Tower and Stackers), Toysmith (Swivel-Snaps), VTech (GearZooz™ Roll & Roar Animal Train™).
Best Creative Products – Ann Williams (Craft-tastic Inspire Poster Kit), DuneCraft (Sea Saurus Pirate & Fairy), Game Night in a Can (Game Night in a Can), Lulu Jr. (IlluStory - Create Your Own Book!), MasterPieces Puzzle (Works of Ahhh), MindWare (Conduct Dough Lights), MindWare (UNBORED: Time Capsule), Serabeena (Sew Your Own Purses), Smart Toys & Games (SmartGames Jump In), Wacky Links (Wacky Links Connector Series).
Best Educational Products – b. dazzle (Scramble Squares® Frogs Puzzle), Bigjigs Toy (My First Fractions Puzzle), DuneCraft (World Within A World), Griddly Games (Just Add Glue), LeapFrog (LeapStart™ Learning System), Maple Landmark (Lift and Learn Puzzle, Solar System), Math for Love (Tiny Polka Dot), MindWare (Dig It Up! Discoveries! Wild Animals), OWI (Captain Roam-E-O), SmartLab Toys (Aftershock! Earthquake Lab).
Best Games – Ann Williams (You Do), Art's Ideas (Jenga® Ocean Game), Art's Ideas (Jenga® PREMIUM Hardwood Game), Art's Ideas (Jenga® Throw 'N Go!™ Hardwood Game), Master Theorem (Snippets), Quirky Engine Ent. (Hoagie), RoosterFin (Ninja Squirrels), Strictly Briks (Brik Buster), Tactic Games (Word Rush), Wannaple (Animal Act).
Best Socially Responsible Products – Boy Story (Boy Story Action Dolls), Elly Lu (Norman-Narwhal Plush & Hawaiian Vacation), Green Kids Club (African Bush Fire & Elephant), Griddly Games (Rocket Lander), LeapFrog (Leap Frog Academy™), Love Smart Cards (Love Smart Cards), One World Play (One World Futbol), Quirky Engine Entertainment (Trash War), Tactic Games (Some Bunny's Hiding), Taste ‘n’ Tell (Discovering Fruit with Holly Honeybee).
Best Technology – Eastcolight (Magic Instrument – Piano Set), EPIK Learning (HighQ Learning Tab 8” Kids Tablet), Fibre-Craft (DabitZ). MGA/Little Tikes (Project Mc2 Pixel Purse), NSI International (Wubble Brite), Piper Inc. (Piper Computer Kit), Pixl Toys (Pixlplay Camera), Spin Master (Luvabella), Storey Publishing (Journal Sparks), Toymail (Toymail Talkies).
Best Toys – Fibre-Craft (My Sistie), Folkmanis (Folkmanis® Monarch Life Cycle Puppet), LeapFrog (Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart™), MGA/Little Tikes (Baby Born Interactive Doll), Ooz&Oz (Morph-O-Scopes Sports of All Sorts Kit), Rubbabu (Cleanupper the Dumptruck), Schoenhut Piano (18 Key Mini Grand), Science Wiz™ (ScienceWiz Cells under a Microscope), Tangle Creations (ZURU Tangle), VTech (Go! Go! Smart Wheels® Race & Play).
Best Gifts – Green Kids Club (Pammee and the Looking Pond), Green Piñata (Green Piñata Toys), Hunk-ta-Bunk-Ta (Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta HITS), Linguacious (Around the home Spanish Flashcard Game), Lulu Jr. (My Comic Book), MasterPieces Puzzle (Tetris Brain Teasers), Office Oxygen (SwingOs), P.F. Shaggy (Rule Crazy Starter Ed.), Quirky Engine Ent. (Eyeball Boxing), SmartTrike (smarTfold™), Spin Master (PAW Patrol My Size Lookout Tower), Spin Master (Rusty Rivets Rivet Lab Playset), Star Kids Products (Snack & Play Travel Tray 2.0), Strictly Briks (AlphaBriks & MathBriks), Strictly Briks (Cube & the Creatorz), Tactic Games (Emojito), Taste 'n' Tell (Discovering Vegetable with Veggie Vole), Tucker Toys (Disc Jock-e), Wacky Links (Outer Space Glow-in-the-Dark Series), Wai Lana (Little Yogis™ Fun Songs Kit).
Dr. Toy wishes to warmly thank:
Many in the toy business who supported our professional services over many years, and who have responded with positive comments about the benefits, value, and participation; for Dr. Toy presentations we were pleased to add Tangle Creations for providing Tangle Toys (imprinted with Dr. Toy’s Smart Play Smart Toys) to calm and delight children, Folkmanis provided puppets; Dunecraft provided seeds and support; b. dazzle provided Scramble Square Puzzles. The Bloom Report, www.theBloomreport.com, referenced the 4th edition of Dr. Toy’s Smart Play Smart Toys; parents, teachers, retailers, researchers, students, inventors, and media who confirmed the importance of the information provided; each member of Dr. Toy’s Team cooperated, participated and provided expertise – Amanda, Amy, Angie, April, Carrie, Charles, Elaine, Faye, Gail, Jennie, Hannah, Kathie, Kaz, Laurie, Louise, Mo, Mona, Paulette, Rhona, Sarah, Selina, Sidia, Simone, Staci, Teresa, Virginia, Wendy, Wing, Zelmi, and Alex, Andy, Ben, Bernie, Brian, Byron, Claude, Chris, David, Doug, Dustin, Fred, Grant, Harpreet, James, Jean, Jeff, Jim, Jonathan, Kevin, Lutz, Mannu, Mark, Michael, Paul, Prasad, Ralph, Richard, Rick, Ron, Spencer, Steve, Tom; and many thanks to Greg Walsh, who coordinated PR, interviews on best toys and products, and ably assisted us through Walsh Public Relations, 203-292-6280, drtoy@walshpr.com
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