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Younger Kids
 Boohbah: Dancin Jumbah
(Playskool)
Ages 2 and up, $29.99
For any child who loves watching Boohbah on PBS this is a must-have toy. Our
tester reported that "It’s easy to make the doll dance and play music by squeezing its hand. Even
my 15-month-old son figured out how to work it! I can always get my toddler’s attention by starting his Boohbah playing. He loves it!"
 Wiggle
and Giggle Guitar (Spin
Master) Ages 2-5, $24.99
According to the mother of our testers, this toy was "an instant hit with both my
children especially my eighteen month old. My son loved all the buttons with the
different music and sounds and loved to dance along. He loved the way the guitar wiggles."
For any Wiggles fan this is a must have this holiday season!
 Smart Start Pull 'n Play Phone
(VTech Industries) Ages 12 months and up, $15.99
The 15-month-old tester loved this phone. It teaches numbers and counting
and plays 10 little melodies. The tester liked to pull the phone around and
then press the button to make a puppy pop up from the top of the phone.
The tester’s Mom has purchased Vtech toys for 6 years and highly
recommends Vtech for its well-made, child-friendly toys. She reports
that, "we still have several Vtech toys from our 6 year old and they
are working great!"
 Teletubbies
Dancing Tinky Winky (PlayAlong)
Ages 9 months and up, $24.99
Our mom reviewer reports, "My 1 1/2 year old daughter was a tester and
she loves it! She calls him her "baby". She learned to new words-"mine" because she wants her brother and sister to know who it belongs to and "off" because when she is tired and just wants to snuggle with Tinky Winky she has me turn off the switch in the back. This toy has been a huge hit in our family. All three children like to watch him dance and they dance and sing along with him."
 Butterfly
Spinner (Chicco)
Ages 6-18 months, $14.99
According to our mom reviewer, "my 6-month year old daughter really
loves it, in fact when she's not playing with it my 3-year-old son can be
found with it. The plunger is the perfect size for her little hands.
Since she is just about sitting up on her own, she hangs on to the toy to
rebalance herself when she starts to teeter. She seems to really like
all the colors. I think it’s an adorable toy, seems really sturdy,
and I would definitely give it as a gift."
Older
Kids
 Barbie
Balance Beam (Radica)
Ages 4 and up, $34.99
Our 4 ½ year tester was very excited at the package and couldn’t wait to open it and begin playing! She put it together
herself and her older brother installed the batteries. Both children took turns playing all
fpur games. It is easy to use and choose the games they want to play. Mommy loves the automatic Sleep Mode feature as we constantly burn out batteries by leaving toys turned on. The girl’s favorite game was Musical Feet while the boy liked the Flower Frenzy the most. They fought over whose turn it was, so they really loved it. The 6-year-old boy love the challenge posed by the different games and the 4 year old girl liked it just for fun. They both tried it in shoes, socks, and
bare feet, respectively. Bare feet worked the best. The flowers are a little too close together for a 4 and 6 years old if standing on the beam (games: Foot Tied and Beam Routine) but fine if playing game from the floor onto the beam.
 Bella Dancerella Home Ballet Studio
(Spin Master)
Ages 4 and up, $29.99
Does you granddaughter dream of dancing with
the sugar plum fairies? Well with a little help from the Bella
Dancerella Home Ballet Studio she might just get the first steps down that
she needs to start a ballet career! Our 6-year-old tester had a lot of
fun watching the video and placing her feet on the mat. She liked the
classical look more than the funky hip hop looks of the girl on the video,
but she quickly addicted to the song they sing to help you remember the
positions. "Right foot, left foot then return..." According
to her mom she's still singing the song.
 Playing
Mantis® Memory Lane® Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer® The Elves’ Toy
Shop: Ages 6 & up. SRP: $24.99. Were you a huge fan of this movie
when you were a kid? If so you'll have a blast playing with this
interactive playset that features a detailed replica of the toy shop as seen
in the holiday classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", which
celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The set Includes actual dialogue
and music from the classic show and poseable action figures of both Hermey
the elf (who’d rather be a dentist!) and Foreman Elf. Our
testers had a great time playing with these figures and especially after
they watched the movie again on TV!
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