The Newest Toys for 2004

Business Wire, Feb 10, 2004

Business Editors

Toy Fair 2004

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 2004

More than 1,500 exhibitors will debut almost 6,000 creations throughout the next four days. Following is a sneak peek to help you scout out the hottest picks for 2004.

SHOWROOM EXHIBITORS

21st Century Toys, 200 Fifth Avenue, Room 234 / Javits Center, Booth 5822

21st Century Toys, which specializing in high quality, authentically detailed action figure toys, introduces the P-47 Razorback Thunderbolt and P-40B Warhawk, both 1/18th scale aircraft. The P-47 Razorback Thunderbolt features an opening canopy, retractable landing gear, working flaps and control surfaces plus an authentic, poseable pilot figure. The aircraft is highly detailed and adorned with an authentic, well-researched paint scheme. The P-40B Warhawk features retractable landing gear, opening canopy, positional flaps and a highly detailed poseable pilot figure as well as a paint scheme that is thoroughly researched and accurate.

Bandai America Inc., 1107 Broadway, 3rd Floor

Power Rangers is back for its 12th season and Bandai America presents the newest theme, Power Rangers DinoThunder. Included in the product mix this year are all new Raptor Cycles, all terrain vehicles (ATVs) and trading cards. Strawberry Shortcake returns in 2004 with a new line-up of scented dolls and toys that includes a Berry Best Friends assortment. Also coming are Strawberryland Fillies, horses with ice cream-inspired names like Milk Shake and Cookie Dough and come with hair and fashion accessories; a new character, Blueberry Muffin; and for Holiday 2004, a Singin' Surprise interactive plush doll with color recognition technology.

Basic Fun, 200 Fifth Avenue, Room 520

Basic Fun has pioneered the way for an outrageously tasty treat without all the mess and sugar of candy. Whether it's yummy banana, sweet cherry, luscious strawberry, sour lemon, fire hot cinnamon, or melt-in-your-mouth chocolate, these flavor-filled tattoos pack a mouthwatering punch that'll wake up your taste buds and keep you craving more. How do Tongue Tickling Tattoos add up to lots of flavorful fun? Lick your skin, press the tattoo on to the wet skin, lift the paper off, and lick away. From fruit flavors to wacky concoctions, these tattoos are so tasty you will want to lick and stick over and over again. Tongue Tickling Tattoos are as much fun to wear as they are to taste. Stick them here, lick them there, taste and put them everywhere.

big BOING/Enchanted Moments, 200 Fifth Avenue, Room 520A / Javits Center, Booth 1763

big BOING Toys makes its debut at TOY FAIR with a line of creativity toys on display at Enchanted Toys. Gnomads(TM), a series of collectable contemporary gnome figurines, was designed to be passed from person to person as they travel around the world enjoying adventures while their owners follow along on the Internet at www.gnomads.net. Each Gnomads figure has a unique ID number printed on the bottom of its shoes, and new owners personalize their Gnomad at the website with personality traits before sending them on adventures. Each time the Gnomads changes hands, its new custodian can log onto the site to learn about the figure, post photos or stories on the adventure, as well as communicate with the original owner. Get-ups(TM), wearable fantasy toys with realistic sound effects, enable children to transform themselves into a favorite animal or character by slipping on their shoes, putting on their hat and triggering the sounds that bring the character to life. The introductory sets are: magical fairy, roaring dinosaur and a "clippity-clop" horse.

Binney & Smith (Crayola), 1107 Broadway, Room 412

Take your imagination for a spin with a test drive of Crayola's Gear Headz Car Factory, part of the new Gear Headz line of creativity toys targeted to boys ages 6-8. Using crayons as "fuel," kids can turn warm melted crayons into a cool set of wheels they can race, smash, crash and then recycle into brand new cars. Heat from a light bulb inside the "engine" melts the crayon pieces. Once the wax becomes liquid, a pull of the gearshift pours it into a car mold. In about 20 minutes, kids get a custom-made car body that attaches to a friction motor chassis for racing. Lights, horns and car sounds complete the dragster-shaped car factory. Also new are Color Wonder finger paints, no-mess paints that magically appear only on special paper.

Ceaco, 200 Fifth Avenue, Room 550

Ceaco, an industry leader in the jigsaw puzzle category, introduces six new 750-piece Sunset Glow in the Dark Jigsaw Puzzles. Sunset Glow also will be showcased in three new 2-in-1 assortments, which feature two 500 piece puzzles in one box. In the past, Glow in the Dark was normally only applied in one color, but now Ceaco has gone one step further with Sunset Glow. The Glow is applied to specific areas of the image so that after the puzzle is assembled, the user can turn off the lights and see the multi colors glow -- in orange, blue and yellow. Also new is Doubles. Consisting of 600 puzzle pieces embedded in puzzle pieces, each actual piece is cut into two sections. One piece sits inside the other making it twice as difficult to assemble. There are six images in this assortment, two each of quilts, Thomas Kinkade paintings, and Bev Doolittle images.