BANANAGRAMS: Hot new toy for 2012

Bananagrams (bananagrams.com) was at New York's American International Toy Fair and earned the "Best in Play" distinction from Parenting Magazine.

The fast and fun two-player crossword race that so many are playing on their phones in the form of Words with Friends, (to the consternation of flight attendants, and Alec Baldwin's PR people) in jumbo-size. It still has everything you love and also is great family fun. It is educational without really seeming like it, simple to play (no pencil, paper, or board needed), highly addictive, and very quick (play in as little as 20 seconds). But it is bigger, for little fingers. The 24 wooden cubes are 2 inches square, making them ideal for spreading out on the family-room floor (it'll be hard to lose these pieces), and come neatly packed for easy toting. Ages 5 and up; about $40.

February's Digital Issue of Gift, Gourmet & Decor is Now Available

Welcome to February's digital issue of Gift, Gourmet & Decor Magazine.


This Month's Featured Content:
• Candles
• Travel
• Nautical

• Mother's Day
• Outdoors
• Fashion Accessories
• Easter

• Housewares

• Good Night Sleep
• Calendar
• And More...

New Feature:
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Please Note:
GGD Digital requires NO special downloads or applications to view in its entirety.

Please click HERE to begin reading now!

We hope you enjoy this issue and all future digital issues of GGD. Feel free to contact us with your thoughts and feedback at gwnplus@talcott.com.

Sincerely,
The GGD Team

Baby & Kids Magazine at the American International Toy Fair 2012

Community coming together was a huge theme of the 2012 American International Toy Fair, which concluded in New York on February 15. Baby & Kids visited with the Lennon Sisters, Westminster Best in Show winner-Malachy and one of his owners David Fitzpatrick, tegu, the Power Rangers, Fuzzy Friends slippers and gunaPod among many others.

Other highlights from the fair include:

• Toy Drive at Toy Fair 2012 Projected to Impact 25,000 Children in Need The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) capped off the 109th American International Toy Fair with its largest Toy Bank collection of the year on Wednesday, February 15th, when an army of volunteers in bright orange t-shirts scoured the show floor collecting toys, games and plush worth a projected $250,000.

• 2012 Toy Trends Unveiled by Industry Experts After scouring through 100,000+ products now on display at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, TIA's trend experts have laid out a fresh crop of trends that will connect, glow, teach, "WOW" and hit a "high note" with kids of all ages. The six toy categories are: GENERATION APP, GLOWING WILD, LITTLE LEARNERS, MANY WAYS TO PLAY!, SAVE 'N' SPLURGE and YOUNG MAESTROS.

• Toy Industry Association Elects Leadership at Annual Business Meeting At its Annual Business Meeting held earlier today, the Toy Industry Association (TIA) announced the election of two new members to the TIA Board of Directors, marking the first-ever retail executive and sales representative to join the TIA Board. The meeting also saw the chairmanship gavel pass to Soren Torp Laursen of LEGO Systems from retiring Board Chairman Bryan Stockton of Mattel. Additionally, these exciting product announcements were made:

• Gift and home décor source Demdaco launched Nat & Jules, its new juvenile plush and gift division, during Toy Fair this week. The new division is composed of three lines: Baby, Christmas and Everyday. Baby includes plush, blankets and rattles in traditional pink and blue colorways, Noah's Ark-themed plush, a Tender Blessings line of plush and activity dolls for newborns and young toddlers. Christmas features various plush animals decked out in holiday and seasonal garb, and Everyday includes a range of animal plush collections including dogs and cats, woodland, sea life, jungle and more. The Everyday line also includes backpack clips and plush flowers.

• From the makers of the award-winning Twilight Turtle™ and Sleep Sheep™, comes the highly anticipated Tranquil Turtle™. Tranquil Turtle™ by Cloud b made its debut at Toy Fair 2012 in New York City and is the first product in the new Tranquil Lagoon™ Collection. The innovative new toy transforms any room into a peaceful seaside oasis. Tranquil Turtle™ projects a magical underwater light effect with a gentle wave motion and plays two soothing sounds to help children sleep. To learn more, please visit cloudb.com.

K.I.D.S. Announces Graco Partnership to Help Kids

According to the most recent census, 22 percent of American children live at or below the poverty line. Many of these families are unable to purchase new, safe and useable baby seats and other juvenile gear necessary to provide a comfortable and healthy developmental period for their children.

In recognition of Child Safety Day, Kids In Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.), the internationally renowned children's charity, today announced a partnership with Graco Children's Products and Caring For Others (CFO) to provide critical children's essentials to families in need. The partnership hosted an event on February 11 that brought new strollers, booster seats and car safety education to 500 needy families throughout the state of Georgia.

"K.I.D.S and Caring for Others are such incredible organizations, and we're proud to be a part of the great work that they do," said Laurel Hurd, General Manager, North America at Graco Childrens Products. "At Graco, child safety is our top priority, so it's a natural fit to get involved with Child Safety Day. We hope the new strollers and car seats will help make it a little easier for these families to care for their children each day. We look forward to our continued partnership with both K.I.D.S and Caring for Others in the future."

It Is Never Too Soon for Yoga

Preliminary study findings suggest that yoga is helping kids in a big way. Yoga practice can provide a foundation of healthy lifestyle habits that a young child can carry into adulthood. Research is proving that children who practice yoga are more focused in school and better able to deal with stress. One parent told me that her three year-old when agitated would excuse herself from the dinner table and practice a few down dog poses to calm her.

So, when is the right time to introduce yoga to a child? At birth! Start with The Little Yoga Mat, the smallest - - yoga mat on the market created by New York City yoga teacherl Jensen Wheeler Wolfe. The Little Yoga Mat is a new eco mat that's just the right size for children under 4. The Little Yoga Mat is made from earth friendly TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) and the yoga inspired designs, created by artist Nicaela Callimanopulos, are printed with soy-based ink. |t's biodegradable, recyclable and hypoallergenic, as well as latex, PVC, lead, BPA and allergen-free. Little yoginis can choose between a SUN or LOTUS mat.

Available at theLittleyogamat.com for $25.

Five "Best New Product Awards" Present and Baby & Child

Five companies were presented with Baby & Child Best New Product Awards today, with The Wonder Forge™ receiving the "Blogger's Best" distinction for its Angelina Ballerian Dance With Me interactive game. Baby & Child, one of 10 divisions in the New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®), runs through Wednesday, February 1, at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

In addition to the "Blogger's Best" award, Baby & Child Best New Product Awards winners are recognized semi-annually for excellence in four categories: toy, décor, gear and apparel. A panel of editors from print and electronic media outlets, including our own Joann Fallon, selected products that exemplified innovation, design and style.

"These winners were clear stand-outs in a competitive field of outstanding products in Baby & Child," said Randi Mohr, Baby & Child sales manager. "The judges recognized design innovation and creativity which set these products apart from all others."

The winter 2012 winners and finalists, selected from 100 products, are:

BLOGGER'S BEST:
The Wonder Forge™ (Seattle, WA) for its Angelina Ballerina Dance with Me, an interactive collaborative game where kids take the center stage.

TOY:
Winner: Tegu (Darien, CT) for its Tegu Mobility – Dart, a wooden car with 10 classic Tegu blocks, a signature magnetic styling top, and 4 magnetic wooden wheels, Dart is a member of the Compact Line of Tegu Mobility. Finalist: Hape North America (Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada) for its Pancakes. Finalist: Juratoys US Corp (Fort Lauderdale, FL) for its Janod Wooden Toys.

DÉCOR:
Winner: Swankie Blankie (Plano, TX) for its Citron Marbella Receiving Blanket, a washer and dryer safe blanket with a unique design Finalist: Magicforest (Portsmouth, NH) for its Sevi Fly With Me Growth Chart. Finalist: My Boy Sam Ltd (New Milford, CT) for its Baby Stroller Blanket.

GEAR:
Winner: 7 A.M.® Enfant (New York, NY) for its Pookie Poncho, a baby carrier cover and stroller cover in one, made of waterproof materials. Finalist: MadPax, LLC (Phoenix, AZ) for its BUBBLE by MadPax. Finalist: GroVia® (Bozeman, MT) for its Curious About Cloth Kit.

APPAREL:
Winner: Zutano Inc. (Cabot, VT) for its Bowtie, the new accessory for little boys in Zutano's hallmark colors. Finalist: Dabbawalla Bags (Seattle, WA) for its Lunch Knot Purse. Finalist: Tutu Couture® (Atlanta, GA) for its Officially Licensed Collegiate Tutu Line.

The Best New Product Award judges were: Joanne Fallon, Baby & Kids Magazine; Jennifer Cattaui, Earnshaw's; Joanna Dreifus, MyMomShops.com; Caroline Kennedy, Playthings; and Leesa Valentino, TheGiggleGuide.com.