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Beth Bowling from Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia

“Bananagrams (1), made by a company of the same name, have been flying out of here. The game comes with letter tiles, and players try to make as many words as they can, crossword-style. It comes in a pouch that looks like a banana, and when all the games are hanging from the display stand, they look like real bunches of the fruit.

“Since we’re a children’s hospital, we look for games that patients can easily play in their beds. Bananagrams is perfect to play on a tray.

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“Wow Toys makes sets of toy vehicles (2) that come packaged in a backpack. Eight vehicles come in each set, and there are all kinds: military, construction, racing, police and emergency. Parents feel that they’re getting a lot for their money, and kids like that the toys come with a backpack that they can easily carry around.”

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Anne Smith from The Toy Soldier in Fairport, New York

“The Inormous Initial Pillows (3) from Fashion Angel Enterprises are really popular with 9- to 12-year-old girls. They are glitzy, sparkly pillows in the shape of letters, and they come in fun colors like bright pink, lime green and purple. Girls love to brighten up their beds with these pillows.

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“The learning activity workbooks (4) from Kumon Publishing North America were developed by teachers. Kids love them because they’re fun and colorful. We carry books for ages 2 to 8, but I think the series includes books for older kids as well. Some of the topics are coloring, mazes, the alphabet, telling time and numbers.”

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Barbara Schrade from Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery in Saratoga Springs, New York

“Nueve (5) – full name Nueve Perception Liberated Puzzle Blocks – from Noted is a wooden puzzle that people of all ages really enjoy. The silk-screened hard wood blocks are swirled with red paint, and you turn them to create different designs. It comes in a very attractive black tray. The puzzle is small but substantial, and brings out your creative side.

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“A Box of Thoughts on Creativity (6) from Chronicle Books is very popular with kids. This little box contains 52 cards with ideas of ways to be creative, like projects to make or things to do. It gets kids thinking and keeps them entertained for hours.”

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Sue Hermann from Poopsie’s in Galena, Illinois

“Smart Mouth (7) from ThinkFun is a great teaching tool that kids get excited. Players get two letter tiles, and they have to think of a word using those. One is the first letter of the word and the other is the last letter of the word. If you play with older kids, they have to think of a 5-letter word; for younger kids, it’s a 3-letter word. Kids have fun shouting out the words they come up with.

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“Snorta (8) from Out of the Box Publishing is a memory card game. Each player has a barn with a little plastic animal inside. The key is to remember what animal each player is hiding because when two players come up with the same animal card, they race to make the noise of the other’s hidden animal. Whoever says “oink” or “quack” or whatever first wins the match. The more players there are, the more difficult it gets!

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“Oopsy Daisy (9) makes personalized artwork for kids’ rooms. For girls, there are paintings with butterflies, flowers and ice skates; for boys, there are pirates, dinosaurs and racecars. Kids love them because the images are fun and happy, and their name is right in the middle of it. Everyone likes to see his or her name in print.

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“Zoobie Pets (10), made by Zoobies, are stuffed animals, pillows and blankets all in one. When kids pick one up, it looks like a regular stuffed animal, but then they unhook the Velcro strap on its belly and it flattens out to become a pillow. When kids unzip the zipper, the pillow pulls out to a blanket. There’s a zebra, rhino, tiger, hippo, monkey and elephant, just to name a few, and the colors are really vibrant. Kids love the three-in-one concept.”