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Gwen Ottenberg of Imagine That in Wichita, Kansas

“In my store, spring and summer is divided into two categories – the travel stuff and the outdoor stuff.

“We sell a ton of Auto Bingo cards (1) by Regal Games. (We get them through Toysmith). They’re the retro ones with the little windows. People buy those by the handful.

“Thinking Putty (2) from Crazy Aaron’s Puttyworld is a fairly new product that comes in a lot of cool colors, including glow-in-the-dark. The Super Magnetic kind that actually has magnetic properties is probably the most popular here, but all versions sell well. The putty comes in a tin, which is convenient for the car or plane. It will keep kids – big or little – busy for quite a while.

“Another favorite is the What Z’it (3) from The Original Toy Company. It’s six blocks held together by an elastic. It’s just a fidgeter, but kids can make it into a square or a snake. Imagination is the limit on that.

“Nothing says summer like being outside, and we sell a lot of outdoor stuff. Among my favorites are the steppers (4) from Just Jump It. They’re a big hit with moms and grandmoms who can come in and buy four or five sets for the kids because they’re inexpensive.

“We sell a lot of Jumbo Magnifiers (5) from Learning Resources. They have a folding stand, so kids can set them up over a leaf or a bug and look at it without having to hold the magnifier. I think they’re rated for 3-plus, but we sell them anywhere from 2 to 7 – the bug age.

“Blast Pads (6) (and Blast Pads Junior) from Marky Sparky are big sellers here. It’s a simple principle: You jump on it to shoot the rocket up into the air. It’s not an indoor toy; that’s for sure. They are popular with kids from about 3 to 10, but if we get one out, even dad’s going to jump on it.”

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Debbie Scholl of FUNdamentally Toys! in Houston, Texas

“The Flash Flyer (7) from Daydream Toy has been selling well for us for some time now. For ages 7 and up, it’s kind of one of those old-fashioned ripcord kind of toys, but it has LEDs on it that light up. You can play with it indoors or outdoors, and it will climb along the walls or the ceiling. We’re always demo-ing it in the store, and when we do, it gets a good reaction. It’s a lot of fun.

“The HEXBUG Nano Zip Line (8) (from Innovation First) is a new item that we just brought in after Toy Fair, but it is starting to sell really well. HEXBUGS continue to be popular here, and it’s really cute when the little guy goes down the zip line.

“All of the new Duct Tape Kits (9) from ALEX sell well. The Tote and the Bangles are the most popular. I had to reorder yesterday! We try to keep our arts-and-crafts area well supplied as we head into March – National Crafts Month and Youth Art Month.

“We had a play date recently with the Loopdedoo friendship bracelet maker (10) from Ann Williams Group and the kids had a lot of fun with it.”