Manhattan Toy®

We have chosen to feature Manhattan Toy® as the first article for the month of September 2007 and our 100th article as we have experienced outstanding service from their team. A special thanks goes out to Kathy Fowler, for her assistance with this article.

Manhattan Toy® was founded in 1979 by Francis Goldwyn (grandson of motion picture studio owner Sam Goldwyn). The company pioneered the use of non-traditional fabrics in toy design and introduced delightful new body styles in soft toys. Although Goldwyn is no longer involved in the ownership of Manhattan Toy®, they remain true to his vision of marching to the beat of a different (toy) drum. Manhattan Toy® offers a full range of innovative toys and we have chosen to feature 4 of them today.


Cirque Du Soleil ® Zing-a-Ding™ Rattle



Darling and delightful Zing-a-Ding rattles its way into young hands and hearts. Soothing sounds and bold colors will fascinate baby for hours on end. Let your dreams take flight!
Dimensions: 6” H
Age: 3m+


NooBoo™ Ball



Bold, bright and rewarding to baby's developing motor skills, this multi-activity ball is made with high-quality fabrics - stretch nylon, corduroy, fleece, terry cloth and satin ribbons - to invite tactile exploration. Stimulating young ears are crinkle paper, rattles and a squeaker.
Dimensions: 5" diameter
Age: 6m+


Cirque Du Soleil® Duolido™



Zany and kooky Duolido gallops its way into young minds and imaginations. This two-headed character with bendable legs, necks and magnetic feet is sure to ignite limitless creativity and imaginative play. Let your dreams take flight!
Dimensions: 10" H
Age: 12m+


Lacing Quilt™



Lacing Quilt™ - Parenting Magazine 2006 Mom-Tested Toys of the Year and Canadian Toy Testing Council 3-Star Award 2006

"Quilters" strengthen their hand-eye coordination while lacing up the two-sided fabric panels. Made of soft felt faced with embroidered decorations, the six panels can be arranged in countless combinations, encouraging problem-solving skills. This item comes with seven color-coordinated laces and stores in a vinyl bag.

Dimensions: 4.5" H

Age: 3y+


PURCHASING

Visit www.manhattantoy.com to find a retailer in your country. Online shopping is also available .

Australian consumers may be referred to www.kaleidoscope.com.au for
assistance in finding Manhattan Toy® retailers.


Success Through Play™ Comments:

Manhattan Toy® has been very generous with sending us samples of their products and we thank them. We are very impressed with the high quality, multi-sensory, colorful and imaginative toys that Manhattan Toy® offers.

Cirque Du Soleil ® Zing-a-Ding™ Rattle



This colorful well designed Zing-a-Ding™ Rattle will provide baby with auditory stimulation that will encourage her to keep shaking it! The innovative mix of colorful and contrasting designs, patterns, textures and shapes will hold baby's attention, stimulate her visually and simply delight her. The addition of ribbons will capture your little one's attention as baby's are known to be drawn to ribbons and enjoy exploring them. The rattle is lightweight enough for baby's hands and very easy to grip, making it an ideal first rattle for your little one! When she shakes this rattle, she is learning about her arms in relation to her body (body awareness) and she will gain input into her muscles and joints (feedback) about her arm. She will also have the opportunity to build up her upper limb endurance while shaking the rattle and build up her muscle strength. Add some background music and let your little one shake to the beat with the Zing-a-Ding™ Rattle!

Age: 3m+


NooBoo™ Ball


Our engineer was really impressed with the design of the NooBoo™ ball. This is no ordinary ball! It features 6 mini balls that can move independently, yet make up the sum of the total ball. This means that baby will have the opportunity to rotate each of the balls separately which will provide her with hours of fun and enjoyment. While baby is exploring this ball, she will receive a variety of tactile stimulation as the surfaces of the mini balls are covered with different textures. The addition of the ribbons between the mini balls will delight your little one. The ball will provide your little one with auditory stimulation as not only does it have a rattle inside of it but 2 of the mini balls feature crinkle paper which make a delightful sound when baby squeezes the ball. In addition, 2 of the mini-balls will make a squeaking sound when squeezed and baby will be encouraged to keep exploring as she hears this sound! Squeezing and exploring the mini balls will allow baby the opportunity to work on her fine motor skills and allow her an opportunity to strengthen her hand muscles! When baby is older, she will enjoy rolling the ball on the floor to you and then later throwing it and catching it, making this toy truly versatile. The multi-sensory NooBoo™ ball is a winner with us!

Age: 6m+

Cirque Du Soleil® Duolido™



Duolido™ is a fun, bright and colorful creature who will delight your baby and later on, encourage your toddler to explore the world of imaginary play. Babies will love touching his "hair" (ribbons) and will be intrigued by his many legs and bright and contrasting patterns and designs. Your toddler will love twisting his legs into different shapes and positions with the aid of his flexible, magnetic legs and making up interesting stories about the adventures of Duolido™. Your child with have an opportunity to practice his bilateral hand coordination skills while bending his legs and neck into different shapes! He will also learn about motor planning as he has to align the legs at just the right angle in order for the magnets to be attracted! Our panel of experts were delighted when they saw Duolido™ and commented that they used to play with a toy that had bendable legs, many decades ago, but hadn't seen one like it until now!

Age: 12m+


Lacing Quilt™



Lacing activities such as the Manhattan Toy Lacing Quilt™ offers children a unique opportunity to develop their fine motor skills. The Lacing Quilt™ features adorable reversible designs (fish, rabbit, cat butterfly etc) and contrasting colors which will grab your child's attention. When a child practices lacing, they have to hold the quilt with their one hand (stabilizer) and use their other hand to lace the quilt, allowing them to work on integrating the 2 sides of their body together (bilateral coordination). This is an important skill to practice because most activities in the classroom require excellent bilateral hand skills (cutting, drawing, writing etc). Lacing provides your child with an opportunity to practice his eye hand coordination, which will later enable him to copy from the blackboard, and play a variety of sports! In order to lace, one needs to be able to have a good pincer grasp and thus lacing will help your child to develop a good pincer grasp which is essential for good hand writing skills later on. The task of lacing will provide your child an opportunity to improve his motor planning and improve his upper extremity coordination. Overall, this is a fantastic activity for both your son or daughter.

Age: 3y+


PARENT AND BABY/CHILD FEEDBACK:

Our "test" panel of babies and children couldn't get enough of each of the above toys and the parents were "truly amazed that each of the toys above captured their baby/child's attention for an extended period of time". The parents exclaimed: "we usually buy the latest tech gadgets for our babies and children, but this has really taught us that the simple toys are the best ones". Well said!

To view the Manhattan Toy® Catalog online, please visit www.manhattantoy.com

We will be highlighting the Dress up Pup™ and NooBoo Pound a Sound™ during the month of November and featuring additional Manhattan Toy® products during February 2008. Stay tuned!