Roaming Around in Toyland

Now that Toy Fair is behind me, I can't help but being struck by all the new technology that will ultimately make its way into consumers' anxious hands.

There were hairbrush-shaped microphones that played music and musical make-up bags from Virtual Experience as well as sculpted USB flash drives from Tyme Machine (www.tymemachines.com) with the "New Moon" drive complete with the movie soundtrack. Also cool were t-shirts from Think Geek Inc. (www.thinkgeek.com) including an Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt (with a mini amp and magnetic pick), Electronic Drum Kit Shirt (with built-in speaker) and Personal Soundtrack Shirt (with working speaker embedded in the shirt and room for an SD card).

Wild Planet, maker of Spy Gear products, created the Spy Video TRAKR, the first Spy Video RC with digital transmission, full-color screen, recording capabilities and the option for users to create, download and share custom programs online for free.

TechnoSource has created Rubik's Slide, a handheld electronic version of the game and for dog owners, Mattel showcased Puppy Tweets, a dog-shaped plush with a device that sends owners a tweet (from about 500 phrases) about what fido is doing while they're away.

For the first time ever, LEGO is making board games with kids able to build, play and change the environment as they like. The first five games will head to stores in March, with another five due in August. Ones to watch are Creationary (7+, March) and Hogwarts game (8+, August).

Another interesting item is Hasbro's U-Build customizable games featuring Battleship, Connect 4, Mouse Trap and Sorry that allows kids to build the game and then play how they want. Also new is Monopoly U-Build which offers a new concept in Monopoly game play with players able to determine the length of the game depending upon how they design the game track.

Tween girls should watch out for Pop Art Pixies, a line of 14 activity kits from Crayola tied to four girls with unique personalities and styles. The activities are coupled with Popartpixies.com, an online world that debuts in conjunction with the products in September.

A real showstopper is Dance Star Mickey, a new interactive plush (due in October) from Fisher-Price and Disney that walks, talks and dances to five different songs and includes games for kids and parents. Preschoolers will also love iXL Learning System from Mattel (due July), a 6-in-1 handheld device with a story book, game player, note book, art studio, music player and photo album. Both PC and Mac compatible, the product includes an SD card slot and comes with a USB cord.

Rokenbok made ROK Blocks, bulky new blocks that make it easier for preschoolers to build, while Learning Curve created the Early Engineers Line, a first-ever Thomas Wooden Railway line geared toward train enthusiasts 18 months and older.

Fans of "Sid the Science Kid" should look for PLAYSKOOL's Sid's Super Fab Lab Science Kit where kids 3 and up can use a real working light-up microscope, 5 activity cards, scale, and 12 specimens. Another one to watch is Learning Resources' Primary Science Set, a line of science kits for kids 4 and up complete with a beaker, magnifying glass, funnel, test tubes and more.

For bubble lovers, Little Kids created Bubble Dooods with fuzzy rubber hair and a no-spill top as well as Jelly Belly Squeeze N Blow Pop Up Bubbles. Also cute are the No-Spill Bubble Tumbler Minis with bright, fresh graphics that preschoolers will love!

Lots of movie, book and TV inspired products will be headed to stores as well such as "The Last Airbender" action figures, vehicles, playsets from Spin Master utilizing innovative technology enabling fans to recreate favorite scenes from the film; a board game from Cadaco based on "The Deadliest Catch;" "Project Runway" arts & crafts kits from Fashion Angels; games and puzzles based on "The Guinness World Records" books from Haywire Group; "Dinosaur Train" products including action figures and magnetic and foam puzzles.

How time flies! Some classic properties and characters are celebrating milestones this year:

• Dora the Explorer celebrates her 10th anniversary with a range of new games and toys including Day to Night Dollhouse and the singing and dancing We Did It Dora Doll from Fisher-Price.

• Hasbro plans some items to commemorate the 95th anniversary of Tinker Toys and the 40th anniversary of Dressy Bessy.

• Rubik's Cube marks its 30th anniversary with a range of toymakers creating new items.

• Thomas & Friends marks its 65th anniversary with the engines having a voice for the first time in upcoming DVDs.

• JAKKS Pacific creates a line of products celebrating Sanrio's 50th anniversary with products featuring Hello Kitty and other Sanrio friends in limited anniversary editions.

• 50th anniversary of Etch-A-Sketch with Ohio Art creating a new signature edition filled with copper powder and red metallic screen in retro packaging.