Toying With You

Here's a Look at This Year's Coolest Play Things

Every year, the biggest and best toy makers get together in New York to show off their newest creations. The event is called Toy Fair, and it's like a toy store that's the size of five football fields -- but just about everything on display is brand new! Could you go into a toy store and pick just one item that you think is the absolute best? It's a tough challenge, but that's what KidsPost's Margaret Webb Pressler tried to do at Toy Fair. She found a dozen standout items among thousands of new toys. Some aren't in stores yet, but this will give you something to look forward to!

MixTools iDrum . Slip your iPod into this hard plastic case and use the drum pad on the back to add beats and riffs to the music. It's like making your own remix! (Spin Master, $29.99, coming this fall, ages 8 and older.)

Skate Ranger R/C Action Figure . There are lots of remote-controlled cars and trucks, but this new company has created a remote-controlled, roller-blading action figure. Better yet, he skates in multiple positions -- even on his knees or lying face down. He's just cool. Coming soon: Skate Ranger comic book and animated series -- and Skate Ranger accessories for you, including a helmet as well as wheels for your elbows and knees! (Skate Ranger, $39.99, in stores by spring, ages 6 and older.)

Big Bad Booming Bugs . Collecting bugs is even more fun with this electronic observation station. Put a few ants on the sound-sensitive surface and give them a leaf. Watch through the magnifying-glass top and listen to them munch their lunch through earphones. Makes you feel like you're in there with them! (Little Kids, $19.99, available now, ages 6 and older.)

Toy Creator . Soak the hard-plastic disks and string in warm water and they get soft like putty. Mold them into anything you want, or make a car with the enclosed kit. Dip in cold water to turn rock hard. Want to make something else? Put it back in warm water to soften it again. (University Games, $10-$15, available now, ages 6 and older.)

Moon Sand . This fake sand is the perfect texture for building sand castles indoors. Bake your creation in the oven to make it hard. Bake it again to mush it up. (Spin Master, $5-$20, available in fall, for all ages.)

Air Hogs Hydro Freak . Here's the latest and greatest in R/C vehicles: It speeds on land or water -- then takes off into the air from either surface. We didn't think we could be impressed by another R/C contraption, but we were! (Spin Master, $99.99, available in fall, ages 10 and older.)

Cool Coloring RainbowBrush . You've seen street artists who make names out of rainbow pictures -- now you can try it yourself. These ingenious markers clip together and let you create pictures just like the artists you've seen. Five markers come with a how-to sheet or full-size instruction book. (RainbowBrush, available in May, $9.95-$24.95, ages 6 and older.)

Glow And Go Toppers. We've seen markers that glow under black light. But these markers come with their own black light attached. They turn on by flipping a lever. (Can You Imagine, available now, $9.99, ages 6 and older.)

Digi Makeover . Ever wanted to see yourself with long hair? How about blue eye shadow? Plug this simple, well-designed console into your TV, point it at yourself to take your picture, and your face pops up on the screen. Then use the controls to change your image any way you want. Makeover magic without the mess. (Radica, $59.99, available in fall, ages 8 and older.)

Hot Wheels Radar Gun . Point this radar gun at your buddy's pitches to see how fast they really are! You can measure the speed of anything. The radar gun also converts the speed of Hot Wheels cars; if regular size, they would be going 600 miles per hour! (Mattel, $29.99, available in June, ages 7 and older.)

ZOOMBOX Projector . Make a home theater instantly. Just pop in a DVD, point the projector at a screen or wall (or ceiling!) and you've got a big-screen experience. Also plugs into video games, plays CDs and will connect to many TV sets to display your fave shows. (Hasbro, $249, available in August, all ages.)

NerdyWordy. Boggle meets Battleship in this game of words and strategy -- in a well-designed package. Using the same letters, two players compete to spell the most two- to five-letter words on their boards, with bonus points for words within words. A great travel or restaurant game. (Briarpatch, $17.99, available in April, ages 8 and older.)