Important Advisory:

We are now requiring companies to provide us with documentation that their products have been tested by an independent lab for phthalates and lead.
Please click here for submission requirements for new products. However, as we are not a lab, we will not be independently verifying those results. Also, with the exception of the 2008 Platinum Toy Awards, toys submitted for review prior to January 2008 were not tested for lead.

Instructions for submitting product to the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio for review.

Contact the Toyportfolio @ (212) 598-0502 or by email at Webmaster@Toyportfolio.com.

Copyright 1995-2008. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio - All Rights Reserved. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award, and Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Blue Chip Award are Registered Trademarks of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio.

( Kids Preferred $$17$ ) Three baseball-sized, brightly patterned fabric balls come packaged together in a see-through tote. A black-and-white ball with colorful swirls crinkles, an orange velour ball with stitched stars jingles, and a multicolored ball with bold patterns chimes. A classic toy for sensory exploration and active play. (866) 763 8869. Age: Infant, Toddler. Phone: (866) 763-8869. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2007

( Mary Meyer $$14$each ) Select any one of these soft velour animals with stitched features. We especially love the giraffe and the moose. Just right to fill the bill as a first huggable for your toddler. (800) 451-4387. Age: Toddler. Phone: 800-451-4387. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2007

( International Playthings $$59.95$ ) Our 21⁄2 year old tester loved the levels of this multilevel garage and the elevator—his mom loved that the set comes with four cars (easier to share that way!) The chunky plastic cars can ride up the elevator and roll down the chutes and ramps with sound effects and flashing lights (not too loud). A fun setting for dramatic play. Cars can be played with separately or linked together with magnetic connectors. They say 1 & up—we’d say more like 18 mos. & up. (800) 445-8347. Age: Toddler. Phone: 800-445-8347. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2007

( Learning Resources $$25.99$ ) Perfect props for pretend, a set of five jungle animals—a 13" giraffe, an elephant, a lion, a tiger, and a gorilla. Handsomely finished with realistic colors. Little hands will find lots of ways to use these with and without blocks. 2 & up. Still top rated, Jumbo Farm Animals ($22.95 41?2) Seven farm animals, a horse, cow, pig, goat, sheep, goose, and rooster sized proportionately to each other. 3 & up. (800) 222-3909. Age: Toddler, Preschool. Phone: 800 222 3909. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2007

( Edushape $$12$ ) A plastic jar comes loaded with 36 ball-shaped connectors with short arms that fit together in patterns or random shapes. A fun way to develop dexterity, color words, and even beginning counting skills, along with problem solving, as tots figure out how to fit the arms together. 21⁄2 & up. (800) 404-4744. The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab. Age: Toddler. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2007

( Latitude Enfant$$5$to 100 ) Done in knitted fabric and stitched features, these are an unusual collection of machine washable soft dolls that are gender neutral. A real departure from the usual plush. Choose Lucien the rabbit, Mona the cow, Sasha the cat, Marie the mouse. The medium (8" $20) and large (16" $30) arrive in a special box that might well turn into a bed. The mini (5" $5) and giant (40" $100) come sans box. PLATINUM AWARD ’06. New characters (available in only the smaller size) include Lou the wolf, Leon the Pig, Theo the Bear, Hugo the Hedgehog. Also new and extremely cute, parent/child pairs Celestine and Celeste (cats), and Justin and Justine (dogs)and Emile and Emilien (mice). (800) 544-9183. Age: Toddler. Phone: . Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2007

( Lego Systems, Inc. $$25$ ) The latest in the themed sets in the Duplo line, this comes with a sheet of eyes that you can add to the blocks to create your own animals (of course with a toddler, you’ll need to help with this). Our testers really enjoyed placing the eyes on with help! Parents loved the green storage case. Still top rated, Duplo Thomas Load and Carry Train Set ($29.99 ), easy-to-assemble tracks and environment including train, movable light signal, and cargo tower. 61 pieces. Our older toddler testers “looooved” this set! PLATINUM AWARD ’06. 2 & up. For other more advanced Duplo sets, look at the Preschool chapter, p. 96. Age: Toddler. Phone: 800 453 4652. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2007

( Fisher-Price $$21.99$ ) Load the chunky Little People on and off through the top of the jolly looking white plane with licks of blue, red and green. Little People will not fit in the door/ramp, but not to worry; they fit through the open roof. There’s a female pilot and two passengers that bounce up and down as kids push the plane along the floor. Push the pilot down in her seat and the music begins, a short little tune that is not too intrusive. A red handle makes it easier to “fly” the plane in the air. A toddler size prop for pretend. They say 1& up. We’d say more like 18 months & up. (800) 432-5437. Age: Toddler. Phone: 800-432-5437. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2007

( Edushape $$64.95$ ) These peg-top blocks are bigger than Lego Quatros or giant-size Mega Bloks, and they are softer and more pliable. This makes them quieter and easier to manipulate for beginners. They come in four shapes and colors, and are ideal for making big constructions. They say 6 mos., we’d say more like 18 mos. Also new for , Soft Wood-Like Blocks ($18.95 1⁄2) Surprisingly pleasing light-weight blocks that look like the real thing, cut in standard unit block sizes of non-crumbly, super-dense, quiet foam. Set of 30 that will mix well with wooden blocks later. Also Educolor Blocks ($14.95 1⁄2), a similar but smaller-scaled set in primary colors. (800) 404-4744.The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab. Age: Toddler. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2007

( Lego Systems, Inc. $$9.99$and up ) Twos used to graduate to Lego Duplo bricks, but now there’s a bigger brick (twice the size of Duplo and four times the size of standard Lego). This set comes with 20 pieces but here, “more is better,” so we even suggest starting with the Large Quatro Bucket ($19.99/75 pieces). PLATINUM AWARD ’05 1 & up. (800) 233-8756. Age: Toddler. Phone: 800 453 4652. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2007

Books

• Infants
• Toddlers
• Preschool
• Early School Years
• Later School Years

• Infants
• Toddlers
• Preschool
• Early School Years
• Later School Years