(Tree Town Toys $34.00) Hands down, Spin Animator Studio is one of the best toys of the year. Building on the concept of a zoetrope where you spin a strip of graphics to give the illusion of animation, this spinning animator takes that experience to the next level. The set comes with premade strips that are done in color, black and white strips with pre-made art and then blank strips so that you can create your own. There is a knob on the side to put the strip in motion. Com

(Basic Fun $24.99) Not the traditional Lite-Brite with pegs, but a really fun drawing platform that our testers enjoyed. The clear acrylic "glowboard" comes with five markers, 3 backgrounds and stencils. Our testers were more interested in adding their own creations. The board comes with feet so it can stand up, but we recommend drawing on the board when it's flat. Once you've added your drawing -- you can adjust the lights so they flash between different colors or you can pi

( Play Monster $16 & up) It's a big year for this classic gear drawing toy. To celebrate the 60th anniversary, you'll find many...