Mar 7, 2011

Four Scramble Squares® Puzzles Honored As Dr. Toy’s Best Classic Toys For 2011

REDONDO BEACH, CA b. dazzle, inc. of Redondo Beach, California, has announced that four of its Scramble Squares® 9-piece educational brain teaser puzzles for all ages introduced in 1997 have been honored by The Institute for Childhood Resources in San Francisco as among only forty (40) products selected worldwide as “Dr. Toy’s Best Classic Toys for 2011.”  The four honored Scramble Square® puzzles are “Butterflies,” “Serengeti,” “Soccer” and “Tropical Fish.”

Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D., Director of the Institute and known as Dr. Toy, has been tracking trends in the toy business for more than 42 years. In her just released Dr. Toy’s Best Classic Products for 2011, she has searched across the entire toy industry for the great classic toys that fit the criteria for fun and high play value. Dr. Toy says, “Classic toys are enduring and have many important benefits. They encourage the child’s interaction, involvement and are truly child-powered. You can count on classic toys. These are the long lasting toys that ‘keep on playing’ long after the batteries and latest fads are gone,” she stresses.

“Where do you turn for a selection that provides a timeless, fun experience that will hold your child’s interest,” Dr. Toy asks? “It’s time to turn back the clock! Look for toys that have remained valued playthings since they were first introduced ten or more years ago,” she advises.

“These are the lasting favorites of all children who have played with them. The toys that with the passing of time have become true classics are often overlooked in the rush to get the “hot” new toys. Often great playthings may not reach youngsters who can benefit from playing with them,” she adds.Dr. Toy explains that parents need to “balance their children’s play experiences.” “They need to be reminded that classic, highly beneficial toys are still around,” she says. “Quickly parents and grandparents will recall the fun they had with these same classic toys.”

A wide variety of selections are included among this year’s winners. The list reflects toys that Dr. Toy says “are perfect for all ages and interests from baby to older children, teens and adults, from low to high tech, and from nature to nurture.” Many parents want to introduce their child to that special favorite, a yo-yo, or Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets, or Tinker Toys, or an Etch-A-Sketch, or a first teddy bear, Raggedy Ann doll, or Lionel electric train. Classics are ‘basics’ that never go out of style.”

Dr. Toy carefully surveys the toy marketplace year round to select a wide-range of great classic toys. While Dr. Toy keeps abreast of new products, she keeps her eye on the enduring and endearing qualities of the toys of yesteryear. The classic toys she has selected as winners have been available for ten, fifty, or a hundred years or more. The winners of the annual classic toy search are included in Dr. Toy’s Best Classic Toys for 2011, available now on the free, popular, accessible web-site that presents her award selections for parents and teachers to benefit children.

Dr. Toy’s Guide, www.drtoy.com, provides all pertinent information and includes photos, complete product descriptions, links to company sites, and consumer information.If you are at a loss for an appropriate toy for the child in your life, the suggestions found in the Dr. Toy’s Best Classic Toys Program for 2011 will help you more easily locate valuable products to introduce to your child. These toys have truly met the ‘test of time.’ They have endured, entertained, and satisfied children for many years, and will continue to do so for many years to come.

Dr. Auerbach’s book, Toys for a Lifetime: Enhancing Childhood Through Play (Rizzoli), provides a close up of over 60 classic toys that you enjoyed. She is also the author of The Toy Chest (limited copies available upon request) and Dr. Toy’s Smart Play/Smart Toys: How to Raise a Child with a High P.Q. (St Martins Press, 1999, Educational Insights, 2004, and ICR, 2010). This book has also been published in China, Croatia, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Korea, Russia, Spain and Thailand with more to come.

You can explore Dr. Toy’s web site, www.drtoy.com, to find out what all the excitement is about. Then make some of your own by selecting those products that most appeal to your child (or yourself). Perhaps you will easily share the fun of a special classic toy with your child. You may recall the fun of that toy when you were little. If that’s the case, you can enjoy carrying on a family tradition that spans several generations. Consider finding your favorite classic toy to enjoy. Many adults collect toys as a fun hobby. Besides, adults need more time to play for emotional and physical benefits. “More playtime for all!” is the best Dr. Toy’s Rx for playtime for children and adults.

Dr. Auerbach, Director of the Institute for Childhood Resources, founded in San Francisco in 1975, is the only Ph.D with extensive training, background and over 41 years of experience evaluating, writing and speaking about toys and children’s products. Dr. Auerbach is trained in education, child psychology, child development, and special education. She is a educator, consultant, parent and grandparent. Dr. Toy reports that in the years that the innovative on-line magazine Dr.Toy’s Guide has been available, “thousands of visitors from around the world have accessed information daily.” The site was the first on-line resource to evaluate toys and children’s products. T

he object of the Scramble Squares® puzzle game is to arrange the nine colorfully illustrated 4″ x 4″ square pieces into a 12″ square so that the realistic graphics on the pieces’ edges match perfectly to form completed pictures in every direction. They make inexpensive, but highly valued gifts for all ages.”

Adults and seniors love made in America Scramble Squares® puzzles as much as do children, teenagers and college students. Although each Scramble Squares® puzzlehas only nine 4″ x 4″ square pieces, exquisite Scramble Squares® puzzles are Perhaps the World’s Most Challenging Puzzle®! At under $10.00 each suggested retail, Scramble Squares® puzzles make inexpensive, but highly valued gifts for both men and women alike. Over 140 exquisite styles of colorful original art are available on nature, sports, history, culture, geography, science, technology, gourmet, occupations, fantasy, hobbies and activities, and more new styles are added throughout each year. Scramble Squares® puzzles teach critical thinking skills, fine motor skills, patience, perseverance,  and they help maintain mental agility in older persons, while providing stimulating entertainment as either a solitaire game or as a cooperative activity. Each puzzle package includes a panel of fascinating facts on the subject of the puzzle, as well as a trivia question and hidden answer, all packaged in a unique and handy resealable heavy duty 101/2″ long x 53/4″ wide x 3/8″ deep vinyl travel pouch which can be collected and stored easily in a standard 3-ring binder.

Founded in 1993, b. dazzle, inc. is a progressive market-driven company which manufactures and distributes wholesale in the gift, souvenir, toy and educational products industries a wide range of beautiful, wholesome, entertaining and informative made-in-America gifts of high quality and low cost for all ages of adults and children that can be selected by topic to appeal to the personal interests of the recipient and can be enjoyed as cross-generational family activities.

b. dazzle, inc. is an official member of the CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition of the Josephson Institute of Ethics in Los Angeles: http://www.charactercounts.org (800-711-2670; 310-846-4800). The purpose of the CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition is to fortify the lives of America’s young people with consensus ethical values called the “Six Pillars of Character.” These six key character values, which transcend divisions of race, creed, politics, gender and wealth, are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. “Because our society places such a high value on material success, there is the tendency in human nature to pursue success by any means, whether fairly or unfairly, honestly or dishonestly,” says Kathie Gavin. “We strongly believe that with our success comes a duty for us to contribute to our society.

We wish to do so by advancing the principles of good character and ethical behavior, not only by operating our business in accordance with ethical standards, but also by advancing and promoting the importance of ethical business practices and ethical behavior throughout our industry and our society at large.

For further information, contact Kathie Gavin at b. dazzle, inc., 500 Meyer Lane, Redondo Beach, California 90278.