Contact: 
Kristen Joerger
Scholastic Inc.
kjoerger@scholastic.com
(212) 389-3343

24 Kid-Tested and Approved Products Are All $100 or Less

New York, NY – October 27, 2014 – Scholastic Parent & Child® magazine today announced the winners of the magazine’s second annual Gold Star Toy Awards. The 24 winning kids’ products are featured in the November issue of the magazine and online.

The magazine put out a call for submissions to toy manufacturers in February, and the editorial team reviewed hundreds of products and sent the top contenders out to parents to test at home with their children. The winners include toys for baby to age 9, and are all $100 or less. The winning toys and games were selected based on the following criteria: innovative and cool; magnetic and engaging for the child; mind-expanding or educational; and an excellent value to the consumer. The toys also had to be new for 2014 and available from a U.S. retailer.

“We know that parents are always looking for balance in the gifts they purchase for their children – something kids will think is cool and fun that has staying-power in their rotation of toys,” said Jane Nussbaum, Editor-in-Chief. “Our expert editors and panel of family testers helped us put together a fantastic list of toys that everyone will love this holiday season.”

Readers of the November issue can easily purchase the award-winning toys from their smart phone or mobile device using the Digimarc Discover app for mobile engagement. By simply scanning a digitally watermarked photo in the print edition, tapping a button on the Parent & Child app on their tablet, or clicking a button on the Gold Star Toy Award online site readers can learn more about each product, find the lowest current price, review historical prices, find online and local retailers with availability, and even share gift suggestions with relatives, all powered by ShopAdvisor.

The winners of the Scholastic Parent & Child magazine Gold Star Toy Awards are:  

• Tree Top Adventure, Manhattan Toy, $100, Ages 1+
• Record & Learn Kidi Studio, VTech, $40, Ages 3+
• Green Start Play Blocks, Innovative Kids, $25, Ages 2+
• First Builders 1-2-3 Train, Mega Bloks, $20, Ages 1+
• Y Velo Junior Balance Bike, Yvolution, $60, Ages 18 months and up
• Wee MD, Battat, $22, Ages 18 months and up
• My Tape Party, Alex Toys, $18, Ages 3+
• Cake Mountain, Play-Doh (Hasbro), $20, Ages 3+
• Lego Juniors Construction Set,  Lego, $15, Ages 4+
• Smaland Dollhouse, Lundby, $100, Ages 4+
• Imagine I Can: Character Mix-Up, Manhattan Toy, $25, Ages 3+
• GeoSafari Jr. My First Microscope, Educational Insights, $22, Ages 3+
• Puppet Theater, Haba USA, $50, Ages 18 months and up
• Tropicleania, Battat, $16, Ages 3+
• Peppa Pig Ballet Bag set, Fisher-Price, $15, Ages 3+
• Wubble Bubble Ball, NSI International, Inc., $20, Ages 6+
• Magic Schoolbus Engineering Lab, The Young Scientists Club, $40, Ages 5+
• Grow N’ Glow Terrarium, Creativity for Kids, $15, Ages 6+
• Primary Science Color Mixing Set, Learning Resources, $30, Ages 3+
• Dance Charades, Pressman Toy, $25, Ages 8+
• Sketch Wizard, Crayola, $25, Ages 8+
• Interchangeable Kinetic Space Lab, Discovery Kids, $30, Ages 8+
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid 10 Second Challenge, Pressman Toy, $20, Ages 8+
• Badminton, Zume Games, $100, Ages 8+

About Scholastic Parent & Child® 
Scholastic Parent & Child is today’s leading parenting magazine for families with school aged children, reaching more than 7.3 million parents. Parent & Child covers families with children ages birth to 12, and one hundred percent of the editorial content is dedicated to helping parents guide their children through the early school years with joy and confidence, informing parents on topics that serve the entire family, including child development, well-being, health, activities, travel, fashion, and food. To visit the magazine’s online site, log on to www.scholastic.com/parents. To learn more about Scholastic, visit our online media room: mediaroom.scholastic.com.