Chicago – Today VTech announced eight of its products were recognized by the Tillywig Toy & Media Awards, including standouts from its Kidizoom® Smartwatch, Go! Go! Smart Adventures, Flipsies™, Baby Amaze® and Baby, Infant & Preschool lines. The honors mark a total of 11 Tillywig awards for the company this year.
The Kidizoom® Smartwatch DX and Go! Go! Smart Wheels® Ultimate RC Speedway™ continued their awards success this season with the Tillywig Top Fun Award for products that stand out for exceptional design, construction and play. The Lil’ Critters Soothing Starlight Hippo™ and Baby Amaze Learn to Talk & Read Baby Doll™ received the Tillywig Sterling Fun Award for distinctive children’s products notable for their exceptional quality and bold originality. Flipsies Sandy’s House & Ocean Cruiser and the Write & Learn Creative Center™ earned the Tillywig Best Creative Fun Award for superior products that inspire creativity and innovation. And the Go! Go! Smart Animals® Grow & Learn Farm™ and Sit-to-Stand Ultimate Alphabet Train™ were also honored with the Tillywig Brain Child Award for exciting products that energize the mind while seamlessly blending fun and learning.
“We are thrilled to receive eight honors from the Tillywig Toy & Media Awards, and proud to continue our tradition of developing high-quality, age-appropriate products that parents and kids both love,” said William To, President, VTech Electronics North America. “Our new introductions have received an incredible response from consumers and the acclaim for these products cements our ranking as an industry leader of top educational content.”
“VTech consistently scores top marks with our judging panel for toys that inspire kids to think creatively and have fun as they learn with the aid of top notch technology,” said Dan Levy, Program Director, Tillywig Toy & Media Awards. “Our testers praised this year’s outstanding products, which all offer unlimited possibilities for imaginative play.”
Additional details about VTech’s award-winning products can be found at www.vtechkids.com and include:
- Kidizoom® Smartwatch DX: The Kidizoom Smartwatch DX is an even smarter watch for kids with more fun games and activities! Perfect for young photographers, this durable smartwatch has more memory so kids can take tons of pictures and videos. Kids will love using the new motion sensor to explore three action challenges. The Smartwatch DX also includes eight games kids can play using the touch screen as well as the ability to download more from the Learning Lodge®. The watch helps teach kids how to tell time by letting them choose between more than fifty 3D digital and analog displays. In addition to the alarm, timer and stopwatch, two new tools include a calendar feature and a calculator so children can work out simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems. (Ages 4 years and up, MSRP: US$64.99)
- Flipsies™ Sandy’s House & Ocean Cruiser: Sandy’s House & Ocean Cruiser is a 2-in-1 playset that transforms from a beautiful house where she can spend time with her friends to an ocean cruiser that she can use to explore ocean life! Press the charm on Sandy’s necklace to see it light-up and to and to experience her friendly personality. Place Sandy on the eight MagicPoint™ locations on her playset or other MagicPoint locations on Flipsies playsets (each sold separately) and she’ll respond with playful phrases unique to her own personality. Collect Sandy’s friends (each sold separately), and they can switch clothes, wigs and accessories for more fun styles. When Sandy and one of her friends are on the MagicPoint locations at the dining table, they will activate the MagicChat™ feature and talk to each other. Connect the slide and zip line for even more fun! Let your dreams shine with Flipsies! (Ages 4 years and up, MSRP: US$39.99)
- Go! Go! Smart Wheels® Ultimate RC Speedway™: Zip around the Go! Go! Smart Wheels Ultimate RC Speedway and speed through four action zones and over nine SmartPoint® locations using the steering wheel-shaped remote control for an exciting interactive experience with the RC SmartPoint Racer! The speedway is 4.5 feet of interchangeable tracks and features a stunt ramp, elevator, movable gears, starting flags and track switches that are all triggered by the RC race car. Ralph and his race car entertain little ones with a light-up driver button that activates playful music and fun sounds. He also teaches the letter “R” and the vehicle’s name. Get another RC SmartPoint Racer (sold separately) and race a friend! (Ages 1-5 years, MSRP:US $59.99)
- Go! Go! Smart Animals® Grow & Learn Farm™: Get growing at the Go! Go! Smart Animals Grow & Learn Farm. This colorful farm has an electronic barn that introduces colors, numbers and vegetables. Roll Reggie the SmartPoint® rooster over any of the seven SmartPoint locations to hear different phrases, music or fun sound effects. Then push the watering can to watch the garden “grow.” Kids can also connect the tracks to other Go! Go! Smart Animals and Go! Go! Smart Wheels® playsets (sold separately). (Ages 1-5 years, MSRP: US$39.99)
- Lil’ Critters Soothing Starlight Hippo™: Sweet dreams are ahead with the Lil’ Critters Soothing Starlight Hippo. This adorable hippo projects a vibrant starry night sky onto the ceiling in four different colors to the sounds of peaceful tunes, seven nursery rhymes, nature sounds and lullabies. Colorful light effects enhance visual awareness, while the comforting sounds and songs help soothe babies to sleep. This helpful hippo also responds to babies’ cries with calming music. (Ages Birth and up, MSRP: US$24.99)
- Sit-to-Stand Ultimate Alphabet Train™: Hop aboard the Sit-to-Stand Ultimate Alphabet Train and play ten activities while learning letters, numbers, colors and more. The train helps build motor skills with six manipulative features including a storybook, clock, gears and 13 double-sided letter blocks that little ones can plug into the side of the train to learn letters and build their vocabulary. The train also recognizes the blocks when they’re dropped down the chute. For role-play fun, pick up the walkie-talkie and press the number buttons to pretend to talk to animal friends. The Ultimate Alphabet Train is designed to grow with children and can be used with floor play or as a ride on and transforms into a walker. When little conductors get older, the caboose converts into a wagon they can fill with toys and pull along to develop gross motor skills. (Ages 12-36 mos, MSRP: US$49.99)
- Write & Learn Creative Center™: The Write & Learn Creative Center provides children with an interactive and fun way to give them a head start on how to write. Animated demonstrations help preschoolers follow along to learn proper stroke order for uppercase and lowercase letters. Customize the creative center with a child’s name and the screen will show them how to write it step-by-step. Choose a drawing activity and children will learn to draw by progressing from simple lines and shapes to 26 different objects. Little artists can then explore their creativity by drawing their own pictures with the included stencils and stamps while listening to the cheerful music. (Ages 3-6 years, MSRP: US$24.99)
- Baby Amaze® Learn to Talk & Read Baby Doll™: Talk to the Baby Amaze Learn to Talk & Read Baby Doll and hear her repeat what is said, or read from the three included vocabulary books featuring more than 70 words. The more little ones talk to the baby doll, the more the baby doll will learn. The baby doll also encourages nurturing role play by asking children for her pacifier, bottle and more. Press the four buttons on the baby doll and put the bottle or pacifier in her mouth to explore all the fun interactive activities. (Ages 2-5 years, MSRP: US$29.99)
About VTech
VTech is a world leader in age-appropriate and developmental stage-based electronic learning products for children. As a pioneer in the learning toy category, VTech develops high-quality, innovative educational products that enrich children’s development and make learning fun. With a rich, almost 35 year history, VTech has not only established itself as a learning authority but also consistently remains at the forefront of innovation with multiple award-winning products such as the InnoTab® MAX, VTech’s first children’s tablet with Android™ learning content, Kidizoom® Smartwatch, the first smartwatch for kids with a built-in camera, InnoTab® 3S, MobiGo®, V.Reader® and V.Smile®. The Learning Lodge®, VTech’s comprehensive app store, features a robust library of more than 800 educational and entertaining games, e-Books, music and videos with engaging age-appropriate content across the widest variety of curricula, with content expanding to offer even more titles. The company also has a broad range of award-winning infant and preschool products available in 25 different languages worldwide, with more than 100 new products introduced every year. VTech was awarded a prestigious 2015 Toy of The Year (TOTY) Award for its Go! Go! Smart Animals® Zoo Explorers Playset™. In order to further strengthen VTech’s position as a learning authority, the company’s Expert Panel, with esteemed experts in reading, language arts, science, math, and child development, consult on new product introductions and Learning Lodge content.
VTech Electronics North America, LLC is based in Arlington Heights, Illinois. VTech Electronics Limited is headquartered in Hong Kong with distribution globally.
For more information on VTech’s additional product lines, visit www.VTechKids.com, www.facebook.com/VTechtoys on Facebook or follow @VTechToys on Twitter.
About The Tillywig Toy & Media Awards Program
The Tillywig Toy & Media Awards aim to provide retail buyers, news media, parents, and consumers with product information and reviews of superior children’s products available in today’s marketplace.
In addition to the evaluation of products, the Tillywig program also awards a small number of retail stores each year for their ongoing contributions to promoting high quality, innovative new products. Product awards are given on the basis of group play tests, the primary purpose of which is evaluating the entertainment and/or educational value of the products submitted.
Retailer awards are given on the basis of information procured through online research as well as interviews with manufacturers, retailers, and consumers.
