Toy Fair 2012: the hottest new toys from the show floor

iPad accessories, dancing robots, DVRs for kids, helicopters and much more. We bring you the best of Toy Fair 2012.

We don't cover a whole lot of toys for kids here at CNET, but every year we make the journey to Toy Fair, which is once again at the Javitz Center in New York. And like every other online gadget publication, we wanted to give you a little taste of what's there.

Granted, with somewhere around 1500 manufacturers, distributors, importers and sales agents from 30 countries making the rounds at the convention centre, we're only highlighting a small fraction of all the products on display. But hopefully there's a little something for everyone in the lengthy photomontage below.

Enjoy — and, as always, feel free comment.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Activision Skylanders Giants

Activision's Skylanders franchise has been a huge hit with kids, and the company used Toy Fair to unveil the next version of the game, Skylanders Giants.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Tree Rex

Activision only showed one of eight larger figures (one for each element) that are part of the new Skylanders Giants game that arrives later this year. His name: Tree Rex.

All of the new figures feature "Light Force" technology that allows the figure's body parts to light up when placed on the Portal of Power (no battery in the figure required).

No word on pricing yet, but expect the Giants figures to cost significantly more. After all, they are twice the size of the original figures, which can be used in the new game. Needless to say, the Giants characters in the video game possess certain unique attributes.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Mattel Apptivity

With its Apptivity line of games, Mattel is trying to marry "real" toys with iPad apps. The jury's still out on whether that's a good idea.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Apptivity Hot Wheels car

The non-scratching wheels of the Hot Wheels car work with the iPad's touchscreen.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Apptivity toys: Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja

Apps evolve into plastic toys, as Mattel's Apptivity line includes Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja toys that work with the original games.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Mattel Fijit Friends

Mattel's dancing Fijit Friends are back (Mattel said it sold 900,000 of them last year), and have added to their family with the smaller — and one might say cuter — Newbies and Yippits.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

The eyes of a Fijit Friend

Dancing in the dark with a Fijit Friend.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Hot Wheels Ballistiks

Playing on the Transformers theme, Mattel has designed a Hot Wheel that folds up into a ball.

"With a quick fold and tuck, Hot Wheels Ballistiks turns from a vehicle to a ball that can be rolled rapidly across the floor, down carpeted stairs or anywhere boys imagine up a stunt."

To transform from ball to vehicle, you simply crash the Ballistiks vehicle onto a hard surface. There will be 24 vehicles in all, from June.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Barbie Photo Fashion doll

The Barbie Photo Fashion doll has a camera in her back and a shirt with a screen that adds a frame around whatever you shoot. Photos can be offloaded from Barbie with an included pink USB cable. It's due out in the US this August for US$50.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Hot Wheels Total Control Racing

Mattel says: "Never before done, these Hot Wheels vehicles utilise IR remote technology and supercharged micro-motors to create some of the fastest 1:64-scale cars ever."

This presenter (above) was showing just how fast and powerful these little cars are on a custom, tight-looping track made for the show (the car actually went up the track).

The vehicles can be used alone or on Total Control Racing stunt tracks, which include one car and one booster. The cars are due out in May.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Mattel Terrain Twister

Mattel is bringing back one of its earlier RC vehicles, the Terrain Twister, after a long hiatus. As its name implies, this one travels on almost any surface, even snow.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Rest for the weary

A Cosmix product promoter taking a load off her feet.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Soda geyser-powered car

Mix a little soft drink with some Mentos, and suddenly you have a geyser-powered car. It's a short trip, but soft drink's a lot cheaper than jet fuel, especially if you stick with generic brands.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Regal Elite Glove Force

A new wrinkle in the RC helicopter scene: Regal Elite's Glove Force uses a gyro-equipped arm band for some surprisingly accurate control.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Toy show floor

A massive Power Ranger looms over the main lobby.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Nanodot sculptures

Magnetic sculptures on display in the Nanodots booth; this golden dragon is an impressive achievement.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Tosy SketRobo

Tosy's SketRobo, a sketching robot, is a dead ringer for a futuristic version of the automaton in the film Hugo.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Snap Circuits light

Snap Circuits, an easier-to-assemble type of electronic circuit-board kit.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Vechs Prix

This Vechs RC car sports a telltale iPhone home button on its front hood that, according to our conversation with the company, won't be in the final version.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Augmented reality: children's book edition

Augmented-reality children's books from Popar require a nearby webcam to translate the embedded AR codes into 3D animations that appear on the screen.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Digi-Piggy

Digi-Piggy is a bank that counts coins as you insert them, and keeps a running tally of what's inside. Piggy banks just got a lot more depressingly accurate.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Tangle: the lamp

Remember Tangle, that '80s toy? Now it's a lamp.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Thames & Kosmos Stirling engine

Build your own Stirling engine! OK, so this has been around for a while, but we're still impressed.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Do-it-yourself eco car

Teach your kids about fuel cells! This Thames & Kosmos kit will build a car running on magnesium plates, salt water and oxygen.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Power house

Teach kids to be green with their very own solar-powered mini-eco home, from Thames & Kosmos.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Crayola EZ Type Keyboard

Why does Crayola make a keyboard? To colour code the vowels and consonants, of course.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

It's Cosmix!

The Cosmix gals back in action.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Android plush

Every Android fanboy will find comfort in a plush toy.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Big Bang Theory

This toy "button" delivers your favourite Sheldon phrases (disclaimer: CNET is owned by CBS, the network that broadcasts the TV show The Big Bang Theory).
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Lacetek

Lacetek is small company that sells LCDs that attach to kids' shoes (US$19.95 for a pair). They recharge via USB, and you can upload new images to them.

Lacetek's motto is, "Every shoe can be extraordinary".
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Hexbug Scarab

Meet Scarab, Hexbug's spidery new bug that comes out later this year. Like real bugs, if this one ends up on its back, it can turn itself over. It will be available in multiple colours.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Warriors Hexbugs

Hexbug is debuting a new line of Warriors Hexbugs later this year.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Portable DVR

The Fisher Price Kid-Tough Portable DVR connects to a TV or DVR box to offload shows on the go; it comes with an expandable microSD card slot for an extra 32GB of Dinosaur Train episodes.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Tosy DiscoRobo

Another of Tosy's robot novelties: a dancing robot that gets surprisingly funky when exposed to music.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Digital Slot Racing

Carrera's latest slot-car racing sets have gone digital, with readout displays and wireless controllers.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Codee

Simple and brilliant: Codee is a simple plastic bendable chain that comes with an assembly code for bending a little model toy in a certain order by following numbered and lettered notches on each joint. The single chain of plastic can be bent into other shapes by following other codes, which can be shared online.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Lexibook Juniors tablet

Android tablets ... for kids! Get ready for 2012's burgeoning holiday trend. Lexibook is one of several manufacturers looking to get in on making child-oriented Android tablets at aggressive US$199-range prices.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Razor Vapor Delta 500

Scott Stein showing off Razor's Vapor Delta 500 gel-ammo blaster, which fires 100 rounds of jelly-like pellets at a time.
(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

Vapor Ammo

A peek inside at the Vapor gel-ammo pellets.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Nyko Yo Gabba Gabba dock

Nyko's Yo Gabba Gabba dock works with both the iPhone/iPod and Nintendo DS/3DS. That's a lot of synergy.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Lapiluv loves the iPad

The Lapiluv is an apron made for entertaining your baby. Clip-on toys and even an iPad can be slotted into mummy or daddy's willing chest. You, too, can be a walking appcessory.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Shutter Huggers

Can't get your kid to smile at the camera? Shutter Huggers cleverly adds a stuffed-animal ring to your SLR camera lens. If this doesn't work, nothing will.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Bicycle jacks up its cards with AR

Bicycle gets in on the app-stravaganza with Jacked Up, which includes a QR code wild card that's readable by the game's app. Perhaps this is a case where an app wasn't necessary.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Game Changer for iPad

The Game Changer iPad accessory adds interactive board-game flaps that work with a set of apps and skins.

Via CNET