NogginRings™ and NogginStik™ Developmental Toys Grasp Two Spots On Oppenheim’s Very Best Infant Toys For 2015 List
Noblesville, IN (November 30, 2015) – Everyone in the toy business agrees that the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio is both esteemed and stingy when it comes to giving out its highest honor, the coveted Platinum Best Toy Award. Winning just one in a toy company’s lifetime is a rare feat. Submitting two products—the only two products a new company makes–and having them both win Platinum is remarkable. But remarkable is what SmartNoggin is all about as babies reach developmental milestones as they play with NogginStik Developmental Light Up Rattle ($22.99) and NogginRings Reaching and Grasping Rings ($18.99).
NogginStik was designed to help parents, caregivers and early intervention therapists begin encouraging early milestones in infants. The NogginStik head lights up red, blue and green to stimulate a baby’s eyes and to encourage visual tracking. The base of the NogginStik makes a soft rattle sound to please the ears. It even has an easy-to-hold handle for mastering grasping. The toy’s fun textures delight baby’s sense of touch.
The second Oppenheim Platinum winner is NogginRings. If it looks familiar, it is! The late Dr. Richard Chase, founder of Child Growth and Development Corporation, originally introduced this infant toy as “Red Rings” in the 1970’s. Today this classic toy has a modern twist. This updated version offers infants chances to practice developing skills through play. The flexible rings encourage batting, reaching, grasping and transferring from one hand to the other. Give it a shake and the rattling sound encourages baby to turn in the direction of the noise.
It’s not just Oppenheim but consumers who have purchased these baby products and now gush how special they truly are. Wrote two different moms on amazon.com about their NogginStik experiences:
“I bought this for my 6-month-old son at a local toy store. This is a great driving-in-the-car toy for kids who tend to get bored easily and scream to express their displeasure. The light-up feature is a great distraction. Since most babies in this age range are shaking everything violently and the light is triggered by shaking, this is a very functional toy for babies of this age.”
“Please, please, please do not be thrown off by the big price on this little toy,” wrote another new mother. “It is worth every penny. Honestly, if Amazon is telling you ‘Hurry only (insert low number here) left,’ quit reading this review, order at least one, and come back to finish reading about your purchase because I put time and effort in this review. This is a great toy. We ended up getting three — one for the house, car, and diaper bag. Our son has medically intractable focal seizures nearly constantly. They are not triggered by light and somehow he is often able to stop/lessen them when distracted by toys. This toy has become our go-to for his seizure control, but would be great for any baby.”
The same reaction was shared online at amazon.com about the NogginRings. “My 6-month-old daughter has loved this toy since I purchased it over a month ago. Never gets old.”
At the popular website ableplay.org, another mom typed, “I remember this toy from when I was a kid! I love that I can share childhood, nostalgic toys with my son.”
No one is happier to read these reviews than Marcia Haut, a special needs educator with over 30 years of experience. In her search for toys that would encourage beginning milestones in babies, she decided to create one. That was the origin of toy company SmartNoggin, founded in 2012.
“Knowing the importance of a baby’s brain stimulation and hoping to decrease further developmental delays, I created a cute baby rattle that has a powerful agenda,” explained Haut. “The NogginStik Developmental Rattle and its Parent Guide helps moms and dads gain confidence in their ability to prod baby’s developmental milestones from the moment they come home.”
“Finding fun ways to help reach essential milestones is what first led me to the NogginRings, so it is at the core of everything we believe here at SmartNoggin,” adds Haut. “I remember seeing the original Red Rings when it was introduced, so this is a dream partnership for me. I am very thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Chase’s company, Child Growth and Development Corporation, and Design Innovation, Inc., to reintroduce classic, research-based products that allow us to provide great developmental products to new parents.”
Listed below are the two Oppenheim reviews as seen on their website, www.toyportfolio.com:
NogginRings Grasping Rings • Newborn+ • $18.99 2015 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum 2015 Oppenheim SNAP Award
“Use this for early interactions, holding it for baby to swat at, reach for and grasp hold of as
you play together. This high contrast toy will grab even a newborns visual attention with its face in the center, and black and white rings and big red ring. It has a soft rattle that will not startle baby. Turn the face and there’s a peek-a- boo game you can play as the face disappears and reappears. Once baby begins to reach out and take hold of things, this is a favorite to bat at, grab and explore. Encourages two-handed play and exploration with older infants.”
NogginStik Developmental Light-Up Rattle • Newborn+ • $22.99
2015 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum 2015 Oppenheim SNAP Award
“Testers liked this clever hi-tech rattle. Based on a classic barbell rattle shape, this one has a flat bottom on one side so it
can stand up and an amazing light-up face on the other side. It has a quiet rattle sound when you shake it, and the round head changes colors from blue to green to red. The photo here, show the same rattle as it appears when the light changes. A fun toy for early tracking games and sensory discoveries later on. At the bottom there is a small mirror that distorts more than reflects, but has added interest. The high contrast black and white on the
base will provide visual interest even the youngest baby and the easy to grasp textured red and yellow bar adds sensory interest to the touch when baby is old enough to take hold of things. Of course, this is something for parents to use with baby until true hand control is developed. It’s a toy infants will reach out for, but they are very likely bop themselves with it before they are really in control of hand movements.”
Find both of these infant toys online and at specialty toy stores coast to coast.
About SmartNoggin
With over 30 years of experience under her belt, SmartNoggin founder, Marcia Haut, set out to create a company with a simple and ambitious goal – help parents lay the foundation for all future learning. As a front-line provider and developmental therapist for children with special needs and a mother, Haut was frustrated that she could not find a product to encourage important early milestones in infants. There was a need in the market and NogginStik was the first to fill this need, but Haut did not stop there. While the product line currently consists of two products—NogginStik and NogginRings—there are plans to extend to a whole line of Milestone Maker™s™ developmental products. Discover more information at their website, www.smartnoggintoys.com.
CONTACT: KidStuff Public Relations
Lisa Orman, 608-767-1102 Lisa@KidStuffPR.com