Need a Gift? Try These Step 2 Award Winning Toddler Toys

Kid-Tested Research Shows American-Made Step 2 Toddler Toys Are Earning High Marks for What Kids Really Want This Holiday Shopping Season

STREETSBORO, Ohio · November 8, 2007 — The Step 2 Company, the largest toddler toy manufacturer in the United States, knows that if you're like most people, you haven't given much thought to toddler toy awards — if you even knew they existed.

But when you're searching online or stuck in a toy store faced with shelves full of choices and perhaps fewer dollars in your wallet this holiday shopping season, enlisting the help of some independent "expert testers" may just be what you need to make your job easier.

Toddler toy awards, based on competitions judged in real-world settings such as kindergartens and child care centers, are earned by allowing kids to play and adults to monitor and judge the toys on criteria such as role-playing experience, imaginative play, durability and value. Therefore, with awards as a guideline, you can improve the odds that the toys you buy this holiday shopping season are those your kids want and those that will last.

A total of 17 different Step 2 toddler toys have won a stocking full of distinctions this year with many appearing on several different lists as best picks for the 2007 Holiday Shopping Season. Step 2 play kitchens, art easel & desks, blocks, ride on toys and pretend play toddler toy items are among the items receiving awards, endorsements and accolades from industry experts and national media such as the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, National Association of Parenting Publications, Parents' Choice Foundation, Canadian Toy Testing Council, Dr. Toy, and parenthood magazines including American Baby, Parents, Family Fun, Baby Talk and Toy Wishes.

Take the Step 2 LifeStyle Grand Walk-in Kitchen™, a Parents' Choice Recommended Award Winner. With a full menu of electronic features this unique kitchen playhouse, complete with "hardwood floor" and granite-look counter tops, includes a burner that makes frying pan and boiling water sounds. The Step 2 LifeStyle Grand Walk-in Kitchen also garnered a Canadian Toy Testing Council "3-Star" Award – their highest rating!

For parents in search of outdoor toys like climbers and riding toys, Step 2 offers a wonderland of options that keeps kids physically active while developing their motor skills. The Step 2 Naturally Playful Look-out Treehouse, winner of the prestigious Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, challenges toddlers ages 18 months and older to climb, slide and explore in an elevated treehouse. If your child is a thrill seeker, there's no greater treat than to offer them amusement park fun right in their own backyard. Step 2's Extreme Coaster, was named a Toy of the Year Award Winner by Disney's Family Fun Magazine, placing in the top 10 for toddlers ages 3-5 years. Your children can easily climb the 9 foot ramp on its built-in steps to experience an extreme ride for hours of active fun.

The gift of imaginative play is priceless indeed this holiday shopping season. Step 2 always uses just the right mix of electronics to enhance the playtime experience without leading or directing the child's imagination. New toddler toy products such as the Doorway Playhouse, the Magical Shoe Fairy Cottage and the Main Street Village Community Helpers Collection are perfect examples of this well- thought-out blend and have all earned top marks from leading magazines such as Parents, American Baby, and Baby Talk.

You can learn more about these and other hot holiday toddler toys made by the Step 2 Company at www.step2.com. In the meantime, remember: the best toddler toy values still combine playtime fun with long-lasting durability. And that's a point kids of all ages can agree on.

Contact Info:
Dotti Foltz
Vice President, Marketing Communications
330-656-0440