The Canadian Toy Association held their annual Hot Toys of Summer show this past Tuesday at Ontario Place here in Toronto. It was a small, outdoor fair where kids of retailers and marketers could gather to see the latest in outdoor playgear. The fair included several items that I have already covered before, like the Talking Microscope and the R/C Dragonfly, but also a wide number of new items including an airplane-shaped kite, several Spider-Man, Shrek, Transformers, and Pirates of the Carribbean toys, and a new robot from Meccano (which I will feature in its own, detailed post).

Crayola's Chalk Tools set includes fourfive colours of chalk and a number of plastic tools that let you draw 3 lines at once, create extra thick lines, etc.

Super Soaker Transformers Gauntlets are worn on the arm and feature a pressurized blaster, rotating nozzle with 4 different streams. They don't transform, but if you push a button in the middle, the two shields on the side expand out.

The toy industry is always looking to put a new twist on an old favorite. Here is the Zoingo Boingo, a "freestyle pogo" from Spin Master that uses a stretchable cord to tether the handle to the ball, apparently allowing for higher, further jumps.

What impressed me was watching Spin Master rep Jodie Hamilton demonstrate it for me in her high heels

Now we're talking. The Canadian True North Aerokite is a leight weight airplane with wings that are attatched on an axle so they spin. This gives it enough lift to be flown like a traditional kite, although it requires more wind than usual.

With Summer Blockbusters comes the movie tie-ins and the fair had a large collection of Shrek, Spider-Man, and Transformer toys. The upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean movie inspired the most, including the release of several Pirate-theme toys from companies who couldn't afford the license.

Stuffed toys were on display, but to tie them into the summer theme were billed as "Travel Companions"

One of the most popular items I featured on Canada AM last year, the Marshmallow Shooter is back, this time in a version that can shoot giant marshmallows called the Marshmallow Blaster. One of the local Ontario Place birds, some kind of Magpie, spent the whole day working out ways to steal Marshmallows from the fair.

The rainy day section featured a number of construction toys including this sand-like substance called "Space Snow" that was popular.

Here a little girl plays with PlayFoam, a sculpting substance made up of little, sticky beads that you can squish together. Aside from its unique look, the foam has the advantage of never drying out and only sticking to itself and not to your table.

Spin Master's Rocket Fishing Rod takes the traditional fishing hook, hides it inside a special rocket-shaped bobber, and then uses a launching tube to fire it and the fishing line out onto the water. When the rocket-bobber reaches its apex, it separates, allowing the hidden hook and its bait to pop out and drop into the water. The idea is to make it so that kids don't have to handle the sharp hook each time they want to cast. There wasn't a fishing hole nearby, so I couldn't try it out to see how well it worked, but its a novel idea.