FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Melanie Notkin (Founder)
Press@SavvyAuntie.com
(917) 449 2917 (PRESS ONLY)

Child Lifestyle Expert, Best-Selling Author and Premier SAVVY AUNTIE®
Melanie Notkin Honors the Most Coveted Toys of the Year:
THE 3RD ANNUAL SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARDS.

New York, NY – November 17, 2011 – Melanie Notkin,  founder and CEO of Savvy Auntie, the multiplatform lifestyle brand for aunts by relation, aunts by choice and godmothers, announces her annual list of coolest toys for the 2011 holiday season. Thirty toys in all have made the coveted list this year.

Notkin is the tribal leader for the underrepresented 50% of American women whom she’s dubbed “Savvy Aunties.”  This influential demographic of PANKs® (Professional Aunts No Kids) has a strong desire to make the most savvy toy choices each season. With many toy marketers and toy lists focusing on primary caregivers, Notkin created the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards in 2009 to give aunts and other secondary caregivers the toy-savvy they need to make the best gift choices for the children in their lives.

Notkin’s toy list certainly helps Aunties maintain that “Cool Aunt” status. And Notkin’s toy list also fosters what she’s playfully dubbed: “QualAuntie Time.” The playtime time an Auntie spends with a niece or nephew of any age is quality time - often uninterrupted playtime - an important part of any baby and child’s developmental growth.  Studies show that from pretend play as babies and toddlers to social development and problem solving as big kids, toys that children enjoy playing with are often an important part of their development. Savvy Aunties are giving kids gifts they crave as well as giving them the opportunity to develop necessary skills through having fun.

As a respected toy expert, Notkin meets with toy manufactures and industry analysts to discover the year’s ground-breaking toys – the ones on the top of most nieces’ and nephews’ lists. “I find the most buzzed about toys based on industry outlooks, toy quality, strong pop culture tie-ins, modern twists on the classics - and then I add a little of my own “Savvy Auntuition” to produce this list each year,” Notkin says. “The toys they want to play with the most are the definitely the coolest toy choices an aunt can make.”

 
SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARDS By Age

Babipouce Sorbet First Baby Doll, ages infant+ (Corolle)

Sesame Street Let's Rock! Elmo, ages 18 months-4 (Playskool)

Rock Star Mickey, ages 2-4 (Fisher-Price)

Big Action Construction Site with Remote Control, ages 3-5 (Fisher-Price)

Dora the Explorer Fiesta Favorites Kitchen, ages 3-5 (Fisher-Price)

Disney Animators' Collection Dolls, ages 3+ (Disney)

Disney Princess Castle Dollhouse: Ultimate Dream Castle, ages 3-5 (Disney)

Squinkies Barbie Dream House Playset, ages 4-6 (Blip Toys)

Lalaloopsy Dolls, ages 4-6 (MGA Entertainment)

Angelina Ballerina Dance with Me! Game, ages 4-6 (Wonder Forge)

Hot Wheels Wall Tracks Starter Set, ages 4-6 (Mattel)

Smurfs Toys, ages 4-6 (Jakks Pacific)

LeapPad, ages 4-9 (LeapFrog)

Angry Birds Knock on Wood Game, ages 5-7 (Mattel)

Spy Net Rearview Spy Glasses, ages 5-8 (Jakks Pacific)

Crayola Glow Book, ages 6-12 (Crayola)

Moshi Monsters, ages 6-10 (Spin Master)

Umagine Bizu Bead Style Studio, ages 6-8 (Spin Master)

Justin Bieber Rockin' Tour Bus and Concert Stage, ages 6-8 (The Bridge Direct)

Fijit Friends Interactive Toy, ages 6-9 (Mattel)

Monster High Lagoona's Hydration Station & Doll, ages 6-8 (Mattel)

Crayola Model Magic Jewelry Studio, ages 6-8 (Crayola)

Beyblade Extreme Top System IR Spin Control Galaxy Pegasus Set, ages 8-10 (Hasbro)

Real Steel playest, ages 8-10 (Jakks Pacific)

LEGO Fire Temple – Ninjago, ages 8-10 (LEGO)

Nerf Vortex Vigilon Blaster, ages 8+ (Hasbro)

Monopoly: Electronic Banking Edition, ages 8+ (Hasbro)

Perplexus – Epic, ages 8-10  (PlaSmart)

Hedbanz Game, ages 8-12 (Spin Master)

Kre-O Transformers Optimus Prime Construction Set, ages 8-14 (Hasbro)

Each winning toy is listed on Savvy Auntie with links to an online retailer for purchase. The winning brands receive a 2011 Savvy Auntie Coolest Award Winner seal for promotional purposes, attracting the PANK demographic with Notkin’s ‘stamp of approval.’

About Melanie Notkin

Melanie Notkin (a.k.a Savvy Auntie) is the founder of SavvyAuntie.com and creator of the popular Savvy Auntie lifestyle brand – the phenomenon heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a celebration of modern, cosmopolitan Aunthood.  She’s also the national best-selling author of Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (April 2011 - Morrow/Harpercollins). She’s the founder of Auntie’s Day™, the first national holiday to honor and celebrate aunts and aunthood. Notkin is one of the most influential personalities in social media, including a Top 100 Most Powerful Woman on Twitter (grader)  and a Top 10 Woman in Social Media (genConnect/Yahoo Shine) As toy expert, Notkin serves on the Toy Industry Association – ‘Toy of the Year’ Nomination Committee.

Melanie Notkin appears on TV as taste-maker for children’s trends and is available immediately as a lifestyle expert for Holiday Gift Guide stories and TV segments, as well as other child lifestyle expertise as needed. For additional information on the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Savvy Auntie:  917.449.2917 or Press@SavvyAuntie.com .

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About Savvy Auntie

SavvyAuntie.com, a 2011 Forbes Top 100 Websites for Women and 2009 Webby Award nominee, is the first resource and online community for aunts – Aunts by Relation (ABR), Aunts by Choice (ABC) and all fabulous kid-friendly women. The website offers advice and expertise developed just for aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews. The Savvy Auntie community enables aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of aunt-hood. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” and earning praise from the New York Times to Elle Italy, Savvy Auntie empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate aunthood.