Best Preschool Toys of 2012

Pig and Moo Poppers

What happens when animals attack? Hint: It's a wild time with these soft popping toys. Preschoolers squeeze the belly to shoot foam balls up to 20 feet. 4 years+, $11; hogwildtoys.com

Magic Moves Electronic Wand

Pump up your kid's playdate with this wand that gives silly suggestions to act out, such as "Stomp like an elephant!" 3 years+, $20; educationalinsights.com

LeapPad2 Explorer

Last year's hottest holiday gift is back and better than ever with new features, including two cameras (front- and back-facing), 4GB of memory, a faster processor, and more app and game options. 3 years+, $100; leapfrog.com

Bear in Underwear Backpack Adventure Board Game!

Engage kids with a mix of competition and cooperation as they find the food on their cards (and share the leftovers). 3 years+, $21; haywiregroup.com

Quattro

Connect 4 goes green with this eco-friendly set made out of bamboo. Line up four in your color to win the game. 3 years+, $40; hapetoys.com

Brilli the Imagination Ball

"Hot Potato" gets a rousing upgrade with this interactive toy. Its face twists to switch between fast-paced counting, rhyming, and vocab games. 3 years+, $18; vtechkids.com

iTikes Microscope

Discover a new world with this app-and-tech-toy combo. View a goldfish scale or a fungus up close through the scope and then learn more on an iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone. 4 years+, $90; littletikes.com

Primary Science Mix & Measure Set

Get your geek on with this oversize lab kit. Experiment cards walk future scientists through the basics, from how to use the scale to creating slime. 4 years+, $30; learningresources.com

Play House

Your kid will dig out the cloth "wall" of this dollhouse lets down to make a garden playmat. You'll love the compact size of this three-story dream home. 3 years+, $80; plantoysusa.com

Chuck and Friends Diggin' Rigs Buster the Power Crane

The talking crane assists your kid with sculpting bricks, road signs, and traffic cones in this Play-Doh set. 3 years+, $22; playdoh.com

All Around Easel for Two

With a chalkboard on one side and a magnetized dry-erase board on the other, your artist will have twice the fun. Bonus: 94 letter and symbol magnets. 3 years+, $40; step2.com

Color Wonder Light-Up Paint Palette

Take the "pieces" out of "masterpieces" with this self-contained set from Crayola: The brush attaches to the palette. 4 years+, $25; crayola.com

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