November 2008 Notable Toys — General Games

This high-energy game that combines balancing, jumping, sliding, giggling  to celebrate children's “I Can Do That!” attitude! The Cat in the Hat has come for a visit and he wants to see all the things a child can do.  The game starts by flipping over three cards to discover a new challenge: Can you jump up and down…while holding the fish…under your chin? Can you limbo under the trick-a-ma-stick…while balancing the boat…on your stomach? Those who think they can shout, “I Can Do That!” There are hundreds of hilarious possibilities. The player who earns the most stars wins. The Cat in the Hat – I Can Do That! Game brings to life the beloved Dr. Seuss book giving kids a new and incredibly fun way to experience this classic Dr. Seuss story.

This set of 55 blocks adds variety to the classic move-a-block-and-don't-let-the-tower-fall game with colored pieces and rules that involve rolling dice and moving a block of the same color shown.

Players race to say a common phrase using one word from the previous phrase. If a player pauses, the horn honks and he or she has to give up a link. The player with the most links when the first player is out wins The Chain Game! Fast, fresh and free flowing . . . The Chain Game is the link that brings friends and family together. Launch date: 2008.

Using a variety of shapes, players build a picture of the item listed on the Squint Card. If a player guesses before the time runs out, both the builder and guesser score points. For Squint fun with the whole family, see Squint Junior.

Gold Digger sets two to five anxious prospectors on a quest to find their fortunes in gold. Picking the right mines will yield a conucopia of riches, but players must beware of fool's gold! This game has received the following awards: 2004 Traditional Games 100, 2004 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, and Canadian Toy Testing Council Three Star Award. Launch date: 2003.

In a flurry of no-holds-barred trading, only the crafiest players will survive in this stock-taking, deal-making game. The first player claiming majority control is the winner. "The players control the entire game," Leah Osterhaus, VP of marketing for Out of the Box Publishing, told TDmonthly. It has won the following awards: 2004 Games 100, 2004 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, 2004 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children's Product, 2004 Parenting for High Potential Recommended, and 2004 Canadian Toy Testing Council Three Star Award. Launch date: 2004.

This innovative card game plays like a ball game and sends action in all directions. Players send a card to another player and see if they have what it takes to respond. "Pepper is based on the familiar playground game of four-square. It is a simple card game that is great for families," Leah Osterhaus, VP of marketing for Out of the Box Publishing, told TDmonthly. The game earned a 2006 Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence. Launch date: 2006.

First printed in 1903, Gavitt's Stock Exchange is an exciting card game that challenges three to six players to be the first to get all the cards of one railway line, call out "Topeka" and win the hand. It received a 2003 Major Fun Award as well as a 2003 Best Classic Toy Award from Dr. Toy. Launch date: 2003.

Kids can track the ball, take aim, swing the weight, IMPACT and score. In this game of skill and eye-hand coordination, players may swing too soon or too late and miss. Timing a swing just right earns points, and the highest score wins. Launch date: 2009.

Kids can make trick shots just like the pros, amazing and challenging their friends as well as themselves. The product is easy to assemble and comes with step-by-step instructions. Launch date: 2009.

In this bean bag game of skill and accuracy, kids have the chance to choose their strategy — get three in a row to win or UPSET your opponent before they win. Launch date: 2009.

Kids put their aiming skills to the test with this Shuffleboard-style tabletop game that's as fast as it is fun. The game includes dual-action bumpers for lightning-fast play. Launch date: November 2008.

This game balances fun with gravity. Players rotate the pivoting platforms to guide six steel balls and collect points, experiencing nerve-racking action as the balls begin to fall. "It's fully enclosed which makes for safe fun!" Janice Hudy, sales and marketing assistant for POOF-Slinky, told TDmonthly. "It comes with simple, easy-to-read game-playing instructions." Launch date: November 2008.

This spinner lets kids determine their own fate with chores around the house. Possbilities include "wash the dishes," "feed the pets," "mow the lawn," "take out the trash" and more.

Shape the World is a game for everyone, everywhere. Using the universal language of shapes and numbers, imagination and simple shapes are combined to create images of objects in the world around us, providing economical and intergenerational play with no drawing skills required, and no advantage with age. Just a little luck gives all players a chance to win. Easily customized, players can shape their own world. For one to six players, each player has one minute to draw up something to fit the designated category using the shapes available. Players decide if the drawing fits the category or not.

Players fill in their safari boards with base ten units and rods to escape the tiger. They'll learn about addition, subtraction and place value while trying to escape the tiger. "Place Value Safari is a great hands-on game for teaching math skills that's beautifully designed and includes materials children will have fun playing with while they're learning," Margo Hanson, marketing manager for Didax Education, told TDmonthly. This product received a 2008 Teacher's Choice Award and was a 2008 AEP(Association of Educational Publishers) Distinguished Award Winner. Launch date: February 2008.

Who will be first to get to Witch's Mountain? Two to four players take turns testing their memory and advancing toward the mountain. Kids roll the dice and find the cards that match what they rolled to win. Little Thunder Witch can be played in three variations. Game play is approximately 15 minutes. "The wooden game pieces are made in Germany using native reforested woods and nontoxic water based stains, not paint," Lisa Orman, president of KidStuff Public Relations, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2008.

Kids can choose from Hockey, Lacrosse, Basketball, Soccer or Baseball dice games. Each includes four dice and a mini sport bag. The player's team that scores the most goals, baskets or points in a game wins. "ChalkTalkSPORTS dice games are based on the basic rules of the sport and are a fun and fast playing game that appeal to all ages," Julie Lynn, president of ChalkTalkSPORTS, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 20, 2008.

Grand Corral allows players to learn about the wonderful world of horses, while answering challenging and interesting multiple choice or true/false trivia questions. Each time a player correctly answers a question, he claims one of 25 horse play figures from the beautifully-illustrated corral, and proudly display it in his own paddock. A player must collect the most horses to win. Kids and adults will enjoy learning about the various horse breeds, where they live, how they develop, how they’re cared for and how they are ridden. "Grand Corral is one of the only board games in existence that focuses entirely on horse lovers," Nicole Tiedemann, PR account executive for International Playthings, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2008.

Bob them as they pop! Using the space rocket boppers, two players try to capture the Crazy Mixed-up Manic Martians as they peep out from craters in the “planet” game base. "iPlay Crazy Mixed-Up Manic Martians is a fun, two-player, scaled-down alternative to the popular game Whack-A-Mole. Kids will love bopping the surprise pop-up martians!" Nicole Tiedemann, PR account executive for International Playthings, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2008.

Two to four players defend their goal area using fast-action flippers from one of four adorable Jungle Animals — all while a mixed-up monkey “referee” wobbles around and gets in the way. The five colorful balls bounce around the game and off of the monkey, adding to the challenge and wackiness of this fast-paced game. Each score is rewarded with a special scoring banana. "iPlay Jungle Animal Pinball resembles the age-old classic eat-up pinball games, but includes a new twist. Instead of gathering pinballs, players are required to keep the pinballs out!" Nicole Tiedemann, PR account executive for International Playthings, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2008.

Players roll the dice and hit a single, double, triple or Home Run and win, just like real baseball. Each time the dice are rolled, the tokens will move according to the outcome of the total on the dice. Depending on the outcome, the tokens will make a move based on the commonly known rules of baseball. The object of the game is to score the highest number or runs possible to beat one or more competitors. It includes instructions, two dice, a baseball diamond, nine playing pieces per player, a scoreboard card, a statistical sheet per team, two dry-erase markers, an official Baseball's Board Game sticker and a Baseball's Board Game Cup. Players "will feel the passion of playing baseball in winter, summer and all the seasons," Aurelio Rodriguez, marketing director for Fun Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2008.

These retro classics will take you back to your childhood! There are four All American Boy Classics to choose from: Marbles, Knot Tying, Yo & Hardwood Throwing Top. And there are four All American Girl Pastimes to choose from: Jumbo Jacks, Skip Rope, Hopscotch and the Wonderball. Each comes with a 20-page handbook full of history, instructions and game techniques packaged in a recycled gift box. "All of our products are made in the USA," Jon Hogue, vice president of Channel Craft, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2008.

Excalibur Electronics presents Phantom Force, a powerful chess set with one incredible trick–it moves pieces all on its own. Utilizing the latest in micro motor and magnet technology, Phantom Force brings chess computing into the 21st century. Phantom Force will play Knights, Pawns and other pieces, sliding them into position as if an invisible hand were controlling it. "Phantom Force Chess offers a wide variety of features, including sound effects, voice vocabulary in three languages, hint button, coaching mode, teaching mode for new players, time control, built-in dual chess clock display, in-game memory, adjustable LCD contrast, [and] auto-shut off, and [it] is designed with a storage compartment to hold your chessmen," Meg Sahdala, senior product manager at Excalibur Electronics Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2008.
— As of 1.06.2011 this product was listed as a bestseller in the Games & Puzzle category on Toysrus.com. Pros: Helps hone logic skills; can be played alone.