June 2008 New Toys — General Games

Solar System 48pc Floor Puzzle by MELISSA & DOUG

The 48-jumbo-piece puzzle depicts the planets and the moon in the solar system. The puzzle is educational and also teaches kids matching and motor skills. Each puzzle piece is made of extra-thick cardboard for extra durability. The puzzle measures 24” x 36” when assembled.
— “Melissa & Doug’s solar system puzzle – we sell at least one a day,” Steve Ricks, owner of My Story House Toys in Roswell, Ga., told TDmonthly.
— “Floor puzzles by Melissa & Doug – [we sell] at least one a day,” Bob Colbert, owner of The Toy Box in Searcy, Ark., told TDmonthly.
— Over 11 percent of retailers who spoke with TDmonthly in early 2008 shared that large floor puzzles by Melissa & Doug are their stores’ best-sellers when it comes to puzzles. ( Watch Video) 3/24/2008 (Price: $11.99)

Astrology by RAVENSBURGER

The 9,000-piece astrology puzzle measures 54” x 76” when assembled.
— “Five hundred pieces and above are the best-sellers,” David Hesel, owner of The Toy Shop of Concord in Concord, Mass., said of Ravensburger’s puzzles. “It’s the adult puzzle business,” Hessel told TDmonthly.
— According to Dennis Hosstedder of The Toy Store in Atlanta, Ga., “We sell [a Ravensburger puzzle] every day."
— “We sell a lot of Ravensburger puzzles… four or five puzzles a day,” Pam Horowitz, manager of Mr. Toad’s Toy Company in Naples, Fla., told TDmonthly in early 2008. 3/24/2008 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Fancy Nancy Dress Up Game by BEST OF BEST

The Fancy Nancy Dress-Up Game takes paper dolls to a new level as players help Nancy become "Fancy" Nancy be adding special fun stuff.  Beribboned, fushia-loving, feather-wearing Nancy absolutely adores being fancy, and wants her very plain family to take part in the pleasure of frills too.  Your little ones will enjoy learning the difference between "plain" and "fancy" as they play this role-play game designed for kids who have not yet learned to read. 3/24/2008 (Price: $12.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Set Cubed by BEST OF BEST

Your favorite game in a whole new dimension!  Create SETs up, down and across the board.  The more SETs you create, the higher your score.  This Curious Game of Clever Connections challenges a player's ability to find SETs by combining the dice in their hand with those already on the board. 3/24/2008 (Price: $20.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Math Spin™ by GEOSPACE INTERNATIONAL

Eight 2”-diameter magnetic wheels include all numerals, along with special wheels containing the operations symbols and the equation symbols. One, two or more players or teams can choose from 10 different games that help teach mathematics concepts. A game book and travel pouch are included. Launch date: 1999. 3/20/2008 (Price: $12.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Read Spin™ by GEOSPACE INTERNATIONAL

Eight 2”-diameter magnetic wheels include all letters in the alphabet and a special vowel wheel and a consonant wheel. One, two or more players or teams can choose from 10 different games that help teach language arts skills. A game book and travel pouch are included. Launch date: 1999. 3/20/2008 (Price: $12.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Mini Word Spin™ by GEOSPACE INTERNATIONAL

This miniature, keychain version of Geospace’s best-selling, award-winning magnetic spin game has eight magnetic wheels (7/8” diameter) that can be removed from the keychain spindle and played just like the original Word Spin. While standing in line, riding the bus, or waiting for an appointment, players can spin and rearrange the wheels to spell words that score high point values. There are 10+ different games for one, two or more players. Launch date: 1996. 3/20/2008 (Price: $4.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Bratz Kidz™ 18pc Hopscotch Set by MGA ENTERTAINMENT

The game comes with eleven foam mats that interlock together like a puzzle, four heart-shaped hopscotch markers, three colorful chalks and a clear vinyl bag for easy storage and transport. Each die-cut mat is numbered for easy assembly and comes art that kids can punch out and use as a stencil. The game is great for indoor or outdoor play. 3/20/2008 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Shrek® Bowling by MGA ENTERTAINMENT

In this bowling game, the character pins Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, Puss in Boots, Gingy and Pinocchio sing and talk until they are knocked down. The character pins can be set to both sing and talk as players bowl, or taunt players in unique ways as players attempt to knock them down. The game is perfect for indoor or outdoor use, and comes with a sound box-equipped vinyl bowling mat, six character pins, one bowling ball and eight outdoor ground stakes. 3/20/2008 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Don't Forget The Lyrics Game by HASBRO INC.

The game is based on the television show by the same name, where contestants attempt to fill in the missing lyrics in hundreds of popular songs. The game includes 400 lyric cards, card reader sleeve, a game board, four money marker pawns, nine category markers, one “backup singer” pawn, one “two words” pawn, one “three lines” pawn, twelve $10,000 tokens, a pad, pencils and a card tray. 3/19/2008 (Price: $22.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Cranium - Lets Play Count & Cook Game by HASBRO INC.

The game will have children counting, matching, imagining and cooperating both in and out of the kitchen. The game includes a game board, 20 ingredient tokens, four chef movers, a recipe book and die. 3/19/2008 (Price: $12.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Bulls-Eye Baseball Game by HASBRO INC.

The four-game electronic unit features talking, automatic scoring and ballgame sounds. A convenient snap-in storage tray houses ten metal balls. Three AA batteries are required. 3/19/2008 (Price: $24.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Disney Princess Spinning Wishes Game by HASBRO INC.

Players can either play the part of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella or Belle in this Disney Princess game. The object of the game is for players to make their wishes come true and find the gift her prince has left for her. The game is intended for two to four players. 3/18/2008 (Price: $14.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Let's Play Neighborhood Memory Game by CRANIUM INC.

Kids will place center pieces into frames — such as a bird inside a nest frame — to make matches of things seen in everyday neighborhoods. The game will help children enhance their concentration, memory, image association, spatial thinking, fine motor and patience skills. The game comes with 24 colorful, interlocking pieces. 3/18/2008

Connect-O-Round by CRANIUM INC.

The game includes a spinning cylindrical playing board, which puts a twist on the classic four-in-a-row game. The game also comes with a spinning game tower and 42 tokens. All game pieces store easily inside the tower for quick and easy transport. 3/18/2008 (Price: $19.99)

Toad Toss'n by DRIVEWAY GAMES COMPANY LLC

The floating bean bag toss game consists of a 36” x 24” wedge target that inflates and floats like a raft and eight frog-shaped waterproof bean bags. Lilly pad scoring zones add a fun, new twist to the game. The game can be played on land or in a pool. "It takes the fun and huge popularity of traditional lawn bean bag toss to the swimming pool, indoors and beyond with the first-of-its-kind inflatable, floating target and toss bean bags," President Justin Greiwe of Driveway Games Company told TDmonthly. This product was named a 2008 Toy of the Year by Creative Child Magazine. Launch date: June 1, 2008. ( Watch Video) 3/17/2008 (Price: $16.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Cap Verses Puzzle Animal by LEE BROTHERS TOYS

When assembling the puzzle, players pick a piece and attempt to have the last letter of the animal become the first letter in the next word. The puzzle features a thick wooden base, high quality construction and colorful silk-screened images. ( Watch Video) 3/17/2008 (Price: $12.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Pohaku™ by SCIENCE WIZ / NORMAN & GLOBUS INC.

Pohaku is a set of games and puzzles with only one rule. Different variations of each game can be played, making the game challenging for players of all ages and skill levels. The set includes a 40 page color rulebook, stones, a sliding puzzle tray and scorecards. ( Watch Video) 3/17/2008 (Price: $19.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Spy Wire by WILD PLANET

In this puzzle game, two players use strategy to slide tiles on the gameboard, seeking to deactivate their opponent’s fuses by making connections between their "defuser" and opposing pegs. Launch date: Fall 2008. 3/17/2008 (Price: $24.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Equivalent Trios by WORLD CLASS LEARNING MATERIALS INC.

The game will help kids enhance their mathematical skills by solving and finding equivalents of percents, decimals, fractions, reduced fractions and pictures. In this domino-like game, players must pair equivalents until all the trios are matched. Each game comes with 36 trios. Launch date: March 2008. 3/17/2008 (Price: $14.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

One Up™ by FAMILY GAMES INC.

The goal is to line up four bearings of the same color. Starting with the counter at #1, each player pushes one bearing, one space.  The counter is then moves to #2, requiring players to make two moves. The counter progresses to #10, making the game increasingly challenging. The game is intended for two to four players. Launch date: 2008. 3/17/2008 (Price: $15.00)

Quantumino™ by FAMILY GAMES INC.

Players attempt to fit 16 of the 17 CD pentamino pieces inside the box. Remove a different piece each game for an entirely new challenge. Launch date: 2008. ( Watch Video) 3/17/2008 (Price: $15.00)

Battle of the Sixes™ by FAMILY GAMES INC.

Players match their rolled sixes, or combinations that equal six, with their opponent’s die. When a player cannot make a match, the opponent makes a decision that could lead to mathematical madness. The first player to reach 60 points or land on a score where the combined two digits total six (15, 24, 33, 42, 51) wins. Launch date: 2008. 3/17/2008 (Price: $10.00)

99™ by FAMILY GAMES INC.

In this fast-paced numbers game, players add number cards to the count pile. The count can quickly raise or lower at the flip of a card. The player who cannot keep the line at, or below 99 loses the round.  The game is intended for two to eight players. Launch date: 2008. 3/17/2008 (Price: $60.00)

Inversé™ by FAMILY GAMES INC.

Players attempt to position all five of their playing pieces on the playing field, while blocking their opponents’ attempts to do the same. No same colored pieces may touch or stand on the same side or edge; at the same time, no two pieces of the same height can be positioned next to each other. The game is available in four languages. Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy 2008. Launch date: 2008.

Where to Buy: 1 Smart Noodle

( Watch Video) 3/17/2008 (Price: $12.50)