March 2010 New Specialty Toys — Family Games

This pocket-sized story generator is designed to provide hours of imaginative play for all ages. With Rory's Story Cubes®, anyone can become a great storyteller and there are no wrong answers. Players simply roll the cubes and let the pictures spark the imagination. "Rory's Story Cubes is unique because of its simplicity, small packaging, low price point and endless story possibilities. It's a great learning and writing tool that can be played with one person or a large group as a party game," Emily Nichols, marketing coordinator for Gamewright, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2010.
Awards: 2009 Dr. Toy’s 10 Best Games of the Year; 2010 Major Fun Award; 2010 Parents’ Choice Gold Award, Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence Award, iParenting Media Award, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award.
— As of 12/17/2012 this product had 4.6 out of 5 stars from 306 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Helps develop story telling ability; promotes cooperative play; creative; affordable. Cons: One reviewer said they were bored with it after playing a few times, but that it is very affordable.
— Stacy Kalisz of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine “absolutely loved” using the Story Cubes with her family as they came up with a variety of games. One of their favorite play variations “is to tell a group story, with each person using one die on his or her turn.”

StoryPlay Cards is a deck of storytelling and playing cards designed to delight, inspire and intrigue kids of all ages. The card deck has 90 illustrated cards along with a carrying pouch and two guidebooks. Children can use these cards to tell stories, play card games like Spoons, Poker, Sets and Concentration, or use them to engage in thoughtful conversation by choosing the card or cards you are attracted to and talking about what they mean to you. Launch date: Feb. 14, 2010.

This new and improved version of What’s GNU? may serve as a fun confidence-builder as it allows early readers to build their vocabularies. Two or more players slide the “Letter Getter” to reveal two letter tiles at a time, then use those tiles to create three-letter combinations on their Word Starter cards. The player who spells the greatest number of words wins. It now includes beginner and advanced Word Starter Cards and highlighted vowels for added learning. "ThinkFun has taken a best seller and improved it by including both beginner and advanced cards. Now the entire family can play!" Edoardo Kulp, Marketing Manager, ThinkFun Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: Jan. 15, 2010.

Two or more players race to be the first to get the animals into the barnyard in this matching game. Focusing on image completion, players search their cards to complete a barnyard animal, then use the fun Barnyard Flipper to turn over the card and reveal the next image to be matched. Images help children match, while the writing on each card will help early readers make associations between the words and the image. Launch date: March 2010.

Zingo! now comes in a fun, portable package. Just shake the Zingo! Zoomer car to expose the two dice. Got a match? Turn over the corresponding traffic light on your game board. The first player that turns over a completed traffic light wins. With no loose pieces and a snap-together game board, this Zingo! is designed for family fun on the go. Launch date: April 2010.

With Zingo! 1-2-3, players must match their numbered tiles with the corresponding display on their challenge board. The first player with a full card wins the game by yelling “Zingo!” In this fast-paced game, two levels of play focus on image recognition and addition. "This is a line extension of the best-selling Zingo! game by ThinkFun. It now uses numbers and math skills as compared to of pictures and image recognition skills used in original Zingo!" Edoardo Kulp, Marketing Manager, ThinkFun Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: Jan. 15, 2010.
— Angie Knutson from My Four Monkeys:  the “easy to use” number dispensing Zinger was “the funnest part of the game” for her kids. “As with most ThinkFun games,” said Angie, “Zingo! 1-2-3 would also make a great preschool and kindergarten resource!”
— Ruth B. Roufberg and Parents’ Choice applauded the successful blending of number education and bingo as well as the game components and packaging for being “functionally designed.” Zingo 1-2-3 Number Bingo received the Spring 2010 Parents’ Choice Gold Award.
— Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Best Toy Award Winner, 2010

Players must compete on a crazy track in order to win a bicycle race. No cards or electrical devices are involved. The whole concept is in the ZBall, a new kind of marble that Cepia Games designed internally. This marble is designed to be very easy to control and has surprising effects when flicked. The goal of the game is to flick through the obstacles to the finish line as fast as possible. "BISIKLE reinvents the marble and will be the new classic in race games. It develops mobility and concentration skills, teaches players to evaluate risk, and reveals the competitive side in each of us! All of that in one box ready to use, no batteries are required. Extensions are available to increase the fun!" Cedric Arnould, VP, CEPIA Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2009.

The VirtueGame is a card game designed to bring out the best in people. It's a lighthearted, fun way for kids to learn about and practice virtues such as responsibility, compassion, thankfulness and trust. Can you be trusted with a treasured pet fish? Or name five things you have in common with the person next to you? Players should be prepared for silly fun. "The VirtueGame is the first Character Education game on the market. It coincides perfectly with our cultural trend towards things that matter and the renewed interest in family time and personal values," Anne Brunell, Founder, Virtue Toys, told TDmonthly. Awards: 2009 Best Practice Award, Character Education Partnership. Launch date: March 2009.

This colored poster format game is designed for two to four players and comes with dice, colored game pawns and rules of play. It has a playing time of between 15 and 45 minutes. The object of the game is to strategically be the first player with all four of your same-color game pawns off the board. This is accomplished by landing on other players game pieces by rolling dice. The poster format allows for hanging the game on a wall. Launch date: December 10, 2009.

The first member of the Perplexus family, this see-through sphere houses a 3-D labyrinth game with 100 barriers, turns, twists and cliffhangers that serve as obstacles to getting a small steel ball to the end. Invented in 1970 by Michael McGinnis, a design teacher, Perplexus helps develop motor and dexterity skills, along with hand-eye coordination.
― As of 12/17/2012 this product had 4.4 out of 5 stars from 393 reviews on Amazon.com and was No. 12 on the top 100 bestselling toys and games.
— At Izilla Toys in Seattle, "Perplexus is selling really, really well for us," Co-owner Jude Larene told TDmonthly in late fall 2009.
— In summer 2010 this game was a top-10 best seller at Dancing Bear Toys in Asheville and Hendersonville, N.C..
Awards: 2012 Parents’ Choice Awards - Silver, 2011 Time Magazine – 15 Smartest Toys for Young Geniuses, 2011 Parent Tested Parent Approved – Seal of Approval, 2011 Grand Prix Kidexpo – Elu par les Parents (Parents’Choice), 2011 Children of Museum of Indianapolis – Top 10 Toys of 2011, 2011 Canadian Toy Testing Council – Children’s Choice, 2011 Babble List – Best Kids Toys, 2010 Toy Insider – Hot 20, 2010 The National Parenting Center – Seal of Approval, 2010 Prémio Brazil – Award of Excellence, 2010 Parents’ Magazine – Top Toys, 2010 NAPPA – Gold, 2010 ASTRA – Best Toy for Kids