February 2010 Notable Toys — General Games

Celtic Challenge is a timeless strategy game for one or two players. Crafted in an old-world style, the game features rustic tiles, a Celtic "rune" staff for scoring, and an elegant hardwood playing board. Players try to remove as many tiles from the board as possible in the turns allowed. Legend has it that no one has ever accomplished the nearly insurmountable "Celtic Challenge" — sweeping all tiles from the board in one game. Rich with Celtic symbols, this game is designed for families, dads, or anyone looking to expand their library of classics. "While it is evocative of mah jong or solitaire, our Celtic Challenge game can be learned in less than five minutes, and played in 10-15 minutes. The sheer beauty of the game, and the look and feel of the playing tiles, set the product apart as deserving of an everyday place on the coffee table or anywhere in the home," Brian Maggio, Sales, Find It Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2010.
Awards:  2010 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, Gold Seal.

Do Tell Family game takes five minutes to learn and requires no knowledge of anything. The game sets up quickly and the average play time is about an hour. In this game, players get to reveal themselves using both words and actions, some thought-provoking, some side-splitting. DO cards invite you to step into the spotlight and demonstrate your talents, TELL cards invite you to share your thoughts and feelings, RISK cards add excitement to the game, and WILD cards shake things up. Contents include four decks of cards, eight tokens, two dice, scorepad, pencils, timer, and instructions.

In this gravity-defying, 3-D word-building game, two to four players are challenged to add stacking letters to a tower to form words up, down or sideways to earn points. They must be careful, though, as any new letter could send the Konexi into a full collapse. The game comes with 26 red letters, a die, a mover, a pad and pencil, and a rules manual. Launch date: Fall 2010 (specialty and mass retailers).

In this medieval-themed game for two to four players, oppenents must work to protect their castles as they try to knock the other players' wrecking balls off track. It's a sturdy wooden game with several movable elements. Launch date: 2010.

In this game for three to six players, each participant in turn is given a picture card, while the other players receive a hand of six pictures. The designated storyteller uses a word or phrase to strategically hint at his picture (without being too obvious), and the other players each choose one of their cards that best fits the description. Everyone then bets on which picture belongs to the storyteller.

Dare to discover Forbidden Island! Join a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise. Your team will have to work together and make some pulse-pounding maneuvers, as the island will sink beneath every step! Race to collect the treasures and make a triumphant escape before getting swallowed into the watery abyss. Includes 58 playing cards, 24 island tiles, 6 pawns, 4 treasure figurines, 1 water meter, 1 water level marker, and Rules of play. For 2-4 players.
Awards: 2010 Mensa Select, Creative Child Magazine Game of the Year, FunFare All Star Award, FamilyFun Magazine Toy of the Year Award, Parents’ Choice Recommended.
Launch date: Spring 2010.

One hundred giant elephants are running amok, but one tiny mouse has got their number! Roll the dice and move the mouse around the board, searching high and low for elephants that are either higher or lower than the number on your card. If you spot a mouse hiding on a card, shout “Eeek!” and grab the mouse figurine before it scampers away! You’ll need to have a memory like an elephant and be quick as a mouse to win. Includes 100 elephant cards, 2 custom dice, 1 mouse figurine, Rules of Play, and Instrucciones en Español. For 2-6 players. Launch date: Spring 2010
Awards: 2010 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award, Major Fun Award, Tillywig Best Family Fun Award, Dr. Toy’s Best New Products Picks, Parents’ Choice Recommended, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award.

In Sumo Ham Slam, players step into the fierce and furry world of full-contact Sumo hamster wrestling. Using magnetic force, maneuver a Sumo hamster and try to knock the other player's hamster out of the ring. The player that wins the most rounds claims the title of Sumo Ham Slam Grand Champ. Includes 1 elevated game board, 1 custom die, 1 champion chip, 2 magnetic wands, 4 sumo hamsters, 4 scoring pegs, 60 food tokens, and Rules of play. For 2-4 players. "Sumo Ham Slam is a skill and action game featuring adorable sumo wrestling hamsters!" Gamewright Marketing Coordinator Emily Nichols told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award, Tillywig Sterling Fun Award, Major Fun Award, Dr. Toy’s Best New Products Picks

A new twist to Gamewright's earlier Can You See What I See? game. Players take turns calling out objects and marking paths between them in this clever game of links. Every board has the same pictures but found in different places. Be the first to link two sides together and Bingo! You've won the game! Includes 4 game boards, 80 plastic markers, Rules of play, and Instrucciones en Español. For 2-4 players.
Awards: Parent's Choice Award 2010, Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Products, Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence Award, iParenting Media Award, Tillywig Toy Award, National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Gold.
Launch date: Spring 2010

In this sweet game of shapes, shakes, and cupcakes, a batch of yummy cupcakes is fresh out of the oven and it's time to decorate! Shake the sprinkle shaker and see what colorful shapes pour out. If any match a cupcake, add them to the card. Collect the most cards and winning is a piece of cake. Includes 32 wooden shapes, 16 cupcake cards, 1 sprinkle shaker, 1 custom die, Rules of play, and Instrucciones en Español. For 2-4 players. Awards: Parent's Choice Award 2010, Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award, Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Products, National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award, Tillywig Toy Award.
Launch date: Spring 2010

In this interactive party game, players must quickly come up with the most unique answers pertaining to fun and entertaining topics, in order to earn more points and be the first to reach the center of the gameboard. There are hundreds of options on the included 150 cards (with 450 categories), and it comes with a one-minute timer.

The Snipe hunt game can be played with two people, two teams or special * single seeker play, and incorporates both indoor/outdoor activity and good old fashion fun. The object of Snipe is Be the first team/person to find the other team/persons snipe and return it to its nest. After the players have hidden their snipe the other player will try to find it. After a period of time, if the Snipes have not been discovered, they will chirp and then their eyes will light up. Each game comes with two snipes, (named Biela and Smartin) and a Snipe nest. The packaging tells the story behind the legendary campfire animals.

This game for two to six players pairs the concept of four suits with the letters of the alphabet, challenging each player to create one or more words using all of his cards. A hand can require from 1 to 10 minutes.

With the EQUALS game, kids can practice their basic math facts while they play a challenging game with their friends. Every child can be a winner. It does not matter if they are fast or slow with their facts, every child will have a chance to win. Kids can play addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. The game adjusts to fit each child. As they play EQUALS, kids will practice over 280 basic facts.
— "Great game for promoting logical thinking and spacial relations," Jennifer Shuman, owner of 1SmartNoodle, told TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.

The Bakugan Battle Gear increases your Bakugan's G-power strength. Each Battle Gear includes one Bakugan Battle Gear, one Ability Card, and one Metal Gate Card.
— "I thought this product was great and placed an order for it at the show, " Jeanette Lauture, owner of Aunt Jean's Toys & Treats, told TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.

In this two-player game, each participant starts with 12 cubes and proceeds to make a crossword. The first to finish with no cubes remaining yells "Zip!" and, on the bag that holds the pieces, moves his zipper to indicate a point. Players exchange six cubes at the end of each round, to keep their letter hands unpredictable. It can be played in as little as 20 seconds and is designed for take-along play on a plane. The game comes with the Weords mini dictionary. Launch date: spring/summer 2010.

Red Rover by MATTEL will have preschoolers laughing, running, and thinking as they try to help the titular pup. The game includes 12 bones, featuring shapes, numbers, letters, and colors, to be hidden around the room. Red Rover requests certain bones, and it is up to kids to rush around the room to find the proper bones. Preschoolers flex their bodies and minds as they rush to feed Red Rover before the other players. Launch date: July 2010.

Blocks Rock is a fast-paced blocks game of recognition, action and excitement that can be played by two players or two teams. Launch date: March 2010.
— "Blocks Rock with cognitive reasoning and fine motor control.  What makes this game unique is that it was designed by kids for kids and all sales proceeds go back to their school. Kudos to those that inspired these children. Geared to children 6 years and older and played by two individuals or two teams, players race to build a pattern on a matching card. The game is made challenging by a clever a 3D element.  Add a timer for solo play and use multiple cards to increase the level of difficulty as proficiencies rise," Jennifer Shuman, of 1SmartNoodle, told TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.

Turn ABCs into a hilarious and challenging game. Players pick a category card from the deck and think fast to find the words to match — alphabetically. A, B, C might be easy, but the challenge is to see if one can get to X, Y, Z. There are multiple ways to play: individually, head to head, or competing in teams. Players can play in English, French, Spanish or German. Launch date: February 14, 2010.

Players get talking with this outrageous and hilarious collection of conversation starters. This handy deck is made for parties, road trips, school, camp, or just hanging out. It can be used as an ice-breaker activity or played with one of three game options in English, French, Spanish or German. No skill is required; all ages can play.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

Some of the fun and frivolous uses found for this game are determining the starting player, or deciding who is going to pay for snacks, or dinner. It can be played with a large group of people to spark a bedlam of humor. Le Boomb!™ is available from any of Mayfair's distributors or directly from Mayfair. Each Le Boomb! ™ is presented in a small clamshell that may be placed on a shelf, or peg hooked, depending upon your needs. The rules are tiny and fit on the back of the information header card inside each clamshell. As a side note, the bomb opens like an Easter Egg and the die can be stored within. Le Boomb! ™ is packed in a display box of 12 pieces featuring seven colors. Each display contains six black Le Boomb! and one each of six other colors: Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, White and Purple. Launch date: December 2009.

This single-player game puts the classic Scrabble game on the move, as the player shuffles and slides electronic letter tiles to form words within a minute. Equipped with Smart Tile Technology, Scrabble Flash Cubes reads words once the tiles are in place and keeps score accordingly. Launch date: Fall 2010.

The object of Cattura is to "capture" as many cards as you can. The player with the most cards wins. Cattura comes with imported Italian cards and instructions on how to play.

Spot It is a party game for two to eight players. It's played by laying a random assortment of cards on the table and all players racing to find one image that matches between two cards. This fast-paced game is designed to never be the same twice, and though it has very few rules to remember it requires a sharp eye to master. The set of 55 round cards transports in its own carry tin. Watch Spot It: Top-5 Video, Toy Fair 2010
— Spot It has been been a top seller for retailers surveyed by TDmonthly since early Spring 2010.
— In a March 2012 survey, 3 out of 12 retailers told TDmonthly that Spot It was their overall best selling product, and had been for more than a year.
— Dean Smith, Co-owner of JaZams in Princeton, N.J., told TDmonthly in a Summer 2011 survey that he sells 50-60 copies of Spot It each month.
Awards: 2010 TDmonthly Top Seller, Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010

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