June 2009 Notable Toys — Family Games

Each players pits his dinosaur against an opponent’s in this deck-dueling challenge, while watching out for Dino Danger. Players can learn about dinosaurs and their world in this prehistoric card game featuring action elements and a dino die to change up game play. It also comes with a dinosaur pocket guide. "Children will learn dinosaur taxonomy and time periods long before they even realize they’ve been learning!" Geoffrey Moran, president of Evolving Toys, told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 15, 2009.

Did you know the constellations are grouped by astronomers into families – like the Hercules, Heavenly Waters and Ursa Major families – whose members are in the same region of the night sky? After playing this game a few times, individuals may be connecting constellations all over the sky. It includes action cards and a galactic die to change the game play up in lots of spacey ways. An awesome constellation pocket guide is included. "Constellation Connect! is an attractively packaged game with a lively blend of fun and educational attributes, making it suitable for home, vacation or classroom use. It introduces the deep beauty of the starry skies to children in a friendly, fun and non-overwhelming way," Geoffrey Moran, president of Evolving Toys, told TDmonthly. This game received a 2009 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children’s Product award. Launch date: August 15, 2008.

Players pick one of eight quirky characters and make their way around the board answering "Scatterbrainz" categories and "Quizzle" trivia, or acting out "Stuntz" and "Showbiz" cards, all while following the "Roolz." "Quelf provides cross-generational appeal that is active, wholesome and hilarious fun that the whole family can enjoy together. It is the most random and silly game on the market and will provide players with a memorable night!" Jill Schneiderman, in marketing for Imagination International, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2005. This game has received the following awards: 2007 Creative Child Seal of Excellence, 2007 iParenting Media Award, 2006 Major Fun Award, 2006 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, and 2005 Upbeat Magazine Board Game of the Year.

Know It or Blow It tests teams’ knowledge of general information and fun facts, such as the three singing chipmunks, the five Great Lakes and Santa’s eight reindeer. For each round, a team captain picks the order in which teammates will respond. If a player knows an answer, great. However, if they're not absolutely, positively sure, they can stop rather than risk their team’s points. "The best part about Patch Products new party game, Know It or Blow It, is that one person doesn’t have to know everything. Instead, teammates work together to know it all," Jessica Wineke, PR coordinator for Patch Products, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 7, 2009.