October 2008 Notable Toys — General Games

Students, friends and their fellow employees can have fun and get to know one another by responding to this ball's suggestions to share experiences from work and personal life. The 32 panels include questions and statements such as "Smartest Career Decision" and "Two Office Tools You Can't Live Without." Launch date: September 2008.

Ideal for counseling, character-building activities and socialization among employees, the Virtues & Values Thumball includes three positive characteristics for each letter of the alphabet, inviting comments on qualities that the speaker or other players have. Launch date: September 2008.

Zillio has 12 colorful staircases based upon multiplication tables. The visual and tactile relationships between steps enable kids to discover and master difficult math concepts as they learn and play with 10 essential math skills. Mega Zillio is the larger version of the Mini Zillio. It handles numbers up to 60, and measures 27" x 27" x 12". It does everything the Mini does but can have up to 6 players at a time and the same games included require more challenging play and problem solving to come out on top.

Zillio has 12 colorful staircases based upon multiplication tables. The visual and tactile relationships between steps enable kids to discover and master difficult math concepts as they learn and play with 10 essential math skills.  Mini Zillio handles numbers up to 36, and measures 18" x 18" x 8", compared to Mega Zillio's 27" x 27" x 12.5". For up to 4 players at a time.
Awards: 2010 Tillywig Brain Child

Kids can score a touchdown with the first 100 high-frequency words for sight-word vocabulary. Each player will gain knowledge with high-frequency words as they punt, pass, or run the football-shaped pawn down the field and into the opponent's end zone. The game is for two to four players. Launch date: 2307.

JUMBULAYA is an award-winning, multi-faceted word strategy game in which players rearrange, add, and trade tiles on the board to build and claim longer and longer words each turn. As players build words horizontally, they also look for a Jumbulaya - a word of seven or more tiles that can be seen vertically on the game board. "Jumbulaya is a word strategy game where players need to THINK ON MULTIPLE LEVELS simultaneously," said Karl Archer, CEO and cofounder of Platypus Games. "It incorporates strategy into the game play, as players are able to add, as well as remove, tiles from the board and think many moves ahead in order to try to win." It has won a 2008 Mensa Select Gold Seal and iParenting Media Award. Launch date: 12/15/2007.

This charming collection makes naptime a welcome treat for everyone. Perfect for traveling, car rides and daycare, it includes an animated Daydream DVD, the Daydream CD, the Daydream Coloring Book and Daydream Game Cards. "Daydream helps bring a deep sense of calm and inner balance to kids ... and parents," Anna Matthews, customer service representative for Wai Lana, told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 8, 2008.

The Fun Songs Activity Kit entertains little ones as it nurtures their attraction to lifelong habits that will help them be healthy, happy and balanced. The whole family will enjoy all of the goodies in this delightful kit: the Fun Songs CD, a lyrics book, game cards, an activity book and stickers. It features "unique, fun and charming characters," Anna Matthews, customer service representative for Wai Lana, told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 8, 2008.

Kids can figure out how things work as they play. Based on David Macaulay's best-selling book, this game is chock full of materials for curious kids. Multiple levels of play allow for a quick game for beginners or more involved competitions — including mechanical experiments — for more advanced players. "The Way Things Work uniquely combines childhood play with real scientific learning. From fact building, to experiences, kids will learn firsthand 'the way things work' while having fun!" Nicole Tiedemann, PR coordinator for R&J Public Relations, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2007.

Based on the best-selling Great States game, this junior version is a fun way of introducing youth to the U.S. map. Kids will have a blast searching the game board as they travel along the colored game path. Even pre-readers can play by matching cards to the pictures on the board. "This game teaches children at a very young age about geography, history and state facts. Since even children who cannot read yet are able to play, this game presents a fun way for social studies facts to reach developing minds," Nicole Tiedemann, PR coordinator for R&J Public Relations, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2007.

This "cruise edition" of the quick-play, easy-to-learn strategy game Pentago is ideal for portability and travel. Launch date: 2007.
Awards: May 2012 TDmonthly Top Toy Award. Why it won: Not only is this game a proven best seller; it also earned a high rating from TDmonthly's panel of reviewers, as well as users on Amazon.com.
— Brooke Andrews, owner of Millers Toy Store in Mamoroneck, N.Y., told TDmonthly in late fall 2009 that her store sells about 12 Pentago games per week. Erika Evers, owner of Dancing Bear Toys in Hendersonville, N.C., estimated sales of about 8 to 12 units per month.
— As of 4/12/2012 this product had 4.8 out of 5 stars from 24 reviews on Amazon.com.

A nostalgic playing card deck featuring railroad cards and locomotives from the early trains of the world. The cards were created with the artwork and original descriptions from vintage insert cards from the early 1900s. The 54-card deck, perfect for train buffs, is suitable for most card games.

This squeezable ball has 32 panels and is one of five new designs for 2008. It is 4" in diameter.

A classic game originally released in 1979. In this game, players start with a hand full of fleas. But dogs should have fleas - not kids, so players try to get rid of their fleas by giving them to "ITCHY" the dog. The trouble is when he wags his tail some of them jump off. The first player to get all of his/her fleas to stay on Itchy's back wins the game! For 2 - 4 players, the game comes with 1 Itchy the dog and 16 fleas. Launch Date: 9/22/08.

Skittle Pool represents the most challenging variation to pool since this game was invented. It is relatively easy for beginners, yet requires a high degree of skill for advanced players. Position the swivel pointer to aim the cue ball. Pull back and release the swinging ball to hit the stationary ball, the impact is passed to the cue ball to pocket the ball you were aiming for.  Follow the same rules as standard pool.  You can play 8 ball, solids and stripes and straight pool. Skittle Pool includes real billiard balls, rack, two A frames, 2 chains and 2 swivel pointers. Measures approximately 23 ½” square by 4” high.  For ages 5+. Black  plastic.  Made in China. Safety Tested and Approved.

This game includes a handheld light that reveals clues to the types of tokens needed to win the game. Launch date: September 2008.

This matching game will help kids reinforce their learning by matching images together and learning the English/Spanish versions of the same item.

Featuring Freestyle Motocross superstar and 10 time X Games medalist Brian Deegan, along with Metal Mulisha team members Todd Potter & Jeremy Lusk. Battlez® FMX is a card & dice game that allows you to battle it out as if in a real Freestyle MX competition, playing as your favorite FMX rider. Scoring or taking away points from your opponent by matching dice combinations on the cards and executing tricks like Back Flip’s, Cliffhangers, Rock Solids, LazyBoyz, and more. You are in control and create your own Freestyle MX show!

Play football with the roll of the dice. This game appeals to both genders and is a great learning tool for younger children and gathering game for adults. The game can be played in a two-minute short version or a 20-minute long version. Dice Football League is unique in "how it resembles real football games," Paul Asmar, CEO of DFL LLC, told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2007.

This puzzle is great for stimulating and training the brain. Each game includes: 1 plastic playing board , 12 color building blocks, a 16 pages guidebook , and one portable card. The product meets CE, ST En 71 and ASTM standard.

This chess set features carnivores vs. vegetarians. Each dinosaur has a tag on the bottom of its stand giving its scientific name and describing its features.

“Grandpa, what kinds of pets did you have?” Uncover family stories that haven’t been shared in years or generations! Simply pick a card, ask the question and watch your family history unfold. This game keeps family history alive with diverse topics that allow grandkids and grandparents to discover more about each other through conversation.

This second edition of the Family Talk game includes 100 new and fun questions to continue conversations between family members and friends. This portable conversation game easily takes dinner table conversation anywhere. It can be attached to a purse or backpack for portable family fun. This product received a 2009 Tillywig Brain Child Award.

You may not have known what it was called, but we'll bet you've seen a Chinese Yo-Yo performance either by Chinese acrobats or in a wonderful Cirque du Soleil show. Now you can enjoy playing with this seemingly simple toy that can be used for an incredible array of tricks. It's great for hand-eye coordination, and for lots of wholesome fun for adults and kids alike.