November 2008 Notable Toys — Travel

Kids can choose from Hockey, Lacrosse, Basketball, Soccer or Baseball dice games. Each includes four dice and a mini sport bag. The player's team that scores the most goals, baskets or points in a game wins. "ChalkTalkSPORTS dice games are based on the basic rules of the sport and are a fun and fast playing game that appeal to all ages," Julie Lynn, president of ChalkTalkSPORTS, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 20, 2008.

This award-winning chess teaching tool is now in a zippered cloth bag and ready to take along at a moments notice. The board has been redesigned to hold the pieces not in play at either side. This game received a Dr. Toy Top 10 Games Award in 1997 and an EDUSOURCE Top 10 Games Award in 1999, and a National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA) in 2003. Launch date: October 2008.

In this classic strategy game, players hop around the pond with their frog friends. It allows children to explore the boggy pond with their colorful and funny frogs. Players move their game pieces across the pond to win the game. "Our clever twist with magnets makes this game great for small hands; the magnets stack up high and the winner can clearly be seen. The magnetic pieces also help to make this game great for travel," Jessica McCulligh, in marketing at Dowling Magnets, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2008.

Square Up! offers a new twist on the slider puzzle – playing an opponent! The object of the game is to slide the squares to match the cube shaker before your opponent finishes. It’s a fast, two-player, visual thinking game. Each board measures about 8” square.
— This game was listed as a best seller by Michele and Ken Gietz of Where’d You Get That!? in Williamstown, Mass., in fall 2008. “It’s great for travel or restaurants,” they said. “It’s two-player, but each gets their own sliding squares board and special shaker. We’ve sold many for a small store in the last six months.”
— Brooke Andrews, owner of Millers Toy Store in Mamoroneck, N.J., told TDmonthly in late 2009 her store sells about 12 units per week of this game. Two of 44 retailers named it as one of their top-three best sellers.

UNO Flash is the fast and furious new way to play UNO. It features exciting new technology and game-play rules to keep everyone on their toes. Who's next? When your red light flashes, it's your turn. You have to discard quickly before your time runs out. Lights and sounds direct the action. Play is fast and unpredictable; everything can change in a flash. "The new speed element in UNO Flash brings an entirely new level of excitement to UNO, whether you're new to the game or a veteran player," explained Marlene Esqueda, Account Executive, GolinHarris Public Relations for Mattel, Inc. Launch date: June 2008.

Treasures and Traps™ is a complete card game that puts you in the role of the hero. Your quest is to collect three treasures before anyone else. Sounds simple enough, but throw in a two-headed troll, a maze of dangerous doors, and a few cunning thieves and you won't know what might happen next. With 100 different cards, each game is a unique journey of wild adventure never to be repeated again. Awards: 2007 Origins Award Best Card Game of the Year Silver Award. "Treasures and Traps is a game that the family plays. Kids, youth, and adults all enjoy it. This features makes it unique-we have heard countless stories of parents and kids, young and old, boys and girls, spending time together enjoying this one," C. Aaron Kreader, Designer, Studio 9 Inc. Launch date: 8/1/2006.

RAGE™ starts with ten cards. Then hand by hand, the number of cards (and options) reduces until at last, you only have ONE card. Players record the number of tricks they plan to take each round; scoring points for their accurate bidding. Sound easy? The outRAGEous action cards will keep you guessing. Includes 108 cards and instructions. "Rage is a classic card game that originated in the 1980s that Fundex has brought back to market," explained Katie Hemlock, marketing specialist at Fundex Games, Ltd.  "Rage is a trick-taking game that is always changing.  This game will keep families entertained while enjoying a NEW card game." Launch date: 2/1/2007.

Crack the Code and Score the Gold: Only a true mastermind could pull off a caper like this. One vault door is the only thing standing between you and a much-deserved treasure. Will you play your cards right and be the first to open the vaunted vault? It’s a game of numbers as you use special Tool cards to beat your opponents and crack the code. So don’t play it safe. Get crackin’ and bust those codes. "This is a NEW card game that is fun for both parents and children alike," said Katie Hemlock, marketing specialist at Fundex Games, Ltd. "The action cards in the game give players a leg up on their crafty competition, including The Master Key, Double Cross, Thieves’ Curse. And the Bamboozled card will really toss a monkey wrench in their plans." Launch date: 2/2/2009.

This colorful and charming deck presents fascinating facts about America's favorite pastime. Each card poses an intriguing question designed to get conversations rolling at home, in school, at parties or on the road. There are no wrong or right answers. Participants just pick a card and start talking. "Unique questions get kids thinking and talking about their own ideas and experiences," Lynn Araujo, communications director for U.S. Games Systems, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 2008.

Now even the tinest Baby can have a Zoobie. The Baby Mashaka plush toy  un-Velcroes to become a comfy pillow, then unzips to transform into an infant-sized blanket. The blanket even features fuzzy "comfort corners" to stimulate Baby's interest in textures. Release date: 2008.

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.