December 2012 Notable Toys — Puzzles & Skill

SmartMax Flower Palace provides your child with four colorful flower-shaped pieces, along with 19 magnetic medium bars, 16 large ball-shaped magnetic connectors, and two peaked rooftops so she can use their imagination to build a multitude of creations. These extra-large pieces make it easy to use creative-thinking skills to mix-and-match the pieces and create new combinations. Unique houses and large-scale castles are among just a few of the many options. Children can use the four panels to strengthen the structure of their construction and build walls, floors, or forts. Flower Palace is one of several new 2012 sets in the award-winning SmartMax® magnetic construction toy line. It can also be combined with all existing Smart Max ® sets for unending play opportunities.
Awards: 2012 Dr.Toy Best Picks

The Temple In Paradise Scramble Squares® 9-piece educational brain teaser puzzle for all ages celebrates The San Marga (“The Good Path”) Iraivan Temple being constructed at the foot of an extinct volcano on Kauai, the northernmost of the Hawaiian Islands. The temple is being constructed at Kauai's Hindu Monastery, 5 miles from the town of Kapaa, 4 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. The temple construction commenced in 1975 and is scheduled for completion in 2017. There are Hindu temples in virtually every nation on earth, over 1,000 in the United States and nearly a million in India, but this temple was destined to be unique—a white-granite edifice being brought stone by stone from south central India after being hand-carved by 75 sculptors working for 27 years with simple bamboo-handled mallets and tens of thousands of mild steel chisels. Their monumental efforts reflect the ultimate in artisan craftsmanship and design, surrounded by as beautiful a setting as the paradise island of Kauai could provide.
Awards: 2012 Dr.Toy Best Picks

This wooden panda baby toy loves to play peekaboo. Hear the click and clack as its paws flap up to cover the cheerful face, then push them down again to say, "Hello!" Even babies can bring about a big visual change with just a simple motion, so they're encouraged to keep exploring as fine motor skills grow naturally. Made with select hardwood and child-safe dyes, First Play Peek-a-Boo Panda makes a heartwarming baby-shower gift.

This collection of puzzles features the whimsical artwork of Hayley Gillespie. Inspired by her son; they conjure the feeling of what it is to be a child and how short and special that time can be. The puzzle itself has 500 pieces and the chipboard used is made of recycled materials. Design: Hobby Horse. Finished dimensions: 19x19 inches. Recommended for ages 13 and up. Imported.

Attempt to cover the pre-marked puzzle cards whit your Tantrix tiles until the puzzle in completed; it's a challenge every step-of-the-way. Twelve puzzle cards with 3 levels of difficulty and 3 different objectives fit into the wooden puzzle frame. Includes: 1 Wooden Match tray, 13 Tantrix™ tiles, 12 Puzzle cards, Instructions.

Learning about dinosaurs has never been so much fun. Expand your knowledge of dinosaurs with this 100-piece Puzzle Double! After you put the puzzle together, turn off the lights and the puzzle glows in the dark! Additionally turn the puzzle over and you have a coloring activity. The bright illustrations encourage parent-child conversation. Each 100-piece puzzle measures a giant 3’ X 2’. Launch date: November 2012.

This fun and colorful tray puzzle features numbers and equations and will encourage children to develop counting and early math skills. Lined text teaches uppercase and lowercase handwriting skills. Pictures are also printed under the pieces to guide younger children. Launch date: November 2012.

This fun and colorful tray puzzle features the alphabet and will encourage children to develop letter recognition skills.  Lined text teaches uppercase and lowercase handwriting skills.  Pictures are also printed under the pieces to guide younger children. Launch date: November 2012.

Progressive puzzles grow with kids. As preschoolers master the 3-piece puzzle, they then progress to the 4-piece, 5-piece, and 6-piece puzzles. Four puzzles included in each set. Easy slide box allows for quick clean-up. Large chunky puzzle pieces measure about 2x3" each. Made with 80% recycled content and printed with vegetable based inks. Conforms with CPSIA and ASTM standards.

Loved by players of every age and skill level, the goal of Sudoku - a fun, addictive logic game - is to fill all 81 spaces on the 9x9 playing area with numbers, such that all digits 1-9 are used once per row, per column and per 3x3 region. Designed with balance in mind, our innovative approach to Sudoku equally engages both halves of the brain - the right side works on numerical challenges and reasoning while the left side focuses on color patterns and creativity. Although the large game board and colorful numbered pieces are designed to be enjoyed collaboratively with a partner, it's just as fun to play individually. Each Set includes: 1) Game Board (11.4" x 11.4") with Colored areas easy to distinguish each 3x3 region and indented round spaces to keep everything in place. 2) Round Game Pieces (216) includes, 81 primary game pieces which are identifiable by both colors and numbers and has a black or white star on its reverse side for use in other games, and 135 secondary game pieces with 15 of each number which are smooth and can move and slide easily. 3) Covered Storage Tray for easy to organize and store game pieces with ergonomic, rounded design which makes accessing the smooth game pieces easy. 4) Sukugo® Booklet with game instructions and 100 Sudoku games (10 levels of difficulty) and solutions. And 5) Carrying Case with Padded, zipper-closing case fits easily on a bookshelf and external pocket holds game piece tray and booklet.

PathWords Jr. is a clever word search puzzle with a twist. To complete each themed challenge, place colorful Tetris-style puzzle pieces over letters to spell a word forward or backwards. With its unique design and tactile appeal, PathWords Jr. builds spatial reasoning and strengthens vocabulary with clever graphic hints and funny word play. An ideal game for children ages 6 and  up, PathWords Jr. instills a lifelong love of word puzzles and logic games.
Awards: Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children's Product Award; ASTRA Best Toys winner in 2011; Creative Child Puzzle of the Year; Parents' Choice (Gold); Oppenheim Toy Portfolio (Platinum); Teachers' Choice; National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA).
— As of 11/15/2012 this product had 4.9 out of 5 stars from 17 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Helps build logic and spacial skills; helps kids develop literacy skills.

A great new brainteaser with 100+ different puzzles, from the inventor of "Kanoodle" (TM) Fun microbe shaped pieces come stored in a cool petri dish carrying case. Launch date: 2012.

Throughout history, many famous landmarks have been deemed "Wonders of the World," from ancient sites to modern-day feats of architecture. Inside this kit users will find ready-to-fold templates to create 6 stunning, highly detailed, 3-D paper models of some of the most famous structures of anciet and modern times. Includes a 56-page project book and pre-punched and scored project sheets to make 6 models. Launch date: August 29, 2012. Launch date: October 2012.

Made entirely of child-safe foam, these huggable, squeezable, touchable favorites are designed to get kids learning while playing in the bath. Perfect for bath time, playtime, anytime fun and learning.
Fairy-tale fantasies come to life in royal fashion as kids pop out a princess, prince, enchanted castle and more from a beautiful magical kingdom. Launch date: April 2012.

The land of dinosaurs comes back to life in an amazing detailed scene filled with all types of favorite dinosaurs. After completing the giant floor puzzle, kids will have a blast naming all the different dinosaurs. Launch date: March 2012.

Each fun animal piece is the same shape, but four are large and four are small. Kids can match the big pieces with the little pieces or mix them up to make different pairs or patterns. Skills in this puzzle: Recognition of size relationships; Understanding of sorting, matching, pairing, and patterning; Slight visual support in wells.

Prepare to find: A striking new jacketed cover, an original poster on the underside of the jacket, a spot-the-difference game between the jacket and the self-cover designs, a gatefold with a new visual checklist on every spread, a never-before-seen section of artwork revealed on every spread, and new things to search for. Launch date: September 2012.

Place the cubes on the boards to create 3-D snakes that will keep you rattling for hours. Follow the clues on the challenge boards, and place the cubes accordingly Develops 3-D logical and spatial vision. Launch date: May 2012.

The 26 piece brightly stained But erfl y teaches children let ers with fun puzzle play. One side of this puzzle teaches upper case let ers and turn it over to learn lower-case. The But erfl y A to Z Puzzle is carefully craf ed & stained with child-safe stains. The But erfl y A to Z Puzzle comes packaged with an easy clean up storage box made from Beech wood. Made from Natural Rubber wood, stained with child safe stains, box made from Beech wood, manufactured in China.

Get all warm and cozy with this 24 piece floor puzzle featuring a burrow scene from Beatrix Potter's famous Peter Rabbit books. Large sized pieces make for easy handling for the little ones while the colorful yet simple illustration keeps the puzzle from becoming too challenging. Made in the USA. Launch date: March 2012.

This 1000 piece puzzle features a vintage illustration of New York from a travel poster commissioned by TWA Airlines in the 1950s. Illustrated by David Klein, these posters have become an iconic part of our nation's air travel history and are now available in puzzle form for those who wish to piece together for themselves how advertising was done in mid-century America. This puzzle makes a great gift for puzzle lovers and history buffs alike. Made in the USA. Launch date: March 2012.

Piece together a scene from one of the most prolific chidrens book series of all time with this 100 piece jigsaw puzzle featuring different jobs and vehicles around the Berenstain Bears' village. The Berenstain Bears have been a staple of children's literature for over 50 years and continue to expand with new best selling books every year. Made in the USA from recycled Chipboard. Launch date: March 2012.

Piece together a scene from one of the most prolific chidrens book series' of all time with this 60 piece jigsaw puzzle featuring the Berenstain Bears treehouse. The Berenstain Bears have been a staple of children's literature for over 50 years and continue to expand with new best selling books every year. Made in the USA from recycled Chipboard. Launch date: March 2012.

This 1000 piece puzzle features a vintage illustration of Africa from a travel poster commissioned by TWA Airlines in the 1950s. Illustrated by David Klein, these posters have become an iconic part of our nation's air travel history and are now available in puzzle form for those who wish to piece together for themselves how advertising was done in mid-century America. This puzzle makes a great gift for puzzle lovers and history buffs alike. Made in the USA. Launch date: September 2012.