TDmonthly's Toy Fair 2007 Preview
Category: Travel

University Games - 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed Card Game by UNIVERSITY GAMES

The game introduces children to simple strategy and role-playing. The card game, which comes in a tin, lets children make matches and act out monkey actions. Launch date: Spring 2008. 4/11/2008 (Price: $9.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

University Games - The Very Hungry Caterpillar Fold & Play Travel Set by UNIVERSITY GAMES

The set lets kids take their creations on the road with them.  The set opens up to reveal two large play scenes and Colorforms Stick-Ons™.  A magnetic clasp holds everything in place until the next scene is arranged. The set includes two play scenes and 34 stick-on vinyls. No reading is required. Launch date: November 2007. 4/11/2008 (Price: $9.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Oh, the Wondrous Places You'll Go! by THE WONDER FORGE LLC

The deck of cards describes 51½ wondrous places to visit. Each card features stunning photography, unbelievable facts, surprising history and brain-twisting trivia about the destination. Launch date: Spring 2008. 4/11/2008 (Price: $12.95)

Yamodo! Good to Go! by IDEA STORM PRODUCTS, LLC.

Players think, draw and write out their own interpretations of inspired, made-up Yamodo! words. The game is ideal for families taking long car trips, the waiting time before a flight or any other situation that could use a creative distraction. There are over 1,000 uploaded Yamodos on the company website. Launch date: April 2008.
Awards:  Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010 4/11/2008 (Price: $9.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

TableTalk: MovieTalk by U.S. GAMES SYSTEMS, INC.

The conversation cards have become increasingly popular with parents as a fun way to get conversations rolling at home or on the road. Each colorful deck presents fascinating facts and poses intriguing questions. There are no right or wrong answers. Just pick a card and start talking. Available titles include AnimalTalk, ArtTalk, KidTalk, ScienceTalk, SportTalk and more. Launch date: June 2008. 4/11/2008 (Price: $6.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

State by State, Picture Playing Cards of the USA by U.S. GAMES SYSTEMS, INC.

The versatile 52-card deck cleverly incorporates the suit marks into the charming artwork. Each state card features an illustration and informative caption about the state’s history or natural beauty, and identifies the capital and abbreviation. Kids will have fun not only playing their favorite card games, but will be happily occupied spotting the hidden suit marks on the extra-large cards. Launch date: 2006. 4/11/2008 (Price: $6.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Continuo by U.S. GAMES SYSTEMS, INC.

The original Continuo, first introduced in 1982, is colorful, compact and perfect for travel. The goal of the one-rule game is to match as many sides as possible to score as many points as possible. Launch date: 1982. 4/11/2008 (Price: $10.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Quickword Magnetic Travel Edition by U.S. GAMES SYSTEMS, INC.

The fast-paced game gives players a wide variety of word-based challenges. Each game is different. The convenient fold-up case houses a magnetic game board, a built-in spinner, 200 Quickword cards, magnetic tokens, a score pad, a timer and instructions. Launch date: 2005. 4/11/2008 (Price: $16.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Optical Illusions Playing Cards by U.S. GAMES SYSTEMS, INC.

Based on the book Pentamagic, this deck of 55 poker-sized, optical illusion cards is perfect for travel. It can be used to play most card game favorites and also provides hours of visual entertainment. Launch date: 2006. 4/11/2008 (Price: $7.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Leapster2 Learning Game System by LEAPFROG

The handheld system provides children with fun activities and rewards that encourage continued play while allowing parents to see what their child is learning and share in their accomplishments. The system features auto-levels that adjust games to fit each child’s particular skills and progress, so children are appropriately challenged.
— As of 1.06.2011 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 51 reviews on Amazon.com and was No. 17 on the top 100 bestselling toys and games. Pros:Very soft; appeals to girls of all ages. Good quality and multi-purpose. Cons: Difficult to wash and gets dirty easily. 2/19/2008 (Price: $69.99)

Squiggle Safari On-the-Go by RANDOMLINE INC.

Ideal for travel, this on-the-go activity challenges children to draw safari animals from a mere squiggle on the drawing pad. They simply spin the attached spinner to determine the animal and then go to work drawing a gorilla, hippo, buffalo or other animals. 2/17/2008 (Price: $4.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

FeltTales™ All Dressed Up by BABALU INC.

The game invites children to play dress up with fun items such as a yellow jacket, a purple leopard print sweater or an orange dress. The set includes over 20 pieces of brightly colored felt with silk-screened details, a vinyl storage back and a felt board. Numerous titles are available. Launch date: Spring 2008.
— Babalu Felt Tales is most recognized by parents and toy expert for being travel friendly. It has received an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars, based on combined reviews from Amazon.com and etoys.com, also due to its ability to bring out the creative side of children as they build and tell their own stories. One concern is the small parts, which can easily be lost, torn, or swallowed by children under 3. (09.08.08) 2/13/2008 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

FeltTales™ Happy Tails by BABALU INC.

Kids at TLC Pampered Pet Care get to imagine taking their pet to the vet or pet hotel. The felt pieces include silk-screened details and come with a vinyl storage pack. The game also includes story starter felt board that is specific to the pet theme to promote interaction and inspire imagination. Launch date: Spring 2008. 2/12/2008 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Pockets Pizza Numbers Game by POCKETS OF LEARNING LLC

The hand-sewn travel game contains machine-washable cloth pizza slices inside a cloth pizza box. Attached are recipes & Velcro® toppings that will provide youngsters with a unique and fun way to learn counting, addition and fractions, promoting an early childhood interest in math. The pizza box measures 10” H x 11” W x 2” L. A special recipe book is included to assist parents & teachers – recipes will help children learn math concepts.  This product is intended for children over the age of 18 months. Launch date: January 2008. 1/29/2008 (Price: $24.95)

Rubik's Icon by WINNING MOVES GAMES

This sleeker version of the original Rubik’s cube plays like the original, but features cubes in black, silver and white.
— “Right now, all kinds of Rubik’s Cubes are great,” Co-owner Jay Demircift of Puzzle Zoo said in early 2008 of this best-seller in his stores. 1/29/2008 (Price: $14.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Deluxe Pente by WINNING MOVES GAMES

This new edition of the classic 80's game includes updated graphics, new stone colors and special rules. The game comes with four sets of colorful stones, four velour drawstring stone bags and a board that rolls up to fit in a travel tube. Players must arrange five stones in a row or capture ten of their opponents’ stones to win. 1/29/2008 (Price: $25.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Kids Go! Travel Game by KIDS GO! TRAVEL LLC

The interactive travel game will keep kids entertained on long car rides. 1/18/2008 (Price: $20.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Put & Peek™ Doghouse by MANHATTAN TOY

The five-piece “in-and-out” play set comes with three colorfully adorable dogs and a bone, all featuring different textured fabrics. Each character can go inside the illustrated 8” doghouse through a large roof opening or a smaller door, both of which adhere with hook-and-loop closures. Each character rattles and the doghouse features a teething handle for on-the-go fun. This product is intended for children over the age of nine months. Launch date: January 2008. 1/8/2008 (Price: $22.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Color Flutter Butterfly by HAPE

The wings of the whimsical Color Flutter Butterfly contain eight pockets to catch eight matching balls using the magnetic wand in this hand-held magnetic marble maze. There are no small loose parts because the balls stay put behind the wipe-clean Lucite cover. This maze is the perfect size for on-the-go fun and it stows easily in a bag or backpack. Launch date: February 2008.
— “Use of the wand in tracing the balls is a healthy activity in developing pre-reading skills,” Robin Lehnert of HaPe International told TDmonthly. 1/3/2008 (Price: $24.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Character Creator: Robots JR by PLAY ODYSSEY INC.

With this set, young children can create quirky robot characters and simple machines from a variety of easy to handle reusable stickers. This travel friendly play set is packaged in a practical folder/booklet that includes plenty of models for inspiration, a generous play surface and more than 100 mechanical parts. This product is a 2008 iParenting Media Award winner. Launch date: November 2007.
— “Most sticker sets are primarily designed to foster imaginary play, and include a variety of self contained pieces to assemble a scene,” Meera Gill of Play Odyssey Inc. told TDmonthly. “Character Creator is more versatile in that it is both an imaginary play and construction toy.” ( Watch Video) 1/2/2008 (Price: $12.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

ZipBin® Wheelie Race Track by NEAT-OH! INTERNATIONAL LLC

ZipBin Softie Wheelie looks like and is shaped like a mag wheel and opens to reveal a side-by-side race track. The set’s play surface includes a garage area, a winner’s circle and a 12-car built-in parking garage. The set also features two, sturdy die-cast sports cars and a wipe-clean surface. Launch date: January 2008. This product was previously catalogued under the name ZipBin® Softie™ Wheelie™ (changed January 2009).
— This is “from Neat-Oh! International LLC, whose innovative line of ZipBin products has won 11 awards for product excellence,” Neat-Oh! International LLC Director of Marketing Gerry Linda told TDmonthly. ( Watch Video) 12/28/2007 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

ZipBin® Street Racer PlayPack by NEAT-OH! INTERNATIONAL LLC

The portable playset is shaped like a race car and opens to reveals a small villagescape with drivable roadways. The set features two sturdy die-cast vehicles and a wipe-clean surface. It was named "Most Innovative Product at the Show" at the 2008 Middle East Toy Fair in Dubai. Launch date: January 2008. This product was previously catalogued under the name ZipBin® Softie™ Racer (changed January 2009).
— This is “another example of a toy box that’s also a toy!” Neat-Oh! International LLC Director of Marketing Gerry Linda told TDmonthly. 12/28/2007 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Scene It?® Music Edition To Go! by SCREENLIFE

Real songs, video clips, trivia questions and on-screen challenges are packed into a convenient travel tin.  Artists such as Madonna, Johnny Cash and Avril Lavigne take players on a journey spanning four decades of music and pop culture. The game is intended for two or more players. Launch date: Fall 2008. 12/19/2007 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Spiderwick Chronicles - Interactive Seeing Stone by iTOYS INC.

The electronic game, based on the movie “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” looks somewhat like a monocle and allows players to see, hear, search and capture creatures from the movie. The Seeing Stone features overlays of digital Spiderwick creatures that can be seen through the device’s proprietary electronic effects. The unit makes use of Collimator Sight & Mirror Reflection FX technology for realistic movie effects in a hand-held game. Launch date: February 2008.
— Sales depend "on what movie is coming out.… Their Spiderwick Chronicles will sell well,” predicted Gary Timmerding of Johnny’s Toys in Covington, Ky., in early 2008. ( Watch Video) 12/19/2007 (Price: $29.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

North Pole Camouflage by EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS INC.

Using snow and ice to camouflage the polar bear and blue water to conceal the whale and fish, players arrange and rearrange six transparent puzzle pieces so that the animals are camouflaged in their correct environments. The single-player game gets progressively more difficult after each game, with four levels of difficulty. Puzzle pieces and cards store in the game board’s pull-out drawer, making this the perfect on-the-go game. The game comes with a game board, 48 challenging puzzle cards, six puzzle pieces and a solution book.
— Camouflage is a highly popular game at Evan’s Toy Shoppe in Hamden, Conn. Owner Lori Hershman told TDmonthly in December 2007 that they sold “close to 300” in a single month. 12/13/2007 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]