TDmonthly's Toy Fair 2007 Preview
Category: Family Games

Perplexus Rookie by PATCH PRODUCTS INC.

Perplexus Rookie offers newcomers to Perplexus a three-dimensional puzzle challenge, with 75 barriers to success. Users must guide the metal ball through a maze of twists and turns, down dips and around winding spirals toward the maze finish. Players maneuver surprising routes of challenge that test hand-eye coordination, focus and perseverance. 6.5 Inches in Diameter, Perplexus Rookie is a brainteaser puzzle filled with layers of detailed maze structures. A shelter finish keeps the ball in place at the end to secure success.
Awards: 2012 Creative Child Awards – Puzzle of the Year, 2011 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio – Best Toy Award (Gold), 2011 NAPP Gold – Seal of Approval, 2011 Canadian Toy Testing Council – Best Bet, 2011 ASTRA – Best Toys for Kids, Game Play (3-7years) 5/24/2011 (Price: $22.49)

Cupcake Game by eeBoo corp.

This fun game allows kids to build a cupcake of their choice. They spin to compile all the necessary ingredients. The first finished cupcake wins the game for its creator. With illustrations by children’s book illustrator Lizzy Rockwell. Launch date: 2010.
— “It’s classic just for families to get together and play,” said Devo Ihonde, explaining the appeal of this simple game that doesn’t even require reading ability. “That will always be contemporary.”
— In a February 2014 survey, Joe Novak, owner of Kazoo Toys of Buckhead in Buckhead, Ga., told TDmonthly that Eeboo's Cupcake Game was one of their stores top-3 best-selling games. 4/29/2011 (Price: $17.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Bag-O-Loot by BAG-O-LOOT

Bag-o-Loot is a new card game that combines strategy, luck, interaction and emotions. During their turn, players can create sets of matching cards called collections, steal collections from other players, or complete a set, making a Bag-O-Loot. But players must be wary- The Bag-O-Loot could be a bluff. Players must outwit or outguess their opponents and try to commit a robbery to end the round. "It is just as fun and engaging for a group of adults to play, a group of kids to play, or a mixed group of adults and kids to play," John Shelley, president of Bag-O-Loot, told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2011 Dr. Toy's Best Picks; 2011 Preferred Choice Award in the category of Family Card Games from Creative Child Magazine.
— As of 10/19/2011 this product had 5 out of 5 stars from 10 reviews on Amazon.com.
 3/22/2011 (Price: $9.99)

Trigger by BLUE ORANGE GAMES

In Trigger, players answer "True" or "False to various statements using their right hand for "True" and their left hand for "False." The first to answer using the correct hand signal collects a card. An example of one of the statements is "If I am your mother's brother, then I am your aunt." Players collect a card if they are the first to answer correctly, or lose a card if they are the first to answer incorrectly. "Trigger is a fast, fun party game. Your brain has to think quickly so you can answer the statement correctly and answer using the correct hand," Nicole Britton from Blue Orange Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 2011.
Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy Award, January 2012; 2011 ASTRA Best Toys for Kids
— Why it won: Super fun, for small or large groups of friend or strangers. Rapidly paced and often hilarious, players learn new facts about their opponents, and about their own abilities to be observant. 3/22/2011 (Price: $12.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Tell Tale by BLUE ORANGE GAMES

Tell Tale is a portable story telling game. Players pick from the 60 included cards, then spin a story based on what has been picked. Packaged in a sturdy round tin, the game is good for travel. There are nearly an infinite amount of unique card combinations to pick, and four variations to spice up the game. "Tell Tale offers a new option to traditional storybooks. Your little one can choose a few cards for you to improvise and tell your own short bedtime story," Nicole Britton from Blue Orange Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 2011. 3/22/2011 (Price: $12.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Spell It! by BLUE ORANGE GAMES

In Spell it! players roll the five-sided lettered die. Using at least 3 of the 5 letters they must call out a word related to the given theme. The first to call out the word and spell it correctly wins a chip worth the number of letters in the word. If the word is misspelled, no points are received. Themes include "Home Sweet Home," "Around the World," "Famous People," "Sports, Games, and Hobbies," "Create a Theme," and "No Nouns." "Spell It! is truly a party game with words. There is always a challenge to get the longest word in the right theme and spell it correctly," Nicole Britton from Blue Orange Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 2011. 3/22/2011 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Sketch it! by BLUE ORANGE GAMES

Each card lists 6 items. Players roll the die and the number rolled tells them what to sketch. Each person simultaneously sketches a different item. The challenge is to draw quickly enough to grab the highest-valued token, but carefully enough that opponents can identify the drawn image. Points are gained in two ways: when one player correctly identifies another's drawing the artist gets points, and the player who correctly identifies the image gets points as well. After 10 rounds, the one with the most points wins. Launch date: June 2011. 3/22/2011 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Fastrack by BLUE ORANGE GAMES

Fastrack is an all-new kind of sports game. It consists of a wooden tray with an elastic band across each end and a bridge in the middle with a slot opening. Each side starts with 5 wooden disks. Using the elastic cord, players must be quick and aim well to be the first to send all of the disks zooming across to the other side. The first to successfully clear all 10 disks to the opponent's side wins the round. "Fastrack is high quality, eco-friendly, durable and made of wood," Nicole Britton from Blue Orange Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 2011.
Awards: 2011 Dr. Toy's Best Green Product; 2011 ASTRA Best Toys for Kids
— In a July 2014 survey, one out of 14 retailers told TDmonthly that Fastrack was their store's best-selling toy. 3/22/2011 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

StoryPlay Cards by THINK-A-LOT TOYS

StoryPlay Cards are an illustrated set of 88 cards plus two wild cards. They are for 1 or more players. Kids can use them for storytelling: Deal 5-7 cards per person and then have each person tell a story using the cards in their hands. There are people, places, objects, elements and treasures (among others). These cards can also be used for playing a wide variety of card games. They also can be used as a simple way for kids to talk about their day: Lay out some or all of the cards. The child picks the one that says something about their day or how they are feeling and shares it with others. 3/15/2011 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Family Charades In-A-Box Compendium by OUTSET MEDIA

With easy and challenging charades, and with charades for different tastes and interests, the Family Charades In-A-Box Compendium can be played by virtually any member of the family. It includes six games, one each for ages 4+, 7+, 8+, 10+, 12+, and 14+. 3/7/2011 (Price: $26.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game(TM) by EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS INC.

Kids spin the spinner, squeeze the matching colored acorn with their Squirrel Squeezers, and place it in their log. The first to fill their log with delicious acorns wins. But players need to look out - they could spin "steal an acorn" or "lose an acorn." 3/4/2011 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Say Anything Family by NORTH STAR GAMES

Say Anything Family has 350 family oriented questions that allows families to enjoy the laughter and fun of the original party game. Ask a fun opinion question, everyone else comes up with an answer, secretly pick which one you like the most, everyone bets on what they think you just picked. Reveal the answer and score. "This game is fun for both parents and kids, while helping kids develop social interaction skills," Luke Warren, a rep for North Star Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2011. 3/4/2011 (Price: $19.99)

Match It! Make It-Farm by THE LEARNING JOURNEY INTERNATIONAL

The Make It! series are fun construction games that will challenge problem solving and memorization, and will develop fine motor skills of young children as they build their favorite creatures. Featuring Dinosaurs, Zoo Animals, Farm Animals and Animal Babies. Make It! is a multi-player game that teaches cooperation skills and animal recognition. Simply take turns selecting game cards and try to collect the pieces necessary to complete your animal. 3/4/2011 (Price: $11.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Reverse Charades- a hilarious twist on charades by RETROPLAY LLC

Reverse Charades is a fun twist on a classic stand-by (where one person acts out words for the team to guess). With Reverse Charades, the entire team has 60 seconds to act out as many words as one person can guess. It's a fast-paced, fiercely fun team competition that's great for groups such as families, work teams, school groups, party-goers or among a few close friends. The things that sets it apart is the "overall inclusive nature of the game to entertain large groups across all ages," Bryce Porter, Chief Party Officer of RETROPlay LLC. told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 2010.
Awards- 2011 Major Fun Award, voted 2010 Best New Family Game by KSL Studio 5 3/4/2011 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

I Spy Spectacular Game by BRIARPATCH INC.

This matching game features a 3-level spinner as well as a riddle challenge at the end of each round. I Spy Spectacular includes 36 double-sided cards featuring different levels of play for younger and older players. "Our 3-level spinner is truly a unique aspect in the world of matching games," Carol Comes, senior product manager at Briarpatch Inc., told TDmonthly. 1/25/2011 (Price: $24.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Wi$eMoney, The Town of Financial Literacy by DESTINA INC.

Wi$eMoney is a fun learning game for ages 13 to adult. Two to twelve players in two to four teams follow footprints in and around the fictitious Town of Financial Literacy. The entire family learns about banking, investing, budgeting, payday, financial responsibility, financing, credit, and identity protection. Players face real world situations and challenges as they learn the secrets of money management. "We created Destina...Wi$eMoney, a team-based board game, to give families a fun, engaging way to help everyone learn and remember financial basics for a successful life," Elizabeth Treher, founder of Destina, Inc., told TDmonthly. 12/17/2010 (Price: $34.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Birkball by ACTION GAMES COMPANY

Classic real-world games, like billiards and foosball, use sticks and pegs to propel balls. Birkball uses steerable chutes to accelerate and aim balls. Two, three, or four people can play simultaneously. Play consists of rolling steel balls down steerable chutes across a field into a target ball to move the target to the other team's back wall. 12/3/2010 (Price: $299.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Ligretto Dice by PLAYROOM ENTERTAINMENT

Families are rolling in fun with Ligretto Dice from Playroom Entertainment. Players roll and reroll their dice early and often to play their dice in numerical order. The player who gets rid of all their dice first wins!
— As an enthusiastic gamer, Dice Tower’s Tom Vasel enjoyed Ligretto Dice but found the game too simple. His daughter, however, “loves it,” leading Tom to conclude that “It’s a very good family game and it’s one we’re all equal at.”
— “It's so pure in concept and execution, I can only give it the highest recommendation,” proclaimed Mark Schildberg of Examiner.com.  Mark added, “Ligretto Dice is habit-forming fun for two to four players, and most rounds finish in two minutes or less, so the game progresses quickly.” 10/28/2010 (Price: $16.50) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

PirateTalk Conversation Cards by U.S. GAMES SYSTEMS, INC.

The PirateTalk Conversation Card deck features topics on pirate lore and legend, as well as facts about real-life pirates and how they lived life on the high seas. PirateTalk cards aim to fire up the imagination with topics like sunken treasure, swashbucklers in popular movies and books, and "Talk Like a Pirate Day." Each of the 52 colorfully illustrated cards presents facts with intriguing questions designed to get everyone talking about their own ideas and experiences. 10/18/2010 (Price: $6.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Feeling Sweet Bingo by BRIGHT SPOTS GAMES

Feeling Sweet Bingo is a unique twist on the game of Bingo. Sweet-themed characters express a broad range of vividly illustrated feelings and emotions. The game includes 50 tiles, eight Bingo cards, and 100 Bingo chips. 9/13/2010 (Price: $28.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Feeling Sweet Matching Game by BRIGHT SPOTS GAMES

The Feeling Sweet Matching Game brings to life a whole sweet shop of feelings. Each yummy treat shows an expressive feeling to be matched. 50 matching pairs of sweet tiles are included. 9/13/2010 (Price: $28.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Feelings in Bloom Matching Game by BRIGHT SPOTS GAMES

The Feelings in Bloom Matching Game brings a whole garden of feelings to life. Each expressive flower wears a different feeling on its face to be matched. 9/13/2010 (Price: $28.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Feelings in Bloom Bingo by BRIGHT SPOTS GAMES

This game features a whole garden full of vividly illustrated flower characters that express a wide range of feelings and emotions, and is designed to be a unique twist on the game of Bingo. 9/13/2010 (Price: $28.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Feelings in the Wild Bingo by BRIGHT SPOTS GAMES

Feelings in the Wild Bingo is a colorful Bright Spots game for the animal lover. The animated characters express a wide variety of emotions that can add new dimensions to playing the game.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products - 2010 9/13/2010 (Price: $28.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Feelings in the Wild Matching Game by BRIGHT SPOTS GAMES

The Feelings in the Wild Matching Game brings to life a vividly illustrated cast of animal characters, each with a different feeling to match. The game is designed to let kids have fun with feelings while they bring together matching animal pairs from all over the world. It includes 50 matching pairs of tiles. 9/13/2010 (Price: $28.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]