TDmonthly's Toy Fair 2007 Preview
Category: Family Games

Slooooks! by ASHARE PATTERSON DESIGN

Slooooks! is a new game that's a cross between eye-spy and a scavenger hunt. The rules are simple and all ages can play together ... and the game board folds up like a book so it can be taken anywhere. "It's never the same game twice," Kate Patterson of Ashare Patterson Design told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2011. 12/2/2011 (Price: $17.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Ugh! by CALLIOPE GAMES

Ugh is the life of a caveman through the eyes of John Kovalic. In Ugh! players encounter the Stone Age life by pushing their luck against the deck and trying to lock in as many sets of cards as they can before they are abruptly shocked by a natural disaster… Ugh! Each turn players can flip over up to three cards, all of which are good options for their set. Contents: 110 cards, including 4 Wild Cards, 28 Ugh! Cards, and 78 Number Cards. ( Watch Video) 12/2/2011 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Got 'Em! by CALLIOPE GAMES

Players must trap their opponents' pawns in one of two games of escape and capture. In Bright Got 'Em! players must outsmart and corner their opponents through savvy card play, sly movement, and clever placement of blocking walls. In the still-casual but even-trickier Brainy Got 'Em!™ players toss aside card actions in favor of a purely strategic challenge. Both games share the same goal, the same exciting intrigue, and the same social fun. Contents: One game board,  The side with colored squares is used for Bright Got ’Em!, The side with white squares is used for Brainy Got ’Em!, 84 wall pieces, 55 Got ’Em!™ cards, 4 pawns.
Awards: Major Fun Award; 2011 Creative Child’s Seal of Excellence 12/2/2011 (Price: $28.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Double Double Dominoes by CALLIOPE GAMES

Double Double Dominoes is a new approach to Dominoes. Players score points by matching up dominoes over key areas of the game board. Play a Double Domino and players double their score. Players can grab bonus points every time someone matches their position on the score track with a domino played… including themselves. Contents: Game board, 56 dominoes,  4 score pieces, Game rules. 12/2/2011 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

SOUND IT! FOUND IT! by WOWOPOLIS LLC

A completely new, patent-pending "two-in-one" board game, SOUND IT! FOUND IT! is both a guessing game AND a hidden-object game based on silly sounds other players make.  With 96 cards and eight giant-scene boards, it's perfect for today's kids, combining visual fun with the unique twist of guessing sounds to offer hours of laugh-out-loud fun. Launch date: February 2012.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval
— "What a cool game! If your kids like acting out (not acting up), this game is made for them. I had fun playing with Alex and her friend Lily...Alex and Lily are both tweens, but even kids a few years younger or older would love this game. Being silly is the only pre-requisite." - A review by Mike on the blog Just Find it 4 U.

 11/29/2011 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

SOUND IT! Card Game by WOWOPOLIS LLC

SOUND IT! is a hilarious new card game that offers two great ways to play: On one side of the card, guess the picture based on hearing the silly sounds other players make. On the other side, read the special clue and quickly identify the correct sound to make. Fun and challenging but simple to learn, a deck of 96 SOUND IT! cards offers unlimited possibilities. Launch date: February 2012. 11/29/2011 (Price: $9.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Cosmic Karma Game by COSMIC KARMA GAME PARTNERS

This beautifully crafted board game is an educational and insightful presentation of the principles of karma. 2 to 4 players. It's Monopoly but with karma instead of money; Chutes and Ladders but for adults; and The Game of Life but the life of the soul. 30-90 minutes. Features "Artistic presentation of sophisticated concepts that even a 5th grader can understand," Linda Look, game developer at Cosmic Karma Game Partners, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2012.
— As of 10/5/2012 this product had 4.7 out of 5 stars from 3 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Well designed; helps to illustrate the concept of karma; thought provoking. 11/29/2011 (Price: $38.00)

TENZI by CARMA GAMES

Everyone gets ten dice. Someone says “Go.” Then everyone rolls and rolls as fast as they can until someone gets all their dice on the same number. It’s a fun, fast frenzy. It’s TENZI. It's "Super-simple to learn & super-fast to play," Steve Mark, executive Dice president of  CARMA GAMES, LLC, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 2011.
— In a February 2012 survey about games, Mary Porter Green, owner of The Curiosity Zone in Ashburn, Va., told TDmonthly that she sells 6+ copies of Tenzi each month.
— In a February 2013 survey, two out of 11 retailers told TDmonthly that Tenzi was their best selling game.
— Glisyn Lewis Jarrells, manager of Imaginations Toy & Furniture in Blacksburg, Va., told TDmonthly in a March 2013 survey that Tenzi is their overall best selling product. They sell around 15 copies of the game each month. ( Watch Video) 11/8/2011 (Price: $14.95)

WiseMoney The Town of Financial Literacy Spanish Card Set by DESTINA INC.

Destina Inc. has released its first expansion to the Wise Money board game: the Spanish Card Set. The Spanish Card Set is a direct translation of all the card decks in the original WiseMoney board game, from Banking and Investing to Identity Protection including directions in Spanish. The Spanish Card Set is an extension of the board game that uses all of the same basic game elements (board, spinner, dice, etc.) of the original English version. "Our product addresses the financial literacy needs in the Hispanic community," Jan Noah, director of R&D at Destina, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 2011. 11/3/2011 (Price: $12.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Think-ets Holiday Collection by THINK-A-LOT TOYS

Think-ets Holiday Collection is a carefully selected assortment of well-known holiday items that will engage kids before and after all the presents have been opened.  Kids will love the holiday themed trinkets and will begin telling lots of great stories right before your eyes. The game has 15 miniature trinkets from around the world and the same instruction booklet as Think-ets Original, with 10 different games to play, all housed in a red or green mesh pouch. Now kids can have their own Think-ets game with a holiday theme to it. Sample contents include: snowman, snowflake, jingle bell, present, tree, polar bear, slice of Yule log cake, ring, milk bottle, plate, and more. 10/24/2011 (Price: $9.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

BOO by GameBrotherZ inc.

The goal is to reach the exit before Sweet Little BOO gets upstairs. Who will succeed? Laura, Elliot, Albert, Rose, Alec, or Fixela? Together or by themselves, family members can engage in this exciting race. With each roll of the dice, some players will move faster, some will have to step back, others will discover secret passages, but everyone will have fun. Includes 1 game board, 7 character pawns, 3 dice, and Instructions.
Awards: Parent Tested Parent Approved Seal of Approval; Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence Award. 9/26/2011 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Labyrinth 25th Anniversary Edition in a Tin by RAVENSBURGER

Players take turns to search the Labyrinth for their magical objects and characters by carefully moving through the constantly changing maze. The treasure cards are divided between the players, without revealing them to the other players. The maze cards are randomly placed on the playing board and the first player uses the extra card to start moving the first wall. Players strategically move the walls so they can collect their treasures, but block the path for the other players. Labyrinth comes complete with 1 game board, 34 moving wall cards, 24 treasure cards and 4 different colored playing pieces. This 25th Anniversary Edition of the game comes packaged in a high-quality and stylish tin. Content: 1 game board 34 maze cards 24 treasure cards 4 playing pieces Instructions. 1 game board, 34 maze cards, 24 treasure cards, 4 playing pieces, Instructions. 9/26/2011 (Price: $29.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Sardines by DJECO

Players have a couple of seconds to observe the little sardines, memorize them and find them again in the box. For 2-4 players; game time is 15 minutes.
— Dean Smith, co-owner of Jazams in Pennington, N.J., told TDmonthly in a September 2011 survey that he sells 12-18 copies of Sardines each month. 9/15/2011 (Price: $16.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

TRI by GENIO TOYS LLC

TRI : 3-Way Thinking Games "TRI your brains, TRI your words, TRI your luck. Multiple Games for Endless Fun." This is a new game set that challenges players' perceptive, tactical and word powers. Instructions include 4 different games, and will be extensible to other new playing methods in the future. Launch date: October 2011. 9/13/2011 (Price: $8.50) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Flashwordz by U.S. GAMES SYSTEMS, INC.

This exciting new word game requires a quick hand and a keen eye. Players create words by combining letters from their own racks with letters from another player's rack. With double-sided letter cards, everything can change in a flash. When the timer goes off it becomes  a free-for-all FlashRound. Game includes 100 two-sided letter cards, 4 card racks, FlashWordz Timer, and FlashRound Token. Launch date: July 2011.
Awards: 2011 Creative Child Preferred Choice Award. 9/8/2011 (Price: $19.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Wooden Marble Game Board - Aggravation by CHARLIE'S WOODSHOP

The Aggravation Game Board is a 20" Hexagon, made of solid Black Walnut, with the addition of (24) Inlaid Birch Pegged Spots, and with a beautiful wood grain enhanced by a non-toxic hand rubbed natural oil finish. The set includes: (24) 25mm (1") dia. solid opaque glass marbles of which there are (4) each of (6) different colors, plus (6) colored Dice to match the (6) sets of colors of the glass marbles. Plus instructions along with a velour pouch with a double drawstring. "The game board is designed to be able to set out permanently on display as a decorative piece when not being played with. This type of setting invites family participation more often. The family that plays together enjoys life a lot more," Charles H. W. Hall, owner of Charlie's Woodshop, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2009. 8/29/2011 (Price: $162.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Ticked Off! by R&R GAMES INC.

Ticked Off is a game that gives players the opportunity  to crush and impress their friends with their vast smartitude. Fast, fun and easy to play. 1. Bet on the first category...highest bid sets the mark to beat. 2. Reveal the Mystery Category. Start the timer. 3. Jot down as many answers as you can before the timer goes off. "A whole new twist on party games involving categories and matching answers, plus it comes with a unique 45 second electronic timer! You just gotta get TICKED OFF!" Frank DiLorenzo, president of R&R Games, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2011. 8/29/2011 (Price: $24.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Wordsearch by GOLIATH GAMES

Wordsearch!™ is the word search race game. The game is played on a board that rotates to reveal the new words to search for. The first player to find the word marks it with their colored tiles. This game is fast-paced and fun. It also has some twists and turns where players can remove words found by their competitors. The game includes 20 different word search puzzles. Launch date: July 2011. 8/25/2011 (Price: $24.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Ligretto by PLAYROOM ENTERTAINMENT

Ligretto is a fast-moving card game, where players must get rid of their Ligretto stacks as quickly as they can. Have fast hands and quick thinking, as the need for speed is key in this color stacking card game. Everyone plays at the same time, so there's no time to lose. Add different colored sets together for a lightning fast game for up to 12 players. Launch date: 2009.
Awards: Dr. Toy 10 Best Games Winner; 2009 Creative Child Preferred Choice Award; Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products Winner; Major Fun Award. 8/25/2011 (Price: $12.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Killer Bunnies and the Conquest of the Magic Carrot by PLAYROOM ENTERTAINMENT

Killer Bunnies Conquest is a follow-up to (and completely compatible with) the popular Killer Bunnies Quest card game series. Includes an entirely new array of wacky weapons, risky P-cards and wince-worthy Terrible Misfortunes. Morden's Metals Exchange is a new market where a player may buy and sell precious metals to earn Dolla. Kaballa's Market Two will sell the Radish and Milk needed to feed the bunnies. Some things are different, but the goal is still the same; survive long enough to claim the Magic Carrot and win the game. Launch date: 2011. 8/25/2011 (Price: $35.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

The Magic Labyrinth by PLAYROOM ENTERTAINMENT

The apprentices to the Master Wizard have accidentally lost some objects in The Magic Labyrinth. Now, they must try to collect them before the Master notices that they are missing. However, this magical maze has invisible walls that the little wizards keep bumping into, forcing them to start all over again. Players become one of the wizard apprentices and make their way through the Magic Labyrinth to collect as many of the lost objects as they can. "With it's unique game mechanics, the maze that players are trying to navigate is actually hidden below the board instead of above," Rebekah Zetty, director of operations at Playroom Entertainment, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2010.
Awards: 2009 Kinderspiel des Jahres, Major Fun Award, 2010 Arets spill, Parent's Choice Recommended. 8/25/2011 (Price: $30.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Cthulhu Gloom by ATLAS GAMES

In Cthulhu Gloom, you control a group of Lovecraftian protagonists and guide them down a path of horror and madness to an untimely death, while keeping your opponents happy, healthy, and annoyingly alive. While your characters Gibber With Ghouls and Learn Loathsome Lore to earn negative points, you'll encourage your opponents to be Analyzed by Alienists and to Just Forget About the Fungus to pile on positive points. When one group finally falls prey to the interdimensional doom that awaits us all, the player whose characters have suffered the most wins. Cthulhu Gloom is printed on transparent plastic cards. Cthulhu Gloom is a stand-alone card game that's also fully compatible with Gloom and its expansions. It introduces Story cards and Transformation cards. Includes two decks of 55 transparent cards, and a rules sheet in a tuckbox. Launch date: August 2011. 8/23/2011 (Price: $24.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Furt by WIGGITY BANG GAMES

In FURT, players race to be first into the fiery mouth of the FURT volcano with each roll of the color-coded die. Along the way, they might find themselves speaking like a robot, impersonating a stamp collector, doing fork acupuncture on their neighbor, or acting like a sugar donut, just to name a few. Players win by being the first to make it to the mouth of the FURT volcano and withstanding the ultimate Straight-Faced Challenge, in which other players take turns saying funny words to try to make them laugh. Launch date: August 2011. 8/23/2011 (Price: $29.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Mister Men and Little Miss Jigsaw Puzzle by NEW YORK PUZZLE COMPANY LLC

Mr. Happy, Mr. Strong, Miss Chatterbox...piece together all of your favorite characters from Roger Hargreaves' series of Mr. Men and Little Miss books.  Launched in 1971 after the creator's son asked him what a "tickle" looked like, the Mr. Men and Little Miss books have continued to remain an integral part of every child's introduction to reading. Launch date: March 2011. 8/12/2011 (Price: $15.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Launch Pad by STRATUS GAMES LLC

Players are battling to build the biggest, baddest rockets possible and send them soaring into space. Each rocket requires metal, fuel, and the expertise needed for liftoff. As players build their rockets, they must beware of their opponents, who are eager to steal their goods and sabotage their work— players may even have some tricks of their own to thwart their opponents' progress. All the while, the launch pad is being constructed—as soon as it’s ready, the rockets that are “go” for launch will blast off into space, leaving all others behind. For 2-4 players; game time is 30-60 minutes. 8/8/2011 (Price: $24.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]