Toy Industry News for May 2013 — Kid Brands, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2013 Results ...read more toy news from May 2013

Who says puzzles need to be in a box? With Geotoys' new Puzzle Pouch, kids can take their jigsaws anywhere they want! The Puzzle Pouch holds a 36-pc jigsaw puzzle, with large pieces perfect for ages 3+. The soft pouch and zipper are easy to store and fun to take on the road.  Available with shelf tray. Launch date: February 2012.
— As of 10/30/2012 this product had 4.2 out of 5 stars from 4 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Educational; good for travel. Cons: One user said the puzzle was not very durable.

Features: Jumbo-sized pieces shaped like countries. A fun way for kids to learn geography. 68 pieces. High-quality, durable construction.
— As of 10/30/2012 this product had 4.6 out of 5 stars from 26 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Easy to travel with; Educational. Cons: One customer was upset that each country did not have its own puzzle piece.

Flag Frenzy is a fast-paced card game where players race to match flags from countries around the world. 49 cards have 8 flags each, and every card has one flag in common with every other card. The goal is to find the matching flags before the opponents do, and be the first to match all the cards. Continent cards add to the fun, as players must match a flag to one of four continents (Europe, Asia, Americas, and Africa). And a bonus world map is included, showing all flags and where the countries are located. Contents: 49 flag cards, 8 continent cards, rules, world map. Inventor: Martin Nedergaard Anderson.

One of a kind handcrafted wooden blocks to help childred become geography whizzes. GeoBlocks have country names in English and native languages, capitals, national icons, and a world map puzzle. Made in China from FSC-certified wood and non-toxic inks. Ages 2+. Launch date: June 2012.

50 Jumbo Sized Cards (4.5" x 6.0") with states on one side and capitals on the other. GeoCards also have population, nickname and land area information for each state, and rules for five different games for 1-4 players.

The Puzzle Purse is a soft, flexible, portable pouch that contains a 36 pc puzzle inside. Launch date: April 2012.

In TravelMania, players travel the globe answering questions about world geography, culture, and history while collecting passports and visa stamps. Players must collect five visas and passport stamps –– one from each of five continent groups –– to win the game. The passport stamps are earned by landing on spaces labeled with different country names, while the visas are given when answering trivia questions correctly. The game contains more than 2,000 questions. President Jimmy Carter calls this game "a great way to learn about the world."

Inventor Bill Rolette used 64 postcards from his continental travels to create this game, which is fun for both kids and adults. Each player gets 5 postcards and must visit those cities on the map by rolling colored die and following the paths. Players can also roll airplanes, which allow them to fly to any city in America. Once a player lands on a destination, she turns over the card and draws another. The first player to turn over 10 postcards wins the game. A Dr. Toy and Creative Child Magazine award winner.

Ideal for learning geography, this 57-piece puzzle features more than 30 animals from around the globe and is illustrated by award-winning children's book author Dennis Rockhill. When completed, it measures 22" x 14.5". Launch date: Fall 2008.

The table or floor soccer game consists of a felt field, two die-cast “kickers,” two “goalies” and a ball. Players tap the kickers’ heads to shoot the ball, while defending with their diving goalies. The entry-level game is similar to the Tipp-Kick Classic, but includes a stadium wall for increased stability and ease of play. Launch date: January 15, 2008.

The entry-level table or floor soccer game consists of a felt field, two die-cast “kickers,” two “goalies” and a ball. Players tap the kickers’ heads to shoot the ball, while defending with their diving goalies. Launch date: January 15, 2008.
— This game “captures the excitement of soccer, the number one sport of American kids!” GeoToys LLC President Bob Galinsky told TDmonthly.

GeoPuzzle Dinosaurs combines geography with paleontology. The set features 24 popular dinosaurs organized on a world map according to where they were discovered. Launch date: February 2008.
— “A bonus fact sheet, as well as stunning original artwork by children’s book artist Dennis Rockhill, make this item truly unique,” GeoToys LLC President Bob Galinsky told TDmonthly.

This puzzle teaches geography, history and elections. Each state comes in two pieces — one red, one blue — so that the puzzle can be put together according to the election results of 1960, 1992 or 2008. A partnership with historycentral.com provides red/blue maps for every U.S. election. Each puzzle contains 118 pieces. Launch date: October 2007.

The pieces of this puzzle are shaped like the individual countries of Europe so children learn geography as they put the puzzle together. GeoPuzzles help to build fine motor, cognitive, language, and problem-solving skills and are a great introduction to world geography for children ages four and up. Designed by an art professor, jumbo-sized and brightly colored GeoPuzzles will soon be available for all five major continents. GeoPuzzle Europe has 58 pieces and is 19" by 16". GeoPuzzles have been recognized by Dr. Toy and NAPPA as outstanding educational toys.
— "Joe (8) will remember the shapes of the countries much better now, and also he will be able to relate their physical sizes and location to each other," said Susan Ledford, a mom reviewer in TDmonthly's Homeschool Roundtable.

This is a jigsaw puzzle map of Africa and the Middle East, with individual pieces shaped like countries. As children assemble the puzzles, they learn about each country from Algeria to Zimbabwe while building cognitive, problem-solving, fine-motor and language skills. According to a recent poll by National Geographic, most Americans ages 18 to 24 do not know that Sudan and Rwanda are in Africa, and 63 percent cannot find Iraq or Saudi Arabia on a map of the Middle East.

This 19" by 16" puzzle is shaped like the continent of Asia and comes from the GeoPuzzle line, which has received a Dr. Toy Smart Play/Smart Toys Award from the Institute for Childhood Resources. It includes 50 pieces that are shaped like the different countries of Asia. As children assemble the puzzles, they learn each country's name, shape and capital while they build cognitive, problem-solving, fine motor and language skills.