Players try to get four wooden columns in a row. The pieces can be moved after they’ve been initially played on the grid. — Kathie Dockstader, buyer for Top Ten Toys in Seattle, said, "people like it because it´s visually stunning … it adds an element. It makes you want to play." Jude LaRene, owner of Izilla Toys in Seattle, recommended this for Christmas because: “It’s still a game many don't have yet and everyone loves.” — “Customers are looking for word games; I call them logical-thinking games. [Games] such as Gobblet by Blue Orange,” Terry Myers, owner of Kaleidoscope Toys in Round Rock, Texas, told TDmonthly. — Two of 44 retailers named Gobblet as one of their absolute best sellers in late fall 2009.
Putting a new twist on building blocks, the object of Zimbbos is to see who can stack the most elephants onto the pyramid without bringing the whole thing crashing down. Kids take turns rolling the dice to see how many elephants they have to add, and the person who tops off the pyramid is the winner. Let the pyramid tumble and you´re the loser. The game comes with 10 wooden elephants, five wooden jokers, a lion, a bear, two clowns and three balancing bars.
Scoop, the Ice Cream Man, is starting a new Sunday tradition to promote his surprise ice creams: Each ice cream hides a different flavor. Taking turns, players shuffle the ice creams and ask other players to find the hidden flavor of their choice. The player with the most flavors wins the game. This all-wood game includes four wooden ice cream cones and 12 wooden ice cream flavors. For one to six players.
Gobblet Junior brings the award-winning, fun game of strategy to the whole family. Gobblet Junior plays just like Tic-Tac-Toe except that players can gobble up their opponents and move their pieces around the board. The first to line up three pieces in a row wins. Fun, strategy, memory and surprise are always part of the game. — Two of 38 specialty toy retailers named Blue Orange when discussing best-selling wooden toys in February 2010.
Coocoo the Rocking Clown just loves to juggle, but his big curved green shoes make him wobble and keep throwing him off balance. The kid who can help him juggle the most balls without making any of them fall, wins. For 1 to 6 players, this all-wooden game takes approximately 10 minutes to play. It includes one wooden rocking clown, 24 wooden balls and instructions. The game was launched in February 2006.
In this exciting strategy game, players use colorful rings to challenge each other to win the most territories. It takes finding the right balance between gaining majorities and controlling the opponents to capture victory. Fast-paced and addictive, this beautifully crafted all-wooden game will please the whole family. For two to four players, playtime is approximately 20 minutes. The game includes a wooden playing board with 25 territories, 1 starting base, 48 wooden rings and instructions. Launch date: 2006. — “Blue Orange Ringgz is great. It has a beautiful wooden board,” said Cathy Albrow, owner of Creative Learning Toys in Grand Rapids, Mich. — "The best-selling toys are hands down those from Blue Orange. All-wooden games is what they do. Their games are original designs and ideas," said David Correa, buyer at Mrs. Tiggy Winkles in Tucson, Ariz. — Adeline Bertrix, from sales and marketing at Blue Orange, told TDmonthly, “It’s a completely new concept. There is no strategy game out there like it. It can be played by two, three or four players. The colors are very lively. The design is very simple. It’s a beautiful game. It’s very addictive. Both adults and children can play it, and I think that’s very important.”
Bendominos play like regular dominoes, but the innovative, curved design gives players more control over the game. In this twisting game, a new Bendomino must match by number to either end of the chain, but also has to fit. "Watch a new pattern emerge as the shape creates a chain that snakes and twists across the table. The high-quality pieces are visually stimulating and irresistible to touch" Adeline Beatrix, sales manager of Blue Orange Games, told TDmonthly. "In addition, the design of the pieces presents new opportunities for creative play beyond dominoes." Under the new “Tree Campaign,” Blue Orange Games is committed to planting two trees for every tree used to create its games. Awards: 007 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold, Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom, Spring 2007 Dr. Toy Best Products, 2007 Creative Child Seal Of Excellencep; 2007 Toy Man Seal of Approval, Award of Excellence and E-Choice awards. Launch date: February 2007. ― "It was a clever twist on a game that everybody knows how to play,” noted Patti Guetschon, co-owner of The Learning Station in Newark, Del. — Bendomino makes its mark as a winner of a TDmonthly Top Toy 2007 award due to its innovative recreation of a familiar game. The packaging is sharp and eye-catching, as is the twisted playing field that emerges during play. The satisfying heft and chink of the playing pieces also puts Bendomino notches above other plastic games.
It’s naptime at the pond, and Daddy and Mommy frogs want all Baby frogs to get rest on the big Water Lily. But the Baby frogs still want to play. They try to be the first to hop around the pond and cross the 11 small water lilies without being seen by the adult frogs. Under the new “Tree Campaign,” Blue Orange is committed to planting two trees for every tree used to create its games. This product received a 2007 Parent’s Choice Gold Award, a 2007 Dr. Toy Best Product Award, a 2007 Major Fun Thinking Award, a 2007 Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award and a Creative Child Award 2007 Game of the Year Award. Launch date: March 2007. ― Owner Linda Angel of Kidoodles Toys in Norman, Okla., told TDmonthly in spring 2007 that Blue Orange Games is one of her favorite vendors.
In this observation game, players race to get the farm animals home by calling the animals by name (“Pig! Cow! Duck!”) or by making the animals’ distictive sound (“Oink! Moo! Quack Quack!”). The adorable tri-colored farm animals all coincide with different combinations of the three dice. All the components are made of quality wood and are housed together in a wooden carrying box. “The wooden box makes a nice addition to the kid’s room and the cotton pouch is convenient for carrying Quack Quack wherever you go,” Blue Orange Games Sales Manager Adeline Bertrix told TDmonthly. This product is a winner of the 2007 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, the 2007 Dr. Toy Best Product Award, the 2007 Parents’ Choice Foundation Parents’ Choice Recommended Award and the 2007 Creative Child Award Preferred Choice Award. Launch date: February 2007.
Bingory is a part-bingo, part-memory game, where players flip over tiles and collect matching pairs. The player to collect all the pairs displayed on his or her bingo card wins. Bingory tiles and boards are all made of wood and painted with bold color illustrations. The game includes a “cotton pouch [that] is convenient for carrying Bingory wherever you go,” Blue Orange Games Sales Manager Adeline Bertrix told TDmonthly. This product is a winner of the 2007 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, the 2007 Parents’ Choice Recommended Award and the 2007 Creative Child Award Preferred Choice Award. Launch date: February 2007.
Bendominos play like classic dominos, but with a twist: The curved domino pieces must not only match, but also fit. A new pattern is created each time the pieces curve and twirl around the table. “Bendomino Jr. is an all-wooden game with lovely icons in bold colors in place of pips,” Adeline Bertrix, sales manager at Blue Orange Games, told TDmonthly. “The tiles take on a new arrangement every game.” This product is a winner of the 2007 Creative Child Award Seal of Excellence Award. Launch date: February 2007.
The wooden game will help children enhance their memory skills. The game invites children to guess which penguin is hiding which brightly colored egg. Each egg hides perfectly inside each penguin. Launch date: 2008. — In late fall 2009, Sue Banducci of Games Unlimited in Danville, Calif., estimated sales of 150 to 200 Pengoloo games in December. Two of 44 specialty retailers named the game as one of their overall best sellers.
In this challenging game, players roll two dice, add the dots and find the best combination of numbers to shut two rows of nine tiles. Players cannot touch tiles in the second row unless the tile in front of it has already been shut. The goal of the game is to shut all the tiles and close the super box. Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy 2009. Launch date: February 2008.
In this family-friendly game, players match the color of each tile and anticipate which direction the action tiles will take. Twists in the game include players receiving extra turns, drawing extra tiles, reversing orders and gaining extra points. Launch date: February 2008.
This game is the travel version of the Gobblet board game. All pieces come in a little tote bag, making the game easy to store and transport. “The colorful nature of this wooden game makes the game durable to abuse and friendly in use,” Jeremy Smith at Blue Orange Games told TDmonthly. “The bright colors make the pieces hard to lose but easy to play with.” Launch date: June 2004.
This version of the Fundomino game holds all the fun of the original game, with all the convenience of a travel game. All pieces come in a convenient travel pouch. “Our easy to travel pouch, perfectly sized colorful pieces and unique play of Fundomino all contribute to a great travel game to play amongst friends and family,” Jeremy Smith at Blue Orange Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2008.
This vintage version of the self-contained Double Shutter comes with wooden dice. The entire game comes in a wooden box. A casino tin and junior version are also available. “Durable, easy to stow away and with minimal pieces this game is perfect to travel with,” Jeremy Smith at Blue Orange Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2008.
This junior version of the self-contained Double Shutter comes with wooden dice and plays like the original. A casino tin and travel version are also available. “The colorful casino like feel to the game ensures nobody will want to put the dice down,” Jeremy Smith at Blue Orange Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2008. ― “It's very family oriented,” observed Mike Shaw, manager of Little Blue Choo Choo in Scottsdale, Ariz., who reported Double Shutter as a best–selling game in January 2009.
Gobblet Gobblers utilizes the awesome strategy of Gobblet and adds personality and character to the game. Players pick their Gobblers family and line up three in a row to win the game. The Gobblers have a strong appetite and can gobble up smaller Gobblers. These cute little characters will test strategy and stimulate memory. The all-wooden game has a bright, distinctive design and is earth friendly. "We plant two trees for every tree used in creating our games," Adeline Bertrix, sales manager for Blue Orange Games, told TDmonthly. Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy 2009. Launch date: February 15, 2009.
Calculated chances and strategic choices will place the odds in favor of players as they let the five dice roll them to a win with Yamslam. After each roll, a player chooses the dice that will get the best combination. Each combination is worth a different value and has only four chips, so it's important to take the best ones before they run out. Players race to get special bonuses before their friends do, keeping the suspense rolling until the end. The game has appeal for all ages and is convenient for travel, as it is "self contained in a beautiful tin box," Adeline Bertrix, sales manager for Blue Orange Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 15, 2009. Awards: Dr. Toy's 100 Best Children's Products 2009;2012 TDmonthly Top Toy Award. Why it won: This dice-rolling game from Blue Orange is fun for both kids and adults. With each roll of the dice players must strategize how they can win the chip with the highest point value. Without even realizing it, kids are learning basic math skills like addition and probability. The game is self-contained in a red tin, making it easy to play on the road or tote along to a party. — Yamslam is on the best-seller list at Golden Apple Learning Store in Pleasanton, Calif., Owner John MacDougall told TDmonthly in summer 2009. — "Right now, a game called Yamslam is our best-selling game," said Sue Banducci of Games Unlimited in Danville, Calif., in late 2009. She was anticipating sales of about 250 units during December. — Three of 38 retailers cited Yamslam as a best-selling game in Feb. 2010.
The chickens are hanging out on their colorful wooden perch. But if one of them decides to leave, the whole perch will teeter. The goal is to collect as many chickens, hay bales and wagon wheels before the rocking perch topples. The chickens, hay bales and wagon wheels have different weights, meaning different point values. The player with the highest score wins the game. Selecting a heavier piece receives more points but entails more risk of making the perch topple. If a player causes the perch to topple, five points will be deducted from his or her total. "Two trees are planted for every tree used in the creation of this game," Adeline Bertrix, sales manager at Blue Orange Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 15, 2009. — Chickyboom is a top seller at Golden Apple Learning Store in Pleasanton, Calif., Owner John MacDougall told TDmonthly in summer 2009. — Three of 44 retailers named this game as an overall best seller in late fall 2009.
Roll five dice to win. Calculated chances and strategic choices will place the odds in your favor. After each roll, choose the dice that will get you the best combination. Each combination is worth a different point value and has only four chips, so get the best ones before they run out. Race your friends to the special bonuses and keep the suspense rolling until the end with Pocket Yamslam. It is compact, self contained and includes a chip rack. The colorful wooden retail display holds 12 games. Launch date: February 2010.
Sumoku is a unique crossword-style game with numbers that can be played five different ways. Players add up the tiles to multiples of a number shown on the die. Once all the tiles are connected together, it's a sumoku. "Whether you look for fast action with friends, a challenging pastime, or an addictive game that brings family together, sumoku has it all! Packed with endless challenges, sumoku is pure adding fun!" Bert Devort, Sales Department, Blue Orange Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 14, 2010.
Cards are played in sequence, progressing up or down. A player sets down cards in number order. A yellow card means to take a chip out of the Golden Gate. But then, there's some skill involved: Can a player place them at the right times to get the best chips? Or will the opportunity pass? Getting stuck with red cards means a loss of chips. "Golden Gate is an exciting card game in which you combine a little bit of luck with the right plays to start piling up your points. It’s a fast, friendly showdown for the gold with the fine craftsmanship and colorful designs you’ve come to expect from Blue Orange Games," Bert Devort, Sales Department, Blue Orange Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 14, 2010.
