The wooden Magnetic Number Match Up Puzzle is a great interactive activity that helps children develop math skills. It comes with 30 colorful wooden pieces that fit together to form three-piece number tiles. Children learn to count the number of objects illustrated on one piece of the tile and match it to the correct number and the right number word. Launch date: December 2008.

Filled with tiny pellets that represent an outdoor sports field, this version of Find It contains more than 40 items that cover more than 35 sports. Things to find include a basketball hoop, football, boxing glove and jet ski. Launch date: Fall 2008.
— Mary Porter, owner of The Curiosity Zone in Ashburn, Va., sells “a dozen or so a month” of the Find It games, she told TDmonthly in spring 2009.
— Two of 64 retailers cited Find It Games when asked about best-selling travel toys in March 2009.

This portable strategy game is similar to chess or checkers, but with a twist — the magnetic stones with unmarked north and south poles can jump out of their position at any point during the game, giving players a whole new element of challenge. "Jishaku" is the Japanese term for "magnet." The game received a 2008 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, an iParenting Media Award, a Major Fun Award and a Mr. Dad Seal of Approval. Launch date: June 3, 2008.
— Tutoring Toy in Salt Lake City sells about 20 per month of this game, Buyer Casey Sartain told TDmonthly in fall 2009.

Kids can choose from Hockey, Lacrosse, Basketball, Soccer or Baseball dice games. Each includes four dice and a mini sport bag. The player's team that scores the most goals, baskets or points in a game wins. "ChalkTalkSPORTS dice games are based on the basic rules of the sport and are a fun and fast playing game that appeal to all ages," Julie Lynn, president of ChalkTalkSPORTS, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 20, 2008.

This award-winning chess teaching tool is now in a zippered cloth bag and ready to take along at a moments notice. The board has been redesigned to hold the pieces not in play at either side. This game received a Dr. Toy Top 10 Games Award in 1997 and an EDUSOURCE Top 10 Games Award in 1999, and a National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA) in 2003. Launch date: October 2008.

In this classic strategy game, players hop around the pond with their frog friends. It allows children to explore the boggy pond with their colorful and funny frogs. Players move their game pieces across the pond to win the game. "Our clever twist with magnets makes this game great for small hands; the magnets stack up high and the winner can clearly be seen. The magnetic pieces also help to make this game great for travel," Jessica McCulligh, in marketing at Dowling Magnets, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2008.

Square Up! offers a new twist on the slider puzzle – playing an opponent! The object of the game is to slide the squares to match the cube shaker before your opponent finishes. It’s a fast, two-player, visual thinking game. Each board measures about 8” square.
— This game was listed as a best seller by Michele and Ken Gietz of Where’d You Get That!? in Williamstown, Mass., in fall 2008. “It’s great for travel or restaurants,” they said. “It’s two-player, but each gets their own sliding squares board and special shaker. We’ve sold many for a small store in the last six months.”
— Brooke Andrews, owner of Millers Toy Store in Mamoroneck, N.J., told TDmonthly in late 2009 her store sells about 12 units per week of this game. Two of 44 retailers named it as one of their top-three best sellers.

UNO Flash is the fast and furious new way to play UNO. It features exciting new technology and game-play rules to keep everyone on their toes. Who's next? When your red light flashes, it's your turn. You have to discard quickly before your time runs out. Lights and sounds direct the action. Play is fast and unpredictable; everything can change in a flash. "The new speed element in UNO Flash brings an entirely new level of excitement to UNO, whether you're new to the game or a veteran player," explained Marlene Esqueda, Account Executive, GolinHarris Public Relations for Mattel, Inc. Launch date: June 2008.

Treasures and Traps™ is a complete card game that puts you in the role of the hero. Your quest is to collect three treasures before anyone else. Sounds simple enough, but throw in a two-headed troll, a maze of dangerous doors, and a few cunning thieves and you won't know what might happen next. With 100 different cards, each game is a unique journey of wild adventure never to be repeated again. Awards: 2007 Origins Award Best Card Game of the Year Silver Award. "Treasures and Traps is a game that the family plays. Kids, youth, and adults all enjoy it. This features makes it unique-we have heard countless stories of parents and kids, young and old, boys and girls, spending time together enjoying this one," C. Aaron Kreader, Designer, Studio 9 Inc. Launch date: 8/1/2006.

RAGE™ starts with ten cards. Then hand by hand, the number of cards (and options) reduces until at last, you only have ONE card. Players record the number of tricks they plan to take each round; scoring points for their accurate bidding. Sound easy? The outRAGEous action cards will keep you guessing. Includes 108 cards and instructions. "Rage is a classic card game that originated in the 1980s that Fundex has brought back to market," explained Katie Hemlock, marketing specialist at Fundex Games, Ltd.  "Rage is a trick-taking game that is always changing.  This game will keep families entertained while enjoying a NEW card game." Launch date: 2/1/2007.

Crack the Code and Score the Gold: Only a true mastermind could pull off a caper like this. One vault door is the only thing standing between you and a much-deserved treasure. Will you play your cards right and be the first to open the vaunted vault? It’s a game of numbers as you use special Tool cards to beat your opponents and crack the code. So don’t play it safe. Get crackin’ and bust those codes. "This is a NEW card game that is fun for both parents and children alike," said Katie Hemlock, marketing specialist at Fundex Games, Ltd. "The action cards in the game give players a leg up on their crafty competition, including The Master Key, Double Cross, Thieves’ Curse. And the Bamboozled card will really toss a monkey wrench in their plans." Launch date: 2/2/2009.

This colorful and charming deck presents fascinating facts about America's favorite pastime. Each card poses an intriguing question designed to get conversations rolling at home, in school, at parties or on the road. There are no wrong or right answers. Participants just pick a card and start talking. "Unique questions get kids thinking and talking about their own ideas and experiences," Lynn Araujo, communications director for U.S. Games Systems, Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 2008.

Now even the tinest Baby can have a Zoobie. The Baby Mashaka plush toy  un-Velcroes to become a comfy pillow, then unzips to transform into an infant-sized blanket. The blanket even features fuzzy "comfort corners" to stimulate Baby's interest in textures. Release date: 2008.

This "cruise edition" of the quick-play, easy-to-learn strategy game Pentago is ideal for portability and travel. Launch date: 2007.
Awards: May 2012 TDmonthly Top Toy Award. Why it won: Not only is this game a proven best seller; it also earned a high rating from TDmonthly's panel of reviewers, as well as users on Amazon.com.
— Brooke Andrews, owner of Millers Toy Store in Mamoroneck, N.Y., told TDmonthly in late fall 2009 that her store sells about 12 Pentago games per week. Erika Evers, owner of Dancing Bear Toys in Hendersonville, N.C., estimated sales of about 8 to 12 units per month.
— As of 4/12/2012 this product had 4.8 out of 5 stars from 24 reviews on Amazon.com.

Writing on the easel encourages the child to sit with good posture while writing, assisting the child visually and supporting a good wrist and hand position. The kit comes with a chalk board, a "Cloud to Garden" Dry Erase board, a Fine Motor Funbook, 12 E-Z grip crayons whose triangular promotes proper grasp, kid scissors, three mini pencils, a dry erase marker, an easy-to-grip chalk in a sturdy holder and a sponge eraser. “The kit and contents fold up easily to become a travel case,” Fun and Function LLC President Aviva Weiss told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2008.

Select a challenge card and flip and slide the special ZenBender dice to recreate the pattern. With three levels of difficulty and 36 different patterns, there’s a challenge for everyone. Three other varieties are available: Dachshund, Dragon and Quilt.

Select a challenge card and flip and slide the special ZenBender dice to recreate the pattern. With three levels of difficulty and 36 different patterns, there’s a challenge for everyone. Three other varieties are available: Dachshund, Quilt and Race Track.

Select a challenge card and flip and slide the special ZenBender dice to recreate the pattern. With three levels of difficulty and 36 different patterns, there’s a challenge for everyone. Three other varieties are available: Dragon, Quilt and Race Track.

The game puts reactions time to the test. Two cards are played to the table, but only one wins. Be the first to call-out the winning card and win a point. “Kids will pick up the game because it’s familiar to them,” Out of the Box Publishing Inc. Marketing Director Matt Mariani told TDmonthly. “’Rock, Paper, Scissors’ is played everywhere… but [this game] adds the element of speed.” Launch date: May 2008.

The game is great for travel and brain exercise. The game features 48 different puzzles at differing levels of difficulty. “Kids will also like it because it has planes,” Educational Insights Advertising and Public Relations Coordinator Heidi Bultman told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 31, 2008.

The memory-matching game engages children with a charming array of colorful and crazy hats. Pick a pair, build a stack and win the game. The game comes with an 11” x 17” double-sided folding magnetic game board; 40 chunky foam magnetic game pieces that stay firmly in place and are easy for small hands to control; and a full-color illustrated instruction booklet with easy-to-follow rules. “This game is a creative twist to the classic memory game,” Jessia McCulligh, of Dowling Magnets’ marketing department, told TDmonthly. “With magnetic pieces…[this game is] great for little hands and…great for travel!” Launch date: January 2007.

The playset comes with two exclusive pocket puppies: Digby and Jumper. The playset also features a spinning Ferris wheel, swinging ship, teeter-totter and much more.

The playset includes a mommy puppy, her three newborn pups and a lot of accessories. The puppies can play on a seesaw, take baths, enjoy treats and snuggle in at bedtime. The nursery folds up for on-the-go fun.

Players race the clock drawing items in a given category and then try to determine which of their partner’s drawings actually matches theirs. The team with the most matches wins. The game comes with category cards, sketch pads, pencils, die, spin timer and instructions. “These games are perfect for people on the go and have busy schedules,” Fundex Games Ltd. Marketing Specialist Katie Hemlock told TDmonthly. “They play in half the time and are twice the fun.” Launch date: June 2008.

The kit features play scenes equipped with magnetic pieces that kids can use to create and recreate different play scenes. Over 20 colorful, magnetic pieces are included. The magnetic play scenes are available in two varieties: pirate ship and fairy tree house. “The Magnetic Play Scenes encourage kids’ imagination because they can use it to act out a different story every time they play with it,” Joyce Johannson, a representative for Magnetic Poetry, told TDmonthly. “Use the colorful magnetic characters and accessories to have tea in the fairy house, or have someone walk the plank on the pirate ship.” Launch date: Spring 2008.